On a False Analogy with Nazism

(Letters)

20 August 2014

Dear WV:

The Spartacist League is unquestionably completely committed to the fight against anti-Semitism and other social evils. But every time I read in WV a Nazi characterization of the Israeli state, I cringe: lebensraum, untermenschen, etc. To refer to these categories in the context of the Zionist state is to implicitly identify Israel and Nazi Germany. Zionism is a simpleminded, reactionary, racist political program born in opposition to socialism, and the Israeli state is itself in all its political guises racist. In fact, both Israel and Nazi Germany are essentially race-based states, more essentially, it seems to me, than other modern capitalist states. But the Zionist state is not a fascist state and there are, needless to say, gross essential differences between the racism and brutality of the Nazi state and the racism and brutality of the Zionist state. The fact that a state is racist no doubt invites the development of fascist elements and there certainly are fascists in Israel. But there are fascists in every modern capitalist state. And many capitalist states engage in brutal murderous adventures. One particularly close to home comes to mind. In fact, racism and brutality are endemic in capitalism itself.

WV doesn’t refer to other states with Nazi terms, only Israel, a nation made up largely of the victims and their offspring of the insane Nazi genocide machine. Thus in the newspaper of the revolutionary party these characterizations are inexplicable. There is, has always been, in my opinion, a disconnect between WV’s commitment to accurate political characterizations and these not infrequent comments in WV.

How does WV justify this practice?

A WV reader

WV replies:

Our reader raises valid points and we thank him for the letter.