Harvey: Wagers and Risks in the Zapatistas' Sixth Declaration

July 18, 2005
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Dear Colleague,

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

From somewhere in a country called América,

Dan Feder
Managing Editor
The Narco News Bulletin
http://www.narconews.com
webmaster [at] narconews.com

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