A presentation from the 2004 Renewing the Anarchist Tradition conference in Vermont. www.homemadejam.org/renew
produced by Aaron Lakoff
This presentation will address the sometimes vague and often liberal use of the term "self-determination" in antiwar activism today, and the need (for anarchists and others on the Left) to engage in deeper discussions of what it is we mean when we talk about the right to self-determination. While progressives, Maoists, Marxist-Leninists, and anarchists all emphasize the importance of self-determination, all are obviously not coming from the same place. This discussion will focus on historical definitions of self-determination (including UN definitions) as well as political debates over the term-Trotskyist/anarchist, for example-current definitions as well as different levels/interpretations of self-determination and their relatedness-personal, social, national, global, etc.-and look at particular examples-Iraq, Brazil-to try and come to a more critical understanding of the possibilities for self-determination in the current global picture.