Almost Non-Violence

The following note appears in a Radical Notes entry entitled Almost Non-Violence (taken from Mahatma Gandhi, “Discussion with B.G. Kher and others,” August 15th 1940, Collected Works, Vol 79, p. 122):

If a man fights with his sword single-handed against a horde of dacoits armed to the teeth, I should say he is fighting almost non-violently. Haven’t I said to our women that, if in defence of their honour they used their nails and teeth and even a dagger, I should regard their conduct nonviolent? She does know the distinction between himsa and ahimsa. She acts spontaneously.

Supposing a mouse in fighting a cat tried to resist the cat with his sharp teeth, would you call that mouse violent? In the same way, for the Poles to stand valiantly against the German hordes vastly superior in numbers, military equipment and strength, was almost non-violence. I should not mind repeating that statement over and over again. You must give its full value to the word ‘almost’.

Analysis of Classes in India: A Preliminary Note on the Industrial Bourgeoisie and Middle Class

The following article appears at Sanhati.

November 24, 2009

By Deepankar Basu, Sanhati. (Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

In a previous paper [Basole and Basu (2009)] an attempt to begin an analysis of social classes in contemporary India organized around the idea of economic surplus was initiated, by revisiting the 1970s mode of production debate. The focus in Basole and Basu (2009) was on the rural classes and the unorganized industrial and service sector workers. In this paper, I extend that analysis by shifting attention to the classes that had been left out in Baole and Basu (2009): the industrial bourgeoisie and what might be called the middle class.

Introduction

In the Marxist tradition, the notion of class is intimately related to the idea of economic surplus. Thus, I would like to begin this paper with a few brief and introductory comments on the relationship between the two. Every society, if it is to reproduce itself over time, must organize social production in such a way that it manages to reproduce the material and non-material conditions of its existence. Production in excess of what is necessary to reproduce the material conditions of its existence is the production of what we can call economic surplus. Thus, a society produces economic surplus when it produces more than what is necessary to cover the costs of social production, i.e., when it produces more than is necessary to replace (or replenish) the labour and non-labour inputs used up in the production process. This allows us to divide the total labour time of society into two parts: necessary labour time, which corresponds to the labour time required to merely replace the labour and non-labour inputs to production; and, surplus labour time, which corresponds to the economic surplus.
It is the economic surplus, moreover, that allows any society to grow and develop, to not only increase the scale, scope and sophistication of material production and encourage and facilitate technological change but also to increase the scale and depth of its non-material products. Every viable, growing society, therefore, must produce an economic surplus to sustain its material and non-material growth.

Of course, reproduction of a society requires not only the continuous production of an economic surplus but also the reproduction of its social relations of production. While the problem of the reproduction of the social relations of production is an important one and deserves serious study, here I would like to draw attention to another, though related, issue: the relationship between economic surplus and class.

What is class? Here I can do no better than give a fairly comprehensive definition of class by Lenin:
“Classes are large groups of people differing from each other by the place they occupy in a historically determined system of social production, by their relation in most cases fixed and formulated in law to the means of production, by their role in the social organisation of labour, and, consequently, by the dimensions of the share of social wealth of which they dispose and the mode of acquiring it. Classes are groups of people, one of which can appropriate the labour of another owing to the different places they occupy in a definite system of social economy” (Lenin 1919 (1972), p.421).

Thus, classes, as understood in the Marxist tradition, are defined by the appropriation of the surplus labour time of the group of direct producers by the group of non-producers (or exploiters). This appropriation is made possible by the differential location of the classes in the process of social production and the differential ownership of the means of production. The appropriation is guaranteed by the existing legal system enforced through the power of the State.

But if classes are defined by the appropriation of surplus, then they can only come into existence when the productive capacity of society has progressed to the extent that it can produce a surplus over and above what is needed for bare subsistence. Thus, class-divided societies are made possible and materially supported by the existence of economic surplus, corresponding to the surplus labour time of direct producers.

Being defined by the relationship between exploiters (those who appropriate the surplus) and exploited (those who produce the surplus), class-divided societies have often been studied with two-class models: master and slave, serf and lord, worker and capitalist. It is of course clear that two-class models arise as abstractions from the more complex class structures of real societies; the presence of groups which lie in the “middle” of, or straddle, both class locations, i.e., exploited and exploiters, needs to be taken into account to arrive at a more realistic class analysis of real societies. Before proceeding to take account of the “middle” in Indian society, it needs to be reiterated that even though two-class models are simplified representations of reality, they are useful for understanding the basic dynamics of the societies they refer to at a high level of abstraction. For instance, Marx’s analysis of the dynamics of capital accumulation presented in Capital, Volume 1 (Marx, 1992), where he works primarily in terms of two fundamental social classes – the proletariat and the capitalists – is extremely useful in understanding the long term tendencies of capitalist societies.

With these preliminary comments in place, let me propose the following three-class typology as a first approximation to the class structure of contemporary India: the working classes, the ruling classes and the middle classes, the plural being used to draw attention towards the internal heterogeneity of each of these three classes.

Read the entire article

Distant Thunder

Distant Thunder, a film by Satyajit Ray about the Bengal famine, is now available on YouTube. Thanks to Proyect for pointing this out.

CDRO: Encounter Killings and the Question of Justice

The following statement was published at the website of the People’s Union for Democratic Rights on 5 September 2009.  It was issued by the Coordination of Democratic Rights Organizations (C.D.R.O.):

On 3^rd September Justice JS Verma  former Chief Justice of India and former Chairperson of the NHRC spoke on the topic ‘Encounters and the Question of Justice’ at the 24^th Dr. Ramanadham Memorial Meeting  organized by the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) and Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR). Justice Verma focused primarily on the directives issued by NHRC in 1996 regarding investigation of encounter killings on the basis of a petition filed by APCLC based on 285 fake encounter deaths in AP. In February 2009 the AP High Court ruled that FIRs be registered in all cases of encounter killings and the plea of self- defense be proven before a court of law. Justice Verma emphasized that the AP High Court had only restated what was already there in law. Justice Verma expressed his amazement at the Supreme Court’s giving an ex-parte stay on the AP High Court order in response to a petition filed by the AP Police Association seeking a stay on the HC ruling arguing that such an order was de-contextualised and would result in the demoralisation of the police force and growth of Maoists. He pointed out that Ranganath Mishra’s order and the letter of Justice Venkatchaliah are clear on this matter, and that the interim ex-parte stay abrogates article 20,21 and 14 and goes against article 359 (emergency) which clearly lays down that article 20-21 are non-derogable).

Ahmedabad’s Crime Branch, Den of Assassins

I wish to remind you, dear reader, of Tehelka’s investigation into the State’s complicity in the Gujarat pogrom of 2002.  Their investigation provides us with evidence that Ahmedabad’s Crime Branch has been a den of assassins under Modi.

In point of fact, the Crime Branch is responsible for the assassinations of Ishrat Jahan, Javed Shaikh, Amjad Ali Rana, and Jisan Johar.  The Crime Branch assassinated Sohrabuddin and his wife.  Additionally, the Crime Branch supervised the pogrom.

An Open Letter to Dr. Manmohan Singh

The following letter was written by Shabnam Hashmi, a member of National Integration Council, concerning the assassination of Ishrat Jahan by the Gujurati police.  It has been nominally edited to improve readability.

India’s Favourite Fascist, Again

One Myth, at least, the feringhee exploded,
A secret wise men have never betrayed:
Democracy is a form of government in which
Heads are counted, but men never weighed.

This poem by Iqbal embodies the political situation in contemporary Gujarat rather well.  Narendra Modi is the genocidal avatar of the State.  But the avatar metamorphosed, passing from genocide to genocide denial.

African Cannibalism!

Pakistani Public Opinion

In the aftermath of the recent Swat offensive, Graham Usher opined that (Middle East Report, no. 251):

Pakistanis’ historically have been hostile to campaigns against the Taliban, casting them as “America’s war.” But not this time: The army, the civilian government and most Pakistanis, including the largest opposition party, support the Swat offensive. “The atrocities of the Swat Taliban galvanized public opinion,” says Maleeha Lodhi, a former ambassador to the US. “It produced a coincidence of military resolve, political consensus and strong public support. And because the US was not seen as calling the shots in any pronounced way, this helped the government pursue a very aggressive policy.”

Does his view withstand scrutiny?  According to a recent poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan, it seems not.  A probability sample of size 2,662, with responses obtained via face-to-face interviews, was obtained by Gallup Pakistan during the period 26-27 July 2009.  The approximate margin of error was 3 percent.

We observe:

1. 46% either oppose or are neutral towards the military operation by the government against the Taliban;
2. 67% oppose drone attacks;
3. 43% support a dialogue with the Taliban of Swat;
4. 59% believe that the U.S. is the greatest threat for Pakistan.

Let us not delude ourselves.

Let us recognize this situation as a political opportunity to dismantle the oppressions of U.S. Imperialism, the reign of the Pakistani Army, and certain dangerous elements of political Islam.

Let us recall Fanon:  “Come, then, comrades; it would be as well to decide at once to change our ways. We must shake off the heavy darkness in which we were plunged, and leave it behind. The new day which is already at hand must find us firm, prudent and resolute.”

A Delusion of Imperialism

The August 2009 issue of CrisisWatch characterizes Afghanistan as having a “Conflict Risk Alert.”  The meaning of such a claim shall escape a rational observer, given the existence of a war in Afghanistan.  However, let us suppose that “Conflict Risk Alert” means that there is a substantial risk of deterioration in the military situation from the perspective of imperialism.

What are the basic determinants of this “significant escalation of violence”?

Significant escalation of violence ahead of 20 Aug presidential elections; Taliban late month said will attempt to disrupt poll over coming weeks. Large-scale U.S.-led assault on Taliban launched in Helmand River valley 2 July to secure area ahead of elections; parallel UK-led operation in northern Helmand province ended after 5 weeks 27 July. Taliban responded with wave of attacks, with incidents including 25 killed in 9 July Logar province blast; at least 9 killed in 21 July series of attacks on Gardez, Jalalabad govt buildings; 26 July attack on motorcade carrying vice presidential candidate Mohammad Qasim Fahim. At least 71 ISAF troops killed in July, highest monthly toll since 2001 U.S. invasion; UN report 31 July stated 1,013 civilians killed Jan-July 2009, up from 818 in same period 2008. Govt allegedly paid GBP20,000 for late month peace deal with militants in Bala Murghab district, Badghis province.

Thus, neo-Taliban opposition to the “election” is the basic determinant of the escalation of violence and imperialist operations have the aim of setting the conditions for “democracy.”  Quaint.  In point of fact, there is no significant correlation between occurrence of “elections” and changes in military fatalities.

On the contrary, Obama’s surge is the primary determinant of the present wave of violence.

Announcement

The ‘links’ feature has been discontinued.

Peter Temin on the global economic crisis

Temin’s lecture begins at about the 40th minute. He claims that a worrisome aspect of the Obama administration is its mere change of tone (i.e., on matters of economic policy) but that there is a substantial degree of continuity with the Bush administration.

Anwar Shaikh on Marx and the Global Economic Crisis

From Radical Notes:

Anwar Shaikh on Marx and the Global Economic Crisis (video)
by SolidarityUS

Partition

I recently purchased the film Partition, directed by Ken McMullen, from Second Run DVD (GBP 12.99). It is an adaptation of Manto’s short story.  I strongly recommend the film to persons interested in the history and politics of South Asia, especially India and Pakistan.

A synopsis of this film from the website of Second Run:

The tumultuous events surrounding the sub-continent’s partition in 1947 into India and Pakistan are re-imagined in Ken McMullen’s complex and visually striking film.

A lunatic asylum in the city of Lahore becomes a mirror image of events in the outside political world, with the same actors playing both inmates and rulers. Adapted by Tariq Ali and McMullen from famous Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story ‘Toba Tek Singh’, Partition speaks for the countless millions that the usual British Raj films sweep out of sight.

Released to mark the 60th anniversary of the partition of the Indian sub-continent, this is the film’s first-ever release on DVD.

Announcement

Our announcement from June 1st stated that we added a new feature to our blog called ‘Links.’  We also stated that this feature would appear on each weekday at 1600 GMT.  However, such a committment now appears infeasible due to our time constraints.  Instead, we shall strive to generally publish ‘Links’ each Wednesday at 1600 GMT. Moreover, please note that we shall aim to publish a blog entry once per week.

Links for 2009-06-05

• Lenin’s Tomb: When the centre cannot hold
  Any hopes of a revived Labour left during the economic downturn are, in the strictly Freudian sense, an illusion. So, how do we respond to this? New Labour is collapsing, party identity continues to shatter and fragment, the two big parties can no longer expect to dominate the field. What should the left do?
  (tags: Seymour UK politics NewLabour)
• Reuss: The “Revolutionary” Who Wasn’t
  Keynes’ outlook was consistent with political democracy, in the sense of a multiparty system with competitive elections, but not with a very participatory version of it. He was even suspicious of labor-based political parties that—unlike the elite that he imagined standing above all class interests—he denounced as “class” parties. As biographer Robert Skidelsky notes, Keynes believed society could be ruled by an “interconnected elite of business managers, bankers, civil servants, economists and scientists, all trained at Oxford and Cambridge and imbued with a public service ethic.” In other words, he thought it should be ruled by people rather suspiciously like him.
  (tags: D&S Reuss Keynes economics politics)
• PTI: New parliamentary turmoil in Nepal; Madhesi party withdraws support to Govt
  Nepal’s new CPN(UML)-led coalition government plunged into crisis today as the MPRF, which held the key to power with 53 MPs, withdrew support to it following a split in the Madhesi party, nearly two weeks after Madhav Kumar Nepal assumed office following Prachanda’s departure.
  (tags: Nepal SouthAsia PTI politics)
• WSJ: FDIC Pushes Purge at Citi
  The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is pushing for a shake-up of Citigroup Inc.’s top management, imperiling Chief Executive Vikram Pandit, people familiar with the matter said. The FDIC, under Chairman Sheila Bair, also recently pressed a fellow regulator to lower the government’s confidential ranking of Citi’s health — a change that would let regulators control the firm more tightly.
  (tags: USA economics finance money banking WSJ FDIC)
• Proyect: North Korean movies
  To understand North Korea would be more imperative than ever given current events. Just as the film series began, an underground nuclear device was detonated in the north and once again the threat level escalated, including the possibility that freighters would be intercepted on the high seas if they were deemed to be carrying nuclear material.
  (tags: Proyect NorthKorea Film ideology imperialism)

Deaths of U.S. and ‘coalition’ troops significantly increase in 2009 (Update1)

They must destroy the village in order to save it.

According to the most recent issue of CrisisWatch:

U.S. President Obama 10 May announced head of U.S. forces and ISAF, Gen. David McKiernan, to be replaced by Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal; U.S. Sec. Defense Gates said “new approach” needed. Govt said around 100 civilians killed in 4-5 May U.S. airstrikes in Farah province; U.S. 20 May acknowledged “some 20-35” civilian deaths, but said mostly Taliban killed in strike; hundreds protested in Farah, Kabul with ongoing calls for legal framework for foreign presence. At least 20 killed in 12 May multiple suicide bomb attacks on Khost govt buildings. Nominations for Aug presidential, provincial council elections closed 8 May; 44 presidential, over 3,000 local candidates (10% women). President Karzai criticised for choosing ex-warlord Qasim Fahim as 1 of 2 VP running mates. Challengers include ex-finance minister Ashraf Ghani, ex-FM Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai and Pakistan President Zardari met Obama at 6-7 May Washington summit; Obama said next trilateral meeting after Aug elections.

Why Unions Still Matter

Michael D. Yates, author of Why Unions Matter and Associate Editor of Monthly Review, talks to Sasha Lilley of Against the Grain about the importance and complexities of organized labor in the United States.

Against the Grain – Why Unions Matter – June 2, 2009 at 12:00pm

Click to listen (or download)

Links for 2009-06-03

• Lamont: Unicef attacks India’s record on poverty
  India has failed to use a period of high economic growth to lift tens of millions of people out of poverty, falling far short of China’s record in protecting its population from the ravages of chronic hunger, according to United Nations officials. Unicef, the UN’s child development agency, said India, Asia’s third largest economy, had not followed the example of other regional economies such as China, South Korea and Singapore in investing in its people during an economic boom. It said this failure spelled trouble as the global economy deteriorated, while volatile fuel and food prices had already deepened deprivation over the past two years.
  (tags: India SouthAsia FT poverty UN economics)
• Jalali: Winning in Afghanistan
  Seven years into the US-led effort to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan, the mission is on the verge of failing. This unsettling new reality is the result of key international and Afghan actors having for years pursued a narrow strategy focused almost exclusively on short-term goals at the expense of a broader and more cohesive strategy. Afghanistan, consequently, is now plagued by a threat environment shaped and sustained by an expanding insurgency, widespread criminality, ineffective governance, and the absence of a coordinated response to continuing challenges.
  (tags: Afghanistan imperialism militarism USA Parameters AfPak)
• CFR: Geithner’s Speech at Peking University (June 2009)
  Our common challenge is to recognize that a more balanced and sustainable global recovery will require changes in the composition of growth in our two economies. Because of this, our policies have to be directed at very different outcomes. In the United States, saving rates will have to increase, and the purchases of U.S. consumers cannot be as dominant a driver of growth as they have been in the past. In China, as your leadership has recognized, growth that is sustainable growth will require a very substantial shift from external to domestic demand, from an investment and export intensive driven growth, to growth led by consumption.
  (tags: China economics CFR Geithner)
• LiveMint: Privatization possibilities
  So far, the only other noise about privatization has been civil aviation minister of India’s suggestion that the national air carrier, too, may sell some stake. Public sector unit (PSU) Oil India Ltd’s announcement of an initial public offering in September is a welcome sign that the government isn’t treating disinvestment like the untouchable it became last term. But that doesn’t mean privatization is on the top of the government’s priorities.
  (tags: SouthAsia India neoliberalism economics LiveMint)
• The Hindu: Addressing urban poverty
  India’s inequalities are more glaring in its urban areas. The country’s urban poor, according to Planning Commission estimates, number 80 million and constitute 25.70 per cent of the urban population. The socio-economic dynamics of urban poverty are very different and the problems the urban poor face are different from that faced by their rural counterparts who at 220 million form 28.3 per cent of rural population.
  (tags: India SouthAsia poverty duality Hindu)

What’s the Matter with Kansas? It’s a Terrorist State (Update1)

John Nichols of the Nation magazine reports:

Fifteen years ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered a “hit list” circulating among militant anti-abortion  activists. The top target for assassination on the list was Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas physician whose Women’s Health Care Services clinic in Witchita has been one of only three clinics in the United States that performs late-term abortions in order to end the pregnancies of women who doctors determine would suffer irreparable harm by giving birth …

Alas, Dr. Tiller has indeed been assassinated.  The Associated Press reports that “[p]rominent late-term abortion provider George Tiller is shot and killed in a Wichita church where he was serving as an usher.”  Dr. Tiller died at the scene of the crime.