Whatever you do, don´t mention the aliens

Juan Posadas was a Latin American left-wing activist, originally from Argentina. He claimed to be a Trotskyist, and founded an international organization in 1962, sometimes known as the Posadist Fourth International. Originally, the Posadists were one of many Trotskyist or left-wing currents competing for the minds of radical students, and perhaps even some workers (Posadas was a labour union organizer at one point).

Then something happened. What is anybody's guess, but the Posadistas rapidly developed into *the* most bizarre leftist current ever spawned. They became a kind of lunatic fringe of the lunatic fringe. And let's face it, the competition is pretty stiff: David North, Lyn Marcus, Bob Avakian, Hardial Bains, etc. The ultimate article on J. Posadas can be found on the website of Fortean Times (you heard me). Pick up your smart phones, comrades, and search for "Fortean Times. Profiles. Juan R. Posadas". You won't be disappointed.

However, you just might if you read "Cambodia, Vietnam and the problems of the construction of socialism". It gives a wholly new meaning to the expression "rambling speech". Frankly, large parts of it are incomprehensible.

For your benefit, I nevertheless read the entire pamphlet. Posadas wants Trotskyists to support the Soviet Union, a hard sell if there ever was one. His argument is that Stalinism died with Stalin, and that the Soviets are once again at the centre of world revolutionary developments. One should also strongly support Soviet allies Cuba and Vietnam. Posadas never mentions the salient fact, that the Vietnamese Communists murdered prominent Trotskyist Ta Thu Thau, nor does he mention that his own supporters in Cuba were suppressed by Fidel Castro!

I also got the impression that comrade Posadas doesn't believe in the revolutionary capacity of the proletariat, instead extolling the virtues of technocrats and scientists in true Saint-Simonian fashion. But yes, I might be out on a limb here.

The ostensible point of J. Posadas' ramblings is the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1979, which toppled Pol Pot's murderous regime. Posadas defends the invasion, hotly denies that Pol Pot's regime was a "Workers State", and condemns both the Khmer Rouge and the Chinese leadership in Peking (which supported Pol Pot) as counter-revolutionary cliques. He also expresses belief in the claim that one million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge during their reign of terror, while being sceptical to the Vietnamese claims of three million. Well, at least Mr. Posadas have a point here. "Brother Number One" in Cambodia definitely had it coming.

The pamphlet ends with a call for a united front of all Workers States, Communist and Socialist parties, and all Revolutionary States, including (wait for it) Libya and Madagascar.

Madagascar?

OK.

The pamphlet also contain one illustration, a photo of smiling women comrades of the National United Front for Salvation in Kampuchea (FUNSK).

I don't think "Cambodia, Vietnam and the problems of the construction of socialism", dutifully published by European Marxist Review, is particularly interesting. But then, it never mentions the UFOs, the surprisingly long life span of elephants, or the need to nuke America hard.

Stay tuned for further developments.