I’m reading Torkil Lauesen’s The Principal Contradiction. It’s an excellent book and I’ll write up a review at some point, definitely recommend it. But in it, while Lauesen acknowledges that general contradictions like “workers v. capitalists” and “private profit v. socialized production” are always important, it is the contradiction between imperial core and periphery that is the principal contradiction right now. That’s to say, it is the contradiction that is most critical at this moment to the further development of capitalism.
I think he is correct. And if that’s the principal contradiction, then to me where you stand on core versus periphery is the most important stand for any leftist to take. That separates the wheat and the chaff. And there are few places in the world (with the exception maybe of eastern Ukraine) where core and periphery are in greater physical conflict than in Palestine.
So fuck Bernie, fuck AOC, fuck Cornel West, and fuck any other “leftist” (including in this thread) who expresses anything other than uncritical support for Palestine in this moment.
I haven’t but if that’s something that Lauesen has written I’ll definitely read it, I really like how he has a good grasp of theory but from an activist perspective.
Get it! It is easy to understand and digest while having minimal academic prose or style, the writing and reflection from Lausens involvement in the struggle for liberation acts as a nice personal touch to the material critique of the world system we have created today.
Riding the Wave by Lauesen is a good follow up to the Global Perspective and really examines how intricacies of imperialism relate on the national level and trickle down to the working class of imperialist nations.
what drives me fucking nuts: where is the argument for critical support even coming from? like the Palestinian communists are involved with this, why the fuck are we questioning their judgement as privileged westerners, you can't just point the finger at hamas for this one
Torkil Lauesen is one of ~20 white Third-Worldists to actually put their money where their mouth is; respect to him on those grounds. But I think his concept leaves only 'lie down and rot' and 'join the YPG' as the only useful tasks for leftists in the Left; he forecloses the possibility of revolutionary action in the imperial core in a way that feels defeatist. Just because there is not a successful historical example thus far, that does not mean it is impossible.
I think that’s a fair point, though I would also add that trying to figure out what us western leftists are actually supposed to do right now is a pretty difficult and convoluted question, and I give my comrades a lot of room to figure it out myself.
Organize for the overthrow of capitalism within our nations and against our nations' imperial violence abroad. How to do that is a big and difficult question but you can't throw in the towel.
I’m reading Torkil Lauesen’s The Principal Contradiction. It’s an excellent book and I’ll write up a review at some point, definitely recommend it. But in it, while Lauesen acknowledges that general contradictions like “workers v. capitalists” and “private profit v. socialized production” are always important, it is the contradiction between imperial core and periphery that is the principal contradiction right now. That’s to say, it is the contradiction that is most critical at this moment to the further development of capitalism.
I think he is correct. And if that’s the principal contradiction, then to me where you stand on core versus periphery is the most important stand for any leftist to take. That separates the wheat and the chaff. And there are few places in the world (with the exception maybe of eastern Ukraine) where core and periphery are in greater physical conflict than in Palestine.
So fuck Bernie, fuck AOC, fuck Cornel West, and fuck any other “leftist” (including in this thread) who expresses anything other than uncritical support for Palestine in this moment.
Have you by chance also read The Global Perspective? I'm interested in picking it up
I haven’t but if that’s something that Lauesen has written I’ll definitely read it, I really like how he has a good grasp of theory but from an activist perspective.
Get it! It is easy to understand and digest while having minimal academic prose or style, the writing and reflection from Lausens involvement in the struggle for liberation acts as a nice personal touch to the material critique of the world system we have created today.
Riding the Wave by Lauesen is a good follow up to the Global Perspective and really examines how intricacies of imperialism relate on the national level and trickle down to the working class of imperialist nations.
Torkil Lauesen is fucking based. The Global Perspective continues to be one of my favourite reads on imperialism to date.
what drives me fucking nuts: where is the argument for critical support even coming from? like the Palestinian communists are involved with this, why the fuck are we questioning their judgement as privileged westerners, you can't just point the finger at hamas for this one
Torkil Lauesen is one of ~20 white Third-Worldists to actually put their money where their mouth is; respect to him on those grounds. But I think his concept leaves only 'lie down and rot' and 'join the YPG' as the only useful tasks for leftists in the Left; he forecloses the possibility of revolutionary action in the imperial core in a way that feels defeatist. Just because there is not a successful historical example thus far, that does not mean it is impossible.
I think that’s a fair point, though I would also add that trying to figure out what us western leftists are actually supposed to do right now is a pretty difficult and convoluted question, and I give my comrades a lot of room to figure it out myself.
Organize for the overthrow of capitalism within our nations and against our nations' imperial violence abroad. How to do that is a big and difficult question but you can't throw in the towel.