Re: Imperialism and poverty

I fail to understand why putting and end to capitalism is an obsolete idea.
It is an essentially ahistorical argument that any given social system,
including capitalism, is invulnerable to change/destruction.  Moreover,
those of us who share the conviction of an unalienated world have to ask the
question whether capitalism has succeeded to address some of the fundamental
problems that are confronted by humanity in our time- alienated work, lack
of authentic freedom, increased inequality, or ecological crisis.  Now, we
may have to reconceptualize the strategies to create an alternative society,
we may have to interrogate and problematize the classical marxist concept of
"revolution" and "revolutionary agent,"  we may have to detotalize the
project of radical transformation of capitalism by valorizing plurality of
sites of resistance, we may have to continuously emphasize the
socialism/democracy nexus, but we have no reason to abandon the historical
materialist argument that any social system is historically situated, hence
historically transformable.

I strongly advocate the development of dialectical-organic linkage with
multiplicity of social movements , hence I don't see any problem in helping
particular grassroots organizations, financially or otherwise, but that
itself will not change the world in any meaningful way, at least not in the
way many of us want it to.  Let's not confuse the means with the goal, even
if that goal itself is historically contingent.

Manjur Karim



----- Original Message -----
From: Georges Drouet <gdrouet@brutele.be>
To: <wsn@csf.colorado.edu>
Cc: Andrew Wayne Austin <aaustin@utkux.utcc.utk.edu>; Paul Gomberg
<bijhpgo@csu.edu>; <corp-ethics@egroups.com>; <lgi-announce@egroups.com>;
<ybks@globalknowledge.org>; <drugus@mail.dntis.ro>
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2000 11:54 AM
Subject: Re: Imperialism and poverty


> I think the idea of putting an end to capitalism is obsolete. We are in a
> system in which alternatives are limited if we want to avoid a new world
> war, or, at least, something similar to what is now happening in Africa:
> civil wars directly linked to economical interests. Soon another very
> sensitive point  will be an argument for wars, it's water control...
>
> What we need to find is a solution acceptable by all the parts involved,
we
> need to create a consensus around worldwide proposals intended to develop
a
> sustainable future and, sorry for the partisans of political
confrontation,
> we are pretty short of time.
>
> For the ones who know SP, I want to apologize to be like a parrot, but I
> want to ask again if you have checked out the Simultaneous Policy
> proposals? It's a simple and reliable idea: policies which cannot be
> implemented unilaterally by one country because of the threat of job
flight
> and/or currency devaluation can be implemented by all the nations together
> on a same time after a adoption stage.
>
> This very efficient idea is the bedrock of SP, you will found all the
> details in our website: http:www.simpol.org.
>
> By the way, if you want to distribute money to an association working for
a
> sustainable future, I mean building a real framework to promote peace and
> equity, you may earn that money and open a SP delegation in your
> university, your office, your town, your political party or promote SP
with
> your friends and the newspapers you are working with.
>
> Our initiative is totally open to the feedback of the participants, thus
> your feedback is welcome and we have a special page called "Your Ideas" in
> which you can propose new concepts to be included in the SP proposals.
>
> Thank you.
>
> >Paul,
> >
> >What organization do you recommend we contribute our money to?
> >
> >Andrew Austin
> >Knoxville, TN
> >
> >On Fri, 7 Jul 2000, Paul Gomberg wrote:
> >
> >>By donating to an organization which would put an end to capitalism and
> >>the horrors it creates for so many.
> >>
> >>Paul
> >>
> >>On Fri, 7 Jul 2000, Andrew Wayne Austin
> >>wrote:
> >>
> >>> Paul,
> >>>
> >>> If you would, tell me how the resources that might be used to feed
hungry
> >>> children would be better spent.
> >>>
> >>> Andrew Austin
> >>> Knoxville TN
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------
> Georges Drouet
> 28, place Morichar  1060 Bruxelles
>
> gdrouet@brutele.be
>
>