Athens Meeting 18- 20 November 2005, Contribution of DPT
Bahrain
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From: SolidNet, Wednesday, December 07, 2005
http://www.almenber.com , mailto:almenber@almenber.com
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Some Essential Notes In Respect of The International And
Regional Scene:
The Middle East as an example

By Representative of "Democratic Progressive Tribune
Bahrain"

We are all aware that capitalism, the predominant modern
socio- economic system in today's world, is passing through
its highest stage imperialism. It is faced with a
structural and objective crisis that has no cure.
Eventually this last exploiting system in human history
(though it may last for a longer time or a shorter time
than we may think) will be forced to surrender and give
place to a fair, better, and humanitarian system, which is
no other than socialism! But, obviously, this historically
progressive process will not happen overnight,
automatically or without price of struggle to be paid.

Those revolutionaries who are in hurry, grabbing the
process of reality, coercively, from its harmonic context,
following their personal hopes and desires in favour of
subjective factors, with their petty-bourgeois tendency,
are being unfair to their scientific theory; Marxism! They
stand with the determinist camp among extremists and
ultra-leftists. And those who are quite relaxed or well
off, having a luxurious life, harping an evolutionary song,
are standing with social-democrats, opportunists and
centrists (centre-leftists), awaiting the born baby of
socialism from the womb of capitalism!

Few of today's revolutionaries remain who are trying their
best to hold the delicate balance in the complicated
relations between objective and subjective factors. But
this camp, unfortunately, is not always immune to swinging
or fluctuation to left or to right when it comes to
analysing the events of today's complicated contemporary
world and the effort of the capitalist system to adjust,
dominate, rearrange and restructure the situation according
to its own interest and agenda, providing that imperialism
is not capable of changing the direction or process of
history! It never did, simply because the march of history
is according to objective needs, not to the subjective
wishes of human!

Therefore, I think it is possible at some stage of history
or in some geographical area, that capitalism shall be
forced objectively to make some arrangement that may have a
sort of progressive development, for its own interest and
benefit, which coincides with a socio-economic- cultural
improvement; precisely in developing and under- developing
countries where the feudalistic and pre-capitalistic
culture are spread and decisive, thus the historical
necessity and obligation of co-operation between two
antagonist ideology of socialism and liberalism to combat
against the legacy of feudalism in the Middle East!

On this issue I expect from our dear comrades that they
will look thoroughly and deeply when they discuss and
analyse the unprecedented situation in the Middle East, the
Arab and Islamic countries. Accordingly, comrades from that
region are obliged to explain and analyse the deep-rooted
problems of their area; the real hindrance or obstacles
that really stop the advance of this important regionnot
just a ready-made theory of the conspiracy of imperialism
and Zionism but also the feudalistic heritage and culture
that dominate all aspects of people's life. It is
noticeable here very clearly how the ruling class and the
authorities in the Arab world are embracing the ideology of
feudalism and reaction (Islamism and nationalism), and vice
versa!

For instance, the Palestinian extreme-rightist
fundamentalist forces, together with ultra-Arab leftists,
are poking the fire on the face of rational peace forces,
aiding Zionist extremists in destroying any effort towards
a practical solution to the chronic crisis of the Middle
East, in Israel and in the withdrawn territories, helping
them in expanding their ground! Are they not two sides of
one coin? What is really very painful here is to observe
that some communists, who abandoned internationalist
principles a long time ago, having swapped it for
Arab-nationalist sentimentalism, are competing with those
extremists in their nihilistic slogans!

Another example from the New Iraq (after Saddam's
tyrannical regime), which is emerging from the ashes, with
difficulty, painfulness and tragedies! Where is the genuine
international solidarity with the Iraqi people? Especially
progressive forces, specifically the Iraqi Communist Party,
which is functioning in a very tricky, extraordinary
situation, with its heroic struggle against blind
terrorism, for settling and easing the dangerous and
unsecured circumstances, towards establishing civil society
and maintaining basic civil security for the people
firstly, then combating the western occupation and
neighbour-countries' interference, so there would not be
any excuses for foreign occupation to stay longer on the
soil of Iraq!

The tension in Syria?! I would rather not comment, giving a
chance to our two fraternal delegations to contribute. But
would they please excuse me in saying one thing from my
heart! In Syria, as we all know, there was always a quite
strong tradition of being genuine, dedicated communists.
But today they are scattered in three, four or five
parties. Frankly speaking, in Syria today there are nearly
thirty thousand communists; but more than half of them
belong to the "abandoned party"! They preferred to stay
away! So can we imagine, dear comrades, if only Syrian
communists utilize and mobilize their capacity! I'm very
aware of the historical, theoretical and objective factors;
but the talk is about subjective and personal disputes! Why
am I bringing up this example, which could apply in some
other countries as well? It is only because I am proud of
their heroic past. And some repair should be done, sooner
is better.

Finally, a quick trip to my little island, without
repeating the events of the recent years that you all know
already. The very fresh news is the battle to obtain a
moderatenot even "modern"rule or law for family and
personal affairs. All the fundamentalists (Shi'a and
Sunni), who are almost dominant in our society, are
grouping against such regulation, because of the concession
they receive from the reactionary forces in the state and
also because of the weakness in the camp of modernist and
progressive forces, and their hesitancy. Meanwhile the
western powers, specifically the Americans, are siding with
modern and civil society, as well as prominent figures in
the ruling family. One thing is certain: that the battle
towards modernisation will not be an easy task. Bahrain is
only a small place; certainly the surroundings will be
having an important impact on the further development of
the island. But of course the internal co-ordination
between modernist and progressive forces, however small
they are today, will play a quite tangible role in a very
near future.

In conclusion, it is needless to state from this historic
tribune that the unity of progressive and modernist forces,
precisely the unity within our international movement,
beside understanding the characteristic of our era, is the
core of any expected progressive improvement, globally,
regionally, or in each country, to stop or at least to slow
down the domination and expanding military imperialism and
to defeat reaction and reactionary backwardness.