The Meaning of 11 September for the Left

In: Studies in political economy: SPE ; a socialist review, Heft 67, S. 47-54

Abstract

Reflects on the implications of the terrorist attacks of 11 Sept 2001 for the Left, whose political collapse was punctuated by the atrocities. The capitalist dismantling of progressive movements worldwide resulted in a void for anti-imperialism & anticapitalism that the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hastened to fill, many of them enabled & encouraged by Western capitalists. Moreover, the attacks served to intensify the power of the capitalist/imperialist state both in the US & abroad. Legislation similar to the US "Patriot Act" is being endorsed by allies in Canada & the EU, while the war in Afghanistan is terrorizing civilian populations. The US role in directly supporting Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan's war with the Soviet Union is underscored, & the post-Cold War expansion of American military force is examined. US unilateralism can serve only to augment further anti-Americanism. The prospects for antiglobalization movements to revive global, progressive opposition are assessed; a renewed mobilization of the global Left remains the only viable alternative to the destructive religious fundamentalism of the likes of bin Laden & to the equally undemocratic forces of US-led global capitalism. K. Coddon