The Hakim debate has left me somewhat speechless. Not because of anything that was discussed between the two, but the absolutely incomprehensible reaction of the SocDems in this community to the imperialism take of the two.
I myself am a member and official of the Social Democratic Party in Germany. The only way I would describe myself as a SocDem is as an oldschool Bavarian SocDem or just a member of the party. I mention this to make clear that I do have some insight into a SocDem party, and that I am very aware of the "based" history of this party. But the German Social Democrats are not the ones from 1950.
The Swedish Social Democrats are not the ones from 1980.
Social Democrats have become, at least since the neoliberal wave in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, centrist, capitalist parties that are no longer interested in systemic change, as most of them themselves admit and are proud of.
The most vivid example of this is the history of the term "social market economy" in Germany. Once invented in the 1950s by the Christian Democrats to better sell their capitalism with a social net, it was accepted neither by the Social Democrats nor by the trade unions. Both continued to call for democratic socialism for decades. Only in the 90s, the SPD after the German reunification, the DGB then in 1995, both adopted the concept of the social market economy for themselves. Now their leaders deny any anti-capitalist ambition when the chairman of the SPD youth organization calls in a major weekly for companies to be turned into cooperatives.
Now their ministers must be forced by their own party base to advocate a law that would limit European, or at least German, economic imperialism.
As long as social democracy does not reject capitalism, it continues to be exploitative of the global South. Are they happy about it? No. But they are very good at ignoring the unpleasant consequences of our way of life.
Am I saying that all hope is lost for these parties? No, otherwise I would be pretty stupid to be a member and functionary in one.
There are still anti-capitalist wings in these parties that are currently disempowered, but things are starting to change since the Brexit shock went through Europe. The Swiss Social Democrats have explicitly committed to market socialism in their latest program, the German Social Democrats have a leadership duo in a grassroots election that at least commits to an undefined democratic socialism. We can turn these parties back into forces for real progress in the world. But to do so, we must accept our mistakes of the last 30 years. We also have to actually do something. Please please please, don't just stay online. I can't talk about the enormously strange way parties work in the USA, but dear European comrades:
Many party chapters are only barebone remains that can easily be highjacked among motivated young people, especially in rural areas. Actually try to change things.
Friendship and Solidarity to all of you.