[Peace-discuss] What to read

[C. G. Estabrook]

[The following comes from a British "ecosocialist" group, Socialist Resistance, 
part of the (Trotskyist) Fourth International, but it is not a sectarian 
analysis; instead, it seems to me to be a fairly accurate account of some of the 
best political blogs in the US.  --CGE]


	August 10th, 2009
	Internet savvy, US style:

Doug Henwood, is an American talk-show host, and writer on economic issues, and 
former stockbroker, two of his books, Wall Street and After the New Economy have 
been published by Verso. He started off as a fervent right-wing Republican, part 
of the Reagan revolution is his younger days but has since seen the error of his 
ways and he is now a self-declared Marxist, even one that Marx might have 
recognised. If you like intelligent leftist thinking, he’s certainly a man for 
you. Like capital itself he comes in many forms; as a newsletter on primarily US 
economic affairs to which you can subscribe but selected articles are available 
for free, Left Business Observer (<http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/>); as an 
email mailing list which you need to join to read and participate, lbo-talk 
(<http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/lbo-talk.html>); as a DJ for the weekly 
discussion with leftist authors on a wide range of political, economic and 
cultural issues, each of his radio programmes can be downloaded and listened to 
as & when you desire (<http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html>); and 
finally his latest incarnation is as the author of a blog, LBO News 
(<http://doughenwood.wordpress.com/>). I would recommend all of these 
productions, but the email list in particular is without equal for the serious 
discussion of political and economic questions of the day from a wide range of 
mainly American and left wing contributors, resident in many countries around 
the world. The views taken by the participants come from a variety of political 
perspectives, mainly Marxist but not exclusively so. Some of the participants 
run their own blogs as well. Discussions as with any political discussions do 
become heated and long time participants have developed animosities to each 
other, but the disputes only occasionally become inflamed. Try it and see. If 
you acquire the taste you can even download his Wall Street book for free from 
his website.

Louis Proyect, who works in IT at Columbia University, is a former member of the 
USA Trotskyist, Socialist Workers party, who no longer believes in strictly 
Leninist methods of political organisation and mobilization. He was a friend and 
supporter of the independent Green Party vice-presidential candidate, Peter 
Camejo, who ran on the same platform with Ralph Nader in 2004. During the 80’s 
he supported the Central American revolutionary movements and demonstrated that 
solidarity by working as a programmer in Nicaragua. If I understand him 
correctly he currently thinks Marxists should take part in broad parties to 
spread their message, appealing to a working class audience. He runs two 
websites that are worthy of note, the blog, Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant 
Marxist (<http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/>) and an email mailing list, The 
Marxism Mailing List based at (<http://www.marxmail.org/>) which you need to 
subscribe to join (for free). The mailing list as the name suggests is a mailing 
list by and for Marxists. What is notable is the world-wide range of its 
contributors, but there is a bias towards American contributors. Any interesting 
Marxist article, YouTube video, or publication worldwide is highlighted. This is 
very much a discussion board for political issues. Louis runs a tight ship and 
if a participant gets out of hand by harping on ad-infinitum on a special hobby 
horse & boring everyone they are sent into exile, albeit exile need not be 
permanent. Louis’s blog gives his definite and decided views on three main areas 
that interest him, intellectual trends in American life, major political issues 
discussed by the US left and being a film critic & buff, the latest films that 
have attracted his interest. For example, he’s currently running a series of 
pieces on the South American tribe the Yanomami, to illustrate current trends in 
American anthropology and its relationship to socio-biology and evolutionary 
psychology, trends which overemphasize the genetic roots of human behaviour and 
underplay cultural traits and the political implications of this. Or, for 
example, discussing the attitude of different political groups on the US left to 
the recent events in Iran.

Three other American websites are worthy of note:

Counterpunch (<http://www.counterpunch.org/ >) is an online newsletter that 
focuses on US issues but does have a worldwide reach, but as the USA is the 
empire US issues tend to be unavoidably our issues. Its virtue is to be radical 
without indulging in Marxist boilerplate language. Its language verges on the 
tabloid in style which makes it a lively and never dull read. The contributors 
tend to be professional journalists with a sprinkling of academics. Its run by 
Jeffrey St Clair who specialises in environmental issues and Alexander Cockburn 
of the Irish Cockburn clan of journalists, son of Claud and brother of Patrick, 
the Middle East specialist and Andrew who all write pieces for the newsletter. 
Alexander formerly resident in the UK is a long time editor of the New Left Review.

Znet, (<http://www.zcommunications.org/>) is closely aligned with Noam Chomsky, 
its leading light is Michael Albert, and grows out of an American tradition of 
anarchism, but it is a website very much open to activists in the socialist 
tradition. If you use this site for nothing else it is a great source of world 
wide articles of interest in current affairs but you can use it for much more 
than that if you wish. One of its current themes is reimagining a future 
society, for example.

Lastly Monthly Review, (<http://www.monthlyreview.org/>) claims to be the oldest 
currently still publishing Marxist journal/magazine in the English speaking 
world. It was founded in 1949, by the American Marxist Paul Sweezy, who was the 
favourite student at Harvard of Joseph Schumpeter and who was strongly 
influenced by John Maynard Keynes. It is a journal independent of any political 
party. Its current editor since 2000, John Bellamy Foster is a noted figure in 
current Marxist thinking in emphasizing the ecological side of Marxist thinking, 
what is sometimes called the second contradiction of capitalism, the destructive 
effect of capitalism on nature itself. Linked to the review is a blog called 
MRzine (<http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/>)with links to the recent articles 
published by Marxists and available on the net.

Mike Tucker, August 2009 <http://socialistresistance.org/?p=639>