In response to a lecture by well-known Marxian scholar Vijay Prashad, who is director of Tricontinental, originally a Cuban journal which now seeks to serve what is considers as anti-imperialist causes across the world though its website thetricontinental.org, Chandra Vikash, convener, GAIA Earth Sansad, offers coordination between Tricontinental and those who advocate what he calls the "global indigenous" thrust.
Vijay Prashad during a recent talk hailed Taliban victory against "imperialism", and in his response, Vikash claims, those who have taken over are "a new and much reformed Taliban (students in Pashto language)", even as sounding a different note, "It is a time for all of us to introspect and reflect upon the world at large, with its multi-faceted crises and not just poverty alleviation."
Excerpts:
Congratulations on the people's victory at Kabul amidst another resounding defeat for the world's rogue and corrupt terrorist colonizer, illicit hegemonist, and capitalist bastion. Many more Saigon, yes, but one that we must not forget is the Turtle Islands itself, the occupied territory of the native Indians in that part of the world.I equally well empathize over the grave injustices since the Saur Revolution, but as I am tempered by reality to believe that the justice we have got is not a perfect one, but a balanced one. As noted commentator MK Bhadrakumar has been writing -- it is a new and much reformed Taliban (students in Pashto language). It is a time for all of us to introspect and reflect upon the world at large, with its multi-faceted crises and not just poverty alleviation.
India, for instance, has no space for a Taliban-like force to overthrow an equally and in many ways far more corrupt regime backed again by the US. Even as it is causing glaring and crying inequality and injustice, with a vast number of people suffering in misery, hunger, malnutrition, poverty and loss of livelihoods, the realistic and balanced sense of justice guides us to set up a truly democratic world body called GAIA Earth Sansad (www.gaiasansad.org ), even if our objective is also to contain the puppet regime and its surreptitious masters pulling the strings.
This comes from an understanding of India being a civilization and not a nation-state. It holds a special place in the world as a microcosm of the whole world in containing its rich diversity and plurality that speaks in so many voices, not just within India, but as Indian diaspora, in almost every part of the world. No doubt that all indigenous people worldwide are called Indians. It is not merely a conjecture therefore that India/Bharatiya/Hindu is the classical, cosmopolitan and cosmological character of the global indigenous.
Encapsulated in thoughts such as Vasudhaiv Kutumbamak (World as Family) and Gaavo Vishvasv Matarah (Mother Earth or Gaia), is this openly held secret of how India is the nucleus or the natural centre of the world before it is brutally and then surreptitiously displaced from its position by Euro-Western Universalism that has with its fatal flaws of reductionism and mechanistic principles brought humanity to the brink of extinction in just under 400 years and needs to be stopped in its tracks from unleashing even further damage.
Rather than an imperialist coloniser, the world needs and deserves India, once again as global thought leader or Vishvaguru. For more on Road Ahead for GAIA Earth Sansad, kindly visit this blog posThe motivation for this email comes from Vijay's talk recently at David Harvey's book launch, and the conversation that follows, which also helps to illustrate the above point. I wait to hear Vijay and Team Tricontinental perspectives on the same. Next is to invite you all on board of GAIA Earth Sansad and this special 'Call for Regional Coordinators' (details on the link).
How can Tricontinental with its underpinnings in the communist ideology and GES work together with our shared purposes? GES, which is a post-ideological people-led initiative aims to transcend present maladies to create a livable, equitable, just and sustainable world.
We are committed to collaborate with every organisation that is sincere, sane and sanguine in its purpose, vision and actions towards a holistic and harmonious world order, when humanity as a whole needs us together the most, against the vile, devious and diabolical forces of inhumane and murderous imperialism and capitalism.
How can Tricontinental with its underpinnings in the communist ideology and GES work together with our shared purposes? GES, which is a post-ideological people-led initiative aims to transcend present maladies to create a livable, equitable, just and sustainable world.
We are committed to collaborate with every organisation that is sincere, sane and sanguine in its purpose, vision and actions towards a holistic and harmonious world order, when humanity as a whole needs us together the most, against the vile, devious and diabolical forces of inhumane and murderous imperialism and capitalism.
Comments
Is this really the new Taliban? How can we tell so early?
How can one discount the fear induced in hundreds of thousands of Afghans, especially women, who worry for their lives. Are they all stooges of the US? All "westernized?"
Look at the Afghan refugee flows through Iran and Turkey - Turkey is now building a wall. As is Greece, and Lithuania, the latter to stem the flow of Afghans from Belarus. Who are these Afghans fleeing Afghanistan?
Of course, the Taliban has been making some right noises, now that the world's spotlight is on them, and they are supposed to be more media-savvy. But you think they are taking over Afghanistan to renege on their founding and guiding principles? Too early to tell.
True, one must not fall for the West's continous characterization of the Taliban as from the "Middle Ages" etc while always maintaining dialog with them.
Please refer to some Muslim/Islamic scholars on sites like Aljazeera who offer better and more informed/nuanced takes on the situation.
The jury is still out on this so-called Taliban 2.0 and their intentions. Let us not rush to judgement till then.