They were different conditions and times, but when I was in the Communist Party we made some of the same arguments in defending the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries as the authors do here in their defense of the anti-imperialists governments in Latin America. It didn’t work out so well for us or them back then. Our approach was defensive. Our sense of solidarity lacked nuance and complexity. And space for critical judgement was nearly non-existent. I’m not familiar with the conversation that the authors cite so I can’t comment on the particulars, but I do believe that the subject of internationalist solidarity in this century requires some fresh thinking.
Written by
Sam Webb
I'm a long-time socialist and activist, but new to the blogging world. I hope to bring a different perspective on politics, sports, culture, and Marxism. Besides blogging, I also leave plenty of time for swimming, hiking, ESPN, music, reading, drinking good beer, and, not least, my family and friends. I wish I could play basketball, but my knees ruled out that possibility long ago.
While I currently reside in New York, my politically formative years were spent in Portland, Me. and Detroit during the 1970s and 1980s. I graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia (where I played basketball) and received a MA in economics from the University of Connecticut.
I was the national chairperson of the Communist Party, USA from 2000 until 2014 when I stepped down at the convention. In 2016 I resigned from the Communist Party two years later. We were no longer on the same page.
