Wagers & Risks in the Zapatistas' 6th Declaration

Narco News continues to follow the new step in the Mexican Zapatista Army of National Liberation's struggle for democracy, freedom, and justice. Today, an English version of historian Neil Harvey's insightful essay "Wagers and Risks in the Sixth Declaration of the Lacondon Jungle," from the Mexican daily La Jornada, appears in The Narco News Bulletin. Harvey traces the bold new project outlined in the Sixth Declaration (which was published in Narco News over two weeks ago) back through the Zapatistas' 11-year history in the international spotlight, showing which ideas from their past they have come back to and which they have moved away from. He also outlines the new risks and "bets" the Zapatista rebels have taken to try to help all of Mexico - perhaps all of América - achieve the authentic democracy that has been absent here for so long.

Harvey writes:

"In the sixth declaration, the Zapatistas recognize the risk present in their new initiative. It is a wager on the unity of people that share the same necessities and see no options in the existing political parties. The decision was made so that the indigenous struggles might have a better possibility of developing themselves toward uniting with other groups against the prolongation of neoliberalism. The unity that is achieved must serve to strengthen both Zapatismo and the other groups and people that decide to enter into the alliance. It is a big wager, without a doubt, but such risks have been consistent in Zapatismo since its origins. If the national campaign is able to open spaces for dialog with the rest of society, it will be more difficult for the political parties to ignore the discussions and proposals that arise from that process. Picking up again what was expressed in the second declaration (in June of 1994), the national campaign will represent a positive contribution if the parties feel pressured to confront the popular demands instead of busying themselves with their images and disputes among themselves."

Read the whole story in Narco News, including an extensive collection of links to the history of the Zapatistas in their own words, the words of Narco News, and of others:

http://www.narconews.com/Issue38/article1386.html

From somewhere in a country called América,

Dan Feder
Managing Editor
The Narco News Bulletin
http://www.narconews.com

© Scoop Media