Left Culture Club: Events & Socials for a Radical Future

Please note, we are committed to making every one of our events welcoming and safe for everybody. Our spaces are non-partisan, but not apolitical. Racism, sexism, antisemitism, classism, forms of discrimination based on sexual preference or gender identity are not tolerated. If you are a victim of bigotry or harassment at any of our events, please raise this with an organiser, who will act appropriately. We broadly follow this code of conduct https://wiki.dbzer0.com/the-anarchist-code-of-conduct

LINK: https://archive.org/details/the-gulf-war-did-not-take-place-jean-baudrillard/mode/2up

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As we write these words, Pakistan is conducting emergency surface-to-surface missile tests in the Arabian Sea. Its airspace is closed and Indian diplomats, naval and air defence personnel were declared personae non gratae early this morning. In the wake of the recent mass civilian (and military) casualty attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Indian government (blaming Pakistan-linked terrorists such as Lashkar-e-Taiba) has identified forty-two of what it calls "terrorist launch pads" across the Line of Control which separates Indian from Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan has declared that India's suspension of their mutual water treaty will be considered an "act of war". It seems likely that these two nuclear-armed states will soon once again be at war. When the high-speed metal starts flying across the once-independent nation of Kashmir, the region will become another hot zone in what (it now seems to us) can only be described as the twenty-first century's Third World War.

At the very least, the world is very much at war. Wars of resistance to imperialism continue across Yemen and the Red Sea (where US drones have been dropping like flies), Gaza and the south of Lebanon. Europe's first state-on-state shooting war since 1945 rages on, with no "diplomatic" solution in sight. The war-with-Iran faction controls the White House once again; in the last week, a second carrier strike group joined the USS Harry S Truman in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Iran, in a show of force ahead of upcoming "talks" on Iran's nuclear programme. The atmosphere across China's First Island Chain remains tense, with recent PLA drills around Taiwan underscoring the violent potential latent there. Myanmar's civil war rages on and the PKK's leader is ready to lay down arms in Syria in the face of Turkish aggression, preparing the way for a savage "peace that is no peace" in what remains of Rojava. And it's only a matter of time before Venezuela enforces its referendum declaring the Essequibo region of Guyana a territory of the Bolivarian Republic. We may even get war in Nunaat (Greenland) someday.

Basically, it's war - everywhere. That's why we're launching this special series of readings, to continue throughout May, June and possibly beyond, in which we try to get to grips with modern war; what it is, what it does, what its social function within capitalism and imperialism may be, and whether or not, crucially, the hard times have only just begun.

We're starting off with Jean Baudrillard's series of essays, collected in 1991 with the provocative title The Gulf War Did Not Take Place. Rather than deny the literal reality of the Gulf War, Baudrillard challenged his readers to consider the non-reality of "The Gulf War" as it was then (and is now) known to mass-media consumer audiences in Europe and the Anglophone countries, i.e. as a spectacular, perfect war, over within weeks, in which all the death and destruction was suffered on one side while the other simply kicked back in their air-conditioned control rooms and cockpits, pressing buttons and unleashing hell with impunity. The text addresses questions of technology, media, and spectacle as they relate to modern conflicts; the Gulf War prefigured not only the subsequent US invasion of Iraq but also the entire contemporary model of how high-tech wars, in the minds of military planners and PR/psychological operations specialists, are supposed to go. Even today, decades on, as conventional conflicts rage across the globe, we can see how mass media and social media continue to mediate our relationship with conflict, especially as non-combatants but even (increasingly) as participants. FPV drones for example have not only revolutionised battlefield tactics but, perhaps as importantly, the way recruitment and propaganda materials are filmed.

This will be a three-part reading, with the next instalment tackling chapter 2 (the second essay in the collection) and a final instalment for chapter 3 (the third essay).

Through this series, look forward to readings from the likes of Paul Virilio, Guy Debord, Carl von Clausewitz, Field Marshal Jomini, Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, the British civil defence authorities and many more.

Happy reading comrades and stay safe! If you hear the air raid warning, remember: duck and cover.

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NOTE: This meetup is also being hosted under the auspices of the London Marxism Reading Group, of which LCC is the parent meetup.

One site of special historical/political interest to keep a (very sharp) eye out for is the former grounds of Kokyo or Franklin House, in its latter days known somewhat incongruously as Battle of Britain House. Built in 1905 by Josef Conn, the house was taken over in 1920 by American shipping magnate Meyer Franklin Kline. Kline first renamed the house "Kokyo" to reflect his company's presence in Asia, followed by "Franklin House", after President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During his ownership, Kline had various ornaments from the Far East placed around the gardens, and had furniture built for the house using wood taken from the luxury cabins of his ships.

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Kline was in America and leased the house to a mysterious German national. The unnamed German was forced to relinquish his ownership due to regulations brought in by the British government. It was then provided to the United States military to enable agents of the Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA) to be trained before embarking on sabotage missions in occupied France, its location within Copse Wood making it ideal for this purpose. The building burned down in 1984 and the grounds were allowed to return to nature after a series of unsuccessful attempts to sell the property. We'll keep an eye out anyway!

Our route will take us from West Ruislip Station on the Central Line, north over the River Pinn and into the farmlands around Bayhurst Wood, through that wood and west into Mad Bess' Wood, westward still through Copse Wood and then south around Ruislip Lido into Park Wood, for a small circular to finish before heading south back towards Ruislip town and a local pub, to be decided upon in true mass-democratic fashion on the day.

Toilets are available at West Ruislip station before heading off; the station also hosts a small coffee bar if you want to pick up last-minute some caffeine, water or snacks pre-walk.

• Distance/Time: About 9-10km for a good 3.5-4.5 hours' walk, depending on our pace
• Terrain: Mostly flat; mix of paved towpaths, dirt tracks, and moorland. Muddy patches possible—wear waterproof hiking boots if you can!
• Supplies: 2L water and some snacks - we'll stop off for a late lunch in Ruislip at the end!
• Weather: Forecast is England: bring a light rain and/or wind layer and a packable jumper (small rucksack advisable)