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On 2014-03-15, at 12:13 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > > On 3/15/14 11:57 AM, turb...@aol.com wrote: >> (And I'm not saying this out of some "mandarin" disdain for the >> "masses", but rather because there are many situations in which >> people in the streets figure less significantly in the outcome than >> the machinations of big powers; this, IMO, is one such situation) >> Russia shouldn't dominate Ukraine either. But those whose main thrust >> is to denounce Russian imperialism come dangerously close to echoing >> the propaganda of their own ruling class. > > In the interests of transparency, Creegan speaks for the CPGB, a tiny sect in > Britain… a·void·ance (ə-void′ns) n. The act of shunning or avoiding. > One of Ukraine’s most prominent Jewish leaders dismissed Russian President > Vladimir Putin’s reasoning for Moscow-backed militiamen taking over the > region as “ridiculous” ahead of Sunday’s referendum on the future of > Crimea...the President of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee Eduard Dolinsky said > that the community did “not feel any specific threat at this moment. And we > can solve any issues inside our country in dialogue with all political forces > peacefully.” Whatever Putin may or may not believe, no one here has argued the Ukrainian Jewish community is, as Dolinsky delicately puts it, "under specific threat at this moment", justifying a Russian invasion. Myself and others have been referring to anti-semitic statements made by leaders of Svoboda, the party which played a prominent role in bringing the present government to power and subsequently being invited to join it. It beats me why this agitates you so. It seems to me to be the elementary responsibility of the international left and all people of good will to bring these statements and the role of Svoboda to public attention, especially in the US and western Europe, in the interests of constraining their own governments. As for Jewish opinion, you cite a single source, one which would not want to rock the boat in present circumstances, while ignoring that the World Jewish Congress has labelled the party as "neo-Nazi" and called for it to be banned. Perhaps the WJC and other Jewish organizations will fall into line with the Western effort to disguise the more unsavoury features of the new regime and its core base of support, but that has not happened as yet. ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
