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Armed Insurrection to Parliamentary Politics
Context:
The recent electoral success of Sri Lanka’s Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power marks a broader trend of left-wing revolutionary groups transitioning from armed struggle to democratic engagement.
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- Historically rooted in ideologies like Marxism-Leninism and Maoism, these movements viewed the state as a tool of capitalist oppression, advocating for forceful dismantling of its structures to achieve social and economic justice.
- In recent years, groups such as Nepal’s Maoists, El Salvador’s Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), and factions of India’s Marxist-Leninist movements have chosen to engage in parliamentary politics.
- This shift reflects a pragmatic blend of ideological adaptation and the need to respond to evolving political realities.
- Revolutionary insurgencies often emerge from the belief that armed struggle is essential to dismantle capitalist oppression, but the prolonged nature of such conflicts, coupled with resource constraints and public disillusionment, has driven many groups to reconsider their strategies.
Examples of Transition
- Nepal: Nepal’s Maoist insurgency provides a notable case study.
- Launching a civil war in 1996 to overthrow the monarchy, the Maoists negotiated the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Accord after a decade of conflict, enabling them to participate in mainstream politics.
- By 2008, they were instrumental in transitioning Nepal into a federal democratic republic, showcasing how revolutionary goals can be pursued within democratic systems.
- El Salvador: Similarly, in El Salvador, the FMLN shifted from guerrilla warfare in the 1980s to forming a legitimate political party after the 1992 peace accords, eventually winning national elections by moderating its Marxist roots.
- Sri Lanka: In Sri Lanka, the JVP also evolved from its Marxist-Leninist-Maoist origins and two failed uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s to embrace parliamentary politics in the 1990s.
- Through democratic engagement, the JVP has focused on advocating for economic reform, workers’ rights, and social justice, achieving these goals without the sacrifices of armed conflict.
Factors Driving the Shift
- Strategic Realism: The transition from insurgency to electoral politics is driven by strategic realism, with prolonged armed struggles often proving unsustainable due to resource constraints and diminishing public support.
- Erosion of Public Support: Civilian casualties and prolonged hardship can erode popular backing, as seen in Nepal and El Salvador.
- Global Pressure: International pressure has also played a significant role, with global actors mediating peace agreements and fostering political transitions, as in the United Nations’ involvement in El Salvador.
- Ideological Evolution: Additionally, insurgent groups often undergo ideological evolution, adapting their doctrines to fit democratic frameworks.
- This pragmatic shift allows them to address social injustices without resorting to violence.
Challenges and Implications
- Operating within democratic systems offers former insurgent groups legitimacy and opportunities to address the injustices that fueled their movements.
- However, this shift raises questions about their commitment to democratic norms and the balance between revolutionary ideals and practical governance.
- Public skepticism over their violent pasts and concerns about co-optation by existing political structures remain significant challenges.
- Despite these hurdles, integrating insurgent groups into democratic politics can enhance democracy’s legitimacy by incorporating large support bases and fostering inclusive governance.
- While some critics view this adaptation as an ideological compromise, it can also be seen as a natural evolution—redefining revolution within modern democratic contexts.
- This transition from armed conflict to political participation reshapes the narrative of contemporary insurgencies, demonstrating that radical movements can evolve to operate within democratic systems.
- It also underscores the potential for democratic socialism to address systemic issues of capitalism, offering a path for revolutionary ideals to thrive in a reformed, inclusive framework.
