Cliffism

The bickering, backstabbing and pseudo-intellectual debate of student socialism.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Bhutto & Pakistani politics

Linked is a response to Benziar Bhutto’s assassination from the International Socialists in Pakistan. It stands out from most reports of both the left and the mainstream in focusing on how it will effect the movement against the dictatorship. It also explains the dubious role both Benziar and the Pakistan Peoples Party have played in the recent period.

Despite the neo-liberal policies she implemented and continues to support she was closely associated with opposition to the dictatorship. Her death will be seen as a direct blow against the movement and an attempt to drive politics off the streets. The left faces the difficult task of responding to the assassination without being co-opted by liberal imperialist opinion.

Here is a background piece by Chris Harmen