I believe that “left anarchists” (anarcho-communists, anarcho-syndicalists, green anarchists, etc.) and “right anarchists” (anarcho-capitalists, market anarchists, libertarian anarchists, etc.) have more than enough common ground for a real basis of unity that can be used not only for theoretical development and the growth of knowledge, but also for common strategies and projects against The System.

What is the common ground between the camps? Well, the most obvious example is – we’re all against the State, against ALL States. Other things that both sides generally are against – war, police, intellectual property, theft, extortion, the mafia, religion, racism, sexism, homophobia, conformity, mainstream society, militarism, obedience, coercive psychiatry, the institution of marriage, taxation, statists, rulers, would-be rulers, politicians, political parties, the electoral system, aristocracy, theocracy, determinism, blind faith, imperialism, mercantilism, Marxism, Fascism, political economy, world government, the military-industrial complex, the police state, prisons, and the Corporate State.

We also share common values – free association, non-aggression, individual liberty, secessionism, free speech, the right to bear arms, women’s right to abortion, decentralization, individual initiative, self-governance, autonomy, self-sovereignty, voluntary cooperation, voluntary association, rational thought, independent thought, and diversity.

This is a lot of common ground! So much so, that I think that one would be hard-pressed to find another group that “regular anarchists” have so much in common with! With this being the case, why not unify? Why not work together against our common enemies? The obstacles that we need to overcome are enormous, and we need all the help we can get. And right anarchists make a good ally in this struggle, because unlike the various kinds of Marxists and statist leftists, we all know that they are not after State power for themselves, but instead seek the complete abolition of it. There is no other group of people out there that you can trust in this respect. Need I remind you of past revolutions where anarchists worked together with the statist left? Each group holds negative prejudices, stereotypes, and gross misunderstandings about the other. Left anarchists tend to mistakenly believe that right anarchists want more of what we have now – imperialism, mercantilism and a Corporate State, instead of wanting no government whatsoever. The right anarchists tend to mistakenly see the left anarchists as being a new form of Leninist or as wanting a conformist tyranny-of-the-majority Borg. All this misinformation needs to be cleared up and overcome in order for any REAL mutual understanding to come about.

Another obstacle in the way of left/right anarchist unity is the tendency for knee-jerk reactions, stubbornness and uncritical hostility towards the other camp and to anyone who proposes unity with them. A calm, thoughtful, and open-minded approach to this is needed in both camps. If we enter this thinking that the other group is scum, will always be scum, and is just out there to screw us over, then chances are that we will be provoking the other group to such defensiveness that they will appear to us to be living up to our expectations. I’m not saying there aren’t substantial differences between the two groups – there certainly are. Every anarchist faction has its own different and unique characteristics – that’s what makes it its own faction. I don’t see how these differences are irreconcilable or insurmountable – worse comes to worse, in an anarchist society the right anarchists will have their little territories where they live and do their thing, and the left anarchists will have their little territories where they live and do their thing. As long as each side leaves the other alone and promises not to go invade the other side, things will be cool.

Let’s start learning from each other, gaining positive things from the other camp’s world-view and analysis. Let’s come up with common strategies that will present a real threat to The System. And most importantly, let’s follow through with this strategy and work together to bring this vile system down to it’s knees.