Mercenary Collective

[Sand Castle]

OK. So I was thinking. What if there was a mercenary group that was run in a leftist collective fashion. This mercenary group will only fight on the side of those who are fighting imperialism and those waging a revolutionary class war.

I know that sounds vague. I know this is a really wild idea, but it's still an interesting topic.

I think that, in theory, such a group, if set up in the proper fashion, could help advance the revolutionary cause worldwide. Not only that, the weaker imperialism gets, the weaker the enemy system as a whole gets. So fighting on the anti-imperialist side is a good idea. I know some of you will cling to morals, with legitimate concerns, but sometimes pragmatism can be employed in a constructive manner. It takes self-control though.

Has such a thing ever been seen in practice? The only way to know if it will work is through practice.

Keep in mind I'm not talking about terrorism or urban guerrillas here. I mean a revolutionary leftist collective firm. Sort of like AK Press, only they'd be mercenaries, not press. I hope this makes sense.

[Catbus]

It would be made up of workers, right? Also, I think it's main interest should be defending the interests of the working class, but I may be wrong.

[Raúl Duke]

Has such a thing ever been seen in practice? The only way to know if it will work is through practice.

I don't think so...

although forming one probably runs into a few difficulties unless you form it and base it in a revolutionary leftist society.

[Sand Castle]

I don't think so...

although forming one probably runs into a few difficulties unless you form it and base it in a revolutionary leftist society.
Yeah, I was just thinking that.


It would be made up of workers, right? Also, I think it's main interest should be defending the interests of the working class, but I may be wrong.

I was thinking that, and anti-imperialism.

But the idea sort of seems like a lost cause right from the start, at least in the current global conditions.

[ellipsis]

Has such a thing ever been seen in practice? The only way to know if it will work is through practice.
I mean Che pretty much did this, except he was not being paid so he wasn't really a mercenary.

[RED DAVE]

Has such a thing ever been seen in practice? The only way to know if it will work is through practice.
I mean Che pretty much did this, except he was not being paid so he wasn't really a mercenary.Che tried this sort of adventurism in Africa and Bolivia. He was defeated and got himself killed.

RED DAVE

[BeerShaman]

I thinks this would be necessary in due time. After the militants and the cops start to fight us in order to keep the system and kill the revolution, we will be in need of our own firearms. Though this produces violence. It will be a need. :(

[#FF0000]

The closest thing I can think of to what you're talking about is Che, and the international brigades from the Spanish Civil War.

With the international brigades, volunteers were gathered by Communist Parties outside of Spain, and as far as I know, trained and armed by the French Communist Party, and volunteers were pretty much given everything they needed by the parties.

So, yes. The international brigades are something you might want to look at.

[ellipsis]

I just think mercenaries is not the correct terminology.

[#FF0000]

I just think mercenaries is not the correct terminology.

Yeah it really isn't.

["Red Scum"]

Yeah it really isn't.

Militia

[ellipsis]

Or military advisors. Mercenaries work for money, not justice.

[Faust]

Why call them mercenaries at all? isn't it a little counterproductive to create and organization to fight with the revolution, when there is no revolution to fight for?

Instead of creating mercenary groups, why not actually build the revolutionary groups, the ones that will start the revolution in the first place?

Militant revolutionary groups will be necessary in first world countries where the majority of the population is apathetic to our cause. They need us to light the fire, when they see the light, they'll follow.

[ellipsis]

True, why try to export revolution when you don't have revolution to begin with.

[MilitantWorker]

weather underground

[Faust]

Weather Underground :laugh:
Except for the fact that nobody has heard of them, so they're obviously not doing a good job ;)

[Kléber]

Seems like you would have a hard time finding employment opportunity. We should just wait until we take over a state, and then hire the same private military contractors the capitalists have been using :lol:

[ReVoLuTiOnArY-BrOtHeR]

[QUOTE=sultan;1634960]OK. So I was thinking. What if there was a mercenary group that was run in a leftist collective fashion. This mercenary group will only fight on the side of those who are fighting imperialism and those waging a revolutionary class war.


Greetings Comrade,

Such a mercenary group exists in Peru. They are the faction that have abandoned the ideology of the Peruvian Communist Party, i.e marxism-leninism-maoism-gonzalo thought, and so are on their own. The problem with this group is that their personal interests are above that of the masses. They do not genuinely represent the oppresses peruvian peoples. In addition, there appetite for political power is ridiculous. They do not take concrete conditions into consideration. They act without analyzing reality. Thus they are not on the side of the oppressed, rather indirectly they are serving the interests of the comprador bourgeoisie and US imperialism. Hope to have answered your concern about mercenary groups comrade.

Comrade Antonio

[Kléber]

Interesting to hear Antonio, do you have any more info on that group?

The only examples of revolutionaries-turned-mercenaries I can think of (not counting arguable cases like the Kosovo Liberation Army) are from the feudal era. There were some remnant peasant-democratic militias of the Bohemian Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Army_of_Hungary) who, managing to flee the anti-Hussite terror, wound up as the personal bodyguard of a liberal Hungarian king. There were also some Chinese peasant militias based on secret fraternal organizations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Flag_Army) who fought against the Qing government during the Taiping Rebellion, but were later forced to flee into Vietnam and became mercenaries in the service of the Qing Dynasty itself against the French imperialists.

[ReVoLuTiOnArY-BrOtHeR]

Greetings Comrade,

Concerning the mercenary group existing in the rural region of Peru, i.e the reactionary traitors of the Peruvian Communist of Party, this is their website:"go to google.com and in the search section type Partido Comunista del Peru MLM and the first option that comes up is their site". They claim to be the Peruvian Communist Party, but in reality they have abandoned the party and have abandoned the ideology. They are struggling for their own interests and nothing more. As you see this mercenary group is an example of right-wing opportunism like President Gonzalo himself described them

Sadly this is their only website available on the internet. It is their only source. It is only in spanish but if I find a website in english I'll let you know.

Comrade Antonio