[Marxism] Syria: Assad Regime and Kurdish YPG Strike a Reactionary Deal

[RKOB via Marxism]

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https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/syria-assad-regime-and-kurdish-ypg-strike-a-reactionary-deal/

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[Marxism] Leila Al Shami: On the Turkish offensive on north eastern Syria

[mkaradjis . via Marxism]

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As usual, Leila Al Shami gets it right on both the Turkish invasion:

Inhabitants of the region have good reason to fear a Turkish occupation.
The Kurdish-majority city of Afrin, which fell to Turkey and allied forces
last year, sets a terrifying precedent. Many civilians were displaced from
their homes and prevented from returning, and there was widespread looting
of abandoned property, as well as arrests, rape and assassinations.

and on what the SDF will be facing now forced by Erddogan to dealo with
Assad:

Yet it’s unlikely the regime will ever accept Kurdish autonomy, as it’s
repeatedly made clear in public statements. Elsewhere in Syria all promises
given by the regime in ‘reconciliation’ deals were not worth the paper they
were written on. Anti-regime activists, both Arabs and Kurds, are now at
risk of being rounded up and detained for possible death by torture. SDF
fighters are also not safe. Just days ago Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister
Faisal Maqdad declared that they had “betrayed their country and committed
crimes against it.” Whilst many Kurds, abandoned by the US, may feel safer
under Assad than Turkey, some Arab civilians living in SDF controlled areas
such as Deir Al Zour and Raqqa fear a reconquest by the regime and Iranian
militias above all else, and feel safer under Turkish protection. Syrians
are rendered desperate, and dependent on foreign powers for survival.
Foreign journalists also under threat by the regime have fled Syria leaving
atrocities to unfold out of sight of the international media

and on the appallingly selective "solidarity" of a large part of the
western left:

Once again the situation in Syria has highlighted the moral bankruptcy of
segments of the left. Many of those protesting Turkey’s assault on north
eastern Syria failed to mobilise to condemn the ongoing Russian and regime
assault on Idlib where three million civilians are living in daily terror.
In fact they’ve failed to notice that for years Syrians have been massacred
by bombs, chemical weapons and industrial scale torture. Some of those
calling for a No Fly Zone to protect Kurdish civilians from aerial
bombardment previously slandered Syrians elsewhere calling for the same
protection as warmongerers and agents of imperialism. Once again solidarity
seems dependent not on outrage against war crimes, but on who is the
perpetrator and who is the victim. Syrian lives are expendable in the
battle for narratives and grand ideological frameworks.
Full:

https://leilashami.wordpress.com/2019/10/14/on-the-turkish-offensive-on-north-eastern-syria/?fbclid=IwAR05Qq-ff-fdMd-x7sT-6TS5fsK6oGOCOm5TO6wFSBIJtGfF08QP4CQZyQ0
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[Marxism] Commodity Farming, labor productivity and surplus labor: Gunnar Rungren

[Ratbag Media via Marxism]

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Gunnar Rungren offers some very salient comments on options for
productivity of smallholder farming under conditions of slashed fossil
fuel usage. Is it a fantasy or are we doomed to industrial scale
production?

"By and large, it is impossible to disentangle agriculture from
society at large and as long as farming is mainly operating as a
producer of commodities it will inevitably follow the logic of
industrialization with ever increasing labor productivity, be it
driven by fossil fuel, solar energy produced hydrogen or wood gas. If
farming is seen as something else, as planetary stewardship,
maintenance of ecosystem or cultural services or as a lifestyle then
the logic of labor productivity plays out differently, which is
clearly visible even in our oil-soaked universe. "

http://gardenearth.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-peasant-and-washing-machine.html
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[Marxism] Prestigious journal pulls paper about chemical attack in Syria after backlash | Science | AAAS

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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In an about-face, a prestigious journal has decided not to publish a 
controversial paper that casts doubt on the Syrian government's 
responsibility for a 2017 chemical attack that killed more than 80 
people. Science and Global Security (SGS) had originally accepted the 
paper, but reversed itself after a backlash from scientists who accused 
one of the authors, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor 
emeritus Ted Postol, of pushing conspiracy theories.


“The Editors have decided to return this manuscript to the authors 
without prejudice and not proceed further with considering it for 
publication,” an update posted on the journal's website on Saturday says.


Postol, one of 17 members of SGS's editorial board, calls the decision 
“totally wrong and untenable” and says he has resigned from the board. 
(He has not been involved in deliberations about the paper, he says.)


full: 
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/10/prestigious-journal-pulls-paper-about-chemical-attack-syria-after-backlash

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[Marxism] What Really Happened at Bard College?

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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An Israeli leftist weighs in.

https://jewishcurrents.org/what-really-happened-at-bard-college/
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[Marxism] The Great Biomass Boondoggle | by Mary S. Booth | NYR Daily | The New York Review of Books

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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The urgency of the climate crisis is inspiring some extreme and unproven 
ideas for how to hide carbon and cool the planet, such as ocean 
fertilization, turning CO2 into rocks, and seeding the atmosphere to dim 
the sun. Arguably one of the most reckless ideas, though, is already 
well underway: burning “forest biomass”—that is, trees—in power plants 
as a replacement for coal. The problem with this so-called green energy 
source is that instead of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, it 
increases the amount of CO2 coming out of the smokestack compared to 
fossil fuels, and the climate “benefit” is claimed by simply not 
counting the emissions.


https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2019/10/14/the-great-biomass-boondoggle/
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[Marxism] Betrayal in the Levant

[Ron Jacobs via Marxism]

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http://stillhomeron.blogspot.com/2019/10/betrayal-in-levant.html

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[Marxism] Spanish State: Freedom for Catalan Political Prisoners!

[RKOB via Marxism]

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[Marxism] https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/syria-assad-regime-and-kurdish-ypg-strike-a-reactionary-deal/

[John Reimann via Marxism]

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I largely agree with the RCIT statement on Syria, the PYD, etc. However,
they also write concerning Trump’s withdrawal “ another “*Saigon moment*”
as Washington realizes it is no longer strong enough to keep its hegemonial
role in the Middle East.“

I think this is mistaken. The US withdrawal from Vietnam was not on the
whim or personal decision in opposition to every wing of the government and
the capitalist class which it represents. Trump’s withdrawal is. The
diplomatic wing, the military wing, even the entire legislative wing of the
government is aghast. Even the Christian fundamentalists are opposed!

Yes, US imperialism is in retreat, but this step is nowhere near the same
as the US military defeat in Vietnam. Where, in fact, have US forces even
been defeated in Syria? No, what this shows is the extreme political crisis
of US capitalism at home.
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[Marxism] Economics of poverty, or the poverty of economics | occasional links

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Here we are, then, in the aftermath of the Second Great Depression—in 
the uneven recovery from capitalism’s most severe set of crises since 
the great depression of the 1930s and, at the same time, a blossoming of 
interest in and discussion of socialism—and the best mainstream 
economists have to offer is a combination of big data, field 
experiments, and random trials. How is that an adequate response to 
grotesque and still-rising levels of economic inequality (as shown, 
e.g., by the World Inequality Lab), precarious employment for hundreds 
of millions of new and older workers (which has been demonstrated by the 
International Labour Organization), half a billion people projected to 
still be struggling to survive below the extreme-poverty line by 2030 
(according to the World Bank), and the wage share falling in many 
countries (which even the International Monetary Fund acknowledges) as 
most of the world’s population are forced to have the freedom to sell 
their ability to work to a relatively small group of employers for 
stagnant or falling wages? Or, for that matter, to the reawakening of 
the rich socialist tradition, both as a critique of capitalism and as a 
way of imagining and enacting alternative economic and social institutions.


full: 
https://anticap.wordpress.com/2019/10/15/economics-of-poverty-or-the-poverty-of-economics/

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Re: [Marxism] [pen-l] Re: Brief Reflection on Trump?s Impeachment By Roberto Savio

[Ralph Johansen via Marxism]

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It is soon before the fact. It's more like reading tea leaves at this 
premature point. But just for the sake of argument, I recall that Trump 
was down and out in polls assessing the popular vote last time around, 
but they had it wrong. 'Class dynamics' did not prevail over media and 
electoral savvy, and he has part of the ruling class, at least and 
possibly a preponderance, going along with him, especially if he shows 
promise of leading the Republicans into majorities in Congress. Without 
some countering crisis, always. With that in mind and no alternative 
strong candidate in the wings for them, with their ability to twist 
rules and procedure, McConnell, Graham and House Republican counterparts 
may well be effective in shutting off and damping criticism as partisan 
and distorted. The Democratic-led House placing disproportionate 
emphasis on Ukraine and China, or maybe even finances and emoluments 
seems like a loser for a 2/3 majority to impeach, and so what else? No 
prospects for 29th amendment. Proof of incompetence to voter and 
Senate-majority satisfaction? Pence as alternative? Rock and a hard place.


And given his demonstrated capacity to manipulate and virtually command 
a generally hostile msm, the blowback and his declaration of victory and 
cleanliness with an unsuccessful attempt to impeach him has to be factored.


Moreover, as to his 'demented' condition, that may be but with all his 
practice on his tv show he plays on that quality of sarcastic, outraged, 
zany, off-the-prompter unpredictability quite effectively. Watch that 
speech in Minneapolis https://tinyurl.com/yxvc4ncj; it's the first time 
I have watched all the way through a Trump rally. There's a woman in 
about the third row on his left, looks like just out of a tanning 
parlor. She also looks as though she might be on something 
mind-altering. But she epitomizes to me a Trump supporter: going ape at 
his every exaggerated, distorted, deflecting or untruthful phrase, 
without a critical or reflective cell in her brain. I fear, when the 
frenzy rises near election time, in a severely divided, disaffected 
polity, with an unspoken background elements of class, xenophobia, 
resentment at elitism and lost status driving it, that this is an 
amplifying trend. We know the history of authoritarian rule and the 
irrational and the present course and we should not ignore it.


And the uncertain disarray among the discredited Democrats - they're not 
like the Republicans last time, set to field a runaway candidate, not 
one with appeal to enough of their base, at any rate, out of a pack 
where the leaders, equally divided in preference, are 71, 78 and 79 
(historically, according to Nate Silver, 55 is the median age for 
presidents) with heart problems suddenly on the minds of Democratic 
votersand never mind Trump at 73 with his domination of candidacy and 
his conservative, older, more committed constituency.


I don't have to present as a Cassandra to conclude that we're in dire, 
dangerous straits, regardless of the outcome of all of this, given the 
larger picture and all that is coming at us - and the absence of 
visible, viable alternatives. So what of that?


https://www.other-news.info/2019/10/brief-reflection-on-trumps-impeachment/


On 10/14/2019 8:30 PM, Michael Meeropol wrote:
Some people are worried that the promise of a civil war may become a 
reality --- the democratic majority (especially if the election is 
close in some key states) will have to rely on the "discipline" of the 
police forces and the military -- especially the hierarchy --- Granted 
the military hierarchy will stick with the ruling class -- but there 
could be SERIOUS civil disorders by the "militias" and who knows where 
the local police forces will be -- (throw in ICE agents who are BIG 
supporters of Trump as well as the military folks who have been 
brainwashed) --- I do believe that unless there is very successful 
voter suppression, that the Dems will pull it out -- BUT -- it will 
depend on the Obama coalition coming out to vote ---



:I do not agree with this article. I don’t think it’s a good analysis. 
Firstof all, the author completely fails to understand what’s really 
at work inthese proceedings, which is another way of saying he ignores 
the classdynamics. In my opinion, the mainstream of the capitalist 
class has finallydecided that it cannot allow a demented (seriously) 
person to continue hisdrive for one man rule unchecked. In his Ukraine 
actions, Trump showed thathe was going to do whatever it took to 
continue down that path for anotherfour years. His Syria blunder 
“worse than a crime - a mistake” toparaph

Re: [Marxism] Salih Muslim talks about the agreement with the Syrian state (ANF)

[Chris Slee via Marxism]

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RKOB says: "This confirms what we have said since a long time: the PYD/YPG
leadership was always willing to strike a deal with the Assad regime
(not just now when Turkey invades in the North East)."

The SDF sought an agreement with Russia and the Assad regime to oppose the 
planned Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria.  This plan was no secret: 
Erdogan had announced his intention to invade many times.

The SDF hoped that Assad and Russia might want to prevent an invasion that 
could turn into a permanent occupation, like that of Israel in the Golan 
heights.

They have now seemingly agreed.  Whether they are serious, time will tell.

I am sure Salih Muslim does not trust Putin.  As he says, "We will see in 
practice if this agreement will stop the attacks or not".

Chris Slee

From: Marxism  on behalf of RKOB via 
Marxism 
Sent: Tuesday, 15 October 2019 2:39:35 PM
To: Chris Slee 
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Salih Muslim talks about the agreement with the Syrian 
state (ANF)

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There is also another interesting quote.

"Muslim noted that they had talked with the Russian and Syrian officials
many times and tried to reach an agreement before. He said that this
agreement, a first of its kind, also includes the liberation of Afrin.
“Russia and the regime did not accept an agreement before the withdrawal
of US troops. But now they have accepted it. This is a first and talks
will continue. One of the major points of this agreement is its
inclusion of Afrin. Once security is maintained in the area, there will
be a collaboration for the liberation of Afrin as well.”"

This confirms what we have said since a long time: the PYD/YPG
leadership was always willing to strike a deal with the Assad regime
(not just now when Turkey invades in the North East). It didn't happen
because Assad/Putin saw no purpose in such a deal.

Furthermore it is bizarre that the PYD leader puts any trusts in
"guarantees" by Putin. Obviously he has learned nothing from his
experience with the U.S. "guarantees". But may be Russia is more
trustworthy than the U.S.?!

However, the PYD leadership can feel relieved that Trump strongly
supports their alliance with Assad. As he said in a tweet on 14 October:
“Anyone who wants to assist Syria in protecting the Kurds is good with
me, whether it is Russia, China, or Napoleon Bonaparte (!). I hope they
all do great, we are 7,000 miles away. (…) Let Syria and Assad protect
the Kurds and fight Turkey for their own land.”

Am 15.10.2019 um 04:58 schrieb Chris Slee via Marxism:
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>
>
> https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/salih-muslim-talks-about-the-agreement-with-the-syrian-state-38404
>
> 'Muslim pointed out that the agreement is a military one and a first step, 
> adding; “This step will be followed by dialogue and talks to complete the 
> entire content. The outlines of the agreement are as follows; the border 
> security, actually the sovereignty of Syria as a state has been violated. The 
> border needs to be protected together in order for Syrian sovereignty to be 
> preserved. To this end, Syrian troops will be stationed in the area from 
> Derik to the Euphrates and they will raise the Syrian flag. Syrian soldiers 
> will not be deployed inside the cities but in some areas out of the towns. 
> The works of the Democratic Autonomous Administration will not be intervened. 
> The councils here will continue their works as usual.”'
>
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Re: [Marxism] Salih Muslim talks about the agreement with the Syrian state (ANF)

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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On 10/15/19 7:02 PM, Chris Slee via Marxism wrote:


I am sure Salih Muslim does not trust Putin.  As he says, "We will see in practice 
if this agreement will stop the attacks or not".



Yeah, I am all for people trying out Murray Bookchin experiments as long 
as they don't pimp for the filthiest dictatorship of the 21st century.


---

Saleh Muslim, head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said he 
doubted the Syrian president would resort to using such weapons when he 
felt he had the upper hand in the country’s civil war.


He suggested last Wednesday’s attack, which the opposition says was 
carried out by government forces and killed hundreds of people, was 
aimed at framing Assad and provoking an international reaction. Assad 
has denied his forces used chemical weapons.


“The regime in Syria ... has chemical weapons, but they wouldn’t use 
them around Damascus, 5 km from the (U.N.) committee which is 
investigating chemical weapons. Of course they are not so stupid as to 
do so,” Muslim told Reuters.


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-kurds/syrian-kurdish-leader-doubts-assad-would-be-so-stupid-as-to-carry-out-gas-attack-idUSBRE97Q0LP20130827
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Re: [Marxism] Salih Muslim talks about the agreement with the Syrian state (ANF)

[RKOB via Marxism]

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This is a good example since this example of the PYD's whitewashing of 
Assad stems from 2013 - long before any Turkish invasion! No, the simple 
truth is that the Stalinist-nationalist PYD/YPG/PKK was always open for 
collaboration with the Assad dictatorship! Of course, this did not 
always materialize. But this was either because Assad had no interest 
(see the interview with Saleh Muslim which I mentioned in another post) 
or because they served other masters (U.S. imperialism). And Green Left 
Weekly serves the PYD/YPG. This is a badge of shame for a group which 
claims to be "socialist"!


Am 16.10.2019 um 01:52 schrieb Louis Proyect via Marxism:

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On 10/15/19 7:02 PM, Chris Slee via Marxism wrote:


I am sure Salih Muslim does not trust Putin.  As he says, "We will 
see in practice if this agreement will stop the attacks or not".



Yeah, I am all for people trying out Murray Bookchin experiments as 
long as they don't pimp for the filthiest dictatorship of the 21st 
century.


---

Saleh Muslim, head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said 
he doubted the Syrian president would resort to using such weapons 
when he felt he had the upper hand in the country’s civil war.


He suggested last Wednesday’s attack, which the opposition says was 
carried out by government forces and killed hundreds of people, was 
aimed at framing Assad and provoking an international reaction. Assad 
has denied his forces used chemical weapons.


“The regime in Syria ... has chemical weapons, but they wouldn’t use 
them around Damascus, 5 km from the (U.N.) committee which is 
investigating chemical weapons. Of course they are not so stupid as to 
do so,” Muslim told Reuters.


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-kurds/syrian-kurdish-leader-doubts-assad-would-be-so-stupid-as-to-carry-out-gas-attack-idUSBRE97Q0LP20130827 


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Re: [Marxism] https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/syria-assad-regime-and-kurdish-ypg-strike-a-reactionary-deal/

[RKOB via Marxism]

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Thanks, John, for your critical remarks. You made a similar point in a 
critical post to another article of the RCIT. However, I don’t really 
see the contradiction between our arguments as stark as you do.


Those who are aware of my (resp. the RCIT’s) writings on the Trump 
Administration will know that I have been always very clear about the 
corrupt and bizarre character of the U.S. President. Likewise, I have 
also always pointed out the huge tensions and factions struggle within 
the American ruling class.


But it seems to me that you view this phenomenon too much in isolation 
while I try to put it more into a broader context: the decay of U.S. 
imperialism. I am aware that the laws of materialist dialectic allow for 
the role of the individual in history as well as for the role of chance. 
But leaving aside all random and secondary factors, Marxists should, in 
my opinion, realize that there is a necessity behind the fact that the 
largest imperialist power is led since three years by such a bankrupt 
and dumb figure like Trump.


The mad Roman emperor Commodus opened the long period of structural 
crisis of the Roman Empire in the 3^rd century AD. The reasons for the 
decline of the Roman Empire have to seen in the structural stagnation of 
productive forces and the inner contradictions of the antique mode of 
production based on slavery. The rule of Commodus was a result of this 
and not the cause of the decline – albeit it certainly accelerated this 
process.


Similar with Trump. Is it not an expression of the decay of U.S. 
capitalism that Trump was able to take over with relatively ease one of 
the two major parties of the monopoly bourgeoisie?! I don’t think so. 
Surely, many big capitalists, strategists and representatives of the 
American bourgeoisie are unhappy with such an embarrassing figure at the 
top. But is there a relatively consensus about an alternative figure and 
an alternative fundamental strategy? Not really – at least until now. 
Most of them agree on an aggressive course against imperialist China. 
And the U.S. decline of influence in the Middle East did not start with 
Trump. Obama – obviously a giant on an intellectual and moral level 
compared with Trump – also had to start the process of withdrawal from 
Afghanistan. And he also flinched from his “red line” in Syria in 2013. 
And Russia started its invasion in Syria in 2015, i.e. when Obama was 
still in power. In short, one of the reasons why Trump is still in power 
(and has not been impeached or faced the fate of Kennedy) is that his 
opponents agree on their contempt for him but not on positive alternatives.


Finally, you did criticise when we said that “U.S. imperialism” betrayed 
the Kurds and flinches from confrontation with Iran etc. You said this 
is not an accurate formulation since it is only the Trump Administration 
which is doing this and the majority of the U.S. monopoly bourgeoisie 
opposes this. There is no doubt that the majority of the bourgeoisie is 
enraged by the utterly incompetent and pathetic way of how Trump is 
handling all these. (One bourgeois analyst commented yesterday that “it 
is almost embarrassing to watch this.”) But:


1) Do they have fundamental differences with Trump, i.e. would they want 
to stay indefinitely in Afghanistan, would they want to go to war with 
Iran now, would they want to have a larger intervention in Syria, etc.? 
Some might do so but there exists certainly no consensus among the 
Anti-Trump camp in the bourgeoisie.


2) In the end, it is the U.S. President who represents U.S. imperialism 
and not the numerous critics in the Congress and the media. And what 
counts are the facts, not the criticism. And since the U.S. military 
retreats from Syria, this has become a fact and hence it is accurate to 
say that “U.S. imperialism” retreats. Like it or not, Trump is (until 
now) the representative of the largest imperialist power.


In the end, his corrupt and dumb way of running the country is just a 
peculiar form of how necessity asserts itself through accidents!


Am 15.10.2019 um 20:29 schrieb John Reimann via Marxism:

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I largely agree with the RCIT statement on Syria, the PYD, etc. However,
they also write concerning Trump’s withdrawal “ another “*Saigon moment*”
as Washington realizes it is no longer strong enough to keep its hege