Society Against the State: Principles of Democratic Confederalism
DEMOCRATIC AUTONOMY – II
Abdullah ÖCALAN
6 - Ethical and Political Society, Resistance, and “History Is Now”
Throughout history, local and regional autonomy policies have always existed and have played an important role in sustaining ethical and political society. Across vast geographies of the earth—especially mountains, deserts, and forested areas—peoples and nations living as tribes, clans, village and city communities have continuously displayed resistance through policies of autonomy and independence against the forces of civilization. For this reason, we say that the democratic confederal tradition predominates in history. Throughout the history of civilization, the dominant tendency has not been submission but resistance. If it were otherwise, the world would resemble Pharaoh’s Egypt. Without knowing that there has been no human locality or region devoid of resistance and politics, we cannot interpret history correctly. If the peoples of Latin America, Africa, and Asia still resist today with all their colors and cultures, this means their histories are also like this—because history “is now.”
7 - Social Life Is Closer to Confederalism: A Framework for Living Together
Social life is closer to confederalism.
As has often happened between the forces of civilization and democratic forces, the forces of capitalist modernity and democratic modernity can also live together in peace on the basis of recognizing each other’s existence and identities and acknowledging democratic autonomous administrations. Under these conditions, within and beyond the borders of the nation-state, democratic confederal political formations and nation-state formations can coexist peacefully. Democratic confederalism has the potential to overcome the negative consequences stemming from the nation-state system, and it is also the most suitable instrument for politicizing society. It is simple and practicable. Every community, ethnicity, culture, religious congregation, intellectual movement, economic unit, etc., can structure and express itself autonomously as a political unit. Concepts such as federation, autonomy, and “selfhood” should be evaluated within this framework and scope.
8 - Principles of Democratic Confederalism: From Multi-Layered Political Structure to Self-Defense
Considering this situation, we can say the following about democratic confederalism:
• Democratic confederalism is open to different and multi-layered political formations. Horizontal and vertical political formations are necessary due to the complex structure of existing society. It keeps central, local, and regional political formations together in balance. Because each responds to concrete conditions, a plural political structure is closer to finding the most accurate solutions to social problems. It is the most natural right—indeed, a requirement of ethical and political society—for cultural, ethnic, and national identities to express themselves through political formations. Whether in the forms of nation-state, republic, or bourgeois democracies, it is open to principled compromises with state traditions. It can live together on the basis of principled peace.
• Democratic confederalism is based on ethical and political society. It sees template-like “project society” efforts—capitalist, socialist, feudal, industrialist, consumerist, and social-engineering projects—within the scope of capitalist monopolies. Such a society does not truly exist; its propaganda does. Societies are essentially political and ethical. Economic, political, ideological, and military monopolies are apparatuses that gnaw at this basic nature in pursuit of surplus value—and even social tribute. They have no value in themselves. Even revolution cannot create a new society. Revolutions can only play a positive role as operations aimed at restoring the eroded and made obsolete ethical and political fabric of society to its proper function. The rest is determined by the free will of ethical and political society.
• Democratic confederalism rests on democratic politics. In contrast to the nation-state’s rigidly centralized, straight-line, bureaucratic understanding of administration, all social groups and cultural identities realize society’s self-government through political formations that express them. Management is carried out not by appointment but by elected administrators at various levels. What is essential is the capacity for councils and deliberation. Arbitrary rule is invalid. From the general central coordination council (assembly, commission, congress) to local councils, democratic governance and oversight of social affairs are realized through a bundle of multi-structured bodies suited to every group and culture, seeking unity in diversity.
• Democratic confederalism is based on self-defense. Not as a military monopoly, but as self-defense units under the strict control of democratic bodies according to society’s internal and external security needs. Their task is to make effective the democratic political will as a free and egalitarian decision structure based on differences within ethical and political society; and to neutralize interventions by forces that undermine, block, or destroy this will from within or without. The command structure is subject to dual oversight—by both democratic political organs and the members of the units themselves—and can be changed easily through mutual proposals and approvals when necessary.
• In democratic confederal organization, there is no place for hegemony in general, and for ideological hegemony in particular. The hegemonic principle applies to classical civilizations. In democratic civilizations and modernity, hegemonic powers and ideologies are not regarded with tolerance. When they exceed the boundaries of different expression and democratic governance, they are neutralized through self-government and freedom of expression. In the collective management of social affairs, mutual understanding, respect for different proposals, and adherence to democratic decision principles are essential. Although the governing mentality of classical civilization, capitalist modernity, and the nation-state often overlaps, there are major differences and contradictions with the governing mentality of democratic civilization and democratic modernity. Ideological hegemony is also out of the question. Pluralism applies among different views and ideologies as well. Governance does not need to strengthen itself with ideological camouflage. Therefore, it neither needs nationalist, religious, positivist-scientistic, or sexist ideologies, nor seeks to establish hegemony. As long as it does not erode the ethical and political structure of society and does not pursue hegemony, every view, thought, and belief has the right to be expressed freely.
• Democratic confederal organization supports a World Democratic Confederal Union of national societies, against the UN-style unity of nation-states under super-hegemonic power control. Uniting much broader communities—both quantitatively and qualitatively—within a World Democratic Confederation according to criteria of democratic politics is essential for a safer, more peaceful, ecological, just, and productive world.
• Democratic confederalism is not, as is assumed, a form of governance unique to our time. It is a system that has found strong expression throughout history. In this sense, history is not centrally statist but confederal. The state form became recognized because it was highly formalized. Yet social life is closer to confederalism. The state always runs toward centralism because it prioritizes the interests of the power monopolies on which it rests; otherwise, it cannot protect those interests. Only strict centralism can provide such security. In confederalism, the opposite holds true. Since it is based not on monopolies but on society, it must avoid centralism as much as possible. Because societies are not homogeneous (a single mass) but consist of many communities, institutions, and differences, it must ensure and protect their integrity in a common harmony. Thus, excessively centralized administration often leads to explosions; history offers countless examples. Democratic confederalism, however, is lived more because it is suitable for every community, institution, and difference to reflect itself. Its lack of wide recognition is due to the hegemonic structure and ideology of official existence. Even without an official definition, societies in history are essentially confederalist.
To be continued…