Neue Debatte - Special Edition - Long Essay on Left Strategy #002 - 04/2017 | Page 13
1 Me, my time and the beast of nationalism
letter) seems to be the latest warning and at the same time an object
lesson on how a presumptuous, national “WE” can ruin a country.
On the other hand there has always existed a longing for peace with-
in the peoples, who strove for good neighbourhood and international
solidarity with peoples who fought for their rights. Again and again all
through history we know of admirable examples of resistance - intel-
lectual, political, and armed resistance of all kinds against suppres-
sion, exploitation and injustice. The ability to discern as clearly as
possible between friends and enemies has always made the differ-
ence between victory and defeat. We have to take into consideration
that so many of the resistance movements, rebellions, or insurrec-
tions in history were betrayed by false friends. They normally were
defeated from within. In modern times the all-embracing nationalist
“WE” blurs more than ever the ability to recognize false friends. The
mendacious “WE” feigns social unity of equals, but there cannot be
national companionship between capitalist employers and employ-
ees, financial elites and property-free populations or equality be-
tween surplus dissipating upper classes and the value generating
working classes.
We have to learn from history. We can oppose the “WE”! The tradi-
tion of transnational resistance, self-determination and fighting the
true global enemies should be ours and we should proudly carry it
on.
1.4 Europe, a beacon of humanity?
Yanis, what a claim you make when you write in your book: “It took
half a century for Europe to heal its war wounds through solidarity
and turn into a beacon on humanity’s proverbial hill, but it did.” 2
We have to take cognizance of the fact that this European Union of
today is not a new historical entity. EU member states jealously safe-
guard their national sovereignty and continue their national state his-
tory. They take part as long as they see their egoistic interest fulfilled
- either getting more out of the Union than having invested or by
feigning European spirit just to expand their sphere of influence and
to dominate the markets of their European hinterland. What a bea-
con indeed - not for humanity but for exports of arms and war mate-
rials, military interventions and participation in wars for oil, and for
2
Y. Varoufakis, And The Weak Suffer What They Must?, London 2016, p. 4. This image is also used in DIEM’s Manifesto.
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