[Debate] Simon Asaf on Syria

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

Here's a short interview @ <http://youtu.be/tgMTaiTee9I> summing up
Simon Assaf's takeaway points, two of which concern a big "danger"
that imperialism is trying to find its way back in by "hijacking"
"revolutions"; and the problem of sectarianism (the problems, btw,
that are seldom emphasized in Socialist Worker on this subject).  By
at least addressing these two problems, Assaf avoids becoming as
eerily and cheerfully Orwellian as Pham Binh & Co.  But anyone still
"optimistic" about the Syrian and other Arab revolts at this late date
comes across as a person committed to "the optimism of the intellect."
 E.g., as for "hijacking," it's pretty much a fait accompli (that is,
if true revolutionaries had ever "owned" any of the revolts other than
the ones in Tunisia and Bahrain even for a moment, evidence for which
appears to be lacking), as noted by Joseph Massad last November
already:

<http://bit.ly/vl8Agl>
Joseph Massad
Joseph Massad is Associate Professor of Modern Arab Politics and
Intellectual History at Columbia University.
Columbia UniversityBooksRSS
The struggle for Syria
The Syrian people are being sacrificed at the altar of US imperialism,
says author.
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2011 09:13

. . . . .

Those who see the Syrian popular struggle for democracy as having
already been hijacked by these imperial and pro-imperial forces inside
and outside Syria understand that a continuation of the revolt will
only bring about one outcome, and it is not a democratic one - namely,
a US-imposed pliant and repressive regime à la Iraq and Libya. If this
is what the Syrian demonstrators are struggling for, then they should
continue their uprising; if this is not their goal, then they must
face up to the very difficult conclusion that they have been
effectively defeated, not by the horrifying repression of their own
dictatorial regime which they have valiantly resisted, but rather by
the international forces that are as committed as the Syrian regime
itself to deny Syrians the democracy they so deserve. In light of the
new move by the Arab League, the US, and Europe, the struggle to
overthrow Asad may very well succeed, but the struggle to bring about
a democratic regime in Syria has been thoroughly defeated.

On Wed, Jul 11, 2012 at 8:53 AM, LFC Scally <lfcscally at hotmail.com> wrote:
> A clip from one of the very many good meetings at the Marxism 2012 festival.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-z0BoabyMc
>
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-- 
Yoshie Furuhashi
<http://mrzine.org/>