I think the "logic" goes like this -- there is oil there. And Muslims. And when oil, Muslims and war are in the same place, it must be about oil. And _only_ about oil. There cannot a priori be any other factors. And because all events on the world stage without exception can be reduced to the evil workings of imperialism, which, not content to merely be the _main_ source of evil on earth, is the _only_ one.
"s.artesian" <sartesian@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I believe that, Mr. Proyect's statement, is a mischaracterization of Mr. Doss's. Clearly Chris Doss is pointing out that Shamil was not exactly a great emancipator struggling for the future of the downtrodden.
I wish there were a bit more concrete analysis presented, rather than assertions that oil and
geopolitical forces are at work.
It might involve some original investigation, there may not be a lexis-nexis connection, but if you
claim oil is at the source, then show us the critical economic condition, in terms of value, of oil.
It would be nice to see some presentation of the class issues involved here.
-----Original Message-----
From: Louis Proyect
Sent: Jun 23, 2004 9:53 AM
To: PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Putin
Chris Doss wrote:
> Dude, I think I know who Imam Shamil is. I referred to his
failed
> attempt to impose Shariah in an earlier, apparently unread, post. He was
> a Dagestani Avar. Shamil Basayev is named after him. He lived out his
> last years in a sumptuous palace outside St. Petersburg on the tsar's
> money, after having been bribed to quit fighting. He died in what is now
> Saudi Arabia, after having been given permission to go there by the tsar.
I am not sure I gather your drift here. You seem to be okaying the
Czarist conquest of the Caucauses because they were fighting backward
religious practices or something like that? I had no idea that the
Russian Orthodox Church was a beacon of civilization and enlightenment.
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