CENTRAL NEWS
There are 197 countries in the world, practically all them label themselves a “democratic regime.” Why then, do societies not feel truly free or represented? Even in countries seen as examples to be followed, oppression exists and is dominant… and in the example of the lesser role-models, if people are not being exploited by their own governments, other states are racing to fill this void.
Exploitation is inherent to capitalism, there is no capitalist system that does not exploit. There is no green capitalism, there is no ethical capitalism – no matter how much it tries to mask and ignore this reality. Nevertheless, society resists. Throughout history, the search for a democratic model has only ever increased and rebelled against the system in the more diverse ways. Till date, these rebellions either ended with violent suppression or with the granting of minimum rights which would appease the opposition without having to sacrifice much.
This has been the vicious cycle that we have lived through for thousands of years. It was with the rise of socialist ideology that new paradigms were created and attempted… revolutions flourished in all parts of the world and society believed it was possible to create an alternative to the system in which we all live, imprisoned. With the failure of the experiences of real socialism and the era of reform through which these socialist movements passed, a negative stigma was created around the idea of a revolution, resulting in today’s interpretations of the word as “utopian”, or “impossible”.
The moment when society came close to believing in the impossible once again, was during the world revolt of ’68, also led by the youth of different societies around the globe, with different histories, perspectives and realities. Regardless of their countless differences, these young revolutionaries had one common goal: real democracy.
We need to once again believe in the impossible. Because if only a few years ago we were told that the alternative to the capitalist system imprisoning us would be born in the Middle East, how many of us would have believed this? Or if we were told that there is a truly democratic society in the Middle East, which is self-organized with representation from different religions, with the participation of women in decision-making, which trains and arms its own self-defense groups, cooperatives, communes, under a truly anti-patriarchal and ecological paradigm; how many of us would have believed? Yet, Rojava exists.
Many see in Rojava, the living proof that utopias are possible, that hope for a different world resists capitalist modernity. It is evident that problems exist, but they are debated and solved collectively with the direct participation of society at all levels. Rojava did not happen by chance… It was built on the foundations of countless years of preparation, understanding, social activities, debates and much reflection promoted by people who refused to accept what they were told: that “Something like this is impossible.” These are the people who believed and felt connected to Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s ideas.
Leader APO was responsible for writing and designing this ideology that grows every day in the Middle East and in the world, despite the constant attacks of capitalist states and exploitative traitors. Utopias and the will to live in a better world are the feelings that drive democratic forces to fight in different historical moments.
To believe is our duty towards the sacrifices made by so many throughout our history, to those who have given their lives to the idea of a better world. At which moment did asking for and fighting for a reality in which all people are heard and included, without distinction of gender, ethnicity, religion, became something impossible? It took thousands of years for the capitalist system to establish such ideas and normalize inhumane behaviors within society, but only 43 years for the idea of democracy to win back the hearts of the people.
The youth has a fundamental role to play in constructing the future. Of the countless revolts that have occurred in recent years around the globe, the youth has always been on the front line, but without the perspectives that could really build something new, socialist, democratic or permeant. Instead, the youth are made to become content with reforms and the crumbs offered by those in power. But the sounds of the footsteps of chaos and beauty become clearer every day. The solution will come from society, and society is bound to construct its future on democracy and morality.
