A Manifesto for a World in Crisis

THE SITUATION
Our world is in crisis. Species extinction, topsoil loss, deforestation, rising seas, ocean acidification, global warming. It’s no exaggeration to say that the dominant culture is killing the planet. At the same time, societies around the world are staggeringly unjust. Neocolonialism builds up empires on the backs of indigenous peoples, sweatshop workers, unpaid and underpaid women, and the bodies of our nonhuman kin.

FALSE SOLUTIONS
We do not trust electoral politics, NGOs/non-profits, or foundations. Change must come from the grassroots, but the masses can be led astray. False solutions abound in the of vague reforms, half-measures, and technologies that only strengthen empire.

REVOLUTION
We aim for nothing less than total liberation from extractive economics (including capitalism and socialism), white supremacy, patriarchy, colonialism, industrialism, and the culture of empire that we call civilization. This is a war for survival, and we’re losing. We aim to turn the tide. We mean to win. Some will end up in prison. Some will die. This is the price of justice. Revolution will not be tranquil or easy.

STRATEGY
Our main strategy is to build a revolutionary culture that supports outright destruction of the dominant culture (empire/industrial civilization). Specifically, we promote a strategy informed by the history of guerilla warfare that entails coordinated underground cells using sabotage to destroy global energy, transportation, communications, trade, and finance systems. The goal is to stop the global economy, not to harm individuals or the people. We recognize the value in other strategies such as mass movements, building alternatives, and changing laws, but these methods have little chance of stopping or significantly altering the course of global empire.

THE FUTURE
There are countless thousands of examples of land-based, sustainable, just human cultures, the majority of them indigenous. When the global economy collapses, we will need to live this way once again. The people will need to help the land heal by dismantling the vestiges of this system and stewarding toxic waste such as nuclear plants into dormancy. Low-energy societies will thrive in the ruins of civilization. They will face their own challenges, as all people do, but they will be strong if we protect their ability to exist by removing threats to the planet.

IDENTITY POLITICS
The experiences of those who have suffered systematic oppression can never be fully understood by those who have not. We value and lift up those leaders who have true vision and skill, not figureheads or puppets. Being a member of an oppressed group does not automatically lead to wisdom. Anti-oppression politics form the bedrock of our human morality, but our goal is not political correctness; it is revolution.

RACISM AND PATRIARCHY
Racism and patriarchy both exist to further power and domination by turning large groups of people into exploitable others. These toxic ideologies deeply influence our culture and prop up empire by providing a steady stream of cheap and free labor, children to serve as the next generation of consumers and soldiers, and stereotypes to manipulate the population with. As the oppression of women and people of color is so wrapped up in the global industrial economy (via mass media, pornography, the prison-industrial system, housing, etc.), we see dismantling empire as critical to the dismantling of the concrete systems of power enforcing racism and patriarchy.

IMMIGRATION
The global economy creates millions of refugees each year via wars, trade, and propaganda. Most immigration happens because people’s land or livelihoods have been destroyed. Ideally, people should be allowed to live in their homes on land that is healthy and can support their community. Therefore, the best way to address the immigration “problem” is to bring down the global empire. We must stop the problem at the source.

HOW WE WORK
We must be tenacious, smart, strategic, careful, bold, and self-reflective. We must be unapologetic and non-compromising. We’ve got to sacrifice. Those who are ready have to get together and do the tedious work of organizing and building organizations and communities, engaging in political struggles, and carrying out realistic strategies for success. We don’t hope to be effective, we plan to make it happen.

LOYALTY
Throughout history, repressive and counterrevolutionary forces have worked to drive wedges into communities of resistance. Never forget COINTELPRO. Our protection lies in a fierce, forgiving loyalty to those who resist

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3 Responses to A Manifesto for a World in Crisis

  1. Christopher says:

    I agree with much of what this articles states but I don’t know why you have to bring ‘white supremacy’ into this. Countries such as India and China, for example, are two of the most polluted and polluting countries on Earth. I know a lot of western countries are also very bad with pollution. What I am saying is that being white has nothing to do with this.

    • Deep Green Resistance Seattle says:

      Christopher, there are many reasons why including white supremacy is critical. Racism has long been a major key pillar of how exploitation is organized, and how empire functions. It serves a key purpose for those in power by allowing them to “other” certain groups of people, making them easier to exploit.

      Yes, China and India are two of the polluted and polluting nations. Yet much of what they produce is exported to majority white nations, and their industrial legacy was driven by competition with and desire to emulate the lifestyle of western powers. This is a legacy that is wrapped up in racism.

      Racism and white supremacy are critical to the functioning of empire as currently constructed. We need to understand and grapple with these issues in order to fight empire.

      Top 10 nations as measured by their cumulative emissions between 1850 and 2007.Chinese emissions have risen significantly since these data were assembled.

      1. US: 339,174 MT or 28.8%
      2. China: 105,915 MT or 9.0%
      3. Russia: 94,679 MT or 8.0%
      4. Germany: 81,194.5 MT or 6.9%
      5. UK: 68,763 MT or 5.8%
      6. Japan: 45,629 MT or 3.87%
      7. France: 32,667 MT or 2.77%
      8. India: 28,824 MT or 2.44%
      9. Canada: 25,716 MT or 2.2%
      10. Ukraine: 25,431 MT or 2.2%

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