Wadih Halabi

Wadih Halabi

Template:TOCnestleft Wadih Halabi (also known as Wadhi'h Halabi), born 1946, serves on the Economics Commission of the Communist Party USA, and also teaches political economy at the Center for Marxist Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He is the partner of Sandra Rosen,

Advising China

Phoenix communist Rob McElwain wrote in 2017:

Sandy, an American woman, met Wahd'i, a Palestinian, who was exiled during his youth to Lebanon before coming to the U.S during the Lebonese civil war. They met over 50 years ago. Together, they lived lives that inspire and encourage others. As they visited us in Phoenix, we all were so honored to have them speak to a small group of comrades at Third Space.

Wahd'i has been a special consultant to the government of China the past dozen years. He travels to meet with high level personnel from the Communist Party of China to advise them on problems that loom in governing while maintaining the principals of not just Marxism, but the roots of power, the people. We learned that it is important to maintain hope in certain elements of the Chinese government. Some people might shrug off such a thought, but maybe they aren't as interested in considering the real difficulties of governing while improving the principals of Chinese revolution and aiming for longer term successes.

Theoretical work and activism

Since 1917 and to this day, a single world economy has contained two social systems -- capitalism and the system created by socialist revolutions. The two systems are regulated internally by different laws; capitalism is distinctly cyclical and crisis-prone, while economies created by socialist revolution, including those of China and four other states today, are distinctly non-cyclical. But the two systems are not in separate worlds; they interact, conflict and compete within the arena of a single world economy (and a single world society).

Within this framework of a single world (political) economy, Halabi’s work has examined phenomena that superficially appear to contradict or challenge Marxism, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union while U.S. G.D.P. maintained exceptional relative stability. He has also studied the material basis for revolutionary optimism.

Halabi’s work has been published in Nature, Society and Thought, Political Affairs, the Peoples Weekly World and other journals. His work has been translated and published internationally, including in China, India, Brazil, Germany, former Soviet republics and elsewhere. He has also been active in union organizing, prisoner defense and international solidarity work in the USA.

Left Forum 2015

Sea Changes: China and the World Since 2008

• Gary Hicks, Chair Artworks for the People Berkeley CA
• Wadih Halabi Center for Marxist Education, Cambridge MA
• Duncan McFarland Center for Marxist Education, Cambridge MA
• David Ewing US-China Peoples Friendship Association

Communist Party

In 2009 Wadhi'h Halabi was a contributing editor and a member of the of the Editorial Collective of Political Affairs, theoretical journal of the Communist Party USA.

Communist Party Labor Day call

The Communist Party USA paper People's Weekly World issued a statement to mark Labor Day 1995, entitled "We honor the dead and fight like hell for the living."

Of the more than 100 endorsers listed, almost all were identified members of the Communist Party USA.

Wadhi'h Halabi, Cambridge Massachusetts was on the list.

Massachusetts Communist Party

In September 2006 the Peoples Weekly Worldlisted several members or supporters of the Massachussetts Communist Party USA.

Gary Dotterman, Jack Martis, Leandro Della Piana, Maja Weisl Johnson, Nick Burlak, Wadi’h Halabi.

China

Halabi has made visits to China since 2000, to lecture and for conferences on world political economy.

CCDS member?

On May 27 2010, Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism member Greg King, wrote an email to several "CCDS members", forwarded from "Carl D", (probably Carl Davidson) on the subject of a John Case article on the just finished Communist Party USA National Convention in New York. The email named the "CCDS members" as Al Sargis, Jim Nakamura, John Witeck, Joe Bageant, W. A. Halabi, Mort Ahmadifar, Oliver Lee, Gary Hicks and Sandy Rosen.

From: Greg King <gking...@msn.com>

Subject: FW: [CCDS Members] FYI from CarlD: JCase's Reflections on the CPUSA 29th Convention''

To:

"Al Sargis" <albertsar...@comcast.net>, "Jim Nakamura" <j...@sonic.net>, "John Witeck" <witeckj...@hawaii.rr.com>, "Joe Bageant" <bagean...@aim.com>, "W.A. Halabi" <wah...@yahoo.com>, "Mort Ahmadifar" <ahmadi...@comcast.net>, "Oliver Lee" <o...@hawaii.edu>, "Gary Hicks" <longmarch2...@yahoo.com>, "Sandy Rosen" s...@verizon.net

"China, The Working Class, Unions And The Economy" forum

On July 6 2011 a forum "China, The Working Class, Unions And The Economy" was held at the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland California .

China is now developing into the largest economy in the world and this forum will discuss how this affects Chinese working people, unions (official & independent) and the Chinese people. It will also look at how the US government, U.S. unions and media look at this development

A panel followed by audience discussion:

• Wadih Halabi, Economics Commission, Communist Party USA

• David Ewing, US-China Peoples Friendship Association, San Francisco

• Gary Hicks, Research Associate, Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library,

Left Forum 2012

China’s Peaceful Rising in Interesting Times

The question of China will be introduced by examining China’s revolution in the 20th Century, and its place and behavior in international and global policies today. Such a presentation is supplemented by presenting several criteria that establish China’s socialist credentials, in whole or in part. Finally there is the place of Marxism in ascertaining China’s interaction with the global economy in the context of the general crisis of capitalism.

Chair: Gary Hicks, Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library

Speakers: Norman Markowitz, Rutgers University, Wadih Halabi, Economics Commission, Communist Party USA, Wei Xiaoping, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing

China trip

On October 14-15, 2017, Communist Party USA Boston members Wadi'h Halabi and Dylan Walker participated in the 8th World Socialism Forum of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. The theme of the international gathering focused on the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia and applying lessons from it to an examination of the "Temporal Characteristics of the Great Transformation Era, and Socialism with Chinese Characteristics."

Comrade Halabi, a member of the CPUSA Economics Commission and the Center for Marxist Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts was invited to address the forum, speaking on the topic "What is the greatest honor we can pay the October Revolution?"

Halabi pointed out that "the Great October Socialist Revolution was probably the single greatest step forward in human history. It strengthened Marxism and the working class. The Revolution gave birth to all Communist Parties worldwide, and to the Communist International."

He continued, "It is true the Comintern suffered serious weaknesses, especially after Lenin’s death. These led, for example, to the severe defeat suffered by the Communist Party and workers in China in 1927. Some of the causes for the Comintern’s weaknesses and errors are discussed here. They are not reason to reject unity among Communist Parties, but it is essential to identify why they developed and to address them. The greatest honor we can pay to the October Revolution is to rebuild international Communist unity."

Party builder

In 2014, Wadi'h Halabi and Sandy Rosen of Massachusetts, and Tom Whitney of Maine submitted "Two ideas to Build the Party Today": to the 30th National Convention, CPUSA, Convention Discussion.

WAPE conference

The Sixth Forum of the World Association for Political Economy (WAPE) met at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, 27–29 May 2011. Alan Ding (Xiaoqin Ding), the secretary of WAPE, sent Erwin Marquit for copyediting (which task Doris actually assumed) the draft statement that was to be presented for adoption at the conference.

Apart from Wadih Halabi and Marquit, who were the only CPUSA members who had been to previous WAPE annual forums, Art Perlo, chair of the Party’s Economic Commission also attended the forum.

Political Affairs

In 2015 Wadih Halabi served on the editorial board of the Communist Party USA's Political Affairs.

CPUSA 31st National Convention resolution

17. FOR ASSESSING OUR WORLD MOVEMENT’S STRENGTHS AND SHORTCOMINGS

WHEREAS humanity faces mounting existential threats from imperialist aggressions and environmental and public-health breakdowns, and

WHEREAS capitalism creates these threats and cannot stop their escalation. and

WHEREAS only the world working class can lead initiatives among the oppressed masses to decisively address these threats, and

WHEREAS labor’s organizations worldwide, including our parties, unions, and states, have identical interests in the global class struggle,

BE IT RESOLVED that the 31st National Convention direct the International Department of the Communist Party USA to support efforts to identify the strengths and shortcomings of international communism from the Comintern to the contemporary international movement of our parties worldwide, and to address the implications for international transition from capitalism to socialism.

Submitted by Sandra Rosen, Emile Schepers, Cameron Orr, John Womack, Donald Donato, Gary Hicks, and Wadih Halabi.

References

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