Struggle For democracy: Problems With Plunderocracy And Imperialist Intervention

Farooque Chowdhury

The problems mentioned in this article are in view of recent developments in a number of countries including Iran. The questions appeared stark during the days imperialism was preparing ground for invasions/interventions in Iraq, Libya, Syria and a group of progressives from these countries effectively or indirectly lent support to imperial interventionists (2i).

All the banner bearers: Rightists, ultra-rightists, fascists, storm troopers of imperialist capital, propagandists and practitioners of medieval ideology and institutions, sectarian and divisive forces, dictators, camouflaged and uncovered imperialist organizations, banks and financial institutions, so-called rights-organizations/activists and juvenile organizations sponsored by imperialists, monarchists, a part of the mainstream media, imperial interventionists (2i), and other birds of reactionary feathers are engaged with the business of “democracy”. One faction of the 2i at the center of the world imperialist system is now a “steadfast” “democracy”-monger. Very often, 2i organize mobilizations in the name of democracy. Platform for invoking imperialist intervention including R2P (so-called Right to Protect) are organized with the appearance of “democracy” and “rights”.

A confusing reality: People regularly face a foxing reality in many countries while they try to organize struggle for democracy. Upholding the streamer of “democracy” by the 2i is a regular incident in many countries. Very often, people find their organizations and movements de-activated, subverted and demolished by the 2i and anti-people “democracy”-mongers.

At the same time, people occasionally find “hop-step-and-jump”-moves in the name of struggle for democracy. People also experience sporadic, disjointed and incoherent democracy-slogan-mongering by a group of leaders in the rank of people although the tasks of spreading political education among people and methodical preparation for struggle for democracy are completely neglected, which ultimately turn into thrusting knife into the back of people’s movement.

Capital’s tactics: Capitals in countries practice a number of tactics to subvert and/or suppress people’s struggle for democracy: dominating capital takes the posture of sentinel/defender of “democracy”, or, raises the slogan of “national”-interest, -security, -integrity and -sovereignty, or, begins hue and cry about the specter of 2i whenever people initiate their struggle for democracy. Sometimes, these tactics are lumped together into one, and at times, these are applied in compartmentalized style. The machine of repression is run with full force while the slogans of “national” interest, security, sovereignty, 2i, etc. are propagated by the dominating capital. Plunder of people’s wealth/resources including the commons, appropriation of surplus value and curtailment/negation of rights are carried on unabatedly under the umbrella of securing “democracy”, “national” interest and sovereignty, and “opposing” 2i.

The problems: This reality creates a number of immediate problems in the struggle for democracy:

1. Should the struggle for democracy be suspended or slowed down in the face of threat, actual or propagated, to “national” interest, etc., and/or in the face of 2i, actual or propagated?
2. Should not plunder of resources, appropriation of surplus value, negation of rights, and repression of people be opposed by the struggle for democracy while there’s actual threat of 2i, etc.?
3. Should the threat of 2i be ignored by the struggle for democracy while organizing/initiating the struggle for democracy or opposing/resisting plunder, repression, etc.?
4. Is there scope for alliance with proxies of imperialism/forces engaged to further 2i, and, should the proxies, etc. be allowed space in the struggle for democracy?
5. Is there no approach, which can simultaneously initiate the struggle for democracy, struggle to resist plunder, etc., and oppose/resist 2i and its proxies/hirelings?

Working questions: These all are functional questions, which are being faced by all responsible leadership in the struggle for democracy in countries experiencing plunder, repression, and 2i; and there’s no scope to avoid the task of finding out functional solutions to these problems. The reason is: democracy can’t be organized and people’s life can’t be improved by ignoring imperialism and plunder, etc. Democracy and imperialism are opposed to each other as democracy strives to secure people’s interest while imperialism shackles and loots people. The same is the case of democracy and plunder as democracy empowers people while plunder’s function is its opposite: snatch away people’s resources, and thwart people’s control over resources. People’s control over resources is one of the fundamental material conditions for building up democracy for people. The opposing positions of these three – democracy, and imperialism and plunder – are well-defined by their characters and roles: democracy upholds people’s interest while imperialism, plunder, etc. demolishes the interest.

Thence, the problems in the struggle for democracy assume definite shape and character:

1. No scope for ignoring 2i and plunder, and lending space to imperialists and its proxies/hirelings while organizing the struggle for democracy. So, the stand is: oppose 2i and plunder, and don’t deactivate the march to democracy.
2. No scope to get enveloped with proxies/hirelings and anti-democratic forces while widening alliance in the struggle for democracy.

How: The problems mentioned above jointly raise a single question: how? How to organize/carry on the two tasks simultaneously? Failure in simultaneously organizing/carrying on these tasks leads either to:

1. accommodating imperialists and its proxies, and paving path to 2i; or
2. accommodating plunder, etc.

Any of the failures hurt people, and their struggle for democracy. So, “how”, as mentioned above, is a crucial question with the power of determining the path of the struggle for democracy: success or failure.

Groups of “progressives” in a number of countries have already stepped into one of these booby traps: either suspend struggle for democracy in the face of 2i or ignore/accommodate 2i while waging struggle for democracy. Implications of getting ensnared into these traps are people’s suffering, living in non-democracy, having a shackled and undignified life, having no access to prosperity, thwarted development, no scope to develop productive forces, having no space to furthering struggle for equity and equality. And, expecting to achieve people’s democracy, liberty and rights with imperialist patronage and backing, and by working as proxy of imperialism is nothing but bibere venenum in auro, to drink poison from a cup of gold, as imperialism never stands for people, as interest of imperialism is opposed to interest of people, as imperialism is ally of class enemies of people, as the economy imperialism depends on and defends exploits and robs people.