Posts in "green movement"

By David Kretzmann at 9:31AM

Jul 5, 2011

Cooperative Communities, Libertarianism, and Learning from the Green Movement

On the occasion when I explain my upbringing in Ananda Village, California, to fellow libertarians, I am often met with funny looks or a halfhearted, “That’s neat,” in response. Ananda, founded by J. Donald Walters (also known as Swami Kriyananda), is an intentional cooperative community celebrating its 43rd anniversary this year. The community of Ananda is, quite simply, a gathering of individuals who follow the spiritual teachings of the Indian yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda (author of “Autobiography of a Yogi”). I was born and raised in Ananda, and the community itself is a haven of individual creativity, dedication, and entrepreneurship.

In fact, there is no rule book or set constitution for communities to adopt. There is nothing mandating that communities have to be collective socialist communes where no one can so much as own their own shirt. Communities are basic structures, they are whatever people create of them. Some individuals might prefer a community that focuses on promoting entrepreneurship, others a community that centers on building birdhouses and widgets. Regardless of the intended community focus, the key concept is an intentional community provides a foundation for like-minded individuals to come together, collaborate, and work toward on a common goal.

Libertarians often try to change things through a legislative process in government, which is a great and noble goal.

Human Beings Aren't Pawns

Does anyone remember last year's Iranian presidential elections that spurred protests and upheavals over the fraudulent results? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had beaten Mir Hossein Mousavi, but the Iranian people were none too pleased.

Now, there is strife of a similar nature, but much more violent, in Thailand. The recent civil unrest in Thailand is attributed to a political split between the Democrat Party and National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) whose followers are the infamous "red shirts." The red shirts have demanded that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party call new elections, but their requests have fallen upon a deaf ear.

Last year during the Iranian debacle, many "conservative" commentators had called on President Obama to offer moral support and the backing of the United States to those who disputed the election results (most commonly referred to as the Green Movement). Their motives were hardly obscured, however. Quite frankly, none of them probably cared the least bit about the Iranian people. The real goal was to inspire regime change in the Islamic Republic. Mir Hossein Mousavi was seen as the more US friendly candidate (one that wanted to continue the nuclear program), and therefore he needed every tool in the regime change arsenal to be put into power. Ultimately, it failed. But with a disastrous record of trying to influence Iranian politics, the world is probably much better off that the US minded their own business.

Iran: A Redundantly Flawed Foreign Policy

If the United States is to learn anything about Iran it is that American foreign policy is substantially flawed and reckless. The US has a long history of a hundred years of brutal occupation, masked liberation, interventionist ideals, and proxy warring ambitions.

The fundamental question is whether United States foreign policy has truly served the national interest. Although sometimes it has, overtly interventionist policies and the meddling in intrastate affairs has often led to more enemies abroad, whether state or organization.

In regards to Iran, American foreign policy is shifting toward interventionism once again. On Wednesday, February 3^rd, the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held a hearing to discuss the United States’ prospected approach on handling the revolution in Iran. I need not mention the disasters of previous attempts to change governments in Iran on behalf of the US; however, the Subcommittee came to the same conclusion. The United States, in its ‘best interest’, would somehow support the Green Revolution in Iran.

Green Movement in Iran