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I read Anarkismo.net often, and I've found the articles of NEFAC member Wayne Price interesting, tho at times a bit lefty and even trot -sounding. My question is, does NEFAC support national liberation? It says in your Aims and Principles that:
We do not support the ideology of national liberation movements, which claims that there are common interests held between the working class and the native ruling class in the face of foreign domination.
However, Wayne Price, again a NEFAC member, clearly supports national liberation.
...strangely enough, many anarchists who champion nonclass liberation struggles often refuse to support national liberation (here meaning the same as national self-determination: the right of a people to determine its own fate). National liberation is also not a direct class struggle, even though its connections to capitalism are pretty clear. That is, the big capitalists of the industrialized nations seek to expand their wealth by dominating the weaker, “underdeveloped,” nations. The international capitalists seek to super-exploit the workers of these nations (workers who accept lower wages), to sell goods to their states and populations, and to loot their natural resources--oil being the most important resource but not the only one. This is imperialism. Since the imperialist states no longer directly “own” colonies, this is its neocolonialist phase. The oppressed people of these nations are mostly workers, peasants, and small shopkeepers. But they also include “middle class” and upper class layers. These either aspire to be the local agents of imperialism or to replace the imperialists as the new rulers (or both).
http://www.anarkismo.net/newswire.php?story_id=3614
Historically, the attitude of anarchists toward national liberation movements has been ambiguous. There are aspects of the socialist anarchist program which have been interpreted as supportive of national self-determination and aspects which have been interpreted as opposed to national self-determination. I believe that anarchists have been correct to oppose nationalism as a political program, which includes the advocacy of new national states. But anarchists should be supportive of the MOTIVES which lead oppressed people toward nationalism, particularly the desire to oppose imperialism and oppression. And anarchists should support the right of nations to self-determination, which is NOT the same as supporting nationalism.
http://www.anarkismo.net/newswire.php?story_id=1016
Now, don't mistake this for trouble-making. I think NEFAC is a great organisation, and if I was staying in America longer I'd become a supporter most likely, but this is kind of a test. A pretty basic test.In fact if I was thinking of becoming a supporter I'd want some kind of resolution to this issue before I joined. NEFAC's official "position" is one thing, a NEFAC member is publishing on a website read by people around the world articles supporting national liberation, even identifying himself as a member of NEFAC! Wow.
1. Unity of theory
Theory is the force which guides the activity of individual people and individual organizations along a specific route towards a specific goal. Naturally, it must be shared by all persons and all organizations who join the General Union. The activity of the general anarchist Union, both in general and in detail, must be perfectly consistent with the theoretical principles professed by the Union.
Is NEFAC really true to that basic, basic platformist principle? How do you justify having a member openly supporting national liberation contrary to the Aims and Principles.
Again, I'm not trying to wind anybody up! I'm sure you've probably already discussed this issue internally, but would just like to hear what you have to say.
-Cheers
Admin - please give your threads meaningful titles
There are some threads in thought on this, in particular this one -
http://libcom.org/forums/thought/for-john-how-is-the-wsm-soft-on-nationalism