I know this question will sound silly to some, but suppose a group of people in a low key third world country decide to make their own commune. They work together to build up farming and industry purely based on their own need, and slowly expand to accomodate their needs.
I understand Communes are viewed as ineffective, but a commune like this would be meant to grow, not just remain isolated. It would inspire communes in other areas, and it would aim to expand.
I see a couple of issues with this:
- not all countries can do this. For example, Palestinians living in Palestine will suffer trying to do this. But most countries can, right?
- it will only benefit the tiny group of people within proximity to the commune. But the commune can 1) expand and 2) inspire communes in other locations
- some needs are hard for a small commune to make, such as computer chip manufacturing, and other things they will need to get from the non commune world
But still, I can’t see this as less than a good step forward?
I see it as a step towards more communes however there’s no political change there at any level of government.
A “low key third world country” has to industrialize in some way to add value to their production and to get benefits of scale. Are these communes going to be able to compete with private industry who probably have access to greater funding and government protection?
It could be a stepping stone for better political change. You have to start somewhere, and right now the state is way too powerful. If a revolution does start, the commune can act as a safety net for revolutionaries, and possibly supply the revolutionaries with what they need.
I agree that it has to industrialize. Does it have to compete with private industry from the get-go? The commune’s goal in the beginning is to build up its ability to satisfy the needs of its members, and the industry will build up slowly. No need to compete with private industry.
The events of Lebanon makes way less optimistic about the armed struggle. Hezbollah is the most powerful non-state actor, but it took a massive blow from Israel in such a short time. Israel can watch them 24/7 from satellites, can compromise their supply chain, and can even compromise their communication. Their technical and logistical superiority is so great, it is difficult to imagine beating them.