Monday, August 19, 2013

Thinking about Egypt: between cynicism and wishful thinking

Click here to access article by Peter Storm from libcom.  

I have posted a number of articles on the ongoing Egyptian revolution since January of 2011. This is for two basic reasons: first, we as citizens of the US are involved through our government's funding of the Egyptian military and other supports; second, what we are seeing in Egypt is an ongoing revolutionary development that we can study and learn from. It is the latter reason that I think is of critical importance for our own salvation. Let me explain.

Humanity must, in order to survive, rid itself of the dangerous cancer of capitalism which is destroying one society after another as well as an ecology capable of supporting human and many other life forms. Thus, revolution must be on the agenda of every serious activist. We must learn how to do them; and to do this, we must learn all we can about revolutionary and counter-revolutionary events. The current scene in Egypt provides a living experiment that we can study and learn from to create our own mandatory revolution. 

Empire directors have at their disposal a long history of ruling class techniques that they have consolidated into a finely honed expertise in controlling, manipulating, and exploiting populations in support of their interests of power and wealth. We must develop ours, and do so in a hurry because our lives and those who follow us are at stake. This article makes an excellent contribution to this vital project.