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751 Chinese troops for Kosovo! -- rank: 1000

This astonishing suggestion by Viktor Chernomyrdin on his return from Beijing shows how fast contradictions are developing in the world. It proves that this war is not an imperialist war for the redivision of the world, and the redivision of imperialist booty. We cannot mechanically apply the lessons of Leninism from 1914-18, pat ourselves on the back and say how revolutionary we have been even if the people do not listen, and the peace movement in the core NATO countries is getting nowhere. Thi ...

Document Size:	7434
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Tue May 11 15:14:21 PDT 1999

752 China blocks Security Council -- rank: 1000

Of course China's motion of condemnation of NATO action against her embassy would be blocked by the vetos of the NATO members on the Security Council. That is expected. What is interesting and significant is the report that China has now said it will block discussion on the Security Council of any UN peace plan for Yugoslavia until NATO bombing stops. What we are seeing here throughout this crisis is a complicated set of manoevres whereby the US and its closest allies sometimes find it in their ...

Document Size:	7905
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Mon May 10 23:47:16 PDT 1999

753 Left Labour in support of a just war -- rank: 1000

This editorial in Tribune gives a good example of the view from the democratic left of the Labour Party in support of a war for the defence of the Kosovans, although not exactly in support of this war as it has turned out. It meets most of the objections to a massive NATO bombing campaign and its ineffectiveness in helping the Kosovars. It could also contain objections to cluster bombs. If Nato action had been more directly focussed on helping Kosovans inside Kosovo it would have avoided Nato ha ...

Document Size:	8827
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Mon May 10 16:26:45 PDT 1999

754 China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Pakistan -- rank: 1000

This is the list of countries in which there have been demonstrations sparked by the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. I think this is very interesting and significant. (And if anyone thinks my position is contradictory I would reply the world is full of contractions.) The demonstrations in Taiwan and Hong Kong are particularly interesting as a signal of national solidarity with the People's Republic of China, which has implications for the momentum towards re-unification. The dem ...

Document Size:	6039
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Mon May 10 14:22:16 PDT 1999

755 Nor all, that glisters, -- rank: 1000

At 11:45 08/05/99 -0400, you wrote: >Chris Burford wrote: > >>If this beautiful, soft, heavy and malleable metal is not the only true >>store of wealth for all humanity, what is? > >Chris, your fetish is showing. Recall Ferenczi's comment on gold - >"odorless dehydrated filth that has been made to shine." > >Doug I do get fetishistic when I identify reforms that could be accelerated, that go with the grain of history, and and are in conformity with the ...

Document Size:	6764
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Mon May 10 11:53:45 PDT 1999

756 Zizek on Kosovo -- rank: 1000

>From the latest New Left Review, 234 With thanks to Doug for finally persuading me to read him. Comments?? Chris Burford London >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "In the last decade, the West followed a Hamlet-like procrastination towards the Balkans, and the present bombing has effectively all the signs of Hamlet's final murderous outburst in which a lot of people die unnecessarily - not only the King, his true target, ...

Document Size:	6493
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun May 9 15:15:07 PDT 1999

757 Policy Impacts from Attack on Chinese Embassy -- rank: 1000

So they read in the wrong map co-ordinates, or someone gave the CIA the wrong map coordinates, for which the Director has publically apologised to China and to the world? Perhaps this really is one of those occasions, as predicted by chaos theory, that a familiar pattern may suddenly change as a result of one apparently chance event. (The mathematicians of chaos theory do not go on to suggest, as I think one should, that this can only happen if the system is such that it could, with only a sligh ...

Document Size:	11103
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun May 9 08:34:24 PDT 1999

758 cool it: Observer edit -- rank: 1000

At 01:28 09/05/99 -0400, you wrote: >[This is an interesting editorial retreat by a major outlet of the >cruise-missile liberals.] > >Observer (London) - May 9, 1999 > >Leader: Take a step back in the Balkans Yes I have just posted the same editorial to marxism at lists.panix.com as I agree this it is a significant shift. I also have a vested interest in widening the scope of debate there since I post under the need to censor my words in case I may be removed for allegedly prom ...

Document Size:	6475
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun May 9 01:33:38 PDT 1999

759 NATO bombs Chinese Embassy in Belgrade -- rank: 1000

There is no one moment that makes a certain outcome inevitable, but this comes closest to the one which may make Henry's prediction come true: that this war will lead to the break-up of NATO. This attack is not just shocking. It is bound to be extremely embarrassing for NATO, even if the pictures are not particularly striking and even if they claim Arkan's base was near by. Not quickly, but over the next five years, there could be a strengthening of moves to manage Europe on a European, and rath ...

Document Size:	5227
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri May 7 23:10:25 PDT 1999

760 Reformist revolution in Wales and Scotland -- rank: 1000

30 million inhabitants of the UK were eligible to vote yesterday. Only 46% of the electorate voted in Scotland. Only 29% of the electorate in the local councils in most parts of England outside London. Nevertheless the results were radical. In Scotland and Wales, the New Labour turkeys appear to have voted for Christmas with the proportional representational system. Despite these countries being overwhelmingly Labour in the first past the post UK system, and despite the fact that the New Labour ...

Document Size:	6279
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri May 7 15:58:03 PDT 1999

761 Nor all, that glisters, -- rank: 1000

gold... fell by 10 dollars an ounce on the sneaky announcement by the British Treasury that it was going to sell over half its gold reserves. While the timing was unexpected, this can be seen to be part of the uncrupulous reformist agenda of Third Way politicans in power in the USA and Britain to coordinate their moves to devalorise gold. ... without either the capitalists or decent honest revolutionaries even realising what is going on. If this beautiful, soft, heavy and malleable metal is not ...

Document Size:	6670
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri May 7 15:10:16 PDT 1999

762 Bourgeois pacifism -- rank: 1000

Lenin 1915 "Socialism and War" "The Socialists have always condemned wars between people as barbarous and bestial. Our attitude towards war, however, differs in principle from that of the bourgeois pacifists and Anarchists. We differ from the first in that we understand the inseparable connection between wars on the one hand and class struggles inside a country on the other, we understand the impossibility of eliminating wars without eliminating classes and creating Socialism, and ...

Document Size:	5417
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri May 7 06:26:22 PDT 1999

763 Nationalism is Always Gendered -- rank: 1000

I would suggest that the Albanian women of Kosovo are worried about the health of their children, now they cannot return to their homes because all the rooves have been blown off from the inside. Chris Burford London

Document Size:	4661
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu May 6 15:42:55 PDT 1999

764 value club -- rank: 1000

At 09:23 06/05/99 -0400, you wrote: >[Alan Freeman asked me to forward this.] > >============================================================================= > > International Working Group on Value Theory > CALL FOR PAPERS > Year 2000 Value Theory Mini-Conference > Crystal City Hyatt Regency, March 24th- March 26th 2000 >================================================================== ...

Document Size:	4967
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu May 6 15:40:04 PDT 1999

765 Re: (en) 1/3 TOBIN TAX-- CANADÁ -- rank: 1000

At 22:07 05/05/99 -0300, you wrote: > >Tobin Tax Motion M-239 >Passed by Canadian Parliament > >March 24, 1999 > >Ottawa - Canada has shown world leadership in adopting a motion calling for >an international tax on financial transactions, NDP financial institutions >critic Lorne Nystrom said today. Motion M-239 was passed by Parliament last >night with a vote of 164 to 83. It read: "That in the opinion of the House, >the government should enact a tax on fina ...

Document Size:	5646
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu May 6 15:36:34 PDT 1999