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FALL 2007 Indigenous politics Issue No. 62 $4.95 Socialist history www.newsocialist.org Palestine The Ugly Canadian editorial here is an ever-widening chasm between the myth of met in an effort to promote the agenda of the Security and Canada as a peaceful and humanitarian nation and the Prosperity Partnership (SPP), which is pushed by the North realityT of Canadian foreign policy. American Competitiveness Council made up of 30 key cor- Stephen Harper says Canada is back as a credible politi- porate figures from the three states. cal and military player in world affairs. This highlights the The SPP’s proponents are pushing for weaker regulations urgency of building a strong movement of opposition to Ca- on business under the guise of “harmonization.” The consoli- nadian imperialism. dation of a US-style Homeland Security model in Canada is In Afghanistan, Canadian troops are on the front lines of also being pursued. Far more integrated and openly restric- counter-insurgency war, propping up the US puppet regime tive and racist border security policies are being promoted. of Hamid Karzai. Ninety percent of Canadian spending in North America is to be made even safer for profit-making, Afghanistan is military. There is no way that Canadian forces while anyone seen as threatening this agenda will be subject will bring freedom to the people of Afghanistan or liberate to more controls and repression. Afghan women. We demand their immediate withdrawal. Under the SPP the exploitation of resources on indig- While the Harper government’s desire to prolong the enous land will accelerate. Canada is slated, in Harper’s Canadian military mission in Afghanistan past 2009 will words, to become “an energy superpower” through a mas- be difficult to accomplish in the face of mounting Canadian sive fivefold expansion of production in the Alberta tar sands casualties, it will take a strong movement to get troops out and increased oil exports. Greenhouse gas emissions will before 2009. rise, ensuring Canada will be a larger contributor to climate The Harper government has taken flagrantly pro-Israel change. and anti-Palestinian positions, including being the first state Fortunately, there were significant protests against the to cut off funds to the elected Hamas government and cheer- SPP at the summit in Montebello in August, with solidar- leading Israel’s 2006 war against Lebanon. It is aiding the ity actions across English-Canada and Quebec. But to build undemocratic Palestinian administration in the West Bank, effective social movements more activists will need to chal- which has capitulated to the US and Israel. lenge shallow interpretations of Canadian foreign policy. Canada, as Anthony Fenton demonstrates in this issue, These suggest that it’s all Harper’s fault, or accept the view has also been involved in Iraq. that the US simply dictates Canadian foreign policy. At the 2007 G-8 summit, Harper acted as a stalking horse In fact, government policies are rooted in the history of for international efforts to gut the Kyoto Protocol, which is Canada’s foundation as a colonial-settler state and evolu- already highly inadequate, and replace it with something ut- tion into a major player in the capitalist world system. In terly useless. Harper blocked any meaningful aid commit- recent years, these policies have evolved in a way that reflects ments to Africa, just as previous Liberal governments had. the thinking of the Canadian ruling class about the need Under the Liberals, Canada was a key player in the 2004 for Canadian capital to expand internationally in order to ousting of President Aristide in Haiti and in support for the be successful in the era of neoliberal globalization. Canadian anti-democratic and highly repressive interim government. capitalists and governments are also responding to the US’s Today Canada backs the repressive actions of the Haitian post 9-11 push for tighter border controls, which threatens National Police and the Brazil-led UN forces there. the movement of goods and services and thus Canadian cor- In July, Harper visited Colombia and praised President porate profits. Uribe despite the atrocious human rights record of the Co- This is the context in which Canadian governments have lombian state and Uribe’s personal ties to paramilitaries. approved the largest increases in military spending since Harper is actively promoting a bilateral trade deal with Co- World War II, intervened in Haiti, take part of the occupa- lombia. This is, however, merely an extension of Liberal poli- tion of Afghanistan, seek out investment treaties with “Third cy, as Canada has become one of the largest foreign investors World” countries and ignore human rights and environmen- in the Americas since the mid-1990s, has signed a number of tal abuses by Canadian corporations. free trade and investment deals, and has supported corpora- Faced with this, New Socialist is committed to deepening tions that are implicated in human rights abuses and envi- understanding of Canada’s imperialist role and how people ronmental damage throughout the region. can act more effectively against Canada’s foreign policies and In August, Harper, Bush and Felipe Calderon of Mexico their domestic consequences. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 Box 167, 253 College St. Toronto, ON M5T 1R5 416-955-1581 [email protected] www.newsocialist.org Issue #62 Fall 2007

NEW SOCIALIST offers radical analysis of  the environment  politics, social movements and culture in An Ecosocialist Manifesto ...... Joel Kovel & Michael Lowy 5 the Canadian state and internationally. Our magazine is a forum for people who want Ethics of ecosocialism...... Michael Lowy 7 to strengthen today’s activism and for those Petro-capitalism and the fight for who wish to replace global capitalism with a indigenous culture in Denendeh...... Erin Freeland & Jessica Simpson 9 genuinely democratic socialism. We believe that the liberation of the working class and Combating climate change...... Daniel Tanuro 12 oppressed peoples can be won only through Politics of the Green Party...... Greg Sharzer 14 their own struggles. For more information about the publisher of this magazine, the  homefront  New Socialist Group, please see the inside Supreme court on union rights...... Eric Tucker 16 back cover. AFN Day of Action: Can we eat money?...... Wendy Hart-Ross 18 EDITORS Todd Gordon AFN Day of Action: Launching a sustained campaign...... Dave Brophy 19 Clarice Kuhling The Indian Act and the McIvor case...... Martin Cannon 22 Sebastian Lamb Women and the Indian Act...... Deborah Simmons 23 Harold Lavender Sandra Sarner 2007 Wasase gathering...... Lana Lowe 24 Deborah Simmons Jeff R. Webber  international  Canada in Iraq...... Anthony Fenton 26 EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Richard Banner Palestine: Bantustanizing the resistance...... Kole Kilibarda 28 Adam Barker Venezuela: The Bolivarian Revolution...... Virginia de la Siega 32 Neil Braganza Jackie Esmonde The looting of Africa...... Patrick Bond 34 Susan Ferguson Morgan MacLeod  debate: end of 20th century socialism?  Toby Moorsom Challenges of imagination and daring...... Peter Graham & Greg Albo 38 Greg Sharzer Learning from the history of struggle...... Adrie Naylor 39 Hamid Sodeifi Christopher Webb What is different today?...... Patrick McGuire 40

DESIGN Need collective inquiry rooted in activism...... Alan Sears 41 Cover: Christopher Webb Inside: Sandra Sarner and Christopher Webb  In memory of dave brophy ...... 37

 culture and reviews  Signed articles do no necessarily represent More mini reviews...... 21 the views of the editors or members of the New Socialist Group. Book review: Overcoming Zionism by Joel Kovel...... Sandra Sarner 30 Worth checking out...... Mini-reviews 36 New Socialist is a member of the CMPA. Book Review: Holding the Bully’s Coat by Linda McQuaig...... Todd Gordon 42 Printed at JT Printing, a union shop.

 time to organize ...... 43 New Socialist magazine welcomes letters. letters Please send to the address or e-mail address on page 3

This is when I made my decision. I fighting for what we all need.” Once the decided that if I were to spend my life politics are stripped down to the basics, it pursuing success through power I would is a beautiful thing. be very alone and deserve all the misery It’s unfortunate, because I know for I know it to bring. I decided to commit myself these realizations only came once my life, my knowledge and my skills to I had found myself to be in a rather dif- ‘Socialism is fighting saving even just one person, changing one ficult position in society. It took more mind, freeing one thought so that when I than one slap in the face to realize I had for what we all need’ die I know I was a part of the growth of been wrong. I’m not afraid to slap others life not the destruction of it. Even at this in the face to help along with their learn- We all make a decision whether point, the thought of socialism, though ing process. This is why I will never stop consciously or not, to either live our lives terribly sexy, made me nervous. Then one speaking out, because I know if I can start to benefit ourselves or live our lives to day I asked a past political associate how listening so will others. benefit the greater good of life itself. they defined socialism. Their response And let these words resound forever: in When I was sixteen I left my progressive opened my eyes. He said, “Capitalism is solidarity. life and went to boarding school where fighting for what you want. Socialism is Lisa Karoway in turn I found the GAP and thought all my problems were over. Now I didn’t have to worry about poverty or war, no, A standard cliché of terrible dictatorships. Day is one of them: I had my rose coloured khakis on. This “it’s perpetual, it’s endless, and this is why only got worse when I entered the world conservative politics the idea of the revolution is to be gotten of right-wing politics. Here was power, rid of – it makes us too lazy, because we and power was the best high of all. Like In her article in the summer 2007 think that domination is done with, and many others before me, I compromised issue of New Socialist, Deborah Simmons it never will be.” my values, my integrity and my morals in rightly points out that the anarchist writer It needs to be pointed out that this idea order to pursue the corporate ideal. And Richard Day, author of the book Gramsci is an old one. It’s been a standard cliché like many others I crashed. Not only did is Dead, follows the French philosopher of conservative politics since the reac- I crash but I experienced first hand the Michel Foucault “in arguing that there is tion against the French Revolution of the lack of humanity in power. a kind of totalitarian impulse in all global 1790s. As the world continued to move, I strategies for social transformation.” It’s sad to see anyone who wants radi- experienced the harder side of life and I Many people today believe that all rev- cal social change say that it is impossible began to learn. Not only did I find myself olutions are inevitably doomed to end in to have a society without domination. in a difficult economic position, I met After most of the Stalinist dictatorships others who were struggling to survive, I collapsed, this idea got a boost because met the people that are disregarded when of the widespread illusion on the Left decisions are made. The silent masses that the “Communist” societies had been silenced by the same government that some kind of socialism. grants them their “freedom.” I embraced Another source of the idea that op- this learning experience; I went out of pression is inevitable is the influence in my way to find people and situations so universities today of thinkers like Fou- that I could learn what life was. Not life cault who were influenced by the 19th at cocktail parties and corporate fund- century German philosopher Friedrich raisers, but life as most people know it; Nietzsche. Nietzsche, who was consis- simple, dirty and restrictive. Having been tently anti-democratic and anti-socialist, presented with not only knowledge but championed this notion. real life experience I couldn’t stand by People like Day need to be challenged the things I once believed. I wasn’t able when they regurgitate this kind of reac- to defend the policies I had fought so tionary mysticism. hard for because I saw not only did they Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci not work. Sebastian Lamb

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 An Ecosocialist Manifesto BY JOEL KOVEL & MICHAEL LÖWY

he idea for this ecosocialist manifesto was jointly- form of imperialism known as globalization, with its disin- T launched by Joel Kovel and Michael Lowy at a tegrative effects on societies that stand in its path. Moreover, September 2001 workshop on ecology and socialism held at these underlying forces are essentially different aspects of Vincennes, near Paris. the same drive, which must be identified as the central We all suffer from a chronic case of Gramsci's paradox, of dynamic that moves the whole: the expansion of the world living in a time whose old order is dying (and taking civiliza- capitalist system. tion with it) while the new one does not seem able to be We reject all euphemisms or propagandistic softening of born. But at least it can be announced. the brutality of this regime – all greenwashing of its ecolog- The deepest shadow that hangs over us is neither terror, ical costs, all mystification of the human costs under the environmental collapse, nor global recession. It is the inter- names of democracy and human rights. nalized fatalism that there is no possible alternative to capital's world order. And so we wished to set an example of The crises of ecology and those a kind of speech that deliberately negates the current mood of anxious compromise and passive acquiescence. of societal breakdown are This manifesto nevertheless lacks the audacity of that of profoundly interrelated. 1848, for ecosocialism is not yet a spectre, nor is it grounded in any concrete party or movement. It is only a line of rea- We insist instead upon looking at capital from the stand- soning, based on a reading of the present crisis and the nec- point of what it has really done. essary conditions for overcoming it. Acting on nature and its ecological balance, the regime – We make no claims of omniscience. Far from it, our goal with its imperative to constantly expand profitability – is to invite dialogue, debate, feedback, and above all, a sense exposes ecosystems to destabilizing pollutants, fragments of how this notion can be further realized. Innumerable habitats that have evolved over eons to allow the flourishing points of resistance arise spontaneously across the chaotic of organisms, squanders resources, and reduces the sensuous ecumene of global capital. Many are immanently ecosocial- vitality of nature to the cold exchangeability required for the ist in content. How can these be gathered? Can we envision accumulation of capital. an ecosocialist international? Can the spectre be brought From the side of humanity, with its requirements for self- into being? determination, community, and a meaningful existence, capital reduces the majority of the world's people to a mere reservoir of labour power while discarding much of the Manifesto remainder as useless nuisances. The twenty-first century has opened on a catastrophic note. It has invaded and undermined the integrity of commu- An unprecedented degree of ecological breakdown and a nities through its global mass culture of consumerism and chaotic world order beset with terror and clusters of low- depoliticization. grade disintegrative warfare have spread like gangrene across It has expanded disparities in wealth and power to levels great swathes of the planet-namely, central Africa, the unprecedented in human history. Middle East, northwestern South America – and reverber- It has worked hand in glove with a network of corrupt ate throughout the nations. In our view, the crises of ecolo- and subservient client states whose local elites carry out the gy and those of societal breakdown are profoundly interre- work of repression while the center is spared its disrepute. lated and should be seen as different manifestations of the And it has set into motion a network of transtatal organ- same structural forces. izations under the overall supervision of the Western pow- The former broadly stems from rampant industrializa- ers and the superpower the United States to undermine the tion that overwhelms the earth's capacity to buffer and con- autonomy of the periphery and bind it into indebtedness tain ecological destabilization. The latter stems from the while maintaining a huge military apparatus to enforce compliance to the capitalist center. Michael Löwy is a member of the Revolutionary Communist League We believe that the present capitalist system cannot reg- (LCR) in France and the author of many books, including Fire Alarm (2006). Joel Kovel's two most recent books are Overcoming Zionism ulate, much less overcome, the crises it has set going. It can- (2007) and The Enemy of Nature (2nd edition forthcoming 2007 not solve the ecological crisis because to do so requires set- from Zed). ting limits upon accumulation – an unacceptable option for

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 5 a system predicated upon the rule: Grow or Die! of the century since Luxemburg enunciated her fateful alter- And it cannot solve the crisis posed by terror and other native, so too, must the name, and the reality, of a socialism forms of violent rebellion because to do so would mean become adequate for this time. abandoning the logic of empire, which would impose unac- It is for these reasons that we choose to name our inter- ceptable limits on growth and the whole "way of life" sus- pretation of socialism as an ecosocialism and dedicate our- tained by empire. Its only remaining option is to resort to selves to its realization. brutal force, thereby increasing alienation and sowing the WHY ECOSOCIALISM? seed of further terrorism. And further counter-terrorism, evolving into a new and malignant variation of fascism. We see ecosocialism not as the denial but as the realization In sum, the capitalist world system is historically bank- of the "first-epoch" socialisms of the twentieth century, in rupt. It has become an empire unable to adapt, whose very the context of the ecological crisis. Like them, it builds on gigantism exposes its underlying weakness. It is, in the lan- the insight that capital is objectified past labor, and grounds guage of ecology, profoundly unsustainable, and must be itself in the free development of all producers, or to use changed fundamentally, nay, replaced, if there is to be a another way of saying this, an undoing of the separation of future worth living. the producers from the means of production. We understand that this goal was not able to be implemented by first-epoch socialism, for reasons too complex to take up here, except to summarize as various effects of underdevelopment in the context of hostility by existing capitalist powers. This conjuncture had numerous deleteri- ous effects on existing socialisms, chiefly, the denial of internal democracy along with an emulation of capitalist productivism, and led eventually to the collapse of these societies and the ruin of their natural environments. Ecosocialism retains the emancipatory goals of first- epoch socialism, and rejects both the attenuated, reformist aims of social democracy and the productivist structures of the bureaucratic variations of socialism. It insists, rather, upon redefining both the path and the goal of socialist production in an ecological framework. Another reason why we need an ecosocialist movement. It does so specifically with respect to the “limits on growth” essential for the sustainability of society. These are Thus the stark choice once posed by Rosa Luxemburg embraced, however, not in the sense of imposing scarcity, returns: socialism or barbarism, where the face of the latter hardship and repression.The goal, rather, is a transformation now reflects the imprint of the intervening century and of needs, and a profound shift toward the qualitative dimen- assumes the countenance of ecocatastrophe, terror counter- sion and away from the quantitative. From the standpoint of terror, and their fascist degeneration. commodity production, this translates into a valorization of But why socialism, why revive this word seemingly con- use-values over exchange-values – a project of far-reaching signed to the rubbish-heap of history by the failings of its significance grounded in immediate economic activity. twentieth century interpretations? The generalization of ecological production under social- For this reason only: that however beaten down and unre- ist conditions can provide the grounds for the overcoming of alized, the notion of socialism still stands for the superses- the present crises. A society of freely associated producers sion of capital. If capital is to be overcome, a task now given does not stop at its own democratization. It must, rather, the urgency of the survival of civilization itself, the outcome insist on the freeing of all beings as its starting point and will perforce be “socialist,” for that is the term which signi- goal. It thereby overcomes the imperialist impulse both sub- fies the breakthrough into a post-capitalist society. jectively and objectively. If we say that capital is radically unsustainable and breaks In realizing such a goal, it struggles to overcome all forms down into the barbarism outlined above, then we are also of domination, including, especially, those of gender and saying that we need to build a socialism capable of overcom- “race.” And it surpasses the conditions leading to fundamen- ing the crises capital has brought into being. And if talist distortions and their terrorist manifestations. In sum, a socialisms past have failed to do so, then it is our obligation, world society is premised on a degree of ecological harmony if we choose against submitting to a barbarous end, to strug- with nature unthinkable under present conditions. gle for one that succeeds. A practical outcome of these tendencies would be And just as barbarism has changed in a manner reflective expressed, for example, in a withering away of the depend-

6 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 ency upon fossil fuels integral to industrial capitalism. And this in turn can provide the material point of release of the Ethics of lands subjugated by oil imperialism, while enabling the con- tainment of global warming, along with other afflictions of the ecological crisis. ecosocialism No one can read these prescriptions without thinking, BY MICHAEL LÖWY first, of how many practical and theoretical questions they raise, and second and more dishearteningly, of how remote hat exactly is eco-socialism? It is a current of they are from the present configuration of the world, both as thought and action that incorporates the princi- this is anchored in institutions and as it is registered in con- W ple gains of Marxism while jettisoning its pro- sciousness. ductivist baggage. It is a current that has understood that the We need not elaborate these points, which should be logic of the capitalist market and of profit – along with that instantly recognizable to all. But we would insist that they be of the technocratic and bureaucratic authoritarianism of the taken in their proper perspective. defunct so-called “people's democracies” – is incompatible Our project is neither to lay out every step of this way nor with protecting the environment. Last but not least, it is a to yield to the adversary because of the preponderance of current that, while critical of the dominant currents of the power he holds. It is, rather, to develop the logic of a suffi- working-class movement, understands that workers and cient and necessary transformation of the current order, and their organizations are vital to any project of radical systemic to begin developing the intermediate steps towards this goal. transformation. An eco-socialist ethic would be radically We do so in order to think more deeply about these pos- opposed to the destructive logic of capitalist profit and the sibilities, and at the same moment, begin the work of draw- all-encompassing market, which Marx called a system of ing together with all those of like mind. If there is any merit “universal venality.”What would be the main components of in these arguments, then it must be the case that similar such an ethic? thoughts, and practices to realize these thoughts, will be coordinatively germinating at innumerable points around First of all, it seems to me that it should be a social ethic. the world. It is not an ethic about individual behaviour aimed at guilt- Ecosocialism will be international, and universal, or it will tripping people, or promoting asceticism and self-denial. Of be nothing. The crises of our time can and must be seen as course, it is important that individuals learn to respect the revolutionary opportunities, and it is our obligation to affirm environment and eliminate waste, but the real question lies and bring these opportunities into existence. elsewhere. It is a matter of changing capitalist and market- driven economic and social structures and establishing a new paradigm of production and distribution based on social needs - especially the vital need to live in an undamaged natural environment. Such a change requires social forces, social movements, environmental organizations, political parties, and not just well-meaning individuals. This social ethic is a humanist ethic. Seeking to live in harmony with nature and protect endangered species is a human value, just as using medicine to destroy life forms that attack human life (bacteria, viruses and parasites) is a human value.The Anopheles mosquito, which carries yellow fever, does not have the same “right to life” as the Third World children threatened by this disease. To save these children, it is ethically legitimate to eradicate this type of mosquito in certain regions. By threatening the environment's natural equilibrium, the environmental crisis endangers not only plant and animal life but also and especially the health, living conditions and very survival of our own species. There is therefore no need to rail against humanism and “anthropocentrism”to see the defence of biodiversity and endangered animal species as an ethical and political priority. The fight to save the envi- Demo in Montreal against climate change, November 2006 ronment, which is necessarily a fight for a change in our

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 7 civilization, is a humanist imperative that concerns not only creating a different socio-economic logic and a new relation- this or that social class but also every single human being. ship to nature. This imperative concerns future generations, to whom we Finally, eco-socialism is a radical ethic, in the etymologi- are in danger of bequeathing a planet made uninhabitable by cal sense of the term – an ethic that seeks to go to the root the increasingly uncontrollable damage being done to the of the problem. Half measures, partial reforms, Rio confer- environment. But the approach which based the need for an ences and markets in pollution rights do not provide a solu- environmental ethic on this future danger, has long been tion. We need a radical change in paradigm, a new model of overtaken by events. It is now a far more urgent question, of civilization - in other words, a revolutionary transformation. direct concern to present generations. People living at the Such a revolution would affect the social relations of pro- beginning of the 21st century have already seen the dramat- duction – private property and the division of labour – but ic consequences of the capitalist poisoning and destruction also the productive forces themselves. Dogmatic forms of of the biosphere. Those of us alive in 20 or 30 years could Marxism – based on references to some of Marx's own work well be confronted with full-blown ecological disasters. – see change stemming solely from the elimination of cap- It is also an egalitarian ethic. The current mode of pro- italist social relations, which are seen as being obstacles to duction and consumption in the advanced capitalist coun- the free development of the productive forces. Contrary to tries is based on a logic of unlimited accumulation (of capi- this approach, we must seek to overturn the very structure of tal, profits and commodities), of wasting resources, of con- the production process. spicuous consumption and accelerated destruction of the To paraphrase Marx's famous remark about the state fol- environment. Spreading these methods to the rest of the lowing the Paris Commune: workers and the people cannot planet would create a major ecological crisis. This system is simply take over the productive apparatus and make it work therefore necessarily based on maintaining and deepening in their interest: they must smash it and replace it with the glaring inequality between North and South. The eco- another. This means a profound transformation of the tech- socialist project aspires to a planetary redistribution of nical structure of production and of the energy sources – pri- wealth and the cooperative development of resources, with- marily fossil and nuclear – on which it runs.Technology that in a new productive paradigm. respects the environment, and renewable energies, especially The social and ethical requirement to meet social needs solar power, are at the heart of the eco-socialist project. has no meaning outside an approach based on social justice, Embracing the utopia of an ecological socialism or solar equality (which does not mean homogenization) and soli- communism (see David Schwartzman's article of the same darity. In the final analysis, it means the collective appropri- name in the journal Science and Society) does not prevent us ation of the means of production and distribution of goods from fighting right now for immediate objectives that pre- and services “to each according to their needs.” It has noth- figure the future and are inspired by the same values: ing in common with the liberal notion of “equity,” which Prioritize public transit against the monstrous proliferation according to John Rawls in his book Political Liberalism of personal automobiles and road transport; escape the seeks to justify social inequalities by describing them as nuclear trap and develop research into renewable energy being “attached to positions and offices open to all under sources; demand that the terms of the Kyoto Protocol on conditions of fair equality of opportunity.”This is the classi- greenhouse gases be met, and reject the hoax of the “market cal position of those who defend economic and social “free in pollution rights;” fight for organic agriculture and against competition.” seed multinationals and their GMO. Eco-socialism also involves a democratic ethic. As long as These are just a few examples, and it would be easy to economic decisions and choices about production remain in draw up a much longer list. One can find these demands, the hands of an oligarchy of capitalists, bankers and tech- and others similar to them, among the positions of the inter- nocrats – or, in the erstwhile system of state-run economies, national movement against capitalist globalization and of a bureaucracy escaping all democratic control – we will neoliberalism that arose in 1996 at the Intergalactic never break free of the infernal cycle of productivism, Encounter for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism organ- exploitation of workers and environmental destruction. ized by the Zapatistas in the mountains of Chiapas in south- Economic democratization – involving the socialization of ern Mexico. The movement made a show of strength at the productive forces – means that major decisions about pro- major protests in Seattle, Prague, Nice, and Washington DC duction and distribution are not made by the markets or by and Quebec City and Genoa. It is not only critical of the a politburo, but by society itself, following democratic and huge social injustices the system produces, but also capable pluralist debate in which different proposals and choices are of advancing concrete alternatives – as it did at the World compared and contrasted. This is a necessary condition for Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil in January 2001.

8 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 “We can't eat money and we can't drink gas” Petro-capitalism and the fight for indigenous culture in Denendeh

BY ERIN FREELAND AND JESSICA SIMPSON

e are a group of arctic women, We have come to the Smithsonian education to go to work… And so the W sweating on the Mall in Institute's annual Folk Life Festival – a men, because they left school and went to Washington. This long stretch of grass is festival to promote "the understanding work, they didn't have any skills when where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered and continuity of diverse, contemporary everybody pulled out. his “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963. grassroots cultures in the United States It is the summer of 2006, and in front of and around the world." We aim to be Our actions connect the a giant dump truck we are hoisting a voice of opposition to the continued pro- wisdom of our elders with banner that reads: “Global Warming – motion of unabated oil and gas develop- Killing Indigenous Communities – ment that affects our watersheds, food the vision of new leaders Climate Justice Now.” security and many basic human rights. for our survival and that of We are the Arctic Indigenous Canada's display at this year's festival Alliance (AIA), a grass-roots organiza- focused on Alberta, and was dominated future generations. tion from Denendeh and the Inuvialuit and sponsored by the expanding oil sands region – also known as the Northwest industry. "When they left it was so surprising, Territories (NWT). Since 2003, AIA has The MGP proposes a 1200 km it's like one day everybody was gone. And worked to demand human rights and pipeline that will run between Inuvik and the men found out they were in limbo, sustainable communities. We have been Alberta, forging a line down the sacred they didn't have education, they didn't working to strengthen, honour and pro- Mackenzie Valley that will in large part have bush skills, they didn't know how to tect our heritage, which is rooted in the fuel expansion of Athabasca oil sands make a living. They'd just get odd jobs, health of our land and its people. extraction and processing capacity. The and those jobs were only in the summer- Our actions connect the wisdom of public glorification of this mega-project time. So they were stuck. It just brought our elders with the vision of new leaders obscures the risks that oil and gas devel- a lot of low self-esteem. So, we have to be for our survival and that of future gener- opment pose to First Nations people. really careful this kind of thing doesn't ations. We organize collectively for the happen again." people that really want to say something HISTORY REPEATED? By 1973, in response to continued acts but can't. We take action for the future Many indigenous communities of the of colonization, the Indian Brotherhood generations who do not yet have a voice. NWT already have a long and painful of the NWT completed an oral history We do this by raising awareness of the experience of resource extraction in their project demonstrating the fraudulence of potential impacts of the proposed traditional territory. The oft-repeated Treaties 8 and 11, and launched a land Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP) on our story is cogently told by Inuvialuit elder caveat against development under the people and our communities, and posing Ruth Stewart of Aklavik: "We didn't Land Titles Act. The subsequent 1975 alternatives are to these "development" really understand what was happening Dene Declaration proclaimed the exis- projects. We also promote a cultural when the people were gonna come in to tence of the Dene Nation and called for revival, because as women and mothers do their exploring and everything else. the government of Canada to recognize we too have a dream. We dream of a We didn't understand anything about it the inherent rights of the Dene people. North that is truly self-determining, and and we never had a say in it… There was In response to the demand by the indige- engaged in and supported by sustainable drugs and alcohol that really ruined the nous people for power over their own development that honours and respects families and unwanted children were futures and their land, the federal gov- indigenous culture and our future gener- born, jobs were lost. People gave up their ernment appointed Justice Thomas ations. Berger to conduct a public inquiry into Jessica Simpson (Wha Ti First Nation) is a member of the Arctic Indigenous Alliance and the the proposed pipeline. It was through Canadian Youth Climate Coalition. Erin Freeland is currently working on an inter-community these pipeline talks, the Berger Inquiry of participatory film about oil and gas development, climate change and well-being for a PhD in Environmental Policy at Oxford University. She works to ensure that future generations have dry 1974-1977, that the Dene Nation came meat to eat and clean water to drink. together. They asserted their aboriginal

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 9 rights, their human rights, and their cul- transfer payments will give the North the support to research potential impacts and ture. They viewed this pipeline to be future it deserves.” This statement is community concerns related to the pro- another form of colonial development, an exemplary of the attitude expressed by posed pipeline. This time, based on what imposition of foreign procedures, values government officials and Northern lead- we had heard from indigenous youth and and decision-making in their traditional ers alike that the pipeline is an all-or- elders, we sought support from the Dene territory. nothing option. Berger's 1977 report Northern In the multi-million dollar process of Frontier, Northern Homeland made a manufacturing consent, an abundance of series of recommendations, the principal misinformation is a powerful tool. Youth of which was that such large scale devel- and elders and other people in our com- opment should not take place until land munities are not being provided with full claims were settled. Berger proposed a information about the alternatives to moratorium on the pipeline project of at industrial development. This is one of least ten years. the reasons that people are for the The political landscape of the NWT pipeline – they feel powerless because has shifted since the Berger Inquiry as a they think that building a pipeline is our result of land claim agreements and self- only possible option. government deals. But 40 percent of the This is no surprise, given Premier current pipeline route runs through the Joseph Handley's statement in Far North Dehcho First Nation, which does not Oil and Gas Quarterly that “I always Logo of the Dene Nation have a settled claim yet. For many of us believed that if the rest of the world in the NWT it seems that not much has wants our gas, our diamonds, our gold, Nation in opposing the pipeline and changed since the 1970s. they'll find a way of getting here to get it. demanding sustainable alternatives. As in the 1970s, the consortium of Don't ever believe that you can stop a big In our presentation to the Assembly, groups promoting pipeline construction multinational. If they want to be here, we told our leaders that we do not have are claiming that they can help our peo- they are bigger than we are. The best we the resources to deal with the current ple by giving them jobs on a pipeline. A can do is find a way of buying into that.” social, health, and education crisis in our principle difference is that now many of OPPOSING THE PIPELINE communities and the pipeline will the same leaders that were against the increase these problems. It will also pipeline in the 70s are now for it. Many AIA opposes the extraction of our increase the effects of climate change and of these leaders now work for the non-renewable resources, and fights for economic globalization in the arctic. Aboriginal Pipeline Group (APG). the right of indigenous peoples of the We argued that the MGP is a contin- NWT to be truly self-determining and- MANUFACTURING CONSENT uation of colonization and the oppres- self-governing. By investing in people's sion of indigenous peoples. These are Many of the grassroots people of the healing and well-being as a first priority, non-indigenous people that are essential- Northwest Territories feel disempowered and through initiatives such as integrated ly telling us that they can make us better in decision-making about the pipeline. In on-the-land educational curricula and if we accept their profit-oriented system. fact, many feel that there is nothing that regionally-specific renewable energy One of our presenters, young Michael they can do because the decision to build technologies, we can build a North where Francis of Fort McPherson, stated “I the pipeline has already been made by “development” means the development want to be able to take my children out government officials. When Prime of people and of community projects that on the land and teach them our tradi- Minister Stephen Harper made his first support culture and decolonization. tions like my grandparents did for me. visit to the NWT, he delivered a clear In August 2005, members of AIA You can't eat oil. You can't eat gas. You message: “The Mackenzie Project has traveled to the Dene National Assembly can't eat money.” the potential to transform the North into in Deline.Two years previously, the Dene Our presentation was received with what some call the next Alberta.” Nation had given us their unanimous undivided attention and a standing ova- This promise of provincial status was accompanied by a clear threat: the NWT's continued struggle for devolu- tion and control over resource revenues is impossible, in Harper's words, “… unless you make sure projects like the Mackenzie Pipeline come to fruition because without them no amount of

10 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 tion. But the leaders did not bother to of 3,000 km, costing $18 at the super- discuss our resolution, despite the request market? If we are not enjoying full-cost A Pipeline Story of the elders. accounting in the pipeline, it is unlikely This was the first time that Dene we will see carbon analysis on our com- People of long ago always used to ask Nation talked about whether or not the pensation payouts! tadsq (raven) for advice about how to DEFENDING OUR LAND do things, so when they wanted to We can build a North know how to cool moose fat in the where “development” AIA is a network of warriors, young summer, they asked tadsq. He told and old, who want the world to recognize them to pour the moose fat in the means the development of petro-capitalism and its ultimate conse- intestine, and string it along the river people and of community quence, climate change, for what it ultimately is: a silent violence perpetrated (the Red River at Tsiigetchic) to cool projects that support upon the ability of indigenous people to it. He said he would volunteer to thrive on their renewable natural hold the other end while they culture and decolonization. resources. Training northern indigenous poured the fat. But they kept pouring youth for short-term, high paying jobs in and pouring and pouring, and it didn't pipeline will benefit our nation since the an industry that destroys the environ- seem to fill up.And one of them said 1970s. Some of our Chiefs commented ment and disables their culture and iden- that tadsq could be mischievous, so that they too once felt the way we did, tity will not bring a just or equitable they threw a fish bone into the intes- but then they grew up and became real- future. tine along with the oil to test him. istic. As if cooperation with multi- Youth in the NWT are working to Then shortly at the other end, they nationals who have a history of exploit- create livelihoods that support healthy heard tadsq choking on the fish bone ing indigenous people is something that communities and a sustainable future. - kaa kaa! And so this tells us that we can only be accepted. Renewable energy can potentially create might get ripped off by industry. In the NWT, there is a mixed econo- 60 times more jobs than fossil fuels. We my supplementing bush resources with must invest in jobs that strengthen our Story told by Alfred Masuzumi store bought goods. The importance of traditions, language and future, not Interview with Deborah Simmons traditional diets, inextricably linked to weaken them as the extractive industry Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories cultural and community practices of does. We can't eat money, and we can't July 20, 2006 indigenous people in the NWT remains drink gas. No matter how large an a primary concern for youth when the impact-benefit agreement is, we are poor future of NWT development is dis- if our land can no cussed. longer feed us. In smaller communities in the NWT, The words that we upwards of 92 percent of the diet remain young people use are new, traditional country foods. As Michael but the concepts have Francis put it, echoing the oft-repeated been important to words of the elders, “You can't eat indigenous money.” people for The producers' group for the MGP thousands (Imperial, Exxon-Mobil, APG, Esso, of years. Shell, Conoco-Phillips) has argued that What the Arctic they will compensate people who lose Indigenous Alliance has managed to access to traditional hunting areas during do is translate these sacred beliefs into pipeline construction. How does one the discourse of sustainability and self- quantify the loss of a caribou, which determination. pound for pound has three times the pro- tein and a fifth of the fat of beef? How can one be compensated for the healing power of the land, for the inter- generational teachings that accompany the hunt, preparation and use of the caribou? Will it be considered that in the NWT a steak will travel by air an average

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 11 Combating climate change Facing a major social and political challenge by Daniel Tanuro Pacific islands were aged between 18 and 45, had a “suit- able” employment offer in New Zealand In certain small Pacific island states, the (paid work, full time, open ended), could threat of warming is already experienced prove their knowledge of English, are in In the worst case scenario 150 as a painful everyday problem. In early good health and possess sufficient re- million people could be obliged to re- December 2005, the population of Lateu, sources if they have a dependant. To get a locate between now and 2050 following a small village of around 100 inhabitants full picture of this policy, remember that the rise in ocean levels due to planetary on the island of Tegua, in the Polynesian Australia, for example, has three inhabit- warming. At the same time, deaths due state of Vanuatu, was displaced to escape ants per square kilometre, that its GDP to lack of water, malaria and famine could increasing frequent floods: the coral bar- per inhabitant is $29,632 per year, that increase respectively by three billion, 300 rier no longer provides sufficient pro- it has refused to ratify Kyoto and that it million and 50-100 million. tection from hurricanes, with the coast is one of the biggest carbon users on the Although this picture of climate eroding by two to three metres per year. planet. change effects is already more than Lateu is the first case of collective relo- worrying, two other elements should be cation following the rise in ocean levels. New Orleans added, whose importance should be clear But Tuvalu, another Pacific state, already to everyone: “The poor will be the main victims • The agricultural repercussions. Be- of climate change”, warns the Intergov- yond a 3°C increase in average surface “The poor will be the ernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature, it is very probable that main victims of climate (IPCC). The Katrina affair shows that the overall productivity of cultivated this warning is also true for the devel- ecosystems will be affected. Below change”, warns the oped countries. There is no basis for saying that the hurricane which devastated this limit, negative impacts will be felt Intergovernmental Panel on (and are already felt) in vast tropical New Orleans in August 2005 was due to and subtropical regions, in Africa and Climate Change. the increase in atmospheric concentra- in South America mainly; tion of greenhouse gases. But the violence of hurricanes in the North Atlantic • The effects on ecosystems. Warming has three thousand climate refugees. Sit- has doubled over the last thirty years, now has clear observable consequenc- uated 3,400 km to the northeast of Aus- probably following warming. Above all, es, some of which will have serious tralia, this country (26 square kilometres the crisis management has been very implications for certain populations: of more or less firm land) is made up of revealing. Before, during and after. an accelerated decline in biodiversity eight atolls rising to 4.5 metres above sea Before? Whereas the threat weighing (-25% according to a study published level. It could well go down in history on the capital of jazz had been known for in the magazine Nature), loss of coral as the first country which has had to be a long time, the federal state, to finance reefs, increased fragility of mangrove completely evacuated because of climate its bellicose adventures, had from 2001 forests and big forest groupings like change. slashed the budget of the body charged that of the Amazon. Conscious of the situation, in 2000 the with flood prevention, the Southeast How will the capitalist system manage government of Tuvalu asked Australia Louisiana Urban Flood Control Proj- such situations? The question contin- and New Zealand to undertake to take in ect (SELA), (whose management was ues to be of concern if we consider the its 11,636 residents if need be. Canberra responsible to the Army Engineering policies already implemented in certain refused, on the pretext that a collective Corps). In early 2004, the administration concrete cases, like the Pacific islands, or agreement would be “discriminatory” in granted barely 20 percent of what had New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, or relation to other refugee candidates. As been requested for the strengthening of if we examine the strategic scenarios of for New Zealand, it only agreed to accept the Lake Pontchartrain levees. At the end certain “experts.” 74 people a year, on condition that they of the year, in spite of unprecedented cy- Daniel Tanuro is an environmentalist and the ecological correspondent of the newspaper of the clonic activity, the SELA received a sixth Socialist Workers Party (POS/SAP, Belgian section of the Fourth International), La Gauche. A of what it had requested: $10 million. longer version of this article originally appeared in International Viewpoint. Meanwhile, in July, the Federal Emer-

12 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 ity” of ecosystems is used in support of an abject socio-political project: the massive extermination of the poor. Unhappily, this report does not constitute an exception. The list of reactionary outpourings aroused by warming is in fact very long. Necessity of Mobilization

Numerous signs indicate that the struggle for the climate will increasingly constitute a major social and political issue. Beyond the Kyoto Protocol (a first very insufficient step), the response of the Desertification intensifies as capitalist system is being sketched out planet warms. and refined. It will consist notably in using the threat of warming to push an ac- centuation of neoliberal policies generat- gency Management Agency (FEMA) sis to improve the conditions of its valo- ing exclusion, domination, inequality and had drawn up an emergency plan based rization. degradation of the environment. Another climate policy is then necessary. A policy on the cynical hypothesis that the poor Threat of Barbarism (30 percent of the population, 67 percent which can save the climate and deliver of them Black), would stay in the city in The Pacific islands and Katrina shed social justice, democracy and respect for case of flooding – since they did not have light on what the neoliberals mean by ecosystems, on a world scale. A policy the financial resources to pay for their “managing the consequences of warm- which redistributes wealth radically and evacuation. “The residents need to know ing.” If we project these examples to puts an end to productivism. The imposi- they’ll be on their own for several days”, the global scale, there is no escaping the tion of this policy necessitates the broad- said Michael Brown, head of the FEMA. conclusion: in a few decades, climate est mobilization, on a world scale. In July 2005, the city authorities warned change could serve as a prop to barbaric In this perspective, information plays a the inhabitants that they would be “large- scenarios of a breadth as unprecedented role, all the more important as it concerns ly responsible for their own safety.” as the disturbance of the climate by hu- areas with which activists are still not suf- During? 138,000 of the 480,000 in- man activity. ficiently familiar. In February 2005, the habitants without aid for five days, more Certain conservative “think tanks” make International Committee of the Fourth than 1,000 dead, brutal repression of ini- no secret of their projects in the area. In International (an international network tiatives aimed at survival (characterized a study on the implications of serious cli- of revolutionary Marxists), decided to systematically as “pillage”). These facts mate change for the national security of “devote growing attention to the climate have been widely reported by the me- the USA, two “experts” write coldly that question and climate policy, notably dia. It is clear that they are not explained “nations with the resources to do so” like through the press of the sections and of solely by negligence or disorder, but by a the US and Australia “may build virtual the International.” The May 2007 issue logic which was anti-poor, class-based, fortresses around their countries, preserv- of International Viewpoint (see www.int racist and arrogant, in which sordid real ing resources for themselves.” All around ernationalviewpoint.org), is intended as estate speculations seem to have played a these fortresses, “deaths from war as well a contribution to the necessary effort of not inconsiderable role. The statements of as starvation and disease [due to warm- consciousness raising, inside our move- George W. Bush and his entourage pro- ing] will decrease population size which, ment and beyond. Although it was drawn vide numerous confirmations of it. over time, will re-balance with carrying up before the publication (on February After? Less known to the public, cer- capacity.” Too few commentators have 1st, 2007) of the fourth evaluation report tain measures taken in the context of drawn attention to the fact that the scien- of the IPCC, and it has not integrated reconstruction are also very significant: tific value of this so-called “study” is non- certain recent proposals (like the proposal minimum wage suppressed, public con- existent (notably because, inspired by the for a new energy policy for Europe for- tracts granted to crony companies (Hal- disaster film The Day After, it posits the mulated by the European Commission in liburton!) without tenders, hindrance of dual threat of a new glaciation and a rise January of the same year) we hope that the return of poor populations to enable in ocean levels, which is nonsense). But of it will supply to the anti-capitalist and remodelling of the city and so on. In most concern is the absence of protest in anti-neoliberal left a first battery of tools short: a good example of the manner in scientific circles faced with the fact that allowing it to take its place in the great which capital can use the ecological cri- the ecological concept of “carrying capac- battle which has begun. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 13 Canada’s Green Party Only thing green is the colour of money by Greg Sharzer

he Green Party has arrived on the platform, making links with trade union national political scene. It receives and environmental movements. In Sas- aboveT 10 percent in opinion polls and katchewan the Greens remained social its leader, Elizabeth May, receives the democrats, left of the governing NDP. In same kind of media exposure as other Ontario the party went eco-capitalist, as party leaders. As the planet heats up did the federal Greens. In 2004, ex-Tory and the weather gets crazier, the Greens’ Jim Harris led the national party to win profile can only increase, as voters warm 4 percent of the vote, and transformed it to a green agenda. But how green is the into a centralized, professional organiza- Green Party? And is it left-wing? tion, with Tory strategists and wealthy funders. Most recently, May has cut a to’s new mass transit plan will see $17 bil- Green Roots deal with Liberal leader Stephen Dion to lion invested in subways and buses – and The Green Party comes from a noble choose a single candidate to run against that’s under a federal Tory government. tradition: 1970s radicals who saw capital- Tory Peter MacKay. Where it counts – cutting pollution at ism was destroying the earth, and rejected Not surprisingly, Canada’s Green the source – the Greens fall back on the the growth-at-any-cost priorities of both Party’s politics have shifted hard to the market. Large Final Emitters (LFEs) are sides of the Cold War. The Greens’ answer Right too. It dropped mention of NAF- industries responsible for 50 percent of all was a rainbow coalition of social justice: TA or war in Afghanistan and Iraq from CO2 emissions. It makes sense to target anti-nuclear, anti-militarist, feminist, and its publicity materials. Its party platform centralized production facilities, rather pro-local development and social ecology. makes no mention of organized labour, than the consumer behaviour of millions Greens advocated a wholesale shift from except to call for a total ban on party do- of people. But to curb LFE emissions, the development-based growth to a sustain- nations from unions. Its stated commit- Greens place their hopes in carbon taxes, able, harmonious non-capitalist society. ment to feminism puts heavy emphasis carbon trading and business incentives to As the Greens got closer to power on equal representation in parliament new technology. around the world, those priorities with- and boardrooms. In 2006, May pandered Carbon taxes are a tax on energy ered. The German Greens dropped their to the Right by publicly calling abortion sources that emit CO2, like fossil fuels. anti-capitalism after the breakup of the a moral issue rather than a health issue. They rely on price mechanisms. If the USSR in 1991, shifting from grass- The Green Party accepts capital- price of fuel gets too high, users will roots activism and party democracy to ism as given. And not in the old social switch to non- CO2-emitting fuels. a traditional, parliamentary model. They democratic sense, when labour parties While consumer behaviour may respond went on to support NATO’s bombing of would come to power and pursue public to these types of price changes, LFEs are Kosovo in 1998, and – in coalition with spending and a welfare state. The Greens not consumers. The kind of large-scale the ruling Social Democratic Party – the actively promote capitalism. This means capital investments required to change US-UK invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. they’re not only right-wing, but their whole industries are simply too high for Across Europe, the Greens have entered green politics fall miserably short of prices to make much difference: you can into coalition governments with capi- what’s needed to avert the crisis. make a refrigerator too expensive, but a fuel source, or an industry and infra- talist parties and ended up supporting The Market and “modernization” measures to tear up the Global Warming structure based on that fuel source, has welfare state. its own economies of scale. To build a In Canada, the Green Party was formed The best example is Green policy on new infrastructure, massive government in the 1980s from an amalgam of radical global warming. At best it’s a Keynes- investment is necessary. Historically, high currents, from eco-socialists to deep ecol- ian technological fix, calling for national fixed capital costs – such as building a ogists. The party enjoyed some municipal funding to retrofit buildings, R&D for railroad – are not profitable in the short- success in BC running on a social ecology new green technologies and mass transit medium term, and private capital will not investment. These are all good things, but undertake them without considerable Greg Sharzer was never much of a hippie. they don’t require a Green Party. Toron- subsidies.

14 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 The alternative is nationalized green In the Green Party, there industries and shutting down dirty ones. But this is not something the Green Par- appears to be a strange ty, with its slavish devotion to “entrepre- neurs” would consider. Even its stated foe, alliance between eco- the nuclear industry, would be allowed to continue without subsidies. The rest – ag- capitalists who want to riculture, transport, energy generation, shaft the poor, and deep etc. – would be “worked with” to find solutions, rather than forced to change, ecologists who want to right now, for our common good. Carbon trading is an even weaker stop growth. Neoliberal form of regulation. Companies are as- signed credits depending on how much economics does both. carbon they produce. Those with too few credits can purchase the right to pol- lute from those with too many. There’s cratic control over production, which has no democratic oversight to this process been the socialist vision for 150 years, and – and small wonder, since this idea came which is the only guarantor of a green straight from Milton Friedman and the economy. If production was organized Chicago School of economics, one of the for human need, not profit, and people Federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May inventors of neoliberalism. In practice, it’s had real control over what they produced meant poor countries setting up “carbon in their workplaces and how their com- sinks” of dubious value – tree plantations talists who want to shaft the poor, and munities were organized, green decision- that absorb carbon for just a few years, or deep ecologists who want to stop growth. making would be central – no one wants subsidies to industries that plan to switch Neoliberal economics does both – yet to live in a polluted, warming world. to coal and then promise not to. both sides are deluded. For the capitalists, Solving the crisis depends on curtail- Green Neoliberalism neoliberalism has actually slowed global ing the rights of capital in favour of the growth; despite the rhetoric, economic working class. Voluntary measures have Also from Friedman comes the Green growth has remained two to three per- failed – along with legal commitments Party’s concept of tax-shifting. The car- cent lower in the neoliberal era than dur- like the Kyoto Protocol – not from a lack bon tax would replace payroll and income ing the 1950s and 60s. In turn, the deep of incentives or consultation, but because taxes. This is regressive, a means of trans- ecologists are allying with some danger- the capitalists must externalize costs, or ferring even more money into the hands ous friends. Neoliberalism has ushered in be put under by someone who can cut of the bloated oligarchs who rule capital- the current ecological crisis, arguably the corners. They will always oppose and ism. Socialists are against taxes for poor worst in human history. Growth in itself evade regulation. Can capitalism solve people. But refusing to tax the rich gives is not good or bad; the issue is whether the problems it’s created? Possibly, but those who profit off ecological destruc- it’s democratically controlled to focus on only as long as profitability continues. tion a free ride. the priorities of people, not capital. As For leftists, that isn’t our problem. We The Green Party’s platform and discus- usual, trying to “go beyond” left-wing have to force immediate compliance with sion forums are full of rhetoric about “liv- politics just means being the patsy of the strict environmental regulations, based ing within our means” and paying down Right. on democratic social justice movements the debt. This is recycled right-wing hype Knowingly or not, the Greens have be- for clean air, clean water, sustainable ag- from the 1990s, when capitalist finan- come capitalist stooges. Their policies all riculture and green urban planning. The ciers and governments raised interest accept the existence of the capitalist mar- environmental justice movement, which rates to destroy social welfare measures. ketplace and its contradictions: the need fights toxic waste disposal in poor com- It’s a neoliberal myth, considering years for corporations to accumulate profit at munities, is an excellent example of this. of anti-inflation and anti-deficit eco- any cost to workers and the natural en- The Green Party’s reforms are useful as nomics have seen the transfer of money vironment, private property rights that examples of small-scale change. But to from public coffers to the ultra-rich, and deny democratic decision-making on radicalize, and generalize those changes, there’s hard evidence to show public in- development and land use, capitalism’s we don’t need more votes for a capitalist vestment stimulates growth. resistance to internalizing the cost of party. We need extra-parliamentary ac- In the Green Party, there appears to environmental damage, and others. And tion in our workplaces, streets and com- be a strange alliance between eco-capi- worst of all, they give no place to demo- munities. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 15 constitutionalizing the right to bargain collectively

How much of a victory? by Eric Tucker

n June 8, the Supreme Court of den whenever it is expedient to do so. the industrial pluralist [industrial plural- OCanada surprised most legal ana- In reaching its decision, the court re- ism is the legal framework that grants lysts and union activists when it struck classified the right to bargain collectively rights to certified unions while tightly down provisions in British Columbia’s as a human right that it claims is and restricting workers’ right to strike -- NS] Bill 29, the notorious health care restruc- should be deeply rooted in Canadian vision that informed Canada’s post- turing act, on the grounds that the law society. The court supports this claim in war industrial relations system for the violated those workers’ constitutionally- part through its unselfconsciously ironic private sector, but which was never was protected right to bargain collectively. use of the work of left social historians to fully embraced for the public sector. In Apart from the fact that courts histori- advance a version of Canadian labour law so doing, it has given unionized public cally have been hostile to workers’ collec- history as a movement from repression sector workers some rhetorical and legal tive action, the decision was unexpected to toleration to recognition of collective weapons that can be used to push back because it required the court to reverse a bargaining, with this decision positioned against governments intent on retreating position that it had staked out 20 years as its culmination. The court also relies further from their limited acceptance of ago – that the constitutional right of free- heavily on international law, including public sector collective bargaining to pur- dom of association did not protect collec- two UN covenants and International sue a neoliberal agenda at their unionized tive bargaining. The decision was deliv- Labour Organization (ILO) Convention employees’ expense. ered in the context of a case challenging No. 87, all of which Canada has endorsed But how strong are these weapons legislation defended by the BC govern- but not adhered to, as evidenced by its and what are the broader implications ment as a measure that addressed a fiscal abysmal record before the ILO. Finally, of this decision for trade union strategy? crisis that was undermining its capacity the court holds that “Charter values” sup- First, there is the problem of delay. Bill to provide medical services to the public. port the protection of collective bargain- 29 was enacted in the middle of the night The court has expressed its concern about ing. Here the court is effusive in its praise on January 28, 2002. The constitutional this in two recent, controversial decisions, of the benefits of collective bargaining. challenge was launched later that year, one opening the door to privatization of It “enhances human dignity, liberty and but it took over four years for the case health care (Chaoulli) and the other ap- autonomy of workers by giving them the to make its way to the Supreme Court proving fiscal concerns as an acceptable opportunity to influence the establish- of Canada and then more than a year justification for violating women’s equal- ment of workplace rules and thereby gain for the court to reach a decision. In ity rights by postponing the implementa- some control over a major aspect of their the intervening five years, thousands of tion of a pay equity agreement. lives, mainly their work”, and promotes health care workers lost their jobs due to There can be little doubt that the deci- the values of equality and democracy. contracting out and privatization, and the sion is a victory of sorts for the labour In essence, the Supreme Court has en- union ended its 2004 strike by accepting movement, but just how much of victory dorsed and constitutionally entrenched a settlement that conceded a wage cut it is and its implications for future action need to be carefully assessed. Most generally, the case provides public sector workers and their unions with some welcome relief against the increasingly frequent assaults by government on their collective bargaining rights. We will return in a moment to consider the extent of this protection, but government must now be aware that collective bargaining rights have some constitutional purchase Hospital and thus can no longer be simply overrid- Employees Union was the Eric Tucker teaches at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and is coauthor of Labour main target of Before the Law. BC’s Bill 29.

16 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 and further weakened job security provi- group of workers from a statutory collec- spect to important issues that are the sions rather than continue its defiance of tive bargaining scheme, such as Ontario’s subject of collective agreements. draconian back-to-work legislation. agricultural workers, is not, ipso facto, a Given this bottom line, what are the These kinds of delays are inherent in the violation of their right to collective bar- broader implications of the decision for legal system, especially where one of the gaining. Rather, those workers will still trade union strategy? Clearly, a legal parties benefits from the status quo. As a have to establish that they are unable to strategy, even if successful, yields lim- result, once a final decision is rendered, it exercise their right to freedom of asso- ited gains that cannot compensate for is often difficult for the court to fashion ciation and bargain collectively because the political and organizational weak- an effective remedy. In this case, the court of the absence of facilitating legislation. ness of working-class organizations. For suspended its declaration of invalidity for Second, the court is adamant that the example, future governments will not be a year to allow the government time to constitutional protection of collective stopped by this decision from restructur- respond to its repercussions. bargaining does not ensure a particular ing health care at the expense of their It remains to be seen what the Camp- outcome is achieved. Third, protective workers. As trade unionists well know, bell government will do, but if the re- labour rights that are obtained through absent bargaining leverage, they gain sponse of the Conservative Mike Harris government to a previous SCC decision, Dunmore (holding that the government Given this bottom line, what are the broader had a positive obligation to protect agri- implications of the decision for trade union strategy? cultural workers’ privilege to bargain collectively) is any guide, it will do as little Clearly, a legal strategy, even if successful, yields as possible to pass constitutional muster. limited gains that cannot compensate for the political and In short, too often by the time legal rem- edies closing the proverbial barn door organizational weakness of working-class organizations. are obtained, the horses are long gone, although some financial compensation may be forthcoming. legislation rather than collective bargain- little from the employers’ duty to bargain Even if the decision may be of limited ing can be altered by the government at in good faith. Also, the decision will do value to the workers who bore the brunt will without violating workers’ freedom nothing to reverse the long-term decline of the health care restructuring facilitated of association. What is protected is the in private-sector trade union density. The by Bill 29, there still remains the ques- process of collective bargaining. court’s recognition of a constitutionally tion of the decision’s importance for the But even that protection is further lim- protected right to bargain collectively workers in the future. How much protec- ited by the court’s test for determining does not require government to modern- tion have they gained? The answer is less when the state has violated the right to ize its basic statutory collective bargain- than you might think given the media a process of collective bargaining. There ing scheme, which even at its best only coverage. must be state action, the intent or effect facilitated collective bargaining for less To begin with, although at one point of the state action must interfere with the than half the workforce, and now is quite the court states that freedom of associa- activity of collective bargaining and the ill-suited to labour market realities pro- tion “simply” protects “the right of em- interference must be substantial assessed duced by economic restructuring. ployees to associate in a process of col- on the basis of both the importance of In short, the major challenges faced by lective action [my emphasis] to achieve the subject matter of bargaining and the the labour movement are rooted in the workplace goals” (para. 19), it is clear in manner in which the measure interferes neoliberal economic and political project other parts of the judgment that employ- with the duty to engage in good faith that capital has successfully pursued over ees’ Charter-protected rights are far nar- bargaining and consultation. And, finally, the past thirty years. While the Supreme rower. In fact, the court states specifically the government always has the opportu- Court of Canada’s decision that the col- that its decision only protects collective nity to argue that its violation of a Char- lective bargaining process is constitution- bargaining and not other forms of worker ter-protected right is demonstrably justi- ally protected is welcome, it is also clear collective action, notably strikes. fied in a free and democratic society. that it will do little to slow the progress of But what concretely does the court Lawyers will spend many hours (and the neoliberal project and protect workers mean when it says that collective bar- lots of their clients’ money) arguing over from its effects. Rather, the labour move- gaining is a protected form of freedom what all of this means, but for public sec- ment and the Left is still left with the ba- of association? The court explicitly states tor unions the bottom line is that absent sic challenge it faced before this decision: that it does not guarantee workers ac- exigent circumstances governments now how to build a movement that is strong cess to any particular process of collec- owe them a duty to consult and bargain enough to resist capital’s attack on public tive bargaining. Thus, the exclusion of a in good faith before legislating with re- health care and workers’ rights? 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 17 AFN Day of Action Can we really eat money?

By Wendy Hart-Ross

n June 29, the Assembly of First Nations National Day of OAction took place amidst much media hype. Indigenous peoples and their allies were called to conduct peaceful protests to raise awareness of indigenous oppression. Thousands of people ral-

lied together to stand up for indigenous rights across Canada. In y a y Southern Ontario, Shawn Brant and his allies caused major delays on acanada . blogspot both the 401 highway and the railway: Brant’s warriors blocked the railway, and the 401 was closed by the Ontario Provincial Police. The Wasáse Movement called on the Assembly of First Nations go beyond a . com symbolic day of action. In the words of Day of Action, Ottawa the June 14 Wasáse Communiqué, “We challenge the chiefs of the AFN to truly “Some of us believe in reconciliation, respect their people and to engage in a than handshakes and a smile, because our real strategy of action to improve the people are fed up. Our people will con- forgetting that the monster has a quality of life for indigenous people in tinue to make a loud noise of truth in the genocidal appetite, a taste for our this country. We believe creating a bet- return of our lands.” blood, and would sooner tear us apart ter life for our people means fighting for Beyond June 29, some organizers in than lick our hands… We need to the respect of our inherent rights and the Vancouver called indigenous peoples to stand against history and against those return of our lands through a sustained action on Canada Day — the day that who would submit to it, and with the campaign of political confrontation and symbolizes oppression against indig- warriors who want to beat the beast direct non-violent action.” Through such enous people, including genocide, land into bloody submission and teach it to a strategy it would be possible to create theft and occupation, brutality, violence behave.” — Wasáse an ongoing energy that would sustain a and abuse, and mass child apprehension stronger movement beyond June 29. and deaths. In an interview, Wasáse member Chris The AFN Day of Action was officially Standing talked about his experience focused on the need for more band coun- new hydroelectric dam projects, setting of the Day of Action: “The truth needs cil funding. The AFN did not use the Day a precedent that our lands and waters come out, settlers and indigenous people of Action as an opportunity to call for an are for sale. More money to run our band need to know the truth of colonization end to the exploitation and devastation councils or more money to continue with and land theft and realize the reason In- of lands and sacred places. This would the dysfunctional governmental relation- digenous people have such a hard time compromise the agenda of many of our ships internally is not the answer. And a living in this society. Our people need official leaders who are in negotiation single day of public education, blockades, to be brave and take on the challenge with the Canadian government to ex- and marches will not bring about com- of returning to their traditional systems pand the sell-out of our traditional lands munity well-being. and ways of thinking. The Day of Action for monetary gain. Ongoing Struggles made it clear for me that protest is not Here in Manitoba, indigenous lead- for everyone, but it still needs to be done! ers are attempting a partnership with Why is the AFN not supporting people Sometimes yelling will get more attention Manitoba Hydro for development of who are protecting the land that sustains us and will sustain our unborn? There Wendy Hart-Ross (Ininew) lives where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet in the area now are numerous examples of conflicts that known as Winnipeg. Her roots stem from Pimicikamak on her father’s side and Kinosao Sipi on would have benefited from AFN -sup her mother’s side. She is a graduate student in Native Studies at the University of Manitoba, and a Wasáse member. For more information on Wasáse, visit wasase.blogspot.com. port: See Community Protests: Page 20

18 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 AFN Day of Action Launching of a sustained campaign of political confrontation?

By Dave Brophy recent senate report. However, the AFN estimates that due to the existing backlog, Reprinted from Manitoba Youth Voices, a publication of the Canadian Centre some First Nations will have to wait 100 for Policy Alternatives Manitoba Office, June 28, 2007. On the web at years before their claims are processed. http://policyalternatives.ca The Conservatives’ June 12 announcement of the land claims overhaul was he Assembly of First Nations has about treaty violations, but can only make welcomed enthusiastically by AFN Tcalled for a national day of action recommendations to the federal govern- Grand Chief Phil Fontaine, who called on June 29 to draw attention to indig- ment about how to resolve disputes. The the plan “historic”. However, others enous peoples’ issues. A motion to have government itself decides whether it reacted differently. Roseau River Chief a cross-country mobilization was made agrees it is at fault, and whether negotia- Terry Nelson, for one, was not satisfied. and passed by the Assembly at the end of tions should take place. He would stick with his original plan, last year. It immediately turned heads in In addition to the conflict of inter- which had already been widely reported the minority Conservative government. est inherent in the current land claims in the media. If the government did After being elected in early 2006 the process, the bureaucracy is exceedingly not take immediate, concrete action, he Conservatives did not identify First Na- slow to process the claims. Since 1973, would set up a rail blockade on the CN tions issues as a top priority. On the con- when the current system was established, line that runs by his southern Manitoba trary, they gutted the Kelowna Accord, a only 282 of the approximately 1,354 filed community. five-year $5 billion plan forged under the claims have been settled. First Nations Implicitly responding to Nelson’s previous government to improve educa- that have had their claims resolved have threats, federal Indian Affairs Minister tion, health, and economic development seen immediate improvements in terms Jim Prentice stated repeatedly in the me- in indigenous communities. However, of economic development, according to a dia that illegal actions taken on June 29 since hearing about the day of action, the would be dealt with harshly. government has been re-assessing its pri- Yet, on June 15, Prentice orities, not least because of concern over spoke with Nelson directly, the possibility of rail and road blockades. agreeing to expedite an ap- Internal documents obtained by the Ca- plication by Nelson’s Roseau nadian Press indicated that the govern- River band to develop land ment has been fretting for months about purchased in 1994 under the prospect of such tactics. the Treaty Land Entitle- In order to slow the momentum build- ment program. Apparently ing towards the June 29 mobilization, satisfied, Nelson stated that the Conservatives announced a plan to he would call off the rail change the way that land claims are dealt blockade, pending a decision with. For sixty years the federal govern- on the matter by his com- ment has acted as defendant, judge and munity. jury in dealing with disputes with na- Needless to say, after tive bands over land. The Indian Claims Prentice’s explicit warnings Commission investigates complaints against illegal means of protest, his handling of Nelson’s The late Dave Brophy was a member of demands was surprising. It the Winnipeg Indigenous Peoples Solidarity seemed to indicate a will- Movement and the New Socialist Group. This was likely the last article written by him ingness on the part of the before his death in July. See the tribute to . com wiinim k ii aa . wordpress government to negotiate if Dave Brophy on p.37. Day of Action, Highway 401. threatened with a confron-

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 19 tation. Perhaps it sounds ridiculous when Henco Industries set up to begin to suggest that Nelson intimidated construction for a housing project on 40 the Conservatives. However, with the hectares of contested land. In February report of the Ipperwash Inquiry still 2006 Six Nations members occupied hot off the press, and the dispute with the construction site. Initial attempts Six Nations over lands along the Grand by Henco Industries to have Six Na- River on-going, the government has its tions members forcibly removed failed reasons to fear conflict with First Na- because the sheer numbers of protesters tions. at the site overwhelmed police. The land disputed at Ipperwash, Eventually the province bought the Ontario was taken in 1942 from the land from Henco and called on the Stony Point band by the military under federal government to come to the ne- the War Measures Act to establish a gotiating table. Sixteen months into military base. After the seizure band the occupation negotiations continue, members petitioned the government following the rejection by Six Nations scoinc on numerous occasions. It was espe- of a $125 million offer by the federal cially important to them to reclaim the government to settle four outstanding . mb ca land as it contained an ancestral burial land claims. Six Nations negotiators are insisting that they be handed over the Day of Action, Winnipeg. disputed lands, rather than receiving Community protests monetary compensation. Continued from page 18 In both the Ipperwash and Grand ground. Finally, in 1993, over fifty years River disputes, protesters took matters • My community, Pimicikamak, has after the original takeover, Stony Point into their own hands because of the been protesting the damage caused band members began moving onto the federal government’s failure to address by flooding and lack of compen- land surrounding the military base. In land claims in a just and timely man- sation from Manitoba Hydro at 1995 they erected barricades at nearby ner. The resulting confrontations thrust Jenpeg since April 2007. They have Ipperwash provincial park to further as- the disputes into the public spotlight, been battling the provincially owned sert their intentions to reclaim the land. exposing the federal government’s corporation’s hydroelectric develop- Eventually, the OPP moved in on the moral and legal liabilities to indigenous ment projects since the 1970s. unarmed protesters and killed Dudley peoples. With June 29 approaching, • The youth-driven blockade at Grassy George. the Conservatives face the possibil- Narrows was erected to protect the In 1998 the disputed land was turned ity of still more direct action. They are land from further clear-cutting has back over to the Stony Point band and scrambling to avert conflict, hoping that been ongoing since December 2002. $26 million was paid as compensa- their promised plans to change the land • The people situated near the- pro tion for the 1942 seizure. In 2003 a claims process will minimize the level posed sight at Conawapa established public inquiry into George’s death was of militant protest. a short-lived protest in early July, launched. The report of the Ipperwash But far too many debts to indigenous • The Six Nations launched a land Inquiry, released on May 31, determined peoples have been accumulated and left reclamation in opposition to subur- that the federal government bore pri- unpaid for far too long. The Conserva- ban development in their territory at mary responsibility for the Ipperwash tives’ concessions may have appeased the Caledonia last year – the confronta- tragedy, as well as the current increase Indian Act Chiefs, but they have much tion is still ongoing. in indigenous unrest. The report also to lose if they go too far. The real source It is the responsibility of indigenous stated that treaties between indigenous of fear for the federal government are peoples to protect our traditional ter- peoples and the British and Canadian the natives, especially youth, who reject ritories. One of the ideal outcomes governments are not, “as some people the system of dependency that is at or lessons of the AFN Day of Action believe, relics of the distant past,” and the root of indigenous poverty. At Six would be for people to start thinking that promises made in the treaties must Nations, Tyendinaga, Grassy Narrows, about what it means to them to live on be fulfilled. Skwelkwek’welt, and elsewhere, they Turtle Island and come to the realiza- The 150-year-old dispute at Grand are the ones who threaten the federal tion that in the end you cannot really River, Ontario between Six Nations and government with a sustained campaign eat money.  the federal government came to a head of political confrontation. 

20 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 from union experiences. Nor is it a solid A Child’s Perceptions reviews socialist educational resource for union activists, which would require a much Lullabies for Little Criminals harder-hitting socialist analysis. Novel by Heather O’Neill Alternative Program Reviewed by Sebastian Lamb Harper Collins Canada 2006 The Crisis of I’m glad I read this book, even though I Manufacturing Jobs Anachronism kept wondering when something would Pamphlet published by happen, despite the story being event- the Labour Committee of One Man Revolution full. At the same time, I often had an Socialist Project (2007). By The Nightwatchman anxious knot in my stomach as I read. This Music CD: Sony, 2007 contradiction happens because the story “239,100 jobs ‘gone for good”’ was the is convincingly told by a girl of 12 going on headline of the Toronto Star on July 2nd, Tom Morello is an electric guitar god. In 13, not by an adult. 2007. That’s how many manufacturing his solo persona as The Nightwatchman, Baby narrates her story of poverty, jobs have been lost in Canada between he declares “the revolution will not be foster homes, detention centers, pimps, 2004 and the end of May 2007. That’s amplified” and, like Bob Dylan in reverse, sex workers, drug use and street life in the background to the demonstration of goes acoustic. His silky, rich voice swirls Montreal. She does not sensationalize or almost 40,000 people in Windsor on May around dark, bitter ballads of class strug- exoticize. O’Neill captures the immediacy 27, spearheaded by the Canadian Auto gle – songs of workers doing what they and scale of a child’s perceptions of the Workers, and to the rallies and plant oc- have to in order to survive, be it share- horrible things that happen to her. It is cupations in some other Ontario cities. croppers shooting the landlord (Maxi- not an adult’s emotion and reason that we mum Firepower) or workers’ struggles It’s to Socialist Project’s credit that it hear responding to the everyday dangers, at home (Union Song). The occupation has produced this pamphlet in response hurts and disappointments as well as the of Iraq, 9-11, the racism he faced grow- to these events. It makes some impor- joys and dreams Baby faces. There are no ing up African-American – it’s all there, tant points, such as that the loss of denunciations of injustice or predictions couched in a spirit of resistance and hope. manufacturing jobs isn’t just a Canadian of Baby’s failure to thrive. And Morello isn’t just baring his soul. He problem (some 15 million have been cut plays benefits for left-wing causes and has Readers have debated whether or not in China in the past decade!) and that walked the line for numerous strikes. the author has succeeded in creating what’s happening is not just about trade. an authentic voice. O’Neill uses straight He’s got talent, great politics, he’s an It rightly argues that what’s happening forward language combined with a focus activist, an amazing musician – what’s not in manufacturing raises some crucial on the small things that are meaning- to love? Sadly, the music itself. America questions: “What kind of society do ful for children and for childhood. This has a rich history of protest music: Woody we want?”; “Can we win if the work- provides, if not an authentic voice (can Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs and so on. ing class remains so fragmented?”; and we really say what that would be for Morello says his favourite musician is Joe “Are community struggles an add-on or Baby?), then powerful and evocative Hill, the IWW organizer. They all drew on fundamental to class struggles?” It rejects insights into (and memories of) what popular musical traditions of poor people so-called “solutions” that strengthen children find important in their worlds. In in struggle. But when was the last time corporations and weaken workers’ power. particular, we see how the dynamics and you heard anyone rocking “Union Maid” routines of “family” create a longed-for The pamphlet lays out an alternative in their Honda Civic? The Nightwatchman circle of safety and belonging, even when program and makes some points about is an anachronism: a brilliant example of a some of these things can be hurtful and how unions need to change. Much of this genre that was already a museum piece by destructive. is good, some questionable, but the weak- the 1960s. ness is that it’s not clear who is supposed Baby frequently speaks her truth in You can’t fault Morello for paying homage to implement the program and how. humourous ways. Messing with other to his forebears. And as he says on his people’s reality is a bit of a coping strategy, Unfortunately, this pamphlet is not the MySpace page, “You don’t gotta be loud, especially when she is unsure of what is kind of publication that would be really son, to be heavy as shit!” But you also going on – which is often, as she longs for useful for building networks of activ- don’t have to make music no one under an adult life and begins to dabble in it even ist supporters of rank and file unionism 30 listens to. Maybe if he was a little less as she mourns the loss of the way adults – for that, it would have had to offer respectful, he could use his incredible treated her as a child. I was moved by suggestions about how to fight back talent to deliver his socialist politics in a O’Neill’s affirmation that childhood, even most effectively and analyze pitfalls to form more young people would listen to. when troubled, is a treasure. watch out for, using specific examples Reviewed by Greg Sharzer Reviewed by Susan Bender

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 21 Sexism, racism or both? A closer look at the Indian Act and the McIvor Case

By Martin Cannon

landmark British Columbia Su- preme Court ruling in June of A2007 has condemned Canada’s legislative treatment of status Indians since the 1985 Indian Act amendment known as Bill C-31. McIvor v. The Registrar, Indi- an and Northern Affairs Canada is a case that dates from 1989, and has addressed issues of sexism inherent within broader Tobique Women’s historic policy. But issues of racism, early nation-to-nation agreements, and the in- Group. From the herent right to citizenship-determination book Enough is remain unsettled. Enough: Aboriginal In her deliberations, Justice Carol Ross Women Speak Out S tephen H omer said that Canada could no longer justify the discrimination inherent within the Indian Act, and that Indian status does a generation of status Indians who are Indians. Not surprisingly, this history has not constitute a “benefit” under Canadian currently living out the effects of this dis- created an element of hostility and ra- law. She also determined the Indian Act criminatory legislation. cialized tension in our communities that perpetuates historic sexual discrimina- Jacob Grismer, McIvor’s son, is a part cannot quickly be reversed. tion because it gives fewer rights to the of this generation. I also include myself Indian status is not something that be- descendants of female Indians. The -de among this generation of status Indians longs to women or “individuals.” Rather, scendants of male Indians do not face the as well. The history of sexism is therefore it belongs to the indigenous collective be- same disadvantages. no longer affecting indigenous women cause of the potential of the Indian Act The Bill C-31 amendment to the Indi- alone. As men, we are concerned that our to eventually disinherit all status Indians an Act is incomplete remedial legislation, children are not entitled to Indian sta- and dispossess them of their lands, and the court ruled. Instead of eliminating tus because of our mother’s gender. We because of complex injustices that exist sex discrimination in particular, it “trans- ought to think seriously about the sexism at the intersection of racialization and ferred and incorporated the preference that has affected our indigenous rights. patriarchy. The question is, what does it for male lineage, legitimacy, and marriage We might also consider broader matters mean to bring these injustices before Ca- to a male Indian, into the new regime.” of racialized injustice. nadian courts of law? Under the current regime, women who An Unnatural Category Indeed, Indian Act injustices invite have married non-Indians maintain their the people who want to challenge them status – but their sons and daughters are Indigenous peoples did not play a part to become engaged in legal disputes, and unable to pass their status along to their in creating the category “Indian,” but the thereby become even more deeply drawn children. The same does not apply to Indian Act and other Indian policy has into the colonial frameworks that have the descendents of status men who have had the effect of making the category ap- been used to define and sometimes divide married non-status women. Such are the pear as natural, even common sense to them. In this regard, the issue of Indian potential injustices facing the children many of us. It has always been assumed status (and status injustices) might be and grandchildren of Indian women to- (and expected) that our band council viewed as a smoke screen that obscures day. The McIvor case effectively describes governments would administer status Canada’s failure to engage with indige- Martin J. Cannon teaches Sociology and Equity Studies in Education at OISE, University of Toronto. nous peoples about matters that are basic He is a citizen of the Six Nations of Grand River Territory, and has been writing about Indian and fundamental to self-determination. status injustices since the late 1980s. Seeing women and men in state-con-

22 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 structed terms conceals historic events then-Minister of Indian Affairs Jim tion that aimed to dismantle egalitarian which imposed racialized distinctions on Prentice was quoted as saying his gov- structures in place at the time of contact, all indigenous nations, and that later re- ernment would appeal the decision. Fed- treaty-making and early nation-to-nation quired people to be legislated outside of eral lawyers in BC were granted time to agreements. Indigenous social forms re- them. It detracts from the government’s review the decision, and to prepare for a inforce a sense of belonging based on real responsibility to consult status Indians dramatic increase in the number of reg- or assumed bonds between people, their and indigenous communities about iden- istered status Indians. However, it seems knowledge of traditional stories or histo- tity matters, fiduciary obligations, and the Canada would much rather proceed tory, original nation-to-nation agreements, rights of citizenship. ward the legal assimilation of status In- common beliefs, and a tie to some specific The reaction to the McIvor case has dians. territory — including urban areas. These been interesting. Two days after the The discrimination that we face as practices require legal acknowledgement Globe and Mail reported the decision, “Indians” involves a history of coloniza- in a post-McIvor context. 

the sexist provisions of the Indian Act. Women and the Indian Act With the support of non-Native women’s groups such as the National Action Committee and the Voice of Women, By Deborah Simmons existing policy of “gradual civilization” or “enfranchisement” by which it they took direct action such as sit-ins, The Indian Act that governs Canada’s was hoped that all indigenous people marches, and appeals through the courts. relationship to indigenous peoples might would gradually relinquish their special In 1974, the Supreme Court of Canada be seen as an outcome of Canada’s status. An aspect of this policy was the upheld the Indian Act. repeated failure to “civilize” the original association of Indian status with the By 1977, Sandra Lovelace, a Maliseet peoples and thereby dispossess them of male line. Thus Indian women marrying woman from the Tobique Reserve in land and sovereignty. But the Act is also non-Indian men would automatically New Brunswick joined the struggle. without doubt a tool of state domination. lose their status. And if an Indian man When her marriage to an American And the sexist construction of Indian decided to become enfranchised, his airman disintegrated in the early 70s, she status in the Act reflects a centrepiece wife and children automatically lost to her reserve to find that she’d lost all of colonial strategy dating to the earliest their status as well, regardless of their her rights to housing, education for her missionizing efforts four centuries ago. views on the matter. Added to this were children, and health care. And she found At first the French Jesuit missionaries blatantly discriminatory provisions on land many other women who had similar assumed that indigenous societies could surrender, wills, band elections, and band experiences of discrimination imposed by be converted merely by addressing membership. their own Band Council leaders. the men. They soon realized that the Loss of status had profound social, In July 1979 a Tobique women’s group egalitarianism of these societies would cultural and economic impacts on women organized a 100 mile walk of women and doom this strategy to failure. It became and their children. Women without status children from the Oka Reserve, near obvious that the subjugation of women, could never return to reside in their Montreal, to Ottawa to draw attention especially early in life, would be a key to home community, share in collective to their problem. Lovelace also took her lasting conversion. property of their bands, nor even hold the case to the Human Rights Committee Thus the subjugation of women and the right to burial on reserve lands. Whether of the United Nations. Finally after two disciplining of children intersected as the widowed or divorced, they remained years the UN committee found Canada in condition for the forging of a hierarchy non-status. Once designated non-status, breach of the International Covenant on that would allow for the subjugation of women no longer enjoyed rights to Civil and Political Rights. indigenous peoples under monotheistic resources and social services as protected In 1985 Canada was finally forced to European rule. Women and children had by the Indian Act, such as fishing and amend the Indian Act in what is now to be reduced to property through the hunting rights, or education and health known as Bill C-31. This did not mark an monogamous and authoritarian institution benefits. end to discrimination, however. Nor will of marriage. Women Fight Back the current BC Supreme Court ruling, The 1876 Indian Act reflected a In the early 1970s two Native women’s though it is to be applauded. Indigenous similar perspective, and entrenched an organizations, Indian Rights for Indian women will continue to be forced to Deborah Simmons is an editor of New Women and National Native Women’s struggle against the oppression imposed Socialist magazine. Association, began to campaign to change by our colonial legacy. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 23 Warriors of this generation Anarcha-Indigenism and the Wasáse Movement By Lana Lowe The goal is not to determine the future for our coming his spring, the 2007 Indigenous generations, but to bequeath them the freedom TLeadership Forum and Wasáse gathering brought together indigenous to determine their own future. and non-indigenous students, scholars and activists from Canada, the United freedoms. In contrast, Anarcha-Indi- The goal is not to determine the future States (including Hawai’i), and Australia genism provides a solid framework for for our coming generations, but to be- to WSANEC territory to build solidar- achieving peaceful co-existence in these queath them the freedom to determine ity and discuss theories and strategies of lands through indigenous autonomy and their own future. indigenous resurgence. resurgence, rather than dependence and During the ILF, the term Anarcha-In- The 2007 Indigenous Leadership- Fo assimilation. digenism replaced Anarcho-Indigenism. rum (ILF) was hosted by the Indigenous Engaging Anarcha-Indigenism enables In so feminizing the term, the central role Governance Programs at the University us to cast aside the politics of recognition of women in the struggle for freedom of Victoria, May 28-June 1. The goal was and demand, thereby shifting the site of and the creation of a non-hierarchical, to explore the emerging political philoso- struggle and abandoning old, ineffective non-authoritarian indigenous resurgence phy of Anarcha-Indigenism. pathways of action. In doing so, Anar- is highlighted. The aim is to pinpoint pa- Following the ILF (June 4-8), indige- cha-Indigenism provides a framework of triarchy and paternalism as fundamental nous students and activists met to reiterate resistance that encourages us to act in the forms of oppression that must be over- a commitment to Wasáse, a radical intel- here and now, place women at the centre come if we are to live free in our lands. lectual and political movement grounded of the struggle, broaden our alliances, and Decolonizing Solidarity in indigenous experience, wisdom and give up “more-militant-than-thou” ideas ethics that exists to enable indigenous of activism. Those engaged in building the -indig people to live freely in our homelands. By concerning ourselves with the here enous resurgence watch with chagrin This article summarizes some of the key and now, Anarcha-Indigenism is not as Aboriginal politicians knock on the points of discussion and consensus during concerned with creating a blueprint for doors of the Canadian state and shake the ILF and Wasáse events. the future. The strategy is to act in the hands with big business in a tripartite Anarcha-Indigenism present. Action is focused on widening venture to exploit indigenous lands and the cracks in the system as it exists today. people. Rooted in indigenous philosophies, values, and connections to this land and our struggles for freedom and justice, Anarcha-Indigenism takes a critical, non-hierarchical, action-based, approach to political and economic organising that is inherently non-capitalist, non-statist, Ph oto C o ur pro-feminist, and based on a sustainable relationship to nature. Mainstream (Aboriginal) politics of recognition and demand (including land t esy of Jer claims, self-government, and on-going legal processes) serve only to tighten the colonial grip on indigenous lands and om e Cl a rk Lana Lowe is Dene (Fort Nelson First Nation). Thanks to Chiinuuks and Matt Wildcat for the coffee, salmon and hours of discussion in preparation for this article. Wasáse 2007 Gathering, WSANEC Territory.

24 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 Meanwhile, a non-indigenous critique Agents of the State Beyond Ego of the crushing imperialism that has af- On this year’s Wasáse Gathering Each individual involved in the move- flicted our communities since 1492 has agenda was the June 29 National Day ment brings their own commitment and emerged from the radical left, indicat- of Action called for by the Assembly of involves their community in a way they ing that we are not alone in our struggle First Nations (AFN). While the Day of feel is appropriate, using their own tra- against the state and corporate powers Action presented the Wasáse movement ditions and experiences to create radical that be. The “Us vs. Them” approach has with an opportunity to censure the AFN change in their own lives and the lives of shifted and we are wise to seek out our and its band council chiefs, participants their communities. non-indigenous allies. acknowledged that many indigenous An elder from Hawai’i advised that in The basis of our solidarity must be people took the call to action seriously, the struggle toward a better life for our grounded in some basic principles, despite the illegitimacy of the AFN and people and the return of our lands, we however. First, we need to recognise that the band council system. have to put our egos aside so that we may though we come from different tradi- The illegitimacy of the band councils engage in a good way. tions of thought and experience, we can rests in the fact that they are agents of The struggle for peace in our lands work together (and it is desirable to do the colonial state. They exist and function precedes us for at least 500 years and will so) towards freedom and justice in these under the authority of the Government continue long after we are gone. While lands. of Canada and their role is to administer each of us has a responsibility to take our Second, it is necessary for us to over- funds and manage programs at the behest place in this ongoing struggle, we have to come our misconceptions about each of that government. recognize that what we are doing is big- other. Indigenous people must recognise ger than us and our personal pride. that not all non-indigenous people are the oppressor. We also need to recognise Committing to living our lives in a that anarchists are not just white, sum- Band councils … way that respects who we are as indig- mit-hopping thugs, pining for a nihilistic are agents enous people is what we should be doing. world of chaos and destruction. There is no room for pride. That’s like Non-indigenous people, on the other of the colonial state. being proud for brushing your teeth in hand, must begin a process of decoloni- the morning. This is who we are. It’s like sation. They must examine their positions breathing the air. We are the warriors of of privilege and power, which are embed- Band councils are funded by and ac- this generation and we must stand up ded in the colonial relationship. Non-in- countable only to the Government of without fear or arrogance, because it’s not digenous people also need to acknowl- Canada. They are not accountable to our about us. edge their racist misconceptions about people. They are not our governments. These teachings bring to mind two re- indigenous people and societies (such as The National Chief and the band council lated issues that have long overshadowed those that lead to anarcho-primitivism [a chiefs who constitute the AFN are not indigenous politics: male dominance and kind of anarchism which believes that our leaders. the cult of personality. These issues have agriculture gave rise to civilization, which In the call to action, the National Chief yet to be taken on in a concerted and sus- is seen as inherently oppressive –- NS], stated that a recent cap placed on band tained manner within the movement. for example). At the same time, non-in- council funding was of primary concern. However, it is clear that as individual digenous people need to realise that in- Clearly, the motive behind the Day of activists and community members we digenous people are in no need of being Action was to put pressure on the Cana- need to take and make our own opportu- saved, enlightened, or indoctrinated. We dian government to increase cash flow to nities to transcend patriarchy and pater- have our own ways and our own ideas. the band councils. nalism on the home front if we hope to Lastly, the idea that we need to give The Wasáse movement concluded that effect such change on a global scale. up “militant” activism is compelling. We a single, symbolic Day of Action to gain A fundamental principle of Anarcha- need to disappear into the cracks of the more money for band councils would not Indigenism and the Wasáse movement system in order to pry them wide open. make a difference in the way our people is a commitment to creating meaningful Rather than pounding on the doors (or are affected by land-loss, racism, and change in our lives and in those around occupying the offices) of the Canadian poverty. us; to move forward in unity, strength state begging for recognition, concessions Creating a better life for our people and concerted action in the struggle and handouts, we need to seek out and requires a genuine respect for our inher- against colonialism. To do so, each one support existing ways of being that are ent rights and the return of our lands of us must move, think, and act upon our inherently anti-statist and anti-capitalist through a sustained campaign of politi- own initiative and experience. Only then in a spirit of solidarity, co-operation and cal confrontation and direct non-violent will we be strong enough to transform mutual aid. action. society and create a new reality. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 25 canada in iraq Dedication to the war of terror by Anthony Fenton

ens of thousands of members of Tthe Canadian Forces have rotated through Afghanistan, Iraq and the Per- sian Gulf in support of military occupa- tions and/or the broader “global war on terror,” since it began in 2001. Canada has exercised its much-promoted 3-D or “whole of government” foreign policy approach in three of the major post-9/11 regime changes: Afghanistan, Iraq and Haiti. There is growing (but still insufficiently organized) opposition to Canada’s role in Afghanistan, and there is a growing network of Haiti solidarity activists. But Iraqi corrections cadets march at graduation as the desert sun rises behind them. little attention is being paid to Canada’s role in Iraq. A look at the readily available Jordan International Police Training and razor wire.” facts shows that Canada is complicit in Center, while other Canadian advisors Speaking on the opening panel of the Iraq and that vocal and explicit opposi- have been embedded within the Iraq Outlook Iraq: Prospects for Stability tion to this is necessary. Minister of the Interior’s office. As of in the Post-Saddam Era conference in On July 13th of this year, the Canadian early this year, approximately 10 percent Toronto last year, Iraqi ambassador to Forces issued a press release announc- of the 37,000-plus police that Canada Canada Howar Ziad framed Canada’s ing the conclusion of Operation Iolaus, helped train have been killed in action. A engagement in Iraq in the context of the which “consisted of one CF senior offi- Canadian, Claude April, was the deputy controversial Responsibility to Protect cer” who functioned as an advisor to the director for training when the program (R2P) doctrine: “This is the same - prin head of the UN Iraqi mission, UNAMI. ended on March 20, almost four years to ciple which Canada has been applying Not a single print news outlet reported the day after the invasion. According to throughout its engagements in Afghani- on the expiration of this mission, which RCMP media relations officer Patricia stan.” Canada also applied this “principle” had begun in 2004 under the Martin Flood, the eight other Canadian police in Haiti, where they supported a coup Liberals. officers “instructed various democratic that resulted in the murder of approxi- When in December 2006 Canadian policing subjects at the police college.” mately 4,000 supporters of the deposed Forces Major General Peter Devlin took Although the police training program president. Both Haiti and Afghanistan over as Deputy Commander of the US (and thus Canada’s participation in it) have been considered test cases of the Multi National Corps in Iraq (MNC-I), ended, the $110 million US-built center R2P principle. there wasn’t even a press release, and to is now being used to train prison guards. With a nod to Canada’s niche role as date not a single Canadian newspaper A July 18 Associated Press article reports a trainer of police and military under in- has mentioned that the second in com- that Canadians are assisting in the train- tense, post-regime change circumstances, mand of the largest contingent of US ing of the prison guards, where “recruits Ambassador Ziad also boasted about soldiers on the ground “surging” in Iraq learn how to run tent cities which the US how the Canadians “have contributed to is Canadian. military is setting up around Baghdad the training of new Iraqi soldiers and this Beginning in late 2003, Canadians because regular prisons are jammed.” A assistance has been greatly appreciated. helped train Iraqi police at the US-run spokesperson said, “The recruits need to Canadian soldiers and police distinguish Anthony Fenton is an independent researcher learn how to control and secure prisoners themselves and are world renowned for and journalist in Pitt Meadows, BC. within a secure perimeter of cement walls their professionalism and effectiveness.”

26 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 Ziad was likely referring to Canada’s ready common knowledge. tive government assumed power. support for the small but politically im- A new university-level political sci- Author Colin Campbell is clear on the portant NATO contribution to the Iraq ence textbook by John Kirton, Cana- extent of Canada’s participation in the war. NATO soldiers have been training dian Foreign Policy in a Changing World, war: “From the very first days of the US- Iraq’s military, specifically the officer acknowledges Canadian complicity. In led Iraq war, Canadians have been deeply class. NATO public affairs spokesperson Iraq, “Canada decided not to participate involved: setting up crime-fighting units, MAJ Herdis Sigurgrimsdottir, confirmed militarily, but in practice did so to a very working as engineers with coalition in a June email exchange that no Ca- limited degree.” forces, serving with the UN, flying planes nadians were in Iraq at that time, how- A March 26, 2003 Ottawa Citizen fea- that help guide missile attacks, even ever, “the mission is supported by all the ture article quotes then-US ambassador fighting. There are anywhere from 100 to NATO nations.” to Canada Paul Cellucci citing Canada’s 200 working in the country. Iraq may be We learned in February that “Baghdad role in the Afghanistan occupation: “Iron- an unpopular, troubled conflict, but it is is under pressure from Britain and the ically, the Canadians indirectly provide a place everyone, from soldiers to high- US to pass an oil law which would hand more support for us in Iraq than most of ranking officials, acknowledges Canada long-term control of Iraq’s energy assets those other 45 countries in the coalition cannot, and has not, ignored.” to foreign multi-nationals.” Awaiting the of the willing.” Canada’s stepped-up role But the last word, and the impression US-backed passage of the proposed hy- in the most volatile region of Afghani- to be remembered, is that “Canada has drocarbons law, several Canadian-based stan beginning in mid-2005 is a further good reason to be involved.” Elsewhere, oil companies stand to benefit, having testament to Canada’s indirect support following a high level meeting of “in- purchased interests in the less volatile for the war in Iraq. ternational donors” to discuss Iraq’s Kurdish region. Among the “foreign The day after Cellucci’s comments reconstruction in March 2007, Canada multi-nationals” are Canadian-based were publicized, Canadian officials dis- was referred to as “one of the key pow- Western Oil Sands, Ivanhoe Energy, Ad- closed that Canadian soldiers were in ers seeking to involve as many countries dax Petroleum and Heritage Oil. Dozens, Iraq serving on exchange with British as possible in the reconstruction of the possibly hundreds, of other Canadian and US units. At the time NDP leader violence-ridden country.” companies are profiting from the war in Jack Layton called for the withdrawal of Building the case for Canada as hon- Iraq in one way or another. Canadians from Iraq and said “that Ca- est broker, CanWest reporter Steven Ed- Quiet Complicity nadians are complicit as a result, and our wards noted that “broad acceptance of government is complicit.” the accord, which Canada and the other An October 11, 1968 CBC broadcast Later in 2003, when it was announced 18 members are encouraging, would help featured an interview with the orga- that MG Devlin’s predecessor Brigadier- the Bush administration claim there is nizer of a demonstration against Pierre General Walt Natynczyk “will become widespread international support for fix- Trudeau’s Vietnam policies in Toronto. one of the most senior officers of the co- ing Iraq even though pressures within the The organizer stated: alition force fighting in Iraq,” Layton pro- United States are building for Washing- “We feel that Canada’s government is claimed, “That’s quite shocking ... When ton to disengage militarily.” very much involved in the war in Viet- it comes to having someone in charge of Edwards also described the secrecy nam, in supporting Vietnam diplomati- thousands and thousands of troops in surrounding Canadian statements made cally and through arms shipments to the a war which is illegal and should never during the conference, implying that United States. Through the International have happened ... this makes us complicit under the Conservatives, Canada has Control Commission, Canada’s represen- in the unilateral philosophy of George returned to Pearsonian quiet diplomacy. tatives have consistently supported the Bush and his administration.” The headline alone was telling in this United States in Vietnam. We feel that Normalization respect: “Canada offers help at UN Iraq to be anti-war, to be against the war in Compact talks: Encouraged by progress.” Vietnam we need to be against Trudeau Where has the outrage over Canada’s The extent of Canadian complicity and the Liberal government because role in Iraq gone? in the most horrific and brutal military they have supported the United States in The problem appears to be a normaliza- intervention in this young 21st century Vietnam.” tion of Canada’s role that finds the media is probably far greater than we realize. Few historians, even in the mainstream, parroting the Canadian government line. By acknowledging this and incorporat- dispute Canada’s complicity in the Viet- A feature article in the May 29, 2006 is- ing this understanding into a broader nam war. A similar history of Canadian sue of the hawkish Maclean’s magazine, anti-war strategy, the Canadian Left will involvement in Iraq will one day be writ- “A Dedicated Presence in Iraq,” provided take an important step forward in the ten. But one doesn’t have to wait 10 years a good summary of this acceptance only a protracted confrontation over Canada’s for the documents to reveal what is al- few months after the minority Conserva- increasingly ugly role in the world. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 27 Bantustanizing the Palestinian resistance A neo-liberal coup for a neo-liberal peace? by Kole Kilibarda In fact, Abu Mazen signed the accords on 2006, when elections for the PLC re- behalf of the Palestine Liberation Orga- sulted in a resounding Hamas sweep. ince Hamas’ January 2006 election nization (PLO), thereby paving the way This popular mandate for continued Svictory in the Palestinian Legislative for intensified Israeli settlement of - Pal resistance and internal change came in Council (PLC) elections, Palestinians estinian lands while subcontracting the spite of the brutal toll exacted by Israeli have been subjected to a vindictive US “dirty work” of occupation to the newly military repression: 4,200 Palestinians and Israeli policy of starvation, siege, created PA. killed (including 800 children), 12,000 military assault, deepening apartheid and To this end, the PA’s new security forces political prisoners, 100,000 injured and proxy-war. were armed and trained by the CIA with nearly 4.5 million people confined to The assault on even this limited form of the approval of Israel’s Mossad intel- ghettoes or open-air prisons. Palestinian “self-rule” culminated in the ligence agency. Their principle function Internally, the intifada has translated December 2006 to June 2007 “factional” was to dismantle Palestinian resistance into a clash between two trends: a mi- fighting instigated by imperialism’s proxy organizations. It was in this context that nority bourgeois tendency seeking full forces in the Gaza Strip. The ultimate Dahlan quickly gained a reputation for incorporation into regional neoliberal aim of this strategy is the geographic and enthusiastically policing the newly-cre- networks as its reward for suppressing political bantustanization of the Palestin- ated bantustans (constituting less than the national liberation struggle; and a ian people. ten percent of historic Palestine). second, popular and mass-based trend The fighting pitted Hamas’ Executive The ensuing repression led to a series that continues to back the struggle to Force against the US- and Israeli-backed of PA raids in 1995 and 1996 targeting liberate Palestine, resist Israeli apartheid Preventive Security Service (PSS) led by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Popular Front and transform Palestinian institutions to Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan. The for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) reflect the will of all Palestinians. activists for arrest and torture, including end result was a decisive rout of the PSS Suppressing Palestine and the exile of military commanders as- the massacre of 13 Hamas supporters sociated with this coup-trend. near the Palestine Mosque in Gaza City The reaction of international govern- The outcome has left most Palestinians on November 19, 1995. ments to the January 2006 election deeply unsatisfied with the political par- Despite these provocations, Hamas results was swift. As soon as Hamas as- tition of the Palestinian Authority (PA)- leaders insisted that their activists avenge sumed its responsibilities, funding was controlled bantustans into: a Gaza Strip the repression by stepping up attacks on cut to PA structures, with the Canadian controlled by the elected parliamentary the Israeli military, which the movement government taking a lead role. The result majority of Hamas through its Executive correctly claimed bore primary respon- has been an ever-worsening humanitari- Force; and an internally-divided West sibility for this situation. This was in an catastrophe in the occupied territories, Bank controlled by Israeli military forces deference to the will of the majority of particularly in Gaza. and an illegally constituted and unpopu- Palestinians who wished to avoid internal Furthermore, a program of direct lar military junta headed by PA President conflicts that would divert energies from military assistance to notoriously-corrupt Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and il- the primary struggle against the Israeli Fatah officials, most notably Dahlan, was legally-appointed Prime Minister Salam colonizer. spearheaded by neo-conservatives in the Fayyad. The Al-Aqsa Intifada US administration. In fact “security reform” programs directed at PA structures Oslo: Entrapping the National Liberation Struggle The Al-Aqsa Intifada, launched in had been envisioned within the param- September 2000, was a mass-based eters of the 2003 Road Map designed by The foundations of this partition can popular response to the apartheid the Middle East Quartet (US, European be traced to the emergence of a Palestin- logic of Oslo, including everything from Union, Russia, United Nations). ian leadership willing to sign onto the mass-based community mobilizations to However, popular opposition to such Oslo Accords in 1993 and thereby to armed actions against the colonizer. In measures came from all quarters, includ- accommodate the racist aims of Zionism. its early phases, joint activities were even ing within the ranks of the Al-Aqsa coordinated by a “Union of National and Martyrs Brigades and among Fatah Kole Kilibarda is an organizer with the Islamic Forces”. The on-going popularity grassroots activists who openly revolted Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA). of the intifada was reaffirmed in January in 2004. In fact, it was the growing

28 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 perception that Arafat was stalling such “reforms” that led to his increasing marginalization by the Quartet. In a recently declassified letter penned Abu Mazen (left) with in July 2003, Dahlan allegedly reassures US Secretary Israeli defense minister Shaul Mofaz of State that: “Yasser Arafat’s final days are num- Condoleezza bered, but allow us to finish him off our Rice and way, not yours. And be sure as well that ... Israeli Prime the promises I made in front of President Minister allison k s Bush, I will give my life to keep.” Ehud Olmert, February Post-Coup Realities 2007

The anti-popular nature of Fayyad’s recently-installed provisional government detainees are being held by the PA in ing further apartheid on the peoples of is illustrative of the neoliberal vision deplorable conditions. this geopolitically crucial region. In this context it is unclear whether being pursued by the US administration. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Even though his Third Way party only Fayyad’s regime will last long enough to secured 2.41 percent of the popular vote, see the convening of the Bush adminis- This racism needs to be challenged the Quartet has enthusiastically rushed tration’s much-heralded “international internationally through a boycott, divest- to recognize Fayyad’s government. peace conference.” Some in the Fatah ment and sanctions (BDS) campaign Fayyad is a US-educated former linked Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have aimed at isolating apartheid Israel. Just World Bank employee described in a gone so far as to proclaim that they will as Palestinian students, workers and oth- recent Israeli newspaper Haaretz article not tolerate a “Karzai in Palestine.” ers continue to agitate for change under as a “practical businessman” who has just Grim Vision of Neoliberal Peace apartheid conditions, so must campuses taken “into his hands a plant [the PA] and workplaces in the Canadian state with a failed management and hostile In response to this legitimacy crisis, become sites of active support for in- competitors [Hamas] and has decided to US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice digenous self-determination struggles at make a success story of it.” True to form, announced an $80-million Framework home and abroad. Fayyad has vowed to disarm the Palestin- Agreement on Security Assistance to In the Palestinian context, this means ian resistance and facilitate an accommo- the Ramallah junta – part of a broader active support for the call made by over dation with Israeli apartheid. strategy aimed at weakening resistance 170 Palestinian grassroots organizations A wave of repression has been un- forces throughout the region and shoring to implement BDS campaigns globally. leashed in the West Bank to contain up unpopular regimes. An Israeli-Pales- The fact that the Ramallah junta is again opposition to the Ramallah junta. More tinian “peace” under neoliberal capitalist seeking to accommodate Israeli apart- than 400 Hamas activists have been ar- hegemony can only lead to the further heid at precisely the time when Zionist rested, Hamas-linked NGOs have been entrenchment of Israeli apartheid and racism is becoming isolated by a global targeted for looting, military tribunals local reaction. BDS movement underscores the discon- have been revived, activists killed and Tony Blair, the Middle East Quartet’s nect between elite negotiations and mass media operations tied to Hamas brutally new special envoy, is already implicated movements. Only time will tell if the attacked. Similar repression has occurred in local gas deals worth $4-billion dol- 1979 observation of an organizer from in Gaza, though on a much smaller scale. lars for the exploitation of a gas-field a Palestinian refugee camp working in In spite of this, resistance continues off Gaza’s coast. In 2005, Blair brokered Lebanon will bear fruit: to mount. Posters comparing the Ab- an agreement between British Gas and “There is not one of our people who bas-Fayyad clique to Pinochet have been the Palestinian Investment Fund (PIF), has not sacrificed, and is not willing to springing up throughout the West Bank. closely linked to Mahmoud Abbas. sacrifice. But we must see our leadership Palestinian campuses have been rife with Furthermore, the US announcement announcing revolutionary programs in- dissent, with PFLP and Hamas student of $20-billion in arms sales to Gulf re- stead of flying to meet this king and that organizers staging demonstrations at gimes, counterbalanced by $30-billion in president, and working towards conces- Birzeit University and Hamas students military aid to Israel and $13-billion for sions that will humiliate our people. We organizing a sit-in at An-Najah National Egypt over the next 10 years portends have a Revolution and the Arab states are University. A hunger-strike campaign further bloodshed. The projected “peace” offering us a state. A people's war doesn't has been launched at the Juneid prison agreement is clearly one that will seek to last ten years only, it goes on until it near Nablus, where over 100 Hamas secure the rights of capital, while impos- achieves something.” 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 29 book review A condemnation of Zionism

Overcoming Zionism: century, Zionism was a marginal move- Creating a Single Democratic ment. Jews responded to European anti- State in Israel/Palestine Semitism by emigrating, by assimilating, by Joel Kovel or by joining socialist movements dedi- Toronto: Between the Lines, 2007 cated to eradicating the conditions that breed racism and oppression. Reviewed by Sandra Sarner The Zionist right to build a state in Palestine, based as it was on a 2,000-year- Joel Kovel’s excellent book, Overcom- old, mythic claim to an already-inhabited ing Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic land, could well be called an artificial na- State in Israel/Palestine, is first and fore- tionalism. Jews in the 19th century were most a ringing condemnation of Zionism, not a nation but a “collection of peoples the ideology that holds that there should united by a set of writings as interpreted be a Jewish state in Palestine. Kovel traces by a Rabbinate.” The Zionist movement the historical development of the Zionist was strengthened after the early part of movement and illustrates how the logic the 20th century by the decline of social- of Zionism dictates a racist, aggressive ist movements, the horror of the Holo- and militaristic Israeli state, bent on caust and, above all, by signing on with destroying any hope of sharing historic Western imperialism. Palestine with the indigenous Palestinian With the backing of the West, prin- population who continue to be ethnically cipally Britain and the US, Jews who cleansed from their homeland. had suffered persecution as a result of Kovel also illustrates how Zionism has It means opening up to the prospect of the policies and practices of European been bad for Jews. Originally a culture creating a secular, democratic bi-national capitalism, partnered up with their one- with universalistic and progressive ele- Israeli-Palestinian state in historic Pal- time enemies to establish the Zionist ments, Zionism has herded all ways of estine, including the right of return for homeland in Israel. A big part of the being Jewish into support for the state of Palestinian refugees. justification for this was the horrors of Israel and, by extension, its expansionist To some extent, Kovel’s arguments are the Holocaust which caused many Jews aims. aimed at the largely-Zionist-supporting to buy into the argument that the only US Jewish community that is his heritage. solution to anti-Semitism was for Jews to Single State Solution But he also makes it clear that it will take have their own nation state. It also lent credence to support for Israel by British It follows that the two-state solution to more than the recognition that Zionism and US imperialist interests and helped the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is impos- is a bad idea to effect change in the region ease the consciences of Western leaders sible in the current conditions. It is mere and argues for an international campaign who had closed their doors to Jewish rhetoric and political posturing by Israel of boycott, divestment and sanctions pat- immigration during the rise of the Nazis as it buys time to continue its policy of terned after the anti-apartheid movement in Germany in the years leading up to making life untenable for Palestinians that was instrumental in ending state- World War 2. in the occupied territories and inside sanctioned racism in South Africa. Israel. The only realistic solution is the Enhanced with philosophical and Zionism, Anti-Semitism, Racism overcoming of Zionism altogether. This psychological insights, the analysis in means abandoning the contradictory no- Overcoming Zionism is essentially his- Palestinian Arabs, who had inhabited tion that Israel can be an exclusive Jewish torical and anti-imperialist. Kovel writes Palestine for generations and lived peace- state and also be democratic and peaceful. throughout with a clear perspective on fully alongside their Jewish neighbours, how the dynamics of capitalism and had played no part in the European Sandra Sarner is a member of the Coalition class society have shaped the events he anti-Semitism that lead ultimately to the Against Israeli Apartheid and an editor of chronicles. Holocaust. But they were the ones who New Socialist. In its early days, at the end of the 19th were made to pay the price. “There is sub-

30 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 stantial evidence that at least a significant of a vast, predominantly Arab region. and the Middle East are the overwhelm- fraction of the actual people who made This logic has led to a litany of- atroci ing majority of the country’s poorest Zionism happen knew quite well that ties against Palestinians. It is instructive citizens. they were engaged in a fight, the goal of that no fewer than three of Israel’s prime Myth of the Desert in Bloom which was the annihilation of the indig- ministers have been “world-class terror- enous people as a national entity.” ists” – Menachem Begin (1977-1983), Kovel also takes on the myths of the And ironically, in order to sustain sup- Yitzhak Shamir (1983-1984, 1986-1992) success of the Israeli economy and the port for an inherently racist project, a and Ariel Sharon (2001-2006). phenomenon of “making the desert Jewish-only state with unequal citizen- Ironically, Zionist atrocities extend bloom.” Despite great infusions of funds, ship rights based on ethnicity, Zionism even to Jews. In the period immediately primarily from the US government and needs anti-Semitism. “The burden of after World War 2, Haganah (Israeli American Zionists, “Israel remains a so- anti-Semitism, which was the perceived military) operatives launched a strenu- ciety in grave social and economic crisis, stimulus to Zionism, became integrated ous effort within the European Jewish with rampant unemployment, pockets of into Zionism as an essential condition for refugee camps to recruit Jews to join its outright hunger and many signs of social it … it became a useful, and even neces- ranks. This “was chiefly exerted through disintegration … it now has the greatest sary, wheel in the machinery of Zionism.” the administrative control Zionists had gap between rich and poor in the whole Even the Holocaust “became a necessity gained over the camps … Summary loss industrialized world.” for Zionism, which has processed it right of employment for recalcitrants, followed Furthermore, Zionist policy has cre- through the present day as a kind of ur- ated an ecological disaster in the country. event to certify its inner absolutism.” Israel is the only “democratic” Israel’s rivers are seriously polluted, the One of the greatest myths about Israel Lower Jordan “little more than a drain- is that it is the only democracy in the state that does not have a age ditch for polluted runoff.” Asthma Middle East. But if, by democracy, we constitution, since a constitution rates among children have more than mean a society based on constitutional tripled since 1980 and breast cancer rates rights for all citizens, equality and justice, would have to contain an increased 32 percent in the 1990s. then Israel falls far short. In the occupied territories, the land- Israel is the only “democratic” state assurance of universal human scape is blighted by the presence of the that does not have a constitution, since rights. This would undercut the Wall which “divides up the Palestinian a constitution would have to contain polity in innumerable ways, making trav- an assurance of universal human rights. Zionist need to maintain el even over short distances unbearable, This would undercut the Zionist need to its Arab population as while adding more territory to Zion.” maintain its Arab population as second- Some of the settlers regularly destroy class citizens. Palestinians inside Israel second-class citizens. Palestinian lands, “tearing up olive groves were governed by the military until 1966. and spreading poison pellets that kill To this day, Arab nationalist political by summary denial of food rations, usu- indigenous wildlife as well as goats and parties are banned. Arab Israelis are not ally did the trick, though quite often sheep.” With the lack of environmental permitted to purchase land. Arab villages beatings and other forms of violence had regulations in the area, “a rat’s nest of Is- receive a small fraction of the funds for to be used.” raeli manufacturing firms” have been set education and infrastructure given to In another example, in 1950-51, a se- up; “Usually situated on hilltops, their ef- Israeli settlements. Palestinians refugees, ries of bomb blasts against Jewish targets fluents drain down on Palestinian towns even those who hold property deeds, are in Iraq led to the emigration of 120,000 and have blighted them.” not permitted to return to their lands and Jews to Israel. Although it is not certain In these and many other ways too homes. Yet, any Jew from anywhere in who set off the bombs, “there is a well- numerous to outline here, Kovel argues the world can automatically become an documented suspicion that they were that the Zionist state of Israel has led Israeli citizen. planted by Israeli agents to foment fears to bad consequences for both Palestin- ians and Jews. He concludes the book The Record of State Violence of a pogrom.” This is a distinct possibility given the “robust Israeli tradition of co- with a preliminary attempt to imagine From its inception, the Israeli state has vert operations and its perennial interest “Palestreal,” a secular, universal democ- been ruthless in pursuing the goal of in- in addressing the demographic problem racy. In his vision, he tries to deal with ducing – and at times forcing – as many by manipulating fears of anti-Semitism.” the practical realities that will emerge Jews as possible to immigrate. As Kovel Today, Israel is a racist society in which for this new nation in a way that is not shows time and again, this is the logic white Ashkenazi Jews of European ori- utopian, recognizing as well the struggles of trying to create an artificially-cre- gin form the bulk of the ruling class and ahead that will be necessary to realize this ated, exclusively Jewish state in the midst Sephardic Arab Jews from North Africa hoped-for goal. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 31 Venezuela The Bolivarian Revolution and Chávez’s new party by Virginia de la Siega

he Bolivarian Revolution is now in The Bolivarian Revolution the middle of a complex, contradic- toryT situation. is still in debt to those An analysis of the present state of affairs shows that the poorer sectors of the who have defended it population can truthfully say that their in the streets standard of living has improved. This is due to the fact that the government and at the ballot-box. invests the profits obtained by high oil prices in programs to meet the social seen in its attitude towards the process needs of the population. of self-organization of the masses, one of However, a closer look shows that the the pillars of the Bolivarian Revolution. Bolivarian Revolution is still in debt to On the one hand, the independent those who have defended it in the streets social grass-roots organizations like the and at the ballot-box: the minimum community councils, the independent wage does not cover the needs of a family, trade unions gathered in the National unemployment and underemployment Union of Workers (UNT), the trade are still rife, and for the last few months Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez union tendencies such as the United Au- workers have been unsuccessfully de- tonomous Revolutionary Class Current manding the passage of a new law that (CCURA) in the UNT, and the radical guarantees new social rights such as bet- multinationals that exploited Mexico’s political organizations and leaders who ter working conditions, full social securi- oilfields and put their production- un do not take part in the government’s Bloc ty and job security. Moreover, there is no der the control of the oil workers’ union. for Change want to deepen the process guarantee that the progressive measures Now, at the beginning of the 21st cen- of autonomous self-organization of the taken by Hugo Chávez’s government will tury, Chávez sets up joint ventures with masses and the revolution. not be reversed if the price of oil falls. the oil multinationals in which the state On the other, the representatives of the oil company, PDVASA, will own the ma- national and international capitalist class Words and Deeds jority of the shares… and calls that na- and the trade union bureaucrats who are Neither is Chávez’s policy of national- tionalization. deeply embedded in the government and ization and state control of strategic sec- This not only means that the oil multi- profit from the general confusion and tors of the economy quite in agreement nationals will continue to exploit the oil- corruption are not interested in the con- with his statements in favour of social- fields, but that they will carry on making tinuity of this process and try to control ism. To take but one example: the “na- profits from refining and derivatives. This and reverse it. tionalization” of the rich oilfields of Faja situation is repeated in other sectors of Right now, for example, there are com- del Orinoco. At the end of the 1930s, the economy, like the auto industry, complaints that such forces are putting in the Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas munications, finance and the national place a plan with the purpose of launch- – who never claimed to be a socialist, banks, which are making enormous prof- ing an attack against the social and trade but nonetheless carried out a nationalist, its. What is worse, there are no signs that union organizations that criticize the anti-imperialist policy – expropriated the the government is planning to change government. The Ministry of People’s this situation. Power for Work and Social Security Virginia de la Siega is a member of the These contradictions between the gov- (MPPTSS) is accused of having made an Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) in ernment’s policy and its stated objective agreement with the sectors of the trade France. of “21st century socialism” can also be union bureaucracy that took part in the

32 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 2002 coup against Chávez, to attack the this experience of building a new party independent currents in the UNT and will say what we will do afterwards.” bring to an end the activities of those This political battle is going to be very who are for a free and autonomous trade hard, and it has already begun with the union movement. struggle to determine who has the right Hugo Chavez to be part of the PSUV. The reformist, pro-capitalist sectors of the government Chávez sits astride these two sectors. want to transform it into a multi-class He wants to carry forward a national- movement, allowing “socialist” entrepre- ist policy and centralize in the hands of neurs and all kinds of representatives of the state the mechanisms that control the capitalist class to become members, the strategic areas of the economy, but at the same time that the MPPTSS is he does not want to break away from the taking steps to leave out of the PSUV framework of the capitalist system. He whole sectors of the working class and knows that his policy inexorably leads of the independent trade unions, with him to a confrontation with the Venezu- the excuse that they criticize the govern- elan capitalist class and Yankee imperial- ment. If they succeed, it would be a re- ism, and that to stay in power he needs enactment of the experience which trans- the support of the mobilized masses. And formed the Bolivarian Circles into empty he sincerely seeks that support through carcasses. Allowing the entrance of the initiatives like the nationalizations, edu- Congress of the UNT union federation. enemies of the revolution into the PSUV cation and health care projects in poor and jeopardizing the participation of the neighbourhoods, food subsidies, loans to workers in its construction can only lead small enterprises, etc. PSUV: The New Party to disaster. But he is not a revolutionary socialist, It was doubts as to the viability and the so he fears the masses and tries to control Leaving aside Chávez’s intentions, the future of the PSUV based on these facts them by co-opting their organizations launching of the PSUV and the success that led to the division of the PRS and into the structures of his government. of his call – more than five and a half mil- the CCURA into two sectors: a majority He has already tried this policy with the lion applications to join the party – have one which asked to be accepted into the Bolivarian Circles and the community shaken the world’s Left. The arguments PSUV, and another which decided not to councils. The fact that the Venezuelan as to whether revolutionaries and their enter, but which is discussing what to do, masses could see through his manoeu- organizations should join the PSUV run knowing that the experience of the PRS vres, emptying these organizations and through and divide political organisations as the embryo of a new party is over. It is creating new ones every time he tried to inside and outside Venezuela. proof of the political maturity of the two apply this policy, speaks volumes about Sergio García, a leader of the CCURA groups that they can still discuss and work their political maturity. and member of the Party of Revolution together in the UNT and CCURA. Nor have Chávez’s repeated attempts and Socialism (PRS), decided to join Regardless of the reasons why Chávez to build solid political structures to draw the PSUV: “The PSUV is in the process called for the foundation of the PSUV, the masses around his political project of being built. There are fights, political two key facts are clear. More than five proved successful. The bureaucratic struggles, debates, attempts to exclude million workers, students, men and structures and the corrupt officials of people and, above all, the great expecta- women want to take part in this politi- his own party, the Fifth Republic Move- tions and the will of large sectors of the cal struggle and be part of a revolution- ment (MVR), and the other parties that masses to build it. In the PSUV there are ary political project. And there are form the Bloc for Change have become millions of people who want to partici- revolutionary Marxists who are willing the dealers of the government’s “hand- pate in the political life of the country, to to fight against the manoeuvres of the outs,” promoting political clientelism and become subjects in this political struggle government and the bureaucratic, pro- becoming the centre of the masses’ mis- and to defeat the bureaucrats who want capitalist sectors, to build a current that trust and rejection. This is the framework to control them. This battle may be won unites those who are for the independent for Chávez’s proposal to launch a new or lost, but we want to wage it side by side self-organisation of the masses and the party that will bring together those who with this large section of the revolutionary taking of power by the workers – the only are in favour of “Socialism of the 21st avant garde, in order to defend the revo- guarantee that the process of the Bolivar- Century”: the United Socialist Party of lutionary project inside the PSUV. Time, ian Revolution will move forward to the Venezuela (PSUV). the class struggle and the final result of socialist revolution. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 33 The looting of Africa by Patrick Bond

ll evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, the likes of Bono, Bob Geldof, Jeffrey Sachs and others still argue forcefully for more capitalist penetrationA of Africa as the solution to the continent’s poverty.

But the balance of the evidence does In 1980, with inflow comfortably indeed point to the contrary. Wealth higher than the debt repayment outflow, flows out of sub-Saharan Africa to the Africa continued to pay abnormally high North occur primarily through exploit- interest to service loans, and did so with ative debt and finance, phantom aid, new loans. By 2000, however, the net capital flight, unfair trade, and distorted flow deficit was $6.2 billion, so new loans investment. The resource drain from Af- no longer paid the interest on old loans rica dates back many centuries, beginning – those resources were squeezed from The African Social Forum, 2007. with unfair terms of trade, and then be- already impoverished economies. For ing amplified through slavery, colonial- 21 African countries, the debt reached ism and neo-colonialism. Today, neolib- at least 300 percent of exports by 2002, the past two decades, the two leading eral policies are the most direct causes and for countries such as Sudan, Burundi, scholars of capital flight, James Boyce and of inequality and poverty. They tend to Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, it was Léonce Ndikumana, conclude that “sub- amplify uneven and combined develop- 15 times greater than annual export earn- Saharan Africa thus appears to be a net ment, especially pre-existing gender, race ings. creditor vis-à-vis the rest of the world.” and regional disparities. In at least 16 countries, according Trade liberalization has exacted a heavy Poverty across Africa worsened in to Eric Toussaint, debt inherited from toll on sub-Saharan Africa – $272 bil- 1990–2001, with 77 percent of the citi- dictators could be defined as legally lion over the past 20 years, according to zenry surviving on less than $2.15/day. “Odious” and therefore eligible for can- Christian Aid. Dependence on primary Finance, trade, and foreign direct cellation since citizens were victimised commodities, worsening terms of trade, investment remain central to the conti- both in the debt’s original accumulation northern subsidies and long-term fall- nent’s ongoing underdevelopment. (and use of monies against the society) ing prices for most exports together grip Africa’s debt crisis worsened during the and in subsequent demands that it be African producers in a price trap, as they era of globalization. The continent now repaid. These amounts easily exceed 50% increase production levels but generate repays more than it ever received, accord- of Africa’s outstanding debt. decreasing revenues. ing to the World Bank, with outflow in of Aid to Africa dropped 40 percent dur- Agricultural subsidies to Northern debt repayments equivalent to three times ing the 1990s. Contributions from almost farmers (mainly corporate producers) have the inflow in loans and, in most African all developed countries fall well below the risen steeply, which has greatly intensified countries, far exceeding export earnings. UN-agreed target of 0.7 percent of GDP, North-South trade inequalities. Develop- The debt-relief measures announced in with 0.12 percent of US GDP and 0.23 ing countries lose $35 billion annually as 2005 by G8 finance ministers do not dis- percent of Japanese GDP as extreme ex- a result of industrialized countries’ protec- turb either the process of draining Afri- amples. In a 2005 study by ActionAid, tionist tariffs, $24 billion of this as a result ca’s financial accounts or the maintenance the NGO estimates that the 2003 total of the Multifibre Agreement. of debt-associated control functions. official aid of $69 billion is reduced to Non-financial investment flows are Underlying the G8’s 2005 Gleneagles just $27 billion in real aid to poor peo- driven less by policy – although liber- proposals is the notion of sustainable ple because of a variety of phantom aid alization has also been important – and service repayments, but Africa has actu- mechanisms. Untied aid rose from $2.3 more by accumulation opportunities. ally repaid more than it received since the billion in 1999 to $4.3 billion in 2003, During the 1970s, according to the Com- 1990s. Overall, during the 1980s and 90s, but declined as a proportion of total aid. mission on Africa, roughly one third of Africa repaid $255 billion, or 4.2 times Considering the vast sums – in excess Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the the original 1980 debt. of $4 billion – removed from Africa over “Third World” went to Africa; by the Patrick Bond is professor of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His most 1990s, this had declined to five percent. recent book is Looting Africa: The Economics of Exploitation (Zed Books). Thereafter, what seems like significantly

34 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 rising FDI in the late 1990s and 2001 not reverse the outflow of African wealth. vitalised labour movements in countries can be accounted for by the relocation of Instead, campaigns to reverse resource ranging from Swaziland ( July) to South South African companies’ financial head- flows and challenge perverse subsidies Africa ( June-July) and Nigeria ( June); quarters to London, and by resurgent oil are emerging from grassroots struggles campaigning for reparations and the clo- investments in Angola and military-ruled and progressive social movements, such sure of the World Bank and IMF by Ju- Nigeria. Tax fraud, transfer pricing and as: decommodification movements to bilee Africa; AIDS treatment advocates other multinational corporate techniques establish basic needs as human rights, breaking the hold of pharmaceutical also reduce Africa’s income. In 1994, for rather than as privatized commodities corporations on monopoly antiretrovi- example, an estimated 14 percent of the that must be paid for; campaigns to de- ral patents; activists fighting Monsanto’s total value of exported oil went unac- globalize capital, such as defunding the GM drive from the US to South Africa counted for. World Bank and securing the right to to several African countries; blood-dia- It is increasingly clear that the deple- produce generic (not patented) anti- monds victims from Sierra Leone and tion of natural resources must be factored etroviral medicines; demands for civil Angola generating a partially-success- into any calculation of national wealth. society oversight of national budgets; ful global deal at Kimberley; Kalahari For example, according to the UNDP, and activism to ensure equitable redistri- Basarwa-San Bushmen raising publicity the estimated value of minerals in South bution of resources in ways that benefit against forced removals, as the Botswana Africa’s soil fell from US$112 billion low-income households, grassroots com- government clears the way for DeBeers in 1960 to US$55 billion in 2000. The munities and shop-floor workers. and World Bank investments; Leso- World Bank has proposed a corrective Were there even a single genuinely left tho peasants objecting to displacement method that, despite under-estimations, government in Africa, a variety of nation- during construction of the continent’s reveals stagnant and net negative genuine largest dam system (solely to quench savings in countries characterized by high Johannesburg’s irrational and hedonistic resource dependence, extractive FDI and Recent global reform thirst), along with Ugandans similarly low capital accumulation. threatened at the overly expensive, cor- According to this method, a country’s proposals will not ruption-ridden Bujagali Dam; a grow- potential GDP falls by nine percent for ing network questioning Liberia’s long every percentage point increase in a coun- reverse the outflow of exploitation by Firestone Rubber; Chad- try’s extractive-resource dependency, with African wealth. ian and Cameroonian activists pressuring Gabon’s people losing a net $2,241 each in the World Bank not to continue funding 2000, as oil companies depleted the coun- their repression and environmental deg- try’s tangible wealth, investing very little radation; Oil Watch linkages of Nigerian in return and providing few royalties. al policies could be applied to reverse so- Delta and many other Gulf of Guinea In a related category, the North owes cio-economic collapse: systematic default communities; and Ghanaian, South Af- the South, especially Africa, a vast on foreign debt repayments; strategies to rican and Dutch activists opposing water amount in ecological debt, because de- enforce domestic reinvestment of pen- privatization. veloped countries use or destroy a hugely sions and other funds; reintroduction of How far they go in part depends upon disproportionate measure of the global currency exchange controls and prohibi- how far valued allies in the advanced cap- commons. A member of the UN Inter- tion of tax-haven transfers; refusal of tied italist financial and corporate centres rec- national Panel on Climate Change cal- and phantom aid, along with naming and ognize the merits of their analysis, strat- culates that forests in the South absorb- shaming fraudulent aid; inward-oriented egy and tactics – and offer the solidarity ing carbon from the atmosphere in effect import-substitution development strate- that African and other Third World ac- provide Northern polluters an annual gies; refusal of foreign investments that tivists can repay many times over, once subsidy of $75 billion. prove unfavourable when projections fac- the Northern boot is lifted from their Whether in sweatshop-based produc- tor in costs such as natural resource deple- countries’ necks and they gain the space tion systems in several African countries tion, transfer pricing and profit/dividend to win lasting, emancipatory objectives. or in the sphere of household and com- outflows; and reversal of macroeconomic But setting out campaigns for reparations, munity reproduction, women – already policies that increase inequality. closure of International Financial Institu- suffering intense patriarchal oppression But since any moves in this direction tions, corporate malfeasance and an end – are the main victims of neoliberalism. require bottom-up social movements to to many specific other forms of looting is Because they rear children and provide intensify their work, it is most crucial in only part of an even bigger challenge for eldercare and healthcare, rural women the short run to recognise anti-capitalist bottom-up construction: establishing a ensure an artificially inexpensive supply efforts to bridge global-local and North- durable programmatic approach that the of migrant labour. ern-African divides. They include (but world’s progressive movements can unite The recent global reform proposals will are not limited to) general strikes by re- behind. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 35 worth checking out Freedom Music Mini-reviews: on this page, you will find suggestions for good reading, listening and watching. This time, we present recommendations for a movie and a music CD. We’ll Never Turn Back By Mavis Staples Healthcare in America Music CD: Anti, 2007 Genuine freedom music moves both body SiCKO and mind. It angers and elates. It energizes A Film by Michael Moore and educates. All of this is true of the powerful, uplifting songs from the civil Poor Michael Moore. The bumbling rights movement that Mavis Staples delivers American abroad stares curiously at a on We’ll Never Turn Back, produced by statue of Marx and questions his country’s musician, and radical, Ry Cooder. commodification of health, the socialist evils of universal healthcare and why his country The tunes on this CD are protest music doesn’t seem to care about the sick and pure and simple. Mavis Staples sang them at injured. marches and rallies 40 years ago and more, Moore’s latest film is a step away from the as a young member of the Staple Singers, fiery destruction, oil and narrative of his led by her late father. With Cooder’s previous film and a closer exploration of direction and guitar work, many of these the subtleties and comparative disasters songs have been rendered more funky and of life for his good old working-class bluesy than ever. Check out the rocking Americans. Moore traces the history of version of “Eyes on the Prize,” for instance, healthcare under Nixon and the rise of workers of 9/11, Moore’s childlike or the pure-roots version of “Down in profit driven health insurance within the benevolence is exposed. Couched in Mississippi.” What’s more, Mavis Staples’ US, while contrasting it to the seemingly nationalism, he brazenly questions why voice has lost none of its soulful urgency, utopian healthcare in other countries “terrorists” should receive free healthcare, as she demonstrates in rousing renditions – where people don’t have to choose which while the American public is robbed by of “On My Way (To Freedom Land)” or finger they can afford to lose. health insurers. Fundamentally, human life is “I’ll Be Rested.” Clearly, Staples feels that an expendable commodity under capitalism none of the tunes on this CD have lost France, Britain, Canada, and – most notably unless it leads to the creation of further their relevance in our age of globalizing – Cuba are presented as flawless examples profits. Moore doesn’t dig deep enough in poverty and oppression. And she has done of universal healthcare and, surely, attractive attacking the giants of private health care; a real service in making these musical alternatives, but his examination fails to he doesn’t realize that the sick and injured provide any structural analysis for the messages available to both veterans of are rendered useless by capitalism when earlier struggles and young radicals who privatization of healthcare and the market it their labour can no longer be bought and presents for capitalist interests. may discover these freedom songs for the sold. first time. As Moore tags along with Tory-voting Moore, of course, knows how to construct Some listeners will have their quibbles. Canadians, mobile French doctors and an empathetic film, find “worthy” victims The Christian inspiration of the African- those “real American heroes,” the rescue and illicit outrage from viewers. His foray American civil rights movement (which into socialized healthcare should be an runs through the lyrics of two tunes) won’t instructive and eye-opening experience for resonate with everyone. But this too is part his US audience, while it merely leaves us of the historical record and needs to be warm and content in our “free” wards and appreciated as such. It’s also terrific to see ideas for radical change operating rooms. figures from the Black Power movement get Subscribe today This is Moore’s best work to date. Poignant, Canada US some recognition. For me, the celebration 1 year $20 $25 political, bewildering and even funny, his of Malcolm X and Fred Hampton of the 2 years $35 (save $5) $45 (save $5) films provide valuable insight into areas 3 years $50 (save $10) $65 (save $10) Black Panther Party on “I’ll Be Rested” is Supporting Add $20 which mainstream cinema fears to tread. noteworthy, as is the embrace of union However, his continued assault on the struggles on “We Shall Not Be Moved.” Institutional & overseas international $50/year US government, big business and the war ALL PRICES IN CANADIAN DOLLARS in Iraq has still failed to produce a solid So, if you want to move to some soulful SEND CHEQUES TO: New socialist Box 167, 253 College Street criticism of the system itself. freedom music, check out this CD. Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R5 www.newsocialist.org Reviewed by Christopher Webb Reviewed by David McNally

36 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 In Memory of Dave Brophy use the book as an occasion to carve out a space for discussion and debate about strategies for building solidarity – so he single-handedly raised funds to bring Farewell to a comrade Wilmot to Winnipeg, and postered the By Deborah Simmons city to promote the event. His hard work paid off; more than fifty people packed the room, and there was Dave Brophy, member of the a lively discussion that built new bonds Winnipeg Indigenous Peoples Solidarity of trust and solidarity among a unique Movement and member of the Winnipeg mix of anti-racists. This was a critical New Socialist Group took his life in July counterpoint to the increasing racism after a long battle with depression. being stirred up by the media and police I first met Dave at a political study under cover of an anti-crime campaign in group in Winnipeg in the summer of the city. 2004. He had been a supporter of the The emergence of the Wasáse move- blockade against clearcutting in Grassy ment was a dream come true for Dave, Narrows territory since its inception in who recognized that true solidarity in the December 2002. He was clearly outraged . firstperspective ca ), battle for indigenous self-determination by injustices that he had witnessed in is only possible under the leadership of ( www building solidarity with the Anishinaabe a radical indigenous movement. Dave people of Grassy Narrows, and was strug- would have been a strong champion of gling to come to grips with strategies for T h e D ru m the discussions now taking place among social change that could address oppres- Dave Brophy prepares signs for Caledonia Wasáse members and supporters about sion and environmental destruction. protest, Winnipeg, April 2006. strategies for addressing oppression, since Dave came to the conclusion that the such discussions would shed light on his system of profit and competition that is own political experiments. capitalism is the root of these destruc- “He showed me that people actually Dave was wrestling with dark demons tive forms. His knowledge of indigenous do care about First Nations in the months before his death. The lone- communal traditions inspired him to ly burden of building radical movements fight for an alternative society. His dedi- struggles … We need more Daves, during this period of apathy, quiescence cation to both activist movement build- not less!” and despair was often too much to bear. ing and the battle of ideas was remark- Ryan Bruyere He was one of those countless people in able in a milieu where it has been the Sagkeeng Anishinaabe Nation Manitoba – and in Canada – who fell fashion to adopt radicalism as individual Wasase Movement-Manitou Ahbin through the cracks of the underfunded lifestyle choice rather than a collective (Creator Sits) social welfare system. way of making history. This is a time for mourning the loss of University of Winnipeg Dave was an outstanding and passion- a great comrade whose candle burned too ate organizer, always willing take on the Aboriginal Student Centre bright and too brief. But it is also a time thankless behind-the-scenes tasks. For for those of us who share his politics to this he was much appreciated by his renew our commitment to building the women comrades. If he believed in a po- kind of radical resistance and solidarity litical event, he would work tirelessly to “He introduced me to plenty of people in Winnipeg that undoubtedly will come that Dave dreamed of – the kind of col- making it a rousing success, regardless of lective resistance that can lead to revolu- whether others were able to help. together with Dave's spirit as the catalyst for unity among nations in Canada … tion. In this way we will keep alive Dave’s He was highly respected by many in- memory, and the memory of countless digenous activists in the city, who knew He showed me that people actually do care about First Nations struggles … We other victims of this brutal capitalist they could always rely on his support system.  when needed. In the words of Anishi- need more Daves, not less!” naabe student activist Ryan Bruyere, One of Dave’s great successes was the Dave Brophy’s three articles about the Winnipeg launch of Sheila Wilmot’s history of Anishinaabe struggle in what is Deborah Simmons is a member of the book Taking Responsibility, Taking Di- now known as Northwestern Ontario can New Socialist Group, and now lives in the rection: White Anti-Racism in Canada on be found online in New Socialist 50-53, at Northwest Territories. March 31, 2006. Dave was determined to www.newsocialist.org

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 37 debate: 20th century socialism Challenges of imagination and daring by Peter Graham activism from longer hours of work and tions, the capacity to contest the ‘nation- and Greg Albo limits in state services are not unique to al-popular’ framing of the issues of the this period. For much of socialism’s his- days with socialist understandings? Did lan Sears begins his assessment of tory there was a common, misplaced be- the movement’s political thinking and the state of socialism in Canada (NS lief that if workers won a paid, eight-hour organizational form offer viable ways to 61,A available at www.newsocialist.org) – in day, rank-and-filers would become much contest hegemony and power in a period fact across the advanced capitalist world more involved in the socialist struggle. of neoliberal globalization? Why did the – with the sober statement “that we are, And in past periods, the Left has vari- struggle against war and imperialist in- in practical terms, starting over.” This is a ously invoked the popularity of saloons, tervention not give additional vitality to stark position. It is hard to disagree with. dance halls and television as barriers to anti-globalization struggles, considering The revolutions against bankrupt regimes, political struggle. But these developments the strengths of the global peace move- the struggles for decolonization, and the did not curb subsequent radicalization. ments from the 1980s that fought the mobilizations of the working classes and The political challenges for the Left today Second Cold War and the first Iraq war? oppressed achieved a great deal over the are still ones of imagination, organization, Why did the “new infrastructure of discourse of the 20th century. But the social strategy and political daring. sent,” that Sears identifies get eclipsed so forces that achieved them are not what Sears’ realism is an antidote to the views quickly? Are the ideological positions and they once were. Meanwhile, neoliberal- that have occupied the space vacated by political practices of these forces a reflec- ism, continues rolling back social and po- the old Left: the dogmatic Trotskyism tion of a Left and working class move- litical gains. Its ideological claims may be that claims that resistance “from below” ment defeated, disorganized, isolated? discredited but neoliberalism remains the is ever ascendant and the revolution near As Sears points out, the Russian Revo- means by which the ruling classes rule. at hand; the anarcho-communist views lution provided the political coordinates that the combination of spontaneous re- Obstacles and Challenges for socialists – for and against – through- bellion and alternate direct practices can out the past century. All but the willfully Sears emphasizes that the creation of directly confront the advanced capitalist blind can see that socialists must turn infrastructures of dissent and the spread state; and the anti-power politics that now to different forms of organization of socialist ideas are integrally related, suggested neither party nor program are to meet the challenges of 21st century ebbing and flowing with the level of necessary as ‘we can change the world capitalism. There have been some past struggle. We fully agree. As political without taking power.’ These views can attempts in Canada to construct broader struggle has receded, the organizational, make a contribution to a revitalized anti- socialist organizations, such as Rebuild- intellectual and cultural infrastructures capitalist politics. They do not supply, ing the Left or the initial NSG calls for of the Left have been strained, and their however, the political, ideological, or- building a new pluralist organization of relationship to the demands of contem- ganizational, or working-class resources the Left. But they ran into obstacles: porary movements more distant. This is necessary to overturn neoliberalism, let exhaustion of the movement; disagree- the impasse of the Left. alone challenge capitalism. ments over existing or past “socialisms;” Historical structural changes provide Anti-Capitalist Forces new conservative offensives; massive po- the terrain for political struggle and litical miscalculations about direct action influence future movements. Sears fo- These were the components of the and the organizational capacities of mar- cuses on some of the new obstacles to a anti-globalization movement which ginal communities; or vanguardist groups renewed movement for socialism. More Sears suggests was “cut short” as Bush utilizing these processes to recruit for people do live in suburbs today, but it is began his “war on terror” after September their own projects. The existence of re- not so clear they are any less isolated than 11, 2001. aligned social democratic parties (such as the numbers living on farms or in small But it’s worth taking a more serious the NDP) will set the rightward bound- towns in past periods of struggle. The look at these social forces. Was anti-glo- ary of a renewed socialist organization mega-cities of today should be a fertile balization politics adequately grounded in Canada. There are many hard issues terrain for socialist organizing. in working class politics – a renewal of that socialists will have to grapple with Similarly, the constraints on individual unions, day-to-day community institu- in order for socialist politics and visions Peter Graham is a Toronto-based activist and member of Socialist Project. to become a defining component of anti- Greg Albo teaches political economy at York University and is active in Socialist Project. capitalist struggles in Canada again. 

38 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 debate: 20th century socialism Learning from the history of struggle by Adrie Naylor

s a young socialist, it is easy to feel disconnected from the struggles that characterizedA the 20th century. Although many of the gains achieved through mass action during that period remain vis- ible, the energy mobilized in the fight to realize them has dissipated, at least within Canada. The irony is that many of the specific struggles of the 1960s Latino radicals on a US anti-Vietnam war demonstration, early 1970s and 1970s – anti-racism, feminism, the campaign for gay and lesbian rights, the there are two essential tasks to be under- people and people of colour, particularly anti-war movement, and a general sense taken. While it is crucially important to immigrants? Instead, this period has seen of anti-capitalism – are still relevant and develop means of organizing specific to a notable rise in poor-bashing and anti- yet, with the possible exception of the the new political and social climate in immigrant racism. anti-war movement, have not generated which we find ourselves, in doing so we I agree with Sears that this is partly due the same momentum that existed 30 or should be informed by the successes and to a lack of solidarity among the working 40 years ago. failures of previous socialist struggles. class, but I would argue that the differ- In NS61, Alan Sears argues that so- There is a rich history of both, and I think ent response is also a reaction to the way cialism as a political reference point is underutilizing the lessons they generated the anti-war movement has presented currently so marginal that 21st century would waste this valuable resource. and justified itself. Today’s anti-war socialists are essentially starting over. He In reading Sears’ article, I was struck sentiment is often couched in blatantly contended that the link between today’s by the similarities between then and now, nationalist rhetoric (“Bring the Troops socialism and the socialism that charac- and perplexed by many of the differences. Home” to save Canadian or American terized the 20th century – one that ex- For example, while protests against the lives rather than Afghan or Iraqi ones). isted in a certain political climate and had war in Iraq were reportedly bigger than This doesn’t leave room for opposition to a particular set of objectives – is tenuous any anti-Vietnam War protests, why the war based on solidarity with people at best. have they not inspired mobilization for living in Afghanistan or Iraq, making it In many ways, I agree. Clearly, as other struggles the way anti-Vietnam difficult to draw a connection between a Sears argues, the political climate has sentiment did? Why didn’t the wave of struggle in support of oppressed people changed. However much Stalinism was anti-globalization sentiment and action abroad and solidarity with the oppressed a perversion of socialism, its existence on before 9/11, seen clearly in North Amer- at home. As well, the term “democracy” a global level at least ensured socialism ica in both Seattle and Québec City, get has been so co-opted by the imperial remained within political discussion and channelled into the anti-war movement forces that democracy has become some- debate. As Sears notes, the ever-increas- a few years later? Why haven’t lofty jus- thing benevolently bestowed (or forced) ing privatization of space (both physical tifications of being in Afghanistan partly on people rather than something they and psychological) for dissent has meant to defend women’s rights generated struggle for and achieve themselves. political discussion and debate do not questions at home about women’s rights The challenge – to frame today’s anti- have the same place within society as with respect to the growing feminization war movement in such a way as to link it they once did. of poverty? Why haven’t protests against to other struggles currently being waged However, I see room for further analy- American imperialism abroad (Cana- in North America and beyond – means sis and debate in his contention that we dian anti-war sentiment has rarely been drawing upon one of the real successes are starting over. Instead, I would argue couched in terms of opposition to Ca- of the mass action that distinguished the nadian imperialism) generated solidarity anti-Vietnam movement. In this way, we Adrie Naylor is a student and a member of between largely white, student anti-war can draw upon lessons learned by previ- the Winnipeg branch of the New Socialist activists and oppressed minorities within ous socialists while adapting them to cur- Group. the US and Canada, both aboriginal rent circumstances. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 39 debate: 20th century socialism What is different for socialism today? by Patrick McGuire the precarious qualities of modern labour and the new workplace. In response, I think we need to re-imagine how to n “The End of 20th Century Social- make socialist politics a lived daily expe- ism” (NS61), Alan Sears asks a worth- rience at work. This will require coming whileI question: Do radicals in English- to terms with the end of the post-WWII speaking Canada need to start over with settlement, something that most of the fresh visions and tactics in order to make Canadian labour movement has yet to do. socialism a viable revolutionary project? As John Clarke of the Ontario Coalition I commend Sears on starting this dis- Against Poverty explains, some people cussion. It may prove useful in thinking still believe they are having a friendly critically about radical social change in round of shadow-boxing with the boss Canada. That said, Sears’ piece opens up despite the fact that they are repeatedly many more questions than it answers and getting pounded by body blow after body I am curious to collectively explore his blow. analysis more fully. Further, I heartily agree with Sears’ Firstly, the primary strength of the Solidarity with indigenous peoples is vital for the Left. suggestion that the feminism, anti-rac- article is its brief yet descriptive overview ism and queer liberation politics of the of the history of socialism in Canada. New Left need to be maintained and Sears highlights the major phases of ent that we need to completely re-think strengthened in future socialisms. Finally, struggle and places them in the context what socialism means? Or are the previ- and perhaps most importantly, one of the of responses by capital and the state. This ous strains of socialism obsolete because biggest differences between 20th century history would be particularly useful for they no longer speak to the present social and 21st century socialism should be our newer members of the left due to its solid situation? I doubt Sears is suggesting understanding of anti-colonial struggles positioning of class struggle and work- this, because he would likely find many within Canada. None of the previous place organizing. Further, Sears describes salvageable ideas and lessons within cer- strains of socialism adequately or effec- some of the contemporary challenges tain strains of 20th century socialism. So tively came to grips with what it would facing socialists, such as attacks on im- which parts of previous socialist models mean to make a revolution in a colonial migrant communities, lean production need to be maintained and which need settler state. Thus, meaningful indigenous methods and the withering of social to be jettisoned? Approaching this dis- solidarity work will remain a pivotal chal- democratic parties. cussion as a class struggle anarchist, I’m lenge for all radicals dedicated to com- My only serious objection is that in biased towards one strain Sears identifies, plete human liberation on Turtle Island. providing so much descriptive history, the but all revolutionary socialists need to Radical left wing ideas have been article could have better been called “The engage with this question. mostly eclipsed in contemporary Ca- end of the conditions for 20th century Exclusionary Nature nadian politics. For those of us who are socialism.” That is, it sidesteps the task of serious about creating a fundamentally actually defining 20th century socialism. This leads me to speculate on how different tomorrow we need to ask diffi- While to do so in a short magazine ar- 21st century socialism could or should cult questions about previous models and ticle is a challenge, Sears identifies three be different that that of the previous tactics. Did they fail because the objective strains of revolutionary socialism (Stalin- century. Sears identifies the failed project conditions weren’t propitious or because ism, anti-Stalinism and Anarchism/Left of “full citizenship” due to its inherently our ideas and methods were insufficient? Communism). But by suggesting that we exclusionary nature. I concur with this More importantly, faced with our current are witnessing the end of 20th century analysis and propose that it reinforces social reality, what kind of politics and socialism, what precisely is being argued? the need for a rights-based approach actions do we need to successfully build Are the conditions of struggle in contem- grounded in internationalism rather than a new society? Alan Sears’ “The end of porary Canada so fundamentally differ- petty nationalism. Similarly, he points to 20th century socialism” can serve as a Patrick McGuire is an anarcho-syndicalist and a member of the Industrial Workers of the World. jumping-off point for this worthwhile He works as a public school teacher and lives in Winnipeg with his life partner and two sons. discussion. 

40 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 debate: 20th century socialism Need collective inquiry rooted in activism by Alan Sears that are no longer there, or are no longer recognizable. The old centres of working- class dissent (such as Winnipeg’s North n New Socialist 61, I made the pro- End or Windsor’s Drouillard Road) no Ivocative argument that the current longer play that role. Many working-class marginalization of socialism does not people now live and work in situations represent a normal cyclical downswing,

that are less conducive to the formation alan sears but the exhaustion of a particular mode of communities of resistance. This does of socialist organizing. The conditions in not mean that they cannot or will not which 20th century socialism thrived no fight back, but that the infrastructure of longer exist in the same way. We need dissent that has historically developed to focus on the development of the next Drouillard Rd., Windsor: Mural in honour the capacity for sustained mobilization of a radical past. new Left. will need to be rebuilt in new ways. Patrick McGuire points out that my Peter Graham and Greg Albo ques- article examined the end of a particular tion my assessment of certain of these address the issues of the future. set of social and economic conditions, changes in the organization of work and There is a great deal we do not know but did not really clarify the meaning of yet about the politics required to build “20th century socialism.” I used this dis- the next new Left. In the late 1950s and turbingly vague term to make the point We cannot carry on early 1960s, small groupings of social- that the major currents of 20th century with maps oriented ists in Britain, France, Italy, the United socialism existed in relation to one an- States and elsewhere began to focus on other. Social democracy, stalinism, anti- around key landmarks building a New Left, rather than simply stalinism and anarchism/left communism that are no longer attempting to sustain the old one. They all shared key political coordinates, repre- applied themselves to an open analysis senting opposite poles in a specific set of there, or are no longer of changes in the world and within the debates constructed around particular working class itself, while learning from conditions that no longer apply. recognizable. their activist experiences as militancy The navigational tools shared by these began to reemerge. currents of 20th century socialism are community, including the impact of sub- It will require a process of collective now outmoded. This does not mean that urbanization, increased working hours, inquiry, rooted in activism, to begin ad- they have nothing to offer us, but that we and changes in leisure activities. I agree dressing some of the key questions the cannot rely on them to figure out the ter- that we must learn more about these fac- Left currently faces. Adrie Naylor invites rain ahead without using our own senses. tors, debating them in greater detail and us to figure out why the current anti-war There comes a moment in navigation with more precision. At the same time, I movement is relatively weak compared to when you need to override the charts and think we need to be clear that the left is the Vietnam era. Peter Graham and Greg instruments, recognizing that you are currently seriously dislocated. Albo suggest we need to understand the about to ram into the spit of land dead This dislocation does not mean we reasons for the sharp decline of the global ahead of you, even if it is not supposed should simply toss out the old maps. Ad- justice movement in the Canadian state to be there. rie Naylor raises the important concern outside Quebec after 9/11. Patrick Mc- Twentieth century socialism has been that my argument about the end of 20th Guire asks us to consider how socialist dislocated by major cultural, social and century socialism might imply that there politics might again become part of the political changes. We cannot carry on is nothing to be learned from this incred- daily reality of the workplace. Genuinely with maps oriented around key landmarks ible historical experience of struggle. I open-ended discussion and debate are Alan Sears is a member of the New Socialist would argue that we can neither turn crucial if we are to begin building the Group in Toronto, and the author of Retooling our back on the past nor assume that it next new Left by addressing these and the Mind Factory. provides us with a ready set of answers to other pressing questions. 

NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 41 book review Imperialist or empire’s assistant?

Holding the Bully’s Coat: wretched foreign policy stance of recent Canada and the U.S. Empire years, it nevertheless suffers from its by Linda McQuaig failure to break with the traditional left Doubleday Canada, 2007 nationalist dogma that’s been plaguing Canada’s progressive community for Reviewed by Todd Gordon several decades. For instance, McQuaig frequently anada’s increasingly belligerent makes recourse to the left nationalist re- Cforeign policy stance cries out for frain that Canada’s present foreign policy critical analysis. Yet much of the Cana- course is a reversal of its traditional role dian Left’s analysis remains several steps as a fair and neutral arbiter of interna- behind Canada’s ruling class, as the latter tional conflict. The jacket cover suggests charts out Canada’s role in the global that “Ottawa has abandoned Canada’s order for the coming decades. Journal- traditional attempt to be a fair-minded ist Linda McQuaig’s most recent book, mediator and conciliator, most notably Holding the Bully’s Coat, seeks to address in the Middle East conflict.” At the same by global expansion, where corporations, this perennial weakness of the Left. time, however, McQuaig is alive to the trying to survive crowded marketplaces, It details the cozy relationship that the fact that left nationalism sanitizes the race around the world, and increasingly Paul Martin Liberal and Stephen Harper history of Canadian foreign policy and into the South, in pursuit of new areas to Tory governments have been nurtur- cannot properly account for Canadian increase profits. Canadian corporations ing with the United States since 9-11. actions abroad that have served its own now have one of the highest rates of for- Canada is a key part of the occupation of imperialist interests and those of rich eign investment into developing coun- Afghanistan, played an important role in nations more generally. She notes, for tries among the G8. Canadian financial, the 2004 removal of the democratically- example, despite the jacket cover quote mining, oil and gas, hydro-electric and elected Haitian president, Jean-Bertrand above, that in fact Canada has more of- telecommunications companies are some Aristide, and has been unambiguously ten than not sided with Israel’s illegal and of the most competitive in the world. supporting Israeli aggression in the oc- colonial occupation of Palestine against One of the Canadian government’s cupied territories and Lebanon. the Palestinians. This tension occurs principle foreign policy goals is to protect Canada can’t be seen simply as a be- throughout the book. its corporation’s interests against those nign presence on the international stage, McQuaig also draws on another well in the South who might oppose them, McQuaig quite correctly concludes. worn notion used by mainstream leftist be it governments or social movements. Political, military and business lead- critics trying to explain Canadian sup- That’s why Harper visited Colombia re- ers are asserting Canada as a power (if port for imperialist policies without jet- cently to promote Canadian investment not a superpower) to be taken seriously tisoning their nationalism: that Canada is despite the country’s atrocious human by others – by the US ruling class as a merely, as the title says, holding the bul- rights record, and why Canada supports dependable ally in the “War on Terror,” ly’s coat. Canada is relegated to a country structural adjustment policies and refuses and by “rogue” and/or “failed” states as an without an imperialist agenda of its own; to enforce human rights standards on enforcer of Western interests. The foreign rather, it’s seeking to curry favour with Canadian companies that are now sys- policy objectives of the Canadian ruling the superpower by offering itself as an tematically violating the rights of people class, she stresses, don’t serve the interests enabler of US imperialism. By lining up in the regions they’re investing in. Thus of the average Canadian who’s already with the US in Afghanistan, for example, Canadian imperialism can’t be simply been subjected to government cutbacks, Canada provides the US mission with a reduced to US imperialism. corporate downsizing and free trade by much-needed fig leaf of internationalism Unfortunately Holding the Bully’s Coat these same forces. and humanitarian concern. suffers from a superficial analysis that But if Holding the Bully’s Coat This argument can only be sustained simply can’t provide the insights that does well to critically explore Canada’s by remaining silent about the global are necessary to properly understand economic system Canada is a part of, and current directions in Canadian foreign Todd Gordon is an editor of New Socialist. its position within it. Capitalism is driven policy. 

42 NEW SOCIALIST Fall 2007 time to organize Branches and members of the New Socialist Group are active in a number of cities. Call for information about our activities. robert allison Vancouver Box 4955, Vancouver, V6B 4A6 [email protected]

edmonton 780-451-3103 Labour day parade, Toronto, 2007: Labour for Palestine [email protected] contingent distributed thousands of leaflets calling for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israeli apartheid. Regina 306-596-9586 [email protected]

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The New Socialist Group is an The NSG works with the Québec organization organization of activists working to renew socialism GAUCHE SOCIALISTE from below as part of today’s struggles. Our socialism is revolutionary and democratic, committed to working- mONTRÉAL [email protected] class self-emancipation, internationalism and opposition QUÉBEC CITY [email protected] to all forms of oppression. We reject bureaucratic and and the outaouais [email protected] authoritarina notions of socialism and look instead to the radical tradition of socialism from below, which gauche socialiste believes that liberation can only be achieved through the CP 52131, Succ, St-Fidele, Québec G1L 5A4 activity and mobilization of the oppressed themselves. www.lagauche.com Ideas need to be put into action. If you like what you read, get in touch with us. Ecosocialism & environmental activism

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