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1006 Marshall Aid for Balkans, Africa -- rank: 1000

At 11:52 26/04/99 -0400, Doug wrote: >>From the April 26 Financial Times: > > The prime minister's talk of a Marshall Plan to rebuild the Balkans - >with its implication of a vast injection of international aid - even >worried colleagues at the UK Foreign Office. "We have never used that >phrase," an FO spokesman said. Fischer is stronger on this aspect. Doug: >The Marshall money was grants. Any money flowing to Eastern Europe is >almost certain to be loans ...

Document Size:	16270
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Tue Apr 27 14:48:01 PDT 1999

1007 Marx in support of capitalist war -- rank: 1000

At 19:54 25/04/99 -0700, you wrote: >I'd like to second what I think are some very important points by Chris B. >in here. I appreciate Max's support. And await the further criticisms? (What could they be? - that we are indeed in an immediately revolutionary period? - more interestingly perhaps that the NATO war is a war for the redivision of the world, for the redivision of the plunder of imperialism. Although there is an aspect to that, I suggest that NATO is so pre-eminent militarily tha ...

Document Size:	7855
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Tue Apr 27 13:25:54 PDT 1999

1008 Marshall Aid for Balkans, Africa -- rank: 1000

Barkley Rosser asked me to come back on the question of SDR's and Marshall Aid. There are several aspects to this question which I would like to clarify. 1) I copied an Albanian call for a Marshall Aid plan for the Balkans to this list. It was greeted with ridicule by the great and the good, which they have not been able to sustain. Within the last few days the term has been used a number of times in the context of the NATO discussions, including by the Brits and particularly the Germans. The mo ...

Document Size:	14009
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun Apr 25 23:54:38 PDT 1999

1009 Marx in support of capitalist war -- rank: 1000

I appreciate Jim Farmelant taking up my challenge robustly on this list, since the moderator of marxism at lists.panix.com may suspend anyone whom he considers is promoting a "pro-NATO line". While I would not accept that is how I put my position in favour of intervention, I consider this measure restricts debate not only about the war but about how the war can be campaigned against or modified. Obviously I also wonder if the theoretical position was so strong why it could not have bee ...

Document Size:	19598
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun Apr 25 14:56:36 PDT 1999

1010 suicide note -- rank: 1000

At 02:35 24/04/99 -0500, dave wrote: >digloria at mindspring.com wrote: > >> Eric's suicide note from WSJ. Anyone know what the last line 12Skitzo >> might mean? > >"12" and "Skitzo" are references to two songs by Insane Clown Posse from >Detroit, best described as the quintessential stupid suburban outcast group (I >write this as a music lover and former suburban outcast myself, albeit nearly >a generation removed). The songs: > >" ...

Document Size:	8311
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun Apr 25 08:40:49 PDT 1999

1011 China disposes of surplus capital -- rank: 1000

>From the Economist from about a week ago > CHINA began to get to grips with huge debts at its four big state banks > by setting up a clean-up firm, Xinda Asset Management, to help one of > the banks, China Construction Bank, to dispose of its bad loans. If > that works, similar firms will be set up for the other three. How does this differ from capitalist processes of destroying surplus capital? A hard question for Henry or anyone else, but any comments? Chris Burford ...

Document Size:	5020
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun Apr 25 07:07:19 PDT 1999

1012 Marx in support of capitalist war -- rank: 1000

"The North came to the theatre of war reluctantly, sleepily, as was to be expected considering its higher industrial and commercial development. The social machinery there was far more complicted than in the South, and it required far more time to get it moving in this unusual direction. The enlistment of volunteers for three months was a great, but perhaps unavoidable mistake. It was the policy of the North to remain on the defensive in the beginning at all decisive points, to organise its ...

Document Size:	7988
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri Apr 23 23:01:25 PDT 1999

1013 UK avoids recession -- rank: 1000

It looks as if the UK has avoided recession. Some slow down, but the crisis of 1998 washed passed here, despite some ultra-leftists predicting the end of capitalism as we have known it. Chris Burford London

Document Size:	4520
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri Apr 23 15:58:55 PDT 1999

1014 Adieu Marlboro Man -- rank: 1000

Much propaganda will of course remain. But the billboards for the Marlboro Man are coming down over the USA as a result of the law settlement. Trivial and not at all revolutionary in one sense. Capitalism is infinitely adaptable and will strive to accumulate surplus value whatever commodities it is allowed to make. But in the sense of social production controlled by social foresight, a victory for those who believe in social consciousness in the USA. And yes I do know tobacco capital will find o ...

Document Size:	4966
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri Apr 23 14:38:19 PDT 1999

1015 The Blair Doctrine -- rank: 1000

At 21:15 22/04/99 -0400, you wrote: >Chris Burford wrote: >>but it does seem >>to me that Doug and I share some pretty deep differences of approach. > >You think? > >>I guess Doug is still stuck in seeing the Third Way as some comptemptible >>form of social democracy delivered in sound bites. > >Not even social democracy. It's rule by financiers and CEOs with the >assistance of counselors and spin doctors. It is contemptible, no argument >there. &g ...

Document Size:	9477
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu Apr 22 23:32:45 PDT 1999

1016 The Blair Doctrine -- rank: 1000

At 01:45 22/04/99 -0400, you wrote: (thread title The Divisions in NATO) >Chris Burford wrote: > >>Blair has just made >>sure he has been photographed running up the steps to get into the plane to >>tell Clinton what to do. > >You really eat that stuff up, eh? "Don't go all wobbly now, George" >rewritten for the 90s? > >Doug I have not quite got the allusion to George going wobbly, but it does seem to me that Doug and I share some pretty deep diff ...

Document Size:	7076
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu Apr 22 15:55:15 PDT 1999

1017 Charles' support for the antiracism -- rank: 1000

At 16:06 21/04/99 -0400, you wrote: > > >>>> Jim heartfield <jim at heartfield.demon.co.uk> 04/21/99 02:41PM >>> > > >In this characteristic broadside, Charles demands more powers for the >very state that is at the moment bombing Yugoslavia (which he rightly >condemns). > >(((((((((((((((((((( I agree with Charles's criticisms of Jim H on this point. Broadly I see Jim H's ideological position as that of radical libertarianism. That is why he ...

Document Size:	6982
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu Apr 22 15:35:43 PDT 1999

1018 website -- rank: 1000

At 17:45 21/04/99 -0400, you wrote: > And for a break from all the Kosovo and gun debates, >I am pleased to announce that my website now has many >of my papers up and available for the perusal of the universe. >Comments are most welcome. The site is at >http://cob.jmu.edu/rosserjb. >Barkley Rosser >Professor of Economics >James Madison University >Harrisonburg, VA 22807 USA Although I have not read it all, as you know, I like the commitment to non-linear dynamics ...

Document Size:	4959
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu Apr 22 14:16:46 PDT 1999

1019 The Divisions in NATO -- rank: 1000

At 08:18 21/04/99 -0400, you wrote: >marx was right about the civil war. but no one has demonstrated that even >one kosovar has been saved by dint of nato's offensive offensive. and you've >not shown how any of this would bring about class unity. if the u.s. wants a >war in the name of "saving kosovo" (by destroying it, natch), i say fine. >but put the troops down--if clinton really thinks he's right, he should be >willing to do that. otherwise, this is an extremely e ...

Document Size:	6648
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Wed Apr 21 15:56:50 PDT 1999

1020 The Divisions in NATO -- rank: 1000

Greg Nowell asked me to repost a long article on the divisions opening up within NATO, identifying the source. It was the Guardian from their website, by the admirable Martin Walker. It has subsequently received confirmation, I suggest, by Blair stepping into the limelight with his trip to Brussels yesterday, with the Brits offering to help manage the spin doctoring, and with the preparation of public opinion for ground troops with which Blair is allowing his name to be associated. It also recei ...

Document Size:	13706
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Wed Apr 21 00:11:32 PDT 1999