IPPS Strategy & Vision Q&A

Members of The International Project for a Participatory Society (IPPS) were asked to respond to a short list of questions relating to a future participatory society and how to get there. Although broadly formulated, the questions are aimed at extrapolating IPPS member thoughts and experiences on matters of strategy and vision. Here is Patrick Bond's responce:

(1) Ndokumbira utarise zvaunofunga kuti ndizvo zvinotsanangudza maficha uye masangano enharaunda anofanirwa kushandurwa kureva hupfumi, zvematongerwo enyika, tsika, murume/ pabonde, ecology, nezvimwe?

I tend to work on intermediate-level 'non-reformist reform' strategies against capitalism as a first priority, accompanied by Marxist political economic critique. I think the best I might offer to reflect on this is bepa I presented yesterday which draws out the way Africa's underdevelopment might be analysed from this standpoint, and some implications for the global justice movement.

(2) Ndezvipi zvinangwa zvako zvekuchinja uku, unotsvaka kuzvigadzirisa, kana zvakadaro neshanduko dzipi, zvakafara? Iwe unotsvaga kutsiva masangano aya nemamwe mamwe? Kana zvirizvo izvo zvinotsiva zvimiro zvinotaridzika sei, ndezvipi zvinotsanangura maficha, hongu muchidimbu?

I don't have confidence in the contemporary world balance of forces changing, so while the core problems are generated at the global scale, we probably best direct our energies - at least in the next couple of decades - towards takeover and transformation of *national* governments.
Each case of revolution will be different and it is invidious to promote blueprints (though the parecon model is very attractive to be sure). The most important basis for designing post-capitalist/racist/patriarchal/anthropomorphic strategies and replacement institutions, is the existing campaigning of mass democratic movements. Shortcuts can do more harm than good.

(3) Ndivanaani vaunofunga kuti vane hunyanzvi mukuzadzikisa zvinangwa izvi kureva mapato ezvematongerwo enyika, vashandi, vakadzi, vatsoropodzi, vanobva kune dzimwe nyika, nyika dzakati kana matunhu, nezvimwe?

I have listed the 'global justice movement' components in the attached.

(4) Ndedzipi nzira dzaunoona dzichishandiswa pakati pekuita shanduko idzi kureva kuvhota, kuita zvakananga, kuita kwenhau, kuramwa mabasa, kuratidzira, nezvimwewo?

Tactics are so diverse that it is probably best to first outline strategies. The two core strategic arguments I tend to prioritise are 'decommodification' and 'deglobalisation of capital' (via globalisation of people). See attached for more.

(5) Mamwe maonero, ane pfungwa dzakasiyana-siyana pamusoro pekuchinja kwevanhu, anokwana sei muurongwa hwako nechiono?

I list four other politico-ideological perspectives in the attached (pp.34-35), and give a sense of where occasional alliances can be made by global justice movements with the 'Third World nationalist' and 'Post-Washington Consensus' perspectives.