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The CMKP list is a Marxist-Leninist email list to discuss politics in Pakistan in the international context.  The list was started by the Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party and after two and a half years of development has become the center of a sophisticated left-analysis of contemporary political, economic, cultural and philosophic issues.

What to Expect?

There are hundreds of members from all over the world on the list. Everyone is free to post his or her informed opinions on the list.  Currently the favorite topics of discussion are about events in events in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Nepal and about the form and content of a socialist Pakistan.  The average traffic is about two email messages a day. 

Great! How Do I Join?

You can join the CMKP list by sending an empty message to cmkp_pk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You will get an automatic reply asking you to confirm your subscription.  Simply press reply to confirm your subscription. 

Why the CMKP List?

The end of the Cold War created a general perception that the struggle for socialism on the basis of Marxism had more or less come to an end.  Theorists such as Francis Fukiyama even went to the extent of claiming that history itself had come to an end and Samuel Huntington prophesized that the principle form of antagonism would not be between ideologies based on classes but rather between civilizations.  The predictions of these “intellectual cold-warriors” can be discounted not only for their intellectual bias but the unfolding of history has proved that the era of socialism is not only not dead but very much still on the agenda of history.  The anti-capitalist, anti-globalization, and anti-war protests that have rocked the Western world are a stunning reminder of the fact that capitalism has not only not managed to resolve the fundamental contradictions of the day, but also show that millions of young people are mobilizing in order to resist these processes and create a new society.  The strength and consistency of these enormous demonstrations imply that it is no longer possible to write them off as sporadic incidents.  The simple fact is that these demonstrations have sparked off a new interest in the critique of capitalism and imperialism all over the world.

Together with these developments in the West, there are examples of Third World liberation movements that are also showing increased vitality.  The Iraqi and Palestinian struggles for liberation have shown enormous vitality, creativity, and courage.  Fidel Castro continues to successfully challenge US influence in Cuba.  Nepal is standing at the doorstep of a revolution.  From the Philippines to Colombia resistance to neo-colonialism continues in one form or another.  Perhaps it is still too early to predict that the phoenix will rise from the ashes, but these trends demonstrate a growing disenchantment with the world capitalist/imperialist system.

Young people inspired by these international trends have created an email based study circle aptly called the CMKP list.  The list is the first step in the direction of developing a deeper understanding and analysis of these world historic trends.  The analysis offered on the list is pregnant with the possibility of developing a wider resistance to globalization in Pakistan.   

The email list is open minded, educational and open to informed opinion.  The fact that people in Pakistan are questioning and seeking ways of changing the status quo is reflective of the wider political trends in the world at large.  Trends that perhaps our own society would benefit learning from.  The CMKP list offers us precisely this opportunity of linking the various struggles in various parts of the world with the struggle in our own otherwise quite parochial society.  Joining the list is the beginning of globalization from below.