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World is Burning, While Western Left is Quarreling

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andre vltchek
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It really is a shame, and it is tiring, but it is actually nothing new: there is now total disarray amongst those countless 'progressive' and 'semi-left' Western intellectuals, publications, movements and political parties.

Cowardice, bloated egos, lack of discipline and intellectual pettiness are often to blame, but that is not all.

It is now absolutely clear that the Western left lost patently and shamelessly. It has almost no power, it has no courage to fight or to take risks, and it counts on no real political following in Europe, North America, Australia or New Zealand. 'The masses', those proverbial 'oppressed masses', have lately been electing and voting in various semi-fascist populists, unapologetic right-wing demagogues, and mainstream pro-business brutes.

Entire Marxist 'theoretical certainties' have been collapsing in front of our eyes. Or at least they have been in the West.

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To a great extent, what is now happening is absolutely natural. The European left betrayed as early as in the 1980's, by becoming too soft, too undisciplined, too cautious and too self-centered. It put pragmatism above the ideals. It rapidly adopted the lexicon of the liberal ideological establishment, complete with Western perceptions of human rights, democratic principles and political correctness. It ceased to be revolutionary; it essentially stopped all revolutionary activities, and it abandoned the core element of any true left-wing identity -- internationalism.

Without at least some basic internationalist principles, the left is now essentially reduced to some sort of local trade union level: "Let us fight for better labor conditions and health care at home, and to hell with all that neo-colonialist plunder of the world which is expected to pay for almost all of our benefits. As long as we eat well and have long vacations, why should we rebel, why should we fight?"

The Western left has also failed to honestly address global history and especially the role which both Europe and North America have been playing in it. Many so-called 'progressive' Western thinkers have essentially adopted the imperialist rhetoric and revanchist interpretation of various key historic events, hence becoming 'anti-Communist' themselves.

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Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are his tribute to "The Great October Socialist Revolution" a revolutionary novel "Aurora" and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: " Exposing Lies Of The Empire " . View his other books (more...)
 

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