Carne Ross’ The Leaderless Revolution is refreshing because of its atypical perspective. Contemporary anarchist literature is often written by academics who have studied political theory, or by working class people, who have struggled in a Neo-liberal capitalist society, and understand the need for change. Ross is neither of these; a former British diplomat, he was a lead official at Britain's mission at the United Nations in New York dealing with Iraq. He was responsible for the policy on weapons of mass destruction and the pre-war sanctions. Ross states that Britain and their allies knew that Saddam Hussein did not possess significant WMD. Therefore, the sanctions and the subsequent invasion of Iraq were unjustified, and led to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary civilian deaths. Rather than critiquing the establishment, their systems and institutions from the outside, Ross has been enmeshed in the inner workings of the machine, and has decided it is broken.
This book is for those new to anarchism as a political theory, but who are dissatisfied with the state of the world, and yearn for something better. Many veteran anarchists’ first reaction to Carne Ross might be one of distrust - he was part of the establishment, he wears a suit, looks like a civil servant, and is still involved in international diplomacy, albeit advocating independently for marginalised groups. However, the fact that he is a non-conventional anarchist, might be Ross’ greatest strength. Brexit and Trump were arguably a result of people’s dissatisfaction with current systems, and a desire for radical change. Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion have engaged a wide range of people not normally involved in radical politics. This seems a potentially fertile time for enlisting people to anarchism, and many might be more easily recruited to the cause by a well-spoken, respectable former diplomat, than a dreadlocked crusty with a black bandana over their face. Ross’ experience and former position afford him an air of respectability and legitimacy that may make his messages more palatable for many people.
Ross eschews established examples of anarchism in action, such as the Paris Commune or Spanish Civil War, instead presenting more contemporary examples, such as the autonomous region of Rojava in North-eastern Syria, participatory democracy at the municipal level in Porto Allege, Brazil, or even communities’ abilities to respond to their own needs following emergency situations more effectively than the authorities and institutions entrusted to do so, as witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina or the Grenfell Tower fire.
Where Ross’ vision of an egalitarian society differs from many anarchists is his commitment to non-violence, and his suggestion of a gradual transition to an anarchist society, rather than through revolution. The belief that large worker-owned co-operative institutions could be built within a capitalist state, and that they would be so appealing, and productive, that the existing capitalist alternatives would simply wither away, demonstrates a naivety on Ross’ part. This book is a gateway drug, which will hopefully lead people to seek out stronger substances in the future. ■
Stuart Barton is a teacher and trade unionist, based in the West Midlands. You can check out his other writing on his website, as well as his Facebook and Twitter pages.
RELATED ARTICLES:-
This review will be short. The original reviewer ran up against life and was needed elsewhere. Normal we'd just leave it be and have it sat there until they had time, however, when I post this in the morning, Be Gay Do Crime, will have around 48 left of its Kickstarter and for that reason […]
I recently went to Europe and stayed for roughly a month, traveling between different cities in Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic, mainly staying in Prague. I got to network with various European anarchists and made many valuable connections with comrades. During my stay, I got the pleasure to attend a jail demonstration in Prague. […]
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have announced they will proscribe Palestine Action as a 'terrorist group'. We at Organise Magazine would like to express our support of Palestine Action. Making a statement such as this will shortly become punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Such support does not come […]
When I was a kid my dad borrowed a computer and on that computer there was a programme called “Dazzle”. Dazzle used mathematics and procedural randomness to create patterns in motion, it was little more than a screensaver but it was the first time I was able to experiment with software like this. Sure, I […]
It is easier than ever before to produce visual media, but what does that mean? Since my previous piece two years ago, artificially generated material from LLMs (Large Language Models – the core of all modern generative AI) has only become more visible. To the point that it’s difficult to avoid an advert shilling for […]
Spring is unfolding, and the time has again come to look towards June 11th, the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason and Long-term Anarchist prisoners. While our celebration of this day is to lend attention to Marius and other anarchist prisoners at risk of being forgotten because of their long sentences, we’re also continually […]
On 28th of February 2023, a head-on collision occurred between two trains in the Thessaly region of Greece, killing 57 people and injuring close to 200 more. This made it the deadliest rail disaster in Greek history. The reaction on the side of society was immediate – already on 1st of March 2023 protests took […]
On Wednesday 23 October, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan landed in Russia to attend the BRICS summit, there was a deadly attack on the Turkish aerospace and a defence company TUSAS facility near Ankara by two militants from The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).[1] This would result in a return to the brutal barrage the Turkish […]
After the chaos of the racist rally-turned-riot on Saturday 3rd August, further action had to be organised. Us anti-fascists were heavily outnumbered and had to flee, leaving the rioters to terrorise the city into the night. The following week passed as a fever. As in other cities, leaked screenshots from a group chat showed plans […]
Protests are not always this light, and not everyone will have had such a positive experience this Saturday. Our intention is to show that activism can be a productive and joyful experience in these contested times
"... The organisers wanted to achieve an obviously Right-wing, but dignified protest ... they ended up on drunken, deranged riots, causing a lot of damage to the city that won’t disappear quickly. I think most of the general population are afraid and horrified."