Many on this list would be sympathetic to regimes resisting neo-liberal interference by the US, Britain, and other western imperialist governments. Charles makes a good point that historically there will be many imperfect forms of socialism, and need to be. The positive news this week that the US Congress is to start lifting its economic blockade against Cuba (food and medicine's only) after 38 years is a time to note the persistence and shrewdness of the Cuban regime in resisting these pressures for so long. That included handling internal contradictions well, and actively seeking support from many other countries in the world, and even the papacy. Similarly not everything that the Socialist Party of Serbia did, was bad, but it may be more constructive to debate in the months ahead what steps were progressive in this project and what ultimately were at the very least unproductive. For example perhaps the privatisation of 200 companies in 1996 to associates of the SPS was not a progressive compromise with market forces. Resisting neo-liberalism is enormously difficult. But lessons could be learned. Chris Burford London
