[Peace-discuss] Christian Parenti on Iraq

[Morton K.Brussel]

[I wonder what Parenti's recommended "negotiated withdrawal" means. Who 
would be  negotiating?  As for the rest, it seems like he's 
disillusioned, poor guy. It is true, however, that the situation 
developing in Iraq resembles aspects of what happened in Iran after the 
fall of the Shah, with the mullahs ultimately taking over, so out of 
the current mess, one cannot expect a clean result even, if the 
American presence is removed. One might also recall that the French 
Revolution of 1789 did not come out so well either, although it did 
ultimately change Europe---for the better I think.   The world now 
needs a change, and the American government's reactionary quest for 
world domination needs to be resisted wherever possible.To me that is 
the top priority, one which will allow peoples to breathe.  I'm not 
sure Parenti sees this clearly. mkb]


On Dec 8, 2004, at 10:21 PM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:

> [Reporter and writer Christian Parenti, author of the new book The
> Freedom: Shadows and Hallucinations in Occupied Iraq, gave a talk on 5
> December in London.  Excerpts below.  --CGE]
>
> My comments on the Iraqi resistance at the conference today were a
> response to a presentation of the situation that I felt overlooked 
> some of
> the more problematic aspects.
>
> I believe we on the left should be calling for a withdrawal of US 
> troops
> regardless of whether or not the resistance meets the left's criteria 
> of a
> good movement.
>
> The resistance is very diverse. There are some very ugly elements. I 
> have
> interviewed former Iraqi senior officers who were virulently anti-Shia 
> and
> were involved in the resistance. I don't support their hatred of the 
> Shia;
> but I do believe they have a right to resist US occupation.
>
> My concern to avoid romanticising the resistance comes partly from my
> experience in Central America as a journalist and a solidarity 
> activist. I
> saw numerous examples of a three-step process.
>
> One, romanticing the movements in Central America. Two, becoming
> disillusioned with them. Three, abandoning activity.
>
> The left, in its solidarity, will be more effective and more 
> sustainable
> if it approaches issues with its eyes open. It would be awful for 
> people
> to think the resistance are angels, find they are not, and then bale 
> out
> of activitiy.
>
> I want to disabuse people of the idea that the resistance are pure and
> good. There are Saddam loyalists and former torturers in the 
> resistance.
>
> If the left has a simplistic position, then we are vulnerable.
>
> I support the position of Iraqi workers. I wouldn't go as far as saying
> that the armed resistance don't have a right to resist the invaders. 
> That
> would be taking me on to the ground of what I would like to see in 
> Iraq,
> and that's meaningless: I can't affect that.
>
> Hopefully there will be room for a secular, democratic movement 
> alongside
> the resistance. But for now what we have is the resistance.
>
> I know the Union of the Unemployed and I hung out with them Iraq. But
> they're not that big. Iraq is a deeply religious society. The Union of 
> the
> Unemployed are very valiant, but they don't have much traction. Another
> problem is that the Ba'th regime under Saddam hijacked the motifs and 
> the
> language of left politics.
>
> I want to see a negotiated withdrawal. It would have to be negotiated 
> with
> multiple parties -- with the major Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish parties, 
> and
> with organisations in the resistance that would come above ground if 
> there
> were a clear will for negotiations -- with every organisation that has
> power in Iraq.
>
> I don't think that is going to happen any time soon. I think the US is
> going to hang on for four years at least, increasing its military
> operations. I'd like to think it has some intention to withdraw, but I
> don't think it has.
>
> 	###
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.cu.groogroo.com/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>