tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304235862479840318.post5999889801175308830..comments2024-01-08T04:16:25.601-08:00Comments on Ché (What You Call Your) Pasa: "No Cuts" vs The Correct ApproachChé Pasahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01926630891287949373noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304235862479840318.post-67498105727885443162012-11-28T00:56:30.251-08:002012-11-28T00:56:30.251-08:00"What is preventing revolutionary upheavals....."What is preventing revolutionary upheavals..." Yes, well. Isn't that the question? Is anything preventing it?<br /><br />There is definitely pre-revolutionary fervor -- that tips over into revolutionary fervor -- abroad in Europe. Europe was in turmoil well before the Arab Spring; the Arab Spring was partly inspired by the resistance in Greece -- resistance which itself had been going on for years. The North African and European struggles were obviously linked, at least initially. <br /><br />The Occupy struggles in the US and elsewhere were inspired by the Arab struggles and the European ones, and some of Occupy's early impetus came directly from the <i>Indignato</i> protests in Spain which were themselves partially derived from the Tahrir Square protests in Egypt -- that brought down Mubarak.<br /><br />Armed insurrection has taken place and is taking place in a number of Arab actions, but not in Europe or the United States. It just isn't part of the Revolutionary programs in either region. Insurrection has been very bloody and disturbing where it has taken place, and no one can state with any confidence that the results of armed insurrection have been more than marginally beneficial -- and then only to a small cadre. <br /><br />The nonviolent programs in Europe and the US (even the Greek Riots fit under the "nonviolent" rubric because they are not armed insurrections nor are they turning into armed insurrections) are strongly influenced by the theories of Gene Sharp. His work was also instrumental in the early Arab Spring actions. He has a very definite -- some would say rigid -- point of view about how to conduct successful "revolution" in the modern era, and armed insurrection isn't an accepted part of it. <br /><br />But at the same time nonviolent protest and revolutionary action isn't working -- apparently at all -- under the influence/guidance of Gene Sharp's theories. <br /><br />Why isn't it working -- the way it did, for example, in Eastern Europe and the Philippines?<br /><br />I would argue it's because the upshot of a Sharp-ian uprising is the triumph of neo-liberalism. Whether that's his intent or not, I don't know, but that's what successful Sharp-ian uprisings almost always lead to. In the US and Europe and much of the rest of the world, neo-liberalism is already triumphant -- and we're all suffering the consequences. Revolutionary action that leads to neo-liberal triumph doesn't seem to work to overthrow it. Doesn't even seem to work to influence it. <br /><br />Interesting, eh?<br /><br />As far as I can tell, that's where the sticking point is.<br /><br />Ché Pasahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01926630891287949373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304235862479840318.post-30203279345393317342012-11-27T17:02:14.417-08:002012-11-27T17:02:14.417-08:00So, here is the question: What is preventing revo...So, here is the question: What is preventing revolutionary upheavals in those countries currently being hit the worst by the Austerity regime? Greece for example, why hasn't the Greek system been overthrown?<br /><br />People are willing to fight, and people have been driven to suicide and other desperate acts, but they can't seem to unite successfully to arrest and imprison their leaders.<br /><br />I don't have an answer, but it does make me wonder.vampyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14660319794133128873noreply@blogger.com