my lib friend condemns existing socialist states because of their state repression of counter-revolutionaries:
he complains about the lack of civil liberties. when I pressed him on whether the emancipation of the poor is more important, he said that he refuses to compromise on giving everyone full civil liberties and due process.
I personally think civil liberties are good, but are a secondary concern to emancipating the poor. and due process can be implemented in time, I'm not against it. Finally, fascists do not deserve civil liberties and I fully condone repression against them.
Couching freedom quote in lib language: on maslow pyramid of needs, food and shelter are more important than political life. Having millions people living with fuller stomach is more important that ten thousands people right to launch coups. Obviously they’ll say that fuller stomach flows from these liberties, but it’s just not true.
Civil liberties in imperial core means you can go marching against some policy, and the policy would still get implemented (iraq war, palestine, Trump shit). In global south such marches would get weapons from usaid (if they are pro-privatization ofc).
I’m not a fan of state repression and prefer some mediation by whatever force is there, but fundamentally there is large difference between vulnerable countries and countries in the west connected to imperialism. If protestors want sanctions ended by selling your state-enterprises, what is there to mediate?