Another world is possible: The politics of self determination & national democracy 

» Declan Kearney

Palestine is the most totemic national democratic struggle of our generation

The opening words which Bobby Sands wrote on the first day of his hunger strike in 1981 have been echoing in my mind during recent weeks…’I am standing on the threshold of another trembling world’. 

A palpable uncertainty and instability has engulfed global affairs.

The words and actions of the US President signal the onset of a new, dangerous world order which is hostile to diplomacy and multilateralism. 

His threats of trade wars against Mexico, Canada, China and Europe; to take control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Gaza; and usurp international law, are unprecedented.

The present day imperialist and colonial priorities and alliances of the big western powers and global oligarchs are in the ascendancy.

Nowhere is this more clearly in evidence than in Palestine.

The ceasefire in Gaza is being leveraged by Israel as an extension of its genocidal war. The strategy of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank is being intensified with every passing day to drive forward zionist settler colonial objectives.

The complexion of the modern world has been determined by the role of imperialism and colonialism.

In the aftermath of World War 2, 55 states existed. Today, there are nearly 200, as old colonies have fragmented and broken up.

The straight lines on maps which delineate states in Africa and Asia are products of European colonisation. 

Bismarck used the Berlin conference in 1884-85 to cantonise Africa and manage the colonial carve ups between rival European powers.

Four years before Lloyd George imposed partition in Ireland by the British, his contemporary, Balfour, foreshadowed the formation of a zionist state and preordained that the indigenous Palestinian people would be made stateless. Another British politician, Churchill, dictated the boundaries of Iraq and consigned the Kurds to a political prison.

Today’s war in Congo and Rwanda has its origins in the decisions made by European imperialists of that same era. 

The current instability and conflicts in Africa and the Middle East are consequences of contemporary western economic and military interests.

Imperialism and neo-colonialism continue to dominate world affairs. 

A cartel of western powers seek to dominate geo-political relations through the G7 and NATO, and through the use of vetoes within the United Nations Security Council.

Their decisions have hollowed out the multilateral foundations and global authority of the UN.

The imposition of the G7’s geo-political interests have now institutionalised the gap between the global north and south.

An international division of humanity exists which has ossified a neo-colonial framework which underpins global relations.

The fact is that the ideology of the big powers in the global north is premised upon a built-in psychology of racial superiority: Inferiority is still defined by skin colour, culture and language. 

That is why the expanding BRICS partnership, South Africa’s courageous legal action under the Genocide Convention, and the formation of The Hague Group, are so important.

They all reflect the moral and political power of the global south.

These initiatives are now helping to reset the geo-political power balance in relation to global economics, finance, politics, diplomacy, and the imperative of international law.

But whilst colonialism continues to cast a long shadow in today’s world, conversely modern history has been progressively shaped by anti-imperialist struggles.  

The Republics of Cuba, Vietnam and South Africa have all emerged from the national liberation tradition. The legacies of Fidel Castro, Ho Chi Minh, Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo, and others such as Amílcar Cabral and Salvador Allende continue to inspire. 

Their examples represent beacons of progress and hope in-spite of western powers and their proxies. 

The pursuit of self-determination and national democracy is the essential international struggle of our time: The right of nations to make their own laws, decide their relations with other nations, and to determine their own destinies, as expressly provided in the UN Charter.

This is what sits at the root of the wars in Ukraine and Palestine.

The systematic violations being waged against international law in plain sight are a deliberate assault against the principle of national democracy.

Respect for self-determination is the key to establishing and maintaining a multi-polar world based upon equality, diplomacy and peaceful co-existence. It is a prerequisite for people in society being able to choose their economic and social models.

And this throws up a reality check in relation to the achievement of societal transformation, because choosing a new progressive social order is not an option if your country is partitioned, annexed or colonised. 

That’s why the denial of national democracy is the defining political issue for Ireland, Euskal Herria, and elsewhere in both the global north and south.

In Ireland, constitutional change is finally on the political horizon.

Partition is now conditional, because the mechanism for national self-determination has been secured within the Good Friday Agreement.

Of course Irish unity is not inevitable, but a unity referendum is, and Sinn Féin has made that an objective to be scheduled by 2030.

Ireland’s political landscape has been irreversibly changed by the peace process, Brexit, demographic changes, political realignments, and the influence of Republican political strategy.

A new era of democratic politics now centres upon the role of persuasion, negotiation, creating progressive alliances, popular momentum and increasing international support for Irish unity.

Sinn Féin recognises the need to mobilise a broad axis of international partners to assist with the transition to a new constitutional settlement.

However, progressive internationalism is also an expression of our Irish Republicanism.

So while we seek international allies for the cause of Irish reunification, Sinn Féin embraces our duty to others, by providing working in solidarity with those oppressed by colonialism, occupation and apartheid. 

As internationalists, we have a responsibility to give hope and deliver positive change in the world.

Palestine is the most totemic national democratic struggle of our generation.

Malcolm X summed it up well in a global context when he said; 

‘The situation in Palestine serves as a brutal reminder of the consequences of colonialism and the ruthless dispossession of indigenous people. It is an agonising reminder that the struggle for justice knows no borders and we must stand united and in solidarity with all oppressed peoples, anywhere around the world.’ 

Palestine is a microcosm of the contradiction between colonialism and the forces committed to national democracy. 

The catastrophe of Palestine and reactionary nature of this emerging world order now demand that a fundamental, strategic discussion commences among political parties, movements and governments from within the national liberation tradition. 

There is an urgent need for a coalescence around a new global vision based upon multipolarity and multilateralism, and for alliances to create a counter weight against the surge of neo-colonialism.

That is, a new internationalist political agenda with national democracy and self-determination at its core; which draws on the revolutionary experience of the global south and north; and, advances a realistic and pragmatic alternative to guarantee the national and social rights of working peoples.

In the midst of the global adversity and challenges which we face, those who stand for democracy, justice, peace and hope must demonstrate that Palestine will be free, and another world is possible.

A Luta Continua!

(This article is dedicated to the memory of two recently deceased comrades, Ted Howell & Brendan ‘Bik’ Mc Farlane, both of whom were exceptional political activists & committed internationalists).