-Mahmood Mamdani

It is hard to think of a figure more reviled in the West than Robert Mugabe. Liberal and conservative commentators alike portray him as a brutal dictator, and blame him for Zimbabwe’s descent into hyperinflation and poverty. The seizure of white-owned farms by his black supporters has been depicted as a form of thuggery, and as a cause of the country’s declining production, as if these lands were doomed by black ownership. Sanctions have been imposed, and opposition groups funded with the explicit aim of unseating him.

There is no denying Mugabe’s authoritarianism, or his willingness to tolerate and even encourage the violent behaviour of his supporters. His policies have helped lay waste the country’s economy, though sanctions have played no small part, while his refusal to share power with the country’s growing opposition movement, much of it based in the trade unions, has led to a bitter impasse. This view of Zimbabwe’s crisis can be found everywhere, from the Economist and the Financial Times to the Guardian and the New Statesman, but it gives us little sense of how Mugabe has managed to survive. For he has ruled not only by coercion but by consent, and his land reform measures, however harsh, have won him considerable popularity, not just in Zimbabwe but throughout southern Africa. In any case, the preoccupation with his character does little to illuminate the socio-historical issues involved. Read the rest of this entry »

By a supporter of WPRM (BRITAIN)

The recent Olympic Games in Beijing were undoubtedly one of the grandest sporting events the world has ever seen. From the opening ceremony to the very last events the games were as much about the sport as they were a spectacle put on by the Chinese government for the rest of the world. Many issues have been thrown up by the Olympics, certainly it was a nationalist spectacle, with the nationality of the sportsman or sportswoman often more important that their achievement. However we will consider three levels: international relations, China’s internal contradictions and also what it shows us about British society.

1. International Relations

The international influence of the Olympics was plain to see. As soon as China were awarded the games in 2001 there has been constant criticism of various aspects of the Chinese Communist Party rule, and this picked up considerably in 2008. At one stage it seemed as though the sport would take second stage to the issues of Tibetan independence, rebellion in the predominantly Muslim autonomous region of Xinjiang, human rights, and the environment. Yet from this we can see two sides to China’s emergence as a world power. Read the rest of this entry »

-Indra Mohan Sigdel ‘Basanta’

The Nepalese People’s Revolution is now at a crucial juncture, full of opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, the possibilities are so great that the party’s success to develop a scientific ideological and political line consistent with the present objective condition could lead the Nepalese people’s revolution to a victorious accomplishment. And also, it could be a new opening of the world proletarian revolution in the beginning of the twenty-first century. While on the other hand, its failure to do so would lead to a disastrous consequence leading to an extensive demoralization of the oppressed classes not only in Nepal but the world over. Therefore, in short, the recent National Convention of our party, the CPN (Maoist), has had an international dimension.

Clear to all is that the tactic of Constituent Assembly election and federal democratic republic that our party had taken up in Chunwang Meeting has been successfully concluded. As a result, our party emerged as the largest party in the Constituent Assembly election, the 240 year old monarchical autocratic system has been brought to an end, Nepal has been declared a federal democratic republic and, on top of that, our party the CPN (Maoist) is now leading the government. Without a doubt, it is a significant accomplishment. Read the rest of this entry »

By WPRM (BRITAIN)

On the 28th of May this year, Nepal became a republic after 240 years of monarchy. This momentous occasion was the result of ten years of People’s War fought by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)-(CPN (M) and the people’s movement it led in April 2006. This event was followed by the CPN (M)’s election victory and the formation of a coalition government under its leadership.  Despite these magnificent advances of the revolutionary cause, further progress will take place in difficult circumstances. For this reason, international support is vital.

Confusion has arisen because some have believed that declaration of the Republic was the final political aim of the Maoists. However, the creation of a federal republic can only benefit the people as a stage in a process that will lead to the revolutionary seizure of power. This revolution must take the form of the construction of a new type of state and a new type of democracy. Read the rest of this entry »

By a supporter of WPRM (BRITAIN)

On the 28th of May this year, Nepal became a republic after 240 years of monarchy. This momentous occasion was the result of ten years of People’s War fought by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN (M)) and the people’s movement it led in April 2006.

The events of the last 12 years have been a continuous revolutionary process. The declaration of the republic is only the latest stage in this process, albeit a very important one. The next stage of the revolution will come when the people, under the leadership of the CPN (M) take power and build a new type of state and a new type of democracy. Some misunderstandings about the tactics adopted by the CPN (M) have been caused by the continuous nature of the process and the need to avoid uniting the revolution’s enemies against the CPN (M).  Hopefully, this article can help provide a real perspective on the road travelled by the CPN (M) over the past twelve years and provide a better understanding about its future course.

It is impossible to understand the means by which the CPN (M) hopes to achieve its goals without understanding the specific nature of the Nepalese revolution’s progress, the specific situation of Nepal and the relation of the revolution to the global situation. Read the rest of this entry »