We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Is Capitalism to Blame for the Syrian War Drive?

Click here to access article by Shamus Cooke from Workers Action. 

While acknowledging the merits of the essay entitled "The People Against the 800 Pound Gorilla” posted in CounterPunch a week ago, Cooke argues that the authors ignored all the other capitalist gorillas who are playing major parts in this tragic drama, and explains the role they play.
Of course, the Israeli lobby, AIPAC, deserves a special place in any analysis of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and the authors deserve credit for taking to task those who ignore this gorilla. But this primate expresses its power best as part of a coalition of pro-war powerhouses, not independently.
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