A 21st Century Left Rises: Syriza’s Victory and Its Relevance for the U.S. and the World

[marmar]

from truthdig:


A 21st Century Left Rises: Syriza’s Victory and Its Relevance for the U.S. and the World
Posted on Jan 27, 2015

By Alan Minsky


The Greek election Sunday night produced a historic moment, one that millions of people have long awaited: Syriza’s triumph was the first time that a radical-left party has won an election in Europe since the Cold War began (and arguably, ever). The euphoric celebrations in Athens came as no surprise—very little lifts people’s hearts like the dream of a truly egalitarian society.

Of course, after five years of economic austerity, life in Greece these days is more nightmare than dream.

Now that the Greek people have defied the global ruling class by electing Syriza, the question shifts to whether the coordinated forces of global neoliberal capitalism will allow an alternative economic model to take root, one that prioritizes the welfare of the common people over that of the 1 percent. What happens next in the country where democracy was born is of the utmost importance to people around the world, including in the oligarchic United States.

Before addressing the extremely difficult circumstances facing the next Greek government, let’s stay focused on why this moment is so huge—and not just because it will roil international markets and destabilize the euro. Those things are very important, but let’s think even bigger. ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/a_21st_century_left_rises_syrizas_victory_and_its_relevance_for_the_us_an

[malaise]

1. This is a MUST READ article - long but well worth it

Bookmarked.

There's a fabulous book by Helen Meiksens-Wood - Democracy against Capitalism: Renewing Historical Materialism where she looks at early Greek Democracy and shows the fundamental differences between it and Capitalist Democracy.

http://www.cambridge.org/ae/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/political-theory/democracy-against-capitalism-renewing-historical-materialism

We will need genuine democratic processes for fundamental economic changes to succeed,

[TooPragmatic]

2. Not that big of a change

I see it more like reliving Obama 2008. Big promises and a lot of flare but soon Syriza and other New Left movements and parties will either compromise for smaller gains and possibly make a small dent on the status quo and become part of it.

Or they will unravel the entire system and things will get much worse.

Time will tell, but I have no faith in Syriza, and other parties like it, to get a system they dream of.

[el_bryanto]

3. What sort of parties do you have faith in? nt

[TooPragmatic]

6. No party loyalty...

But pragmatic small steps. I understand and have a lot of sympathy for Greeks and the hardships they've gone through, but Syriza and it supporters have a platform that is in my mind something that will not work as it is. In general many parties in the right and left seem to be more interested in getting everything that they can get from the EU and ignore its own policies or just braking the whole thing up.

I want reforms but I see it best happening when working for credible solutions that isn't about attacking someone but creating something new. Syriza does have an opportunity to do this and overall I think they can bring a alternative to austerity if they push it forward within the EU and not just outside of it. Syriza needs to start with fixing Greece and not by making ultimatums to the rest of Europe.

Syriza reminds me of a 20th century western communist party promising free stuff with nationalistic leanings rather than a 21st century leftist party with new ideas on welfare models and a push to a fair globalized cooperation and peaceful existence.

In the long run I would like to see a Europe that would be more integrating and people would stop operating as individual states with some mutual benefits to an actual union where we would a actually think of ourselves as fellow Europeans. The current structure of the EU doesn't allow it and Syriza to me doesn't help at the moment.

[socialist_n_TN]

5. Yeah, I kind of agree. Syriza isn't anywhere NEAR left enough......

We actually need a party organization that CHALLENGES world-wide capitalism from the bottom up. A party like the original Bolsheviks. Syriza ain't it.

[el_bryanto]

4. That article is very good

I would like to see more of an explanation of why Greece went for austerity so hard; i.e. what challenges does the new Greek Government face? But it's still well worth reading.

Bryant

[TooPragmatic]

7. Partly Troika, partly Greece

Greece has been and still is very corrupt in western standards. Rather than breaking this up and attacking tax evasion the previous government in Greece went after the government jobs and social safety nets and also started to privatize aggressively. The Troika (ECB, the European Commission and IMF) made demands on the sums and gave some suggestions, but ultimately it was the government itself that made these decisions.

Syriza is an outsider party and for that reason I think it could bring change within Greece and bring those who have used the Greek system to their advantage down. What I do fear is that Syriza simply would replace this system with a corrupt system of their own. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened.

It is very common and easy to simply attack the Troika and Germany with Angela Merkel. People create this Neo-liberal conspiracy, which I just can't find a reason to believe in. I would say that many of these Neo-liberals are either dumb, ignorant or just don't see the harm they are causing because they live in a bubble. Or to put it another way they are human and they just happen to be in charge of a situation where they make bad choices. That is also why I don't see reason to paint these people as evil. They have caused bad things, but i don't think that was the goal.

[socialist_n_TN]

8. Good analysis. This article clearly shows that Syriza is NOT Marxist.....

but is merely Keynesian economically. And the problem with Keynesianism is that it doesn't work over the long haul, in historical terms. IOW, no matter how well left Keynes policies worked to improve the status of most people, they are actually antithetical to the basic laws of capitalism and so are always in danger of being thrown out of the economic mix.

The success of Keynes' policies and their failure to be adhered to over the long term proves my adage about "regulating" capitalism. It's like riding a tiger. It's VERY difficult to do and you're always in danger of being eaten. Until the masses understand that capitalism will ALWAYS shake off regulation over the long term and you will have what we have now OVER AND OVER AGAIN, we WILL have this problem OVER AND OVER AGAIN. There's only one solution and that socialist revolution. Unless you want to condemn your grandchildren to this same fight that is.

And that's why Syriza and Podemos don't go NEARLY far enough. Because they have proven that they are NOT anti-capitalist, mere anti-neoliberal capitalist. The problem comes because these "reform" movements try to make capitalism something it's not rather than get rid of it all together. Neoliberal capitalism IS capitalism and Keynesian capitalism is the deformity of capitalism.