[WSMDiscuss] -Towards an Internationalist Response to Covid 19, Climate Crisis and the New Right

Sat Apr 4 14:50:50 CEST 2020

Dear Comrades more resources from South Africa on renewing a new internationalism. I chair the board of the Cooperative and Policy Alternative Centre which hosts the Left Dialogue Forum, involving frontline activists in the country.

Last month, COPAC hosted the Left Dialogue Forum which brought together a small group of important thinkers on the left both international and South African, to discuss some of the challenges facing the left and ways forward. All sessions were recorded and uploaded, this now allows you to join the left dialogue. Share your thoughts and lets keep the conversation going, Towards An Internationalist Response to the New Right, Climate Crisis and COVID 19!

Welcome, Introductions and Objectives: https://youtu.be/wStja5VnZZo

Session 1: The Conjuncture of Crisis: Rising authoritarianism, fascism and the politics of hate. (Nivedita Menon, Ingar Solty, Zelda Holtzman, Vishwas Satgar): https://youtu.be/x-GZ_8MZJmg

Session 2: For a New Internationalism 1: Learning lessons from anti-apartheid solidarity and movement building – Lisa Brock (Skype), Gunnett Kaaf, Natalya Dinat: https://youtu.be/Beh7iNJ4jaU

Session 3: For a New Internationalism 2: Worsening climate crisis: How do we build and advance a global Climate Justice movement – (Patrick Bond, Ferrial Adam): https://youtu.be/lHUFr1Vgsag

Session  4: Renewing internationalism 3: Towards a new international political vehicle?  – Quincy Saul, Mamdouh Habashi, Heikki Patomäki (Skype): https://youtu.be/cntoGOgi0n4

Session 5: Workshop of proposals

Answers to these questions

(i) What lessons can we learn from historical experiences of internationalism?

(ii) Why do we need a renewed internationalism today?

(iii) How do we build convergence between the Eco-socialist International, 5th International process and the World Party initiative?

(iv) How do we take the conversation forward on a new internationalism?

https://youtu.be/DjpHYTYGG0M

Left Dialogue think pieces are available here: https://copac.org.za/blog/

One of the crucial outcomes from this engagement was the challenge of  building  convergence, in struggle, with the Eco-Socialist International, the 5th International Process and the call for a World Party. Crucially we have ensured the 5th International process actively engages the Eco-socialist International process and as a result Quincy Saul , who was representing the latter at the Left Dialogue Forum, is  in conversation with the interim convening committee of the 5th International.  Hopefully this list can dive into the conversation !

Solidarity

Vish

South Africa

From: WSM-Discuss <wsm-discuss-bounces at lists.openspaceforum.net> on behalf of vishwas satgar <copac at icon.co.za>
Reply to: Discussion list about emerging world social movement <wsm-discuss at lists.openspaceforum.net>
Date: Tuesday, 31 March 2020 at 18:49
To: Discussion list about emerging world social movement <wsm-discuss at lists.openspaceforum.net>
Subject: Re: [WSMDiscuss] -Towards an Internationalist Response to Covid 19, Climate Crisis and the New Right

Dear Comrades

Hope you all keeping safe. Thank you Jai for reaching out to me and  inviting me to this list. 

There are two resources I want to give background  to as a basis for engagement. 

The first is volume 3 in the Democratic Marxism series entitled: Climate Crisis – South African and Global Democratic Eco-socialist Alternatives. Freely available here: http://oapen.org/search?identifier=1000474

The premise of this volume recognises certain limits, contradictions and ambiguities in Marxs conception of nature as expressed in the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. His ontology can therefore  be enriched by being in dialogue with ecological feminism, indigenous thought and anti-capitalism more generally. Moreover, the volume underlines that democratic eco-socialism is also in the making amongst subaltern movements and is not just about re-reading Marx and ensuring the ecological reconstruction of Marxist theory. In the global south movements are championing systemic alternatives such as food sovereignty, climate jobs, rights of nature, socially owned renewable energy, participatory democracy and more. This horizon of struggle is converging with the Covid 19 struggle. It was aptly raised by Ashish Kothari in this piece:    https://thewire.in/environment/we-will-survive-the-coronavirus-we-need-to-make-sure-we-survive-ourselves

The fifth volume in the Democratic Marxism series entitled: BRICS and the New US Imperialism – Global Rivalry and Resistance was just published. Freely available here: http://oapen.org/search?identifier=1007788

The volume affirms the crisis of the  US hegemonic cycle and the limits of the BRICS configuration. More importantly it underlines the importance of resistance from below. In this volume we are opening up a debate about a post World Social Forum Internationalism. We publish two essays, one by the later Samir Amin calling for a non-vanguardist Fifth International and the other by Chris Dunn on a New Vessel. The Climate Crisis, the shift towards a new right and the Corvid 19 crisis exposes the glaring weaknesses of left internationalism including of the World Social Forum. Its time we debate and struggle for a new internationalism. I hope this volume assists as a resource in that regard. 

To conclude : can we work towards and build an  internationalist response to Covid 19, Climate Crisis and the New Right?

Your thoughts would be appreciated. 

Take care

Vishwas Satgar

South Africa

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