Our friend Norm Geras presents the Euston Manifesto, a call by some British leftists for fresh thinking, including an unambiguous democratic commitment with no apology for tyranny. The fresh thinking also includes opposition to anti-Americanism:
The United States of America is a great country and nation. It is the home of a strong democracy with a noble tradition behind it and lasting constitutional and social achievements to its name. Its peoples have produced a vibrant culture that is the pleasure, the source-book and the envy of millions. That US foreign policy has often opposed progressive movements and governments and supported regressive and authoritarian ones does not justify generalized prejudice against either the country or its people.
This is the left that I grew up around, but that began to disappear in this country during the late 1960s. I don’t hold out much hope for its revival here, especially the opposition to anti-Americanism part.
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