[Peace-discuss] The New Insurrectional Thinking - a book review

[LAURIE SOLOMON]

I have not read this book but from the review it appears to suggest a new
and different approach to rebellion and radicalism which is different and at
variance with the current traditional establishment progressive approach and
view of radical activism and courses of acceptable action.  In some ways, it
puts forth - if I read the review correctly - some notions that I have been
advocating for a while but are generally rejected by others as being
impractical, negativist, and non-productive. The two main ideas have been
those of "anonymity" and "obstructionism." 

 

With respect to the later - "block everything," I think that the "invisible
Committee's"  notion is similar to mine- if I am understanding the review
correctly - in that it is a call for preventing the community from carrying
out business as normal by shutting down the system - a form of general
strike until the demanded structural and systemic changes, reforms, and
alterations are enacted and carried out.  With respect to "anonymity," I
think I differ with them a little.  Unlike them, I do not restrict or define
this as "consists in the total absence of message, leader or demand on the
part of the insurgents."  I have no objections to having a message, leaders,
organization, or demands; I advocate "anonymity" in the form of remaining in
the shadows by continuing to undertake one's actions while not claiming
credit for them or making one's self or organization known by named or label
so as to allow for identification of the insurgents and their organization
whereby making it easy for the establishment, system, and their agents to
find and put down or destroy the insurgents, their organizations, and the
insurgency or to undermine their effectiveness, thereby allowing things to
continue as it has always done.

 

Socio-political and economic  actions in this day and age tend not to be
very effective when the insurgents attempt their insurgencies according to
the existing rules and values of the day as open identifiable organizations
and operations; what is called for today is secret guerilla actions.  The
establishment understands that and uses black ops and quasi- guerilla
actions to maintain themselves; and they are very effective at it.  Indeed,
the IRA in Northern Ireland used the establishment model quite effectively
by having a public identifiable component and a secret quasi- guerilla and
quasi-anonymous component as the basis for their insurgency.    It took them
a relatively long time with a lot of blood-letting and destruction to obtain
their goals and the changes they desired in their system; but they
ultimately got a good deal of what they wanted.

 

Unfortunately, many - if not most - contemporary activists, radicals,
progressives, etc. (especially in the U.S.) do not really want to
drastically change the system or alter its fundamental presuppositional
premises; they have too much vested interest in the established system and
its operation to want to see it destroyed or significantly altered.  They
tend to be satisfied to see reforms on the periphery and to symbolically
protest in established respectable and middle class responsible ways with
words, signs, demonstrations, petitions, elections, lobbying, or throwing
money at the problems.

 

At any rate, one should read the review and the book when it comes available
here in English (it is unclear if it is now available in the US or in
English).

 

Nicolas Truong | The New Insurrectional Thinking 
 
<http://messenger.truthout.org/ss/link.php?M=142977&N=95&C=b1dbe589fe0a5237a
84f628c41670644&L=732> http://www.truthout.org/070909X?n 
In Le Monde, Nicolas Truong explains the philosophical and literary
antecedents of the French best seller, "The Coming Insurrection," authored
by the "Invisible Committee," that advocates anonymity and "blocking
everything."

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