Comments on: My Enemy’s Enemy http://thethirdestate.net/2009/07/my-enemys-enemy/ What Is The Third Estate? Everything. What Has It Been Until Now In The Political Order? Nothing. What Does It Want To Be? Something. Tue, 22 May 2012 04:47:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Salman Shaheen http://thethirdestate.net/2009/07/my-enemys-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-1980 Salman Shaheen Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:17:35 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=1017#comment-1980 Oh no, I didn't think you came across that way, I just wanted to clarify my position. As for uncritical support, I think that might be because the left has precious few heroes in the modern age. It's easy to see a promising sign and cling to it more tightly than one should. That said, I'm by no means a supporter of the Euston Manifesto. I do recognise the value and importance of resisting imperialism and I cannot see the Iraq war as the lesser of two evils as many of the Manifesto's contributors do. It was most certainly the greater. However I do feel one should take a measured and critical approach to anti-imperialism. Otherwise we're all George Bush. Oh no, I didn’t think you came across that way, I just wanted to clarify my position. As for uncritical support, I think that might be because the left has precious few heroes in the modern age. It’s easy to see a promising sign and cling to it more tightly than one should. That said, I’m by no means a supporter of the Euston Manifesto. I do recognise the value and importance of resisting imperialism and I cannot see the Iraq war as the lesser of two evils as many of the Manifesto’s contributors do. It was most certainly the greater. However I do feel one should take a measured and critical approach to anti-imperialism. Otherwise we’re all George Bush.

]]> By: Tendai http://thethirdestate.net/2009/07/my-enemys-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-1978 Tendai Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:55:32 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=1017#comment-1978 Salman, Sure, I wasn't prescribing what'good' political preferences should be and I hope I didn't come across that way. To some extent I suppose I'm saying I admire that you can be critical of Chavez where you see it necessary, while supporting him in other ways. It bucks the trend of uncritical hero-worship that the left is prone to. Salman,

Sure, I wasn’t prescribing what’good’ political preferences should be and I hope I didn’t come across that way. To some extent I suppose I’m saying I admire that you can be critical of Chavez where you see it necessary, while supporting him in other ways. It bucks the trend of uncritical hero-worship that the left is prone to.

]]> By: Salman Shaheen http://thethirdestate.net/2009/07/my-enemys-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-1976 Salman Shaheen Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:38:29 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=1017#comment-1976 Thanks Tendai. Don't get me wrong, in many regards I'm a supporter of Chavez. By all accounts, his reforms in healthcare, education, land, wages, food and industrial relations have gone along way to improving the living standards of the poorest people in Venezuela. You'd have to be a deeply conservative person not to appreciate that. As Mark Steel said in our <a href="http://thethirdestate.net/?p=792" rel="nofollow">interview</a>: "“I would imagine in Venezuela, lots of people would think ‘oh yeah he goes on about socialism and anti- imperialism and this, that and the other, and I sort of half follow what he’s going on about, but I tell you what, the schools are better since he was in.’... I think anyone vaguely interested in human decency must be encouraged by that.” But broad support for Chavez's domestic programme should not mean uncritical support for his foreign policy. I am encouraged by his attempts to build links with leftists across Latin America to resist decades of US imperialism in the region. Much less by his strategic alliance and curious friendship with Ahmedinejad. Especially now when his comments run contrary to genuine left-wing reform in Iran. Thanks Tendai. Don’t get me wrong, in many regards I’m a supporter of Chavez. By all accounts, his reforms in healthcare, education, land, wages, food and industrial relations have gone along way to improving the living standards of the poorest people in Venezuela. You’d have to be a deeply conservative person not to appreciate that. As Mark Steel said in our interview: ““I would imagine in Venezuela, lots of people would think ‘oh yeah he goes on about socialism and anti- imperialism and this, that and the other, and I sort of half follow what he’s going on about, but I tell you what, the schools are better since he was in.’… I think anyone vaguely interested in human decency must be encouraged by that.” But broad support for Chavez’s domestic programme should not mean uncritical support for his foreign policy. I am encouraged by his attempts to build links with leftists across Latin America to resist decades of US imperialism in the region. Much less by his strategic alliance and curious friendship with Ahmedinejad. Especially now when his comments run contrary to genuine left-wing reform in Iran.

]]> By: Tendai http://thethirdestate.net/2009/07/my-enemys-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-1974 Tendai Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:44:11 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=1017#comment-1974 "In this new era of diplomacy which recognises a whole spectrum of grey, anti-imperialism for anti-imperialism’s sake – especially when it comes at the expense of the democratic hopes of the Iranian people – just cannot wash anymore. My enemy’s enemy should not always be my friend." Another good post Salman -- and, I'm sorry to say it, a position I was pleasantly surprised by given my initial assumptions of thirdestate. I agree with Bob: that attitude, among other problems, has helped to put mey leftism more in line with the Euston Manifesto ideals. “In this new era of diplomacy which recognises a whole spectrum of grey, anti-imperialism for anti-imperialism’s sake – especially when it comes at the expense of the democratic hopes of the Iranian people – just cannot wash anymore. My enemy’s enemy should not always be my friend.”

Another good post Salman — and, I’m sorry to say it, a position I was pleasantly surprised by given my initial assumptions of thirdestate. I agree with Bob: that attitude, among other problems, has helped to put mey leftism more in line with the Euston Manifesto ideals.

]]> By: Bob http://thethirdestate.net/2009/07/my-enemys-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-1964 Bob Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:09:16 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=1017#comment-1964 Good post. The enemy's-enemy syndrome is one of the terrible problems of the contemporary left. Good post. The enemy’s-enemy syndrome is one of the terrible problems of the contemporary left.

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