Intellectuals, Power and the Law... posted by Richard Seymour

Intellectuals and the Law

George Lukacs insisted, in History and Class Consciousness, that Marxists should avoid both the tendency to deify the law and treat it as a moral force in itself, and to vilify it and try to violate it at every available opportunity - both are merely different sides of the same coin. The Marxist should reckon with law as a force, without internalising its strictures. This quite elementary point about Marxism and international law has, according to Norman Geras , been lost on many contemporary Marxists and leftists, specifically vis-a-vis the United Nations and war. He goes so far as to commend Blair's speech as being more faithful to such subtleties than those who claim to be radical critics of the PM. My view is that his criticism is misplaced. I'd like to find a Marxist who was committed to the UN, or to international law per se. True, there has been a lot of talk among liberal-left critics of the war about the illegality of such ventures. Truer still, most on the left have criticised the war vehemently, and there has been a desire to rip aside the holy fig leaf of 'internationalism' and 'humanitarianism' ascribed to this war.
But, Blair's speech is closer in essentials to the 'Hobbesian' platitudes of Robert Cooper and Robert Kagan than a nuanced Marxist text. And of course, Blair's argument ("this may be the law, but should it be?") cuts both ways. One of my answers to UN-fetishists in the antiwar movement has always been to ask - if the UN considered this war legal, that would make it alright by you?
Law is itself the congealing of violence and power, and not an opponent of it. It is also indeterminate, so the suggestion that something is absolutely legal or illegal is itself an ideological/moral commitment. See the responses to the Kosovo intervention for some insight into this. One would think that Norman would be eager, as a lapsed Marxist, to apply that insight and deconstruct the whole idiotic opposition. Instead, he prostrates himself before the Court of St Blair, cheers on the vapid cruise missile leftists of Harry's Place, replicates the worst and most hackneyed cliche in the book - the young radical adapting in age to "the real world"... A truly pathetic display, and reminiscent of Norman Finkelstein's observation that political apostates formerly of the Left are drawn to hysterical attacks on those who remain true to their principles like Noam Chomsky:

"Behind this venom there's also a transparent psychological factor at play. Chomsky mirrors their idealistic past as well as sordid present, an obstinate reminder that they once had principles but no longer do, that they sold out but he didn't. Hating to be reminded, they keep trying to shatter the glass".

Intellectuals and Power

Geras' abasement before power aside, I've just been to see Power and Terror: Noam Chomsky in Our Times, a documentary made by some Japanese film-makers centred on speeches and interviews with Noam Chomsky. It's on at the ICA cinema, which is snugly hidden away on the Mall near Trafalgar Square. You'll find it most uplifting for the sheer qualities of the man on display when he speaks to ordinary people after the talk. Go see it , or buy the DVD .
By the way, if you feel like a trip to the ICA, they have some films featuring Lacan, Derrida and Slavoj Zizek on this month, so have a look.