Melodrama

Podemos, a famous word in the Spanish streets that has been ringing in every TV show, newspaper article, manifesto and demonstration throughout the past year or so. This leftist quasi-revolutionary party has swept the nation and stole the heart and minds of many disenchanted Spaniards. Promising equality, free services to all, absolute intolerance to corruption, national sovereignty over all national matters and a dignified living standards to all citizens, it is no wonder surveys on upcoming national elections indicate that the new party will come third after the scandal-ridden PP and PSOE.

The euphoria and honey moon phase seems to have lasted quite long, and what might have been considered as a mere reaction to countless cases of corruption and inefficiency in the political arena seems to be a self-proclaimed key political player. There is no questioning of the efforts exerted by the party leader and members in galvanizing public support and in working out a political platform that appeals to the masses. The party has been active in universities, streets, institutions, media and the local governments, trying to find a way out of the political mess that has characterized Spanish politics for some time now. This will not be put to doubt, but perhaps it will also be interesting to relate the jubilant and ambitious political discourse of the party with what has been labelled “Left Melodrama**’”. The writer explains quite interestingly that

“Political-theoretical analysis in left melodrama unfolds within a heightened drama that employs categorizations of villainy and victimhood, cycles of pathos and action, and a moral economy of good and evil to organize its critical inquiry. Left melodrama's appeal derives from the moral clarity it confers on difficult situations, the virtuous power it bestows upon subjugation and the assurance it offers that heroic emancipation can conquer the villainous source of oppression. Although left melodrama intends to galvanize its audience for social change, its conventions limit its capacity to depict the distinct challenges and unintended effects of political life.”

Perhaps one should be aware of the melancholic tendencies of leftist slogans and moral stand points. Easy it is to paint a picture of heroism, self-sacrifice and self-righteousness, but reality always always proved otherwise. If politics is indeed but a work of art, a scene in a never-ending play, the audience needs to keep an eye on blazing sentiments of melodramatic actors, as appealing as they may be, as they often end up offering nothing but a good show.

** 

Left melodrama

Elisabeth Anker

http://www.palgrave-journals.com/cpt/journal/v11/n2/full/cpt201110a.html

Amorphous

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the European Union has expanded its sanctions on Syria. The new sanctions target seven Syrian businessmen, one of whom is being accused of acting as an intermediary between the Assad Regime and the infamous ISIS in their oil purchase dealings. The Hayat daily reported that George Hiswany is the middleman for the oil contracts, being close to the Assad clan and quite savvy in the black and blood tainted oil market. This comes as Mr. Assad spilled his heart out to North Korea’s Deputy Foreigner Minister in ameeting on Sunday on how both Syria and North Korea are targets for western powers due to the fact that they both enjoy true independence and face, hand-in-hand, a common enemy who has it as a mission to change the identity of the two people.

The villanization of the western media, politicians and social activists of the above-mentioned regimes is no secret to anyone. Both countries indeed top the black list in American books in particular, and their regimes, policies, regional ambitions and ideological discourse are much much opposed by the West in general. The rhetoric being employed by Al Assad on Arab nationalism, on unity to face the Zionist project, on strength to face imperial powers robbing the middle east of its wealth, on how the USA is behind these uprisings in the Arab world that brought nothing but demise and how dangerous the situation is after militant Islamists have taken weapons, is now in danger. This rhetoric may be attacked after Al Assad is yet exposed another time. Or is it? Will the fact that Assad is buying ISIS oil be something rejected by Syrians? Or will Syrians  discard these allegations as ludicrous and conspiratorial? The dearth of evidence perhaps can clear the name of the regime? Or is it OK to deal with ISIS to stand up to the West and help thy people?

The problem is, given the situation in the Middle East and the enormous amount of ugliness and viciousness and hatred surrounding us, coupled with despair, broken-hearts and dreams and complete desperateness, everything is open to personal interpretation and justification in these grey political and moral fora. Perhaps a desperate Syrian may think - on the ISIS oil dealing issue - that: how is buying oil from ISIS any more evil than buying it from Iran that discreetly funds and trains militias in the region, or Saudi Arabia that has broken many codes of human rights, or Iraq that is run by mafias, or the USA that is the head of all evil and the source of the chaos to start with? Why would Ms. X from Aleppo not be cynical about the EU sanctions imposed on a man who simply is making her life and that of her family easier between by supplying the country with resources, even if the contractor is Satan himself? And why would it not be credible for another person to believe that the sanctions have only economic interests of “legal oil traders and businessmen” in mind, and has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with Assad, Baghdadi, or our friend Hiswany.

As a child I was also told to take a position, make up my mind, stand next to those who have been done harm and as far away from those who inflicted bad on others. Concepts, in my innocent head, took shapes, and had a three dimensional presence even if in pure abstract and theory. Left or right, centre at times, but always somewhere. Perhaps with age and time things lose their shape and place and sort of float around. They take no place in any moral and right and wrong barometers, they can easily sway according to who is defending the issue at hand. So the EU sanctions may have had an impact on some audience who stood right next to the decision, appalled by the barbarity of the dealing. Yet some, or many, are carelessly and cynically gliding through as they listen to Assad eloquently speaking to fellow Korean victims.