Yesterday’s post on the American Left’s role in leading regime change in the Middle East began as some research into the union role in toppling the government of Tunisia and to confirm a suspicion that there may be a link to the uprisings in Egypt. After all, aren’t all “peoples’ uprisings” spontaneous and, you know, organic?
Wait. What’s that you say? Regime change isn’t organic? You mean 21st Century Statecraft is real and that our own State Department is behind involved in it?!?
Well, with a Million Man Egyptian March planned for Tuesday, and given the fact that the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center has been involved in fostering an Egyptian union movement for some time, today’s AFL-CIO congratulatory post should come as no surprise:
Representatives of the Egyptian union movement announced they are forming a new labor federation, the Federation of Egyptian Trade Unions, which will represent workers in more than a dozen industries and enterprises. The federation also plans to set a date for a nationwide general strike for democracy and fundamental rights. Many people believe the labor demonstrations in the past two years played a significant role in giving Egyptian citizens courage to stand up to the government.
In a letter today to Egyptian union leaders Kamal Abbas and Kamal Abu Eita, recipients of last year’s George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka praised the workers’ “extraordinary courage and defiance of a ban on free and independent unions.”
But, of course, all of this is happening spontaneously, right? Just an organic uprising with no coordination or pre-planning. And, of course, along with those American Marxists out protesting in a dozen cities with their ready-made signs, Egyptian union federations are somehow formed in the middle of political chaos without any prior planning or formal structure. That happens all the time.
Perhaps some self-congratulatory back-slapping back at the White House AFL-CIO is more in order…(At least for trying to give the appearance that they’re not involved with regime change.)
The world cannot wait to see what kind of socialist government will be elected.
But, of course, nothing is being planned here, right?…
We are fighting for socialism, a system where the wealth of society belongs to those who produce it—the workers—and is used in a planned and sustainable way for the benefit of all. In place of greed, domination and exploitation, we stand for solidarity, friendship and cooperation between all peoples.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation seeks to bring together leaders and organizers from the many struggles taking place across the country. The most crucial requirement for membership is the dedication to undertake this most important and most necessary of all tasks—building a new revolutionary workers’ party in the heart of world imperialism.
At the same time as we aim for revolution in this country, we stand for defense of the existing workers’ states, the national liberation movements, and for workers and oppressed people around the world. The magnitude of our tasks will be matched by our determination to win.
Heck, with two governments being toppled within a month’s time, at this rate, we might just see a union-made new world order, complete with a freshly-minted green economy by the time 2012 rolls around!
Oh, in case you missed the link to the video on 21st Century Statecraft above, here it is…
[Oh. Sorry. Were we still supposed to pretend things happen spontaneously?]
Photo credit: Purpleslog
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“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776
