This discussion combines both seriousness and humour. Scud got banned for his Kautsky thread in Learning, but comrade Noa Rodman put "social pacifist" in quotes. We all know that "social pacifist" stances are, to say the least, inappropriate during a revolutionary period, especially when setting precedent for the likes of 2004 US Democratic presidential candidate John "I was for the war before I was against it" Kerry. However, what about "peace without annexations or indemnifications" and more generic anti-war sentiment for outside a revolutionary period? http://www.revleft.com/vb/album.php?albumid=553 (no, not Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin imagery) http://www.revleft.com/vb/group.php?groupid=306 (feel free to join)
Well most modern wars don't seem to be about annexation anymore. I do think there may be some value to the "without [..] indemnifications" part though. Among quite a broad section of the left, there is a demand for huge reparations to the victims of imperialism within their anti-war program. I have to question whether this has value, and whether it just alienates the less conscious workers.
The reason why I brought this up is to get past the typical knee-jerk support for the likes of Assad. If I'm not mistaken, "without indemnities" is aimed primarily at reparations made to imperialist aggression itself (including the likes of preferential oil contracts), not to the victims. Could it also be rendered "peace without plunder"? As for reparations to victims alienating less conscious workers, the nature of the sloganeering gives, unfortunately, an impression of upfront reparations, as opposed to something like subsidized trade (importing at a premium and exporting at a discount).
The distinction between a revolutionary and a non-revolutionary period is an important one that could use more discussion among certain demographics. Applying certain tactics or strategies that are only appropriate for a revolutionary situation in a non-revolutionary situation is extremely damaging to the movement. It amounts to meaningless sloganeering and little else.
