Although I ended up focusing on the Front de Liberation du Québec, for most of my academic career, formal and otherwise I concentrated on the study of Latin American social movements. This is just a quick recommended reading and viewing list that is by no means complete or even comprehensive. Readers are invited to post their recommendations in the comment sections, even if those suggestions come from a distinctly different view point.
Books
•Back on the Road by Ernesto "Che" Guevara
•Bordering on Chaos by Andres Opinhiemer
•The Chavéz Code by Eva Golinger
• Guerrilla Warfare(full text) by Ernesto "Che" Guevara
•Inside the Volcano By Frederick Stirton Weaver
•Our Word is Our Weapon by Subcomandante Marcos and Juana Ponce de Leon
•The Making of Social Movements in Latin America By Arturo Escobar, Sonia E. Alvarez
• The Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla(full text) by Carlos Mariaghella
•The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto "Che" Guevara
•Power in the Isthmus By James Dunkerley
•Militants and Citizens by Giapaolo Baiocchi
•Seven Interpretive Essays on the Peruvian Reality by José Carlos Mariátegui
•Shadows of Tender Fury
•Strategy of the Urban Guerrilla(full text) by Abraham Guillen
•Weavers of the Revolution by Peter Winn
•Zapata Lives! by Lynn Stevens
Films
•Atenco: The Machete Rebellion
•Granito de Arena (Grain of Sand)
•A Nation's Right to Survive(entire film)
•A Place Called Chiapas(entire film)
•The Revolution Will Not be Televised(entire film)
•Sixth Sun
•638 Ways to Kill Fidel Castro (Part 1)(Part 2)(entire film)
•Viva Zapata!
Aug 30, 2008
Aug 21, 2008
The Inner Workings of a Palestinian Insurgent Munitions Workshop
Aug 11, 2008
.223 Remington/5.56x45mm NATO: Not So Bad
Although I frequently bash the AR-15 platform on this blog, I mostly do it because I am a die hard Kalashnikov fan as well as it piss off Saheim and other AR fans. A comrade on Revleft recently requested that I cover the most common cartridge AR-15s are chambered in, 5.56x45mm NATO and its brother, the sporting cartridge .223 Remington. Despite the fact that I feel that the AK-47 7.62x39mm is a superior weapon system and cartridge for guerrilla warfare, 5.56x45mm and the rifles shoot it do have their place. Saheim is much more knowledgeable about this cartridge and was preparing a lengthy article about it before his computer crashed.
There are many things about 5.56 which make it desirable for use it guerrilla warfare. The first and most obvious is its available in the United States and other countries. It is an extremely popular cartridge for which many rifles, military and otherwise have been chambered. Besides the AR-15, the Steyr Aug, the Galil, and the Ruger Mini-14, countless other rifles either have a 5.56 variant or where specifically designed for the cartridge. Because 5.56 is so popular with armed forces around the world, it will be widely available to the guerrilla during the revolution, as it will be the ammo you take from your enemy.
The bullet itself is actually quite small compared to other military cartridges. While this does limit its stopping power, it is also advantageous because one can carry more of it compared to 7.62x39 or .308. The recoil is also much more manageable than other calibers, allowing for more precise follow up shots. It is a very fast bullet, making it accurate to longer distances. Keep in mind that there is many different types and loads of this ammunition, each with its own specific ballistic characteristics. For example, the most common round used by U.S. forces is M855, a bullet designed specifically for penetrating Russian helmets at very long distances. As such many troops find this round insufficient in today urban conflicts, requiring head shots in order to take down enemies quickly.
Hopefully Saheim will be able to add to this discussion in the comment section.
There are many things about 5.56 which make it desirable for use it guerrilla warfare. The first and most obvious is its available in the United States and other countries. It is an extremely popular cartridge for which many rifles, military and otherwise have been chambered. Besides the AR-15, the Steyr Aug, the Galil, and the Ruger Mini-14, countless other rifles either have a 5.56 variant or where specifically designed for the cartridge. Because 5.56 is so popular with armed forces around the world, it will be widely available to the guerrilla during the revolution, as it will be the ammo you take from your enemy.
The bullet itself is actually quite small compared to other military cartridges. While this does limit its stopping power, it is also advantageous because one can carry more of it compared to 7.62x39 or .308. The recoil is also much more manageable than other calibers, allowing for more precise follow up shots. It is a very fast bullet, making it accurate to longer distances. Keep in mind that there is many different types and loads of this ammunition, each with its own specific ballistic characteristics. For example, the most common round used by U.S. forces is M855, a bullet designed specifically for penetrating Russian helmets at very long distances. As such many troops find this round insufficient in today urban conflicts, requiring head shots in order to take down enemies quickly.
Hopefully Saheim will be able to add to this discussion in the comment section.
Aug 10, 2008
The Olympics...
They just started and I already can't wait for them to be over. Other that allowing imperialist China to show its true colors, I denounce the modern Olympics of being another product of the culture industry created by our corporate overlords to distract us from what we should really be caring about, i.e. throwing off the chains of our corporate overlords. Am I the only person who doesn't care?
Aug 3, 2008
More Poster Art from Cuba, the PRC and the USSR
I have previously posted about revolutionary poster art from the PRC, USSR and Cuba and have received some positive feedback for it. The topic seems to be growing in popularity and I have found some more website to add to the list. Out of the Netherlands, the International Institute of Social History brings us The Chairman Smiles, a look at poster art from the aforementioned countries. The provide a long bibliography and link list for those interested in further research.
It lead me to the collection of poster art from the Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America (OSPAAAL), an organization born out of the legendary Tri-Continental Conference in Havana. In addition to an incredible amount of material pertaining to Cuba, there is also poster art from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the rest of Latin America. Above is my favorite from the Arab world.
New Insurgency Manuals: "Al Queda" Handbook and How to Start a Foco Column
I recently discovered an alleged Al Queda handbook that was found in the raid of a "terrorist safehouse" in Manchester, England, known as the "Manchester Manual". I put a link to it in the insurgency manual sidebar to the right but it can be also be found as a .pdf on the Department of Justice's website. Cryptome, the source of the link in the sidebar provides some good background and context for reading the manual, such as the possibility that it is disinformation. I have looked it over and, aside from Al Queda's sometimes murderous and counter productive methodology it appears to give some pretty sound advice on the logistics of and suitable behavior for being involved in a clandestine organizations. The equivalent for the Taliban is not so easily accessible as it was deemed unsuitable for public release.
Also I recently downloaded How to Start and Train a Militia Unit PM8-94, a manual with heavy survivalist overtones written by a retired Marine. I have read through it and it is equally applicable to guerrilla warfare, specifically starting your own guerrilla cadre, in Guevara's formulation, a foco column. It is concise and easy to read and understand, quality not usually found in military manuals.
If anybody needs a particular military-related publication or military manual, let me know and I will see if I have a .pdf or can find one. Also if anybody has any suggestions for materials that you think should be posted on The Revolution Script, feel free to suggest it.
Also I recently downloaded How to Start and Train a Militia Unit PM8-94, a manual with heavy survivalist overtones written by a retired Marine. I have read through it and it is equally applicable to guerrilla warfare, specifically starting your own guerrilla cadre, in Guevara's formulation, a foco column. It is concise and easy to read and understand, quality not usually found in military manuals.
If anybody needs a particular military-related publication or military manual, let me know and I will see if I have a .pdf or can find one. Also if anybody has any suggestions for materials that you think should be posted on The Revolution Script, feel free to suggest it.
Aug 2, 2008
The AK-47: Takes a Lickin' and Keeps on Kickin'
Another incredible example of how reliable the AK-47 platform is: you can shoot it until it catches on fire and then shoot it some more.
Why I am a Revolutionary Marxist
I am often question/harassed about what would ever make me want to be an American-hatin' Commie Pinko bastard. It is hard to respond on the fly and explain the reasoning and life experience that led me to my current political views. This may run into stream of consciousness nonsense but here it goes.
Despite the comfort and relative freedom that being born in the United States of America, I would like nothing more that to be rid of it completely, through secession, migration or isolation. Why? Because I know the price at which my comfortable life has come: the misery and exploitation of countless others. I know the devastating environmental impact of the American lifestyle and of a global economic system based on consumer waste and environmental degradation. Additionally, I reject the artificial notion that even a "comfortable life" in the United States is really a good life, a lie that is repeatedly force fed to American to make them complicit and happy to be oppressed. Yes many American have a standard of living far above that of the Third World and we all allegedly enjoy a multitude of freedoms enumerated in the Constitution. But at what cost? Americans are unhappy, drugged/brainwashed, are frequently incarcerated people who constantly endure oppressive mind control through the media/government propaganda machine/education system. In addition, Americans experience brutal oppression that comes with living in a police state run by a corrupt, illegitimate military dictatorship.
Obviously I am exaggerating a little bit but that is the direction that this country is heading in. Looking at the the U.S. and the world today, I cannot help but cringe. Our species has done a phenomenal job of creating a world of perpetual war, strife and suffering while irrevocably damaging the ecosystem, threatening the future of the planet. In my view, the root of all of these problems is a system of capitalism which aims to consolidate the control of Earth's resources and therefor power in the hands of an elite few, while keeping the majority blissfully exploited, working to better the lives of the bourgeoisies. Capitalism and environmentalism are mutually exclusive. Human rights and dignity for all and global capitalism are mutually exclusive. The only way of creating a world with a future for all of its inhabitants is by destroying the system of imperialism and capitalism which turns man against man. Capitalism has proved to be a destructive, unsustainable system which does not deliver on the promises that it makes.
It is time for something new. I don't know for sure what the perfect system will be but I know that a better world starts with the end of capitalism and all social, cultural, political and economic forms of repression, exploitation and domination. It won't be easy but then again saving the world never is.
Despite the comfort and relative freedom that being born in the United States of America, I would like nothing more that to be rid of it completely, through secession, migration or isolation. Why? Because I know the price at which my comfortable life has come: the misery and exploitation of countless others. I know the devastating environmental impact of the American lifestyle and of a global economic system based on consumer waste and environmental degradation. Additionally, I reject the artificial notion that even a "comfortable life" in the United States is really a good life, a lie that is repeatedly force fed to American to make them complicit and happy to be oppressed. Yes many American have a standard of living far above that of the Third World and we all allegedly enjoy a multitude of freedoms enumerated in the Constitution. But at what cost? Americans are unhappy, drugged/brainwashed, are frequently incarcerated people who constantly endure oppressive mind control through the media/government propaganda machine/education system. In addition, Americans experience brutal oppression that comes with living in a police state run by a corrupt, illegitimate military dictatorship.
Obviously I am exaggerating a little bit but that is the direction that this country is heading in. Looking at the the U.S. and the world today, I cannot help but cringe. Our species has done a phenomenal job of creating a world of perpetual war, strife and suffering while irrevocably damaging the ecosystem, threatening the future of the planet. In my view, the root of all of these problems is a system of capitalism which aims to consolidate the control of Earth's resources and therefor power in the hands of an elite few, while keeping the majority blissfully exploited, working to better the lives of the bourgeoisies. Capitalism and environmentalism are mutually exclusive. Human rights and dignity for all and global capitalism are mutually exclusive. The only way of creating a world with a future for all of its inhabitants is by destroying the system of imperialism and capitalism which turns man against man. Capitalism has proved to be a destructive, unsustainable system which does not deliver on the promises that it makes.
It is time for something new. I don't know for sure what the perfect system will be but I know that a better world starts with the end of capitalism and all social, cultural, political and economic forms of repression, exploitation and domination. It won't be easy but then again saving the world never is.
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