Walking Out on the Libyan Rebels (at Long Last)

Some leftists, at long last, are seen walking out on the Libyan rebels they once loved. . . .

Hossam el-Hamalawy, 2 April 2011:

This is catastrophic.  The biggest imperialist force on the planet, NATO, is bombing Libya “in the name of revolution,” CIA operatives are active on the ground, Western “military advisers” become visible in Benghazi, as US and Egyptian military specialists are reported by Al-Jazeera to be training the revolutionaries.  The Libyan revolution is being hijacked in front of our eyes. . .  This is counterrevolution. . .

Richard Seymour, 4 April 2011:

Can I just risk a modest proposition?  NATO, the CIA and the special forces belonging to the world’s imperialist states are not forces of progress in this world.  Does anyone disagree with that?  If not, then it follows as surely as night follows day that the successful cooptation of the Libyan revolution by NATO, the CIA and special forces is a victory for reaction.

As’ad AbuKhalil, 4 April 2011:

I was as excited as anyone to see the Libyan people revolt against the lousy dictator, Qadhdhafi: a tyrant who one should hate with an extra measure of eccentricity because — like Saddam — he is particularly obnoxious and repugnant as far as tyrants are concerned.  But I can’t say now that I support the Libyan uprising: it is no more a Libyan uprising.  The uprising has been hijacked by Qadhdhafi henchmen, Qatar foreign policy agenda, and the agenda of Western government.  Count me out.

Who will be the last leftist carrying a torch for the Libyan rebels, saying nonsensical things like this?

Revolutionary socialists must give unconditional support to the Arab uprising.  Its immediate goals in all these countries can be summed up as (bourgeois) democracy, and are 100% progressive.  Its domestic enemies are for the most part agents of imperialism, and where not directly so, are complicit with it.  We support it for this reason also.

By “unconditional” support I mean support not conditioned by our evaluation of the leaders of the rebellions or whether or not we have political agreement with them.  That goes for Libya, too.  I disagree with comrades who seem to condition their support of the Libyan rebels on more knowledge of what their program is.  We must be for the victory of the rebellion in Libya, period.

Or like this?

Stop the bombing!  Deliver arms to the insurgents!  Coupling the two demands is our way to show concretely that we care for the Libyan people’s uprising against its tyrant much more than those who deny them arms while wanting to impose their guardianship over their movement.

Cf. Yoshie Furuhashi, “What Is the National Front for the Salvation of Libya?” (MRZine, 24 February 2011); Yoshie Furuhashi, “Al Jazeera Promotes Libya’s ‘Crown Prince’ Who Calls for Military Intervention in Libya” (MRZine, 25 February 2011); Yoshie Furuhashi, “What Does the Libyan Opposition Want?” (MRZine, 27 February 2011); Yoshie Furuhashi, “Imperialists Prepare for Military Intervention in Libya” (MRZine, 28 February 2011); Yoshie Furuhashi, “Black Africans Live in Fear in ‘Free Libya'” (MRZine, 2 March 2011); Yoshie Furuhashi, “French Leftists for the Libya War” (24 March 2011); Yoshie Furuhashi, “Loving the Libyan Rebels” (MRZine, 27 March 2011); Charles Levinson, “Rebel Chief Asks for Timely Strikes, Helicopters” (Wall Street Journal, 4 April 2011).




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