The Left and the Jihad

Fred Halliday in an article on the website: openDemocracy writes about the realignment of forces of the left and the militant islamic groups, here he argues that the left (in the west) has become very sympathetic to the struggles waged by its former nemesis the radical islamic gropus. My own take on this is that this is due more because of the classical Kautilyan dictum "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" rather than any substantive agreement between the actors. Anyways it is a good read because it reflects how frustrated the left is with the right-wing policies being waged by the "mainstream" western governments in the middle east:

"The approaching fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States highlights an issue much in evidence in the world today, but one that receives too little historically-informed and critical analysis: the relationship between militant Islamic groups and the left.
It is evident that the attacks, and others before and since on US and allied forces around the world, have won the Islamist groups responsible considerable sympathy far beyond the Muslim world, including among those vehemently opposed from a variety of ideological perspectives to the principal manifestations of its power. It is striking, however, that - beyond such often visceral reactions – there are signs of a far more developed and politically articulated accommodation in many parts of the world between Islamism as a political force and many groups of the left. " .... Read More