A Theory of Transnational Revolution by Kees van der Pijl

“The ‘end of the Cold War’ here assumes a new meaning, since these revolts can no longer be denounced as ‘Moscow-backed’ and treated accordingly. It may well be that we are in the midst of an important turn of events in which, on a truly global scale, the limits of the capitalist mode of production are being brought to light – not by revolutionary governments of existing states, but by people having to sustain the ecological and social foundations of their bare existence threatened by a rapacious and irresponsible economic discipline. While still in its early stages, and as yet incapable of formulating a political vision beyond the rule of capital, what we witness today may well evolve into a real revolutionary self-assertion of peoples articulating the affirmation of their diversity with a true universalism, that of planetary survival.”

Sultangaliev and his fellow Eastern revolutionaries had once opposed to their Western comrades’ argument that revolutions in the West would eventually bring freedom and equality to the oppressed people and the wretched of the World. Their counter argument was that the real World Revolution will be brought about by revolutions that will take place in the periphery and ultimately surround the capitalist centre. Today, dialectically, we are witnessing simultaneous revolutions in the Global South which is the transnational space of resistance and alternatives literally embedded everywhere, including the metropolis of the centre. This might be the arrival of the transnational World Revolution as anticipated by Kees van der Pijl in his  1996 article posted below.

 

1997 Transnational revolution – Rosenstock

 

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