Author: Keith Preston
Far Left Media Is Dying Because Gen-Z Is Too Conservative 6
Will the rise of Generation Z mark the death of SJWism? Is the PC/SJW/Antifa phenomenon simply the final stage in the backlash against the “old world” that existed before the cultural revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, and which has now become status quo?
It is necessary for anarchists and libertarians to oppose authoritarianism wherever it emerges. In the 1950s, it was racism and McCarthyism. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was the draft and the Vietnam War, Nixonism, and COINTELPRO. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was Reaganism, the War on Drugs, the “Satanic panic,” the religious right, Clintonism, and the “war on crime.” In the 2000s, it was the neconservatives and the War on Terrorism. In the past decade or so, left-wing authoritarianism of the SJW variety has become pervasive. In the future, it could become something else. For instance, “anti-sex trafficking” hysteria seems to be on the rise, or perhaps SJWism could create a right-wing backlash of the kind that has already been partially observed by the emergence of Trumpism, the Alt-Right/Lite, etc. Eternal vigilance.
Far Left Media Is Dying Because Gen-Z Is Too Conservative. Study after study shows the trend, generation z is becoming conservative and mostly resembles libertarians or moderate Republicans. This is a dramatic shift from Millennials who are overwhelmingly progressive. What happens then is that these companies cannot grow or attract new readers because young people do not want far left media. The outcome is obvious, these companies are laying people off and collapsing. While social justice is something most people agree with, the regressive left is too authoritarian and off putting.
Critiquing Left-wing Authoritarianism is Essential to Anarchism Reply
The foundation of anarchism should be a commitment to anti-authoritarian values generally, not just opposition to “right-wing authoritarianism.” Far too many anarchists are simply “conventional progressives, minus the state” and even the anti-statism of many “anarcho-social democrats” is questionable. Left-wing authoritarianism has been a plague on radical movements for more than two centuries. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the critiques of left-wing authoritarianism that have been developed over time.
One of the first and most important works of this kind was Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France. The writings of Max Stirner and Friedrich Nietzsche provided an analysis of left-wing politics as a expression of secularized religiosity. Early anarchist criticisms of Marxism are also an important part of this history, particularly the critique of Marxism offered by Bakunin. In the 20th century, a range of writers from the left and right created critiques of Communist authoritarianism. The writings of Arthur Koestler are among the most interesting of these.
Many anarchists, even those of a hard left variety, are aware of the history of Communist totalitarianism (although such tendencies are also making something of a comeback in leftist circles as well, and are presently infesting the anarchist milieu in various ways). However, many anarchists are oblivious to the fact that the tradition of leftist authoritarianism is far more than merely Bolshevism or Stalinism. Hence, most anarchists have no intellectual armor against the influence of critical theory and “cultural Marxism.”
The Marxism That Must Not Be Named 1
History repeating itself as a tragedy and a farce. The principal weakness of most contemporary anarchists is their failure to recognize that any set of values can be turned toward authoritarian ends, not just conservative ones, and any kind of group can act in an authoritarian manner, not just traditionally hegemonic ones. Here’s the money quote from this article:
“And if all the volumes of scholarship are not enough, the parallels between Marxism-Leninism and cultural Marxism are obvious:
- Both eliminate freedom of thought and expression and attempt to impose totalitarianism on their suffering subjects, as we see on too many American university campuses. Stalin’s and Mao’s tyranny was more oppressive than Hitler’s or Mussolini’s and killed far more people, probably at least ten times as many.
- Both see history as a product of only one factor, in Marxism-Leninism ownership of the means of production and in cultural Marxism which groups, defined by race and gender, have power over which other groups.
- Both define some groups of people as good and others as evil regardless of what individuals do. Marxism-Leninism defines workers and peasants as good and capitalists and members of the middle class (the hated bourgeoisie) as evil, while cultural Marxism says whites, males, heterosexuals, and non-feminist women are evil while blacks, third world immigrants, gays, and feminists are good.
The War on Terrorism is a Complete Loss for the Empire Reply
After 17 years and a series of failed wars, the number of Sunni fundamentalist terrorists is larger than it was in 2001.
By William S. Lind
Traditional Right
An article in the November 21 New York Times revealed two aspects of our ongoing strategic failure in Fourth Generation war. First, it quoted a new study by CSIS that found the number of Sunni 4GW fighters has grown, not shrunk, since we began the “war on terror” on 9/11:
Nearly four times as many Sunni Islamic militants are operating around the world today as on Sept. 11, 2001, despite nearly two decades of American-led campaigns to combat Al Qaeda and the Islamic state, a new independent study concludes.
That amounts to as many as 230,000 Salafi jihadist fighters in nearly 70 countries, according to the study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. . .
. . .the Islamic State remains the predominant threat, with as many as about 40,000 members globally this year, up from 30,200 in 2014, when the group’s fighters seized the northern third of Iraq.
Second, the Times turned to another study to look at what our current strategy has cost:
Last week, Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs released its annual report, the Cost of War study, in which it calculated that the United States will have spent $5.9 trillion on activities related to the global counter terrorism campaign by October 2019.
So, the war of attrition waged largely from the air that is our chosen 4GW strategy has, in seventeen years, cost us almost $6 trillion (not billion) while multiplying our Islamic enemies fourfold. Can we see this as anything other than strategic failure on a grand scale?
Keith Preston: UAE embassy reopening, US pullout prove failure of anti-Syria plots Reply
Press TV. Listen here.
The UAE’s reopening of its embassy in Syria and the US announcement that it will withdraw its forces from the country reflect the failure of plots targeting the government of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, says an American analyst.
“What has happened is that over the past seven years…, the United Arab Emirates as well as other [Persian] Gulf states have attempted to weaken and destroy the government of President [Bashar] al-Assad in Syria,” Keith Preston told Press TV from Virginia on Thursday.
The Syrian Information Ministry announced on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates had officially reopened its embassy for the first time since 2011.
The UAE closed down its embassy after Syria was hit by a foreign-backed militancy in 2011. The UAE have Saudi Arabia have for long been accused of funding militants fighting to topple the Syrian administration.
“Clearly, that objective has failed,” Preston said, adding their hopes that Washington could realize the plot have also been dashed.
“They were hoping that the Americans would eliminate the government of Syria, but that has failed,” he said.
US President Donald Trump has announced that has ordered a full and rapid withdrawal of troops from Syria.
“So, they’re trying a different strategy at this point…they’re backtracking,” Preston said. adding, “And the reason for this is essentially an admission of defeat by the UAE. They realized that the Assad government is going to remain in power and that they’re going to have to deal with this particular government.”
Preston also said the Syrian government’s victory is likely to push it closer to the nations and groups that have helped it win the war, including Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
“And I think that the UAE is also concerned that the American withdrawal is going to strengthen the position of Syria and strengthen the position of Syria’s allies in the region, and now, they’re thinking that they’re going to have to try extend the olive branch or the carrot rather than the stick,” the pundit noted.
Preston finally said he suspected that other Persian Gulf monarchies will be following in Abu Dhabi’s footsteps in reestablishing diplomatic ties with Damascus.
The Case for Bottom Up Anti-Imperialism 5
By Keith Preston
Recently, a reader of Attack the System offered the following questions and comments:
“Keith Preston,
Why do you and other radical, ostensibly libertarian anti-war types, leap to the defense of the authoritarian BRICS countries, anti-propertarian movements in Latin America, Duginist shills, and other slave-minded untermensch? Reading the work of Marxist-Leninists as primers on strategy is one thing. Their revolutions succeeded, and it is essential to learn from them. But for godsakes let the neocons eradicate our Marxist blood enemies, while we gather our strength.
You frequently repeat your desire to create a non-aligned movement, one which I believe we share, but if your model is the so-called “non-aligned movement” that amounted to little more than Soviet controlled opposition, I find it reasonable to say you are more interested in an anti-American movement than a powerful, effective non-aligned one. If that’s what you want, national anarchists risk falling into a similar trap that snuffed out the Strasserites and classical anarchists, though perhaps it won’t be as lethal.
I am not interested in defending the Atlanticist foreign policy establishment. They are very frequently wrong, and disastrously so. But perhaps a handful is sincere in their desire for an open society, and I desire to give credit where it’s due. I’ll give them credit for supporting “nazis” in Ukraine, and Kurdish separatists in Iraq. However disastrous the war in Afghanistan has been, it has kept Winnie the Pooh at bay, and restraining the Chinese is essential. If there is an immediate, voluntarist solution to that problem, let me know.
I also count the suppression of Latin American Marxism, among the establishment’s few good deeds. As someone interested in decentralization and subsidiarity, I hope to see Bolsonaro’s Brasil take over the leading role in fighting communism south of the Panama Canal, from the USA. However I’m realistic, and know the chances of the USA handing off a torch to anyone are almost zero.
Keith’s Vision of Pan-Anarchism Part 3: After the State, what next? Reply
Todd Lewis is joined by Keith Preston for part 3 of our series on Pan-Anarchism. Today’s topic will be what would life be in an anarchist society.
Canada, US urge china to release its detained nationals Reply
Canada has called for the immediate release of two of its nationals detained in China. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland called the detentions arbitrary and a source of deep concern. The two were detained after Canada arrested chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei in Vancouver. Freeland warned that the detention of the Huawei executive is not political. She added that Ottawa respects its extradition treaty with the US. The Huawei official was arrested after the U-S requested her extradition allegedly for violating anti-Iran sanctions. The US state department echoed Canada’s call on Friday, saying Beijing should immediately release the Canadian nationals.
Keith Preston: US looking to add Ukraine to NATO, encircle Russia Reply
Press TV. Listen here.
he United States is planning to add Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as part of its plan to encircle Russia, an American political analyst says.
Keith Preston, director of the Attackthesystem.com, made the remarks while discussing Washington’s decision to provide an additional $10 million in military aid to Ukraine.
Announcing the decision on Friday, the US State Department said the money would be used to boost its naval capability, after Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships off the coast of Crimea in the Sea of Azov last month.
The Sea of Azov is a strategic ocean route linked to the Black Sea by the narrow Strait of Kerch where Russia has built a bridge to link the Crimean Peninsula with the mainland.
Tensions escalated earlier this year after Ukraine detained two Russian ships for port calls on Crimea, which rejoined Russia in a 2014 referendum.
The move prompted Russia to increase patrols off its Azov coast to guarantee free navigation by Russian ships.
“What’s being done here it seems is that the Americans are using the situation with Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian ships as a pretext for expanding America’s own involvement in the Ukraine through providing million in military aide,” Preston told Press TV on Sunday.
“The objective of the United States appears to be to eventually incorporate Ukraine into NATO,” he added.
Noting that the US was trying to encircle Russia by strategically placing weapons and equipment in NATO countries, Preston said Ukraine plays a key role in those plans.
“I think that the ultimate objective is to bring all of the former Soviet republics… into NATO,” he argued. “Because the United States has, since the end of the Cold War, consistently been trying to expand NATO right up to Russia’s border.”
He said the US was not concerned about the Ukrainian ships and just used it as an excuse to get involved.
Trump is right to withdraw US troops from Syria Reply
The consensus of opinion among the Important People is that Trump’s withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan is a blunder, which means that Trump’s move is obviously correct. The Guardian is refreshingly sensible.
By Trevor Timm
The Guardian
Donald Trump unexpectedly announced that the US would be pulling its troops out of Syria on Wednesday, and the entire national security establishment exploded in anger that one of our many wars may be ending.
Members of Congress, like Republican senators Bob Corker and Lindsey Graham – who have never met a war they didn’t like – are furious that Congress wasn’t consulted in the decision. Members of the media have proclaimed that the “winners” here are Assad and Putin, despite the fact that the stated mission in Syria was never to fight them in the first place. And pundit after pundit derided that this decision is a win for terrorists, with no thought to whether we are creating just as many terrorists by being there at all.
Lost in the discussion was any semblance of questioning whether it’s in America’s interests to have thousands of troops fighting and dying in yet another Middle Eastern country. Does anyone know what the long-term military strategy in Syria would be, or how we would ever exit?
Humanity against People Reply
Some very good class analysis from Denis Rancourt.
By Denis Rancourt
Dissident Voice
Thanks to the Gilets jaunes in France, a few astute social theorists are finally being heard on YouTube, despite mainstream resistance and diversion. They are finding words more lucidly than could be achieved in the absence of such revolutionary upheaval.
I’m referring to the renowned French economic analyst and essayist Charles Gave who, in his near-twilight years, has broken rank with his class in order to impart a penetrating and devastating analysis of the current French melt-down, based on the original work of French social geographer and author Christophe Guilluy.1
Guilluy has been describing an emerging Gilets jaunes backlash for some fifteen years, through his analysis of the class structure, and its geographical, demographic and ideological basis, in France; which is virtually identical in most Western nations, certainly the UK, Canada, the USA and many more.2
Basically, what was a relatively stable, balanced and integrated post-second-world-war working-class / middle-class / professional-class / managerial-class societal structure, has, over the course of several decades, and accelerated by the fall of the Soviet Union, devolved into three classes separated by large geographical, wage, ideological and mobility gaps.
The People’s Square – “ATTACK THE SYSTEM” with Keith Preston Reply
A recent interview. This is a bit long, over two hours.
The Syria Withdrawal: Three Cheers Reply
Scott Horton is interviewed by Tom Woods. Predictably, this is the best overview and discussion of Trump’s withdrawal from Syria so far, including a discussion of Rojava and Chomsky’s endorsement of US intervention on behalf of the Kurds. Listen here.
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Scott Horton joins me to discuss the reality of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, and the hysterical establishment response, from center-left to center-right. We also discuss fears about the fate of the Kurds, whose safety has been used to justify a continued U.S. presence.
About the Guest
Scott Horton, managing director of the Libertarian Institute, is the host of Antiwar Radio on KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles, and Opinion Editor of Antiwar.com. The Scott Horton Show features daily interviews on foreign policy from a libertarian perspective.
Read the original article at TomWoods.com. http://tomwoods.com/ep-1309-the-syria-withdrawal-three-cheers/
Kick the Puppy Episode 15 2
12.16.18
Senate votes to end support for Saudi war on Yemen/passes resolution condemning Saudis for Khashoggi murder, Saudi Arabia still sells castrated black slaves, Trump’s legal woes worsen, Trump says “the people would revolt” if he were impeached, Utah reduces DUI limit to .05, Tommy Chong on Canada’s weed legalization and underground market, California considers a tax on texting, feminists think sexist men are sexier than “woke” men, the new generation of Unabomber acolytes, Charles Manson and the white cult, Antifa VS Anonymous, left-right gen pop anxiety, Taylor Swift tracked stalkers with facial recognition at her concert, the Kardashians, 20 men brought up on gun charges stemming from Houston rappers music video, country pop music, ‘racist’ Gandhi statue removed from University of Ghana, anarchists helped Californian fire refugees in a Walmart parking lot where people were already living, Walmarts are the new mining camps, technocrats are the new robber barons, mass democracy.
Anarchism and the Mentally Ill 1
By Nicky Reid aka Comrade Hermit
Exile in Happy Valley
Like many of my posts, I’m writing this piece from the clerical unit of my local psych rehab. There are all kinds of people here around me; black, white, old, young. But the one thing we all have in common, the one thing that brings us all together here, is that, for lack of a better word, we’re all fucking nuts. Schizophrenia, bipolar, a vast rainbow across the autism spectrum, I personally enjoy a zesty melange of depression, social anxiety, gender dysphoria, and agoraphobia that have plagued me for most of my life and my family for generations. We come here for a lot of reasons, for work, for recovery, but mostly we come here to belong. Because it’s the one place where we can be who we are without fear of being censured by a society that has deemed us defective.
I am mentally ill, dearest motherfuckers. But what does that really mean in this day and age. In the modern world, a mentally ill person is essentially someone who is pathologically ill equipped to take part in society. But considering the state of society, is that really a disability? We live in a country that prizes mindless obedience to authority and no holds barred consumption to the point of ecological genocide. If you ask me, the people who aren’t freaked out are the fucking sickos.
Keith’s Vision of Pan-Anarchism Part 2: Independence 1
Todd Lewis continues with part 2 of a series with Keith Preston on pan-anarchism dealing with how he envisions Independence or the abolition of the state occurring.
Godspeed William Blum Reply
By Nicky Reid aka Comrade Hermit
William Blum, a role model, a hero, and the author of my favorite book, Killing Hope, died this past week at 85 in Arlington, VA, from complications related to kidney failure. Blum pulled zero punches when it came to his acidic criticism of America’s imperialist foreign policy or its shameless defenders in the mainstream media, like the loathsome New York Times, those fine folks who brought you the Iraq War, who penned a pissy little obituary about a real journalist titled, “William Blum, US Policy Critic Cited by Bin Laden, Dies at 85“. I sincerely hope that I’m not alone when I wish those creeps blackouts, toothaches. and indigestion for Christmas. Morons like Mr. Sam Roberts aren’t fit to dig Blum’s grave, much less piss on it.
Unraveling Political Theory – Who Bears The Burden Of Responsibility In The 21st Century? 3
In episode 16 of Unraveling Political Theory, Tim and Keith will be discussing the burden of responsibility and asking with whom the responsibility should lie in the 21st century. To understand the world of politics and change it for the better, it’s paramount that people begin to study political theory and the ways in which it has manifest throughout history up into the present day. By bringing light to the origins of political and philosophical thought, the present day becomes all the more explainable because one is now able to see the logical progression of such manifestations.
Turkish Ambassador Summoned by Iraqi Government Over Airspace Violations Reply
How Leftists Learned to Love Le Pen Reply
This article is almost two years old but relevant to current events. Has the “far right” become the “new left” now that the Left has largely fallen down on the job? On an international level, if neoliberalism has become the standard, and if the traditional left has largely been coopted and absorbed by neoliberalism, is populism the “new left” in terms of domestic politics of Western countries? And is Eurasianism the “international left” when it comes to global geopolitics?
By Katy Lee and Claire Sergent
Foreign Policy
The leader of the French far-right National Front (FN) party Marine Le Pen visits on March 20, 2015 a farm in the northwestern French town of Juilley ahead of the ahead of the March 22 and 29 departemental local elections. AFP PHOTO/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU. (Photo credit should read CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images)
HAYANGE, France — The towers of the ArcelorMittal steel mill loom over the little town of Hayange, silent and shuttered. Few people stopped to chat on a recent winter day — the streets were shrouded in an icy fog — but those who paused summarized life here succinctly: There has been little work since the blast furnaces at the mill were shut down in 2013, and little hope either.
“Everyone is sick of it,” said Pascal, who declined to give his last name, leaning on the door of his tattoo parlor. “100 percent I am going to vote for Marine Le Pen.”
Richard Cantillon, the Most Important Economist You’ve Never Heard Of 1
Richard Cantillon, the Most Important Economist You’ve Never Heard Of
Jp Cortez
Richard Cantillon is the most important economist you’ve never heard of.
Born in Ireland sometime in the mid- to late-1600s, Richard Cantillon’s contributions to economics are found in his major work, Essai sur la Nature du Commerce en General (Essay on the Nature of Commerce in General).
In 1734, Cantillon was mysteriously murdered by a disgruntled former employee, and his home was set ablaze. Essai, which survived the fire, was published in 1755.
Cantillon’s work went on to influence Adam Smith and other well-known economists. Essai included his observations on production and consumption, money and interest, international trade and business cycles, and inflation.
We have a basic understanding of inflation and its effects. Put simply, inflation is an increase in the money supply.
An increase in the supply of money that isn’t met with an increase in the demand for money necessarily leads to price inflation, ceteris paribus. Said another way, prices rise as new money is introduced, all other things being equal.
However, this cursory understanding of inflation only paints half the picture. A less discussed aspect of this process is not only that the monetary supply has increased, but how. The entry point of new money into the economy has profound implications.
