Editorial:

People's power and the 21st Century

The leaders of the United States often talk about the 21st 
century being an "American Century" but it is more likely to 
become an "American nightmare". It will become a century of 
people's actions and people's power that will transform societies 
and overthrow capitalism in many more countries.

The break-up of the Soviet Union almost 15 years ago opened the 
doors to unprecedented attacks on the rights and conditions of 
the working people throughout the world. It also opened the way 
to the overthrow of socialist societies in East Europe and then 
to the wars to break up the state of Yugoslavia. Then followed 
the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, all steps towards the 
long-held US leadership's objective of world domination.

A savage attack was launched on the rights and working conditions 
of hundreds of millions of people worldwide and on the public 
sector. This involves the privatisation of publicly owned 
enterprises and the undermining of public education and public 
health in favour of private schools and private companies. Behind 
the "American Century" is the power and wealth of the 
transnational corporations.

But this capitalist offensive is only half the story. The wars 
and the attacks on the working people are bringing counter action 
and strong opposition.

This was most dramatically shown last year when the world 
witnessed the unprecedented demonstrations against the war in 
Iraq. Nothing like it has ever been seen before. The exposure of 
the US leadership continues with the confirmation that Bush, 
Blair and Howard lied about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. 
Their main justification for the invasion and occupation of Iraq 
was a lie.

While this expression of people's power did not prevent the 
invasion it did show that millions of people have woken up to the 
despicable character of their leaders and that these leaders 
serve the shoddy profit interests of the armaments, oil and other 
corporations and not those of the people.

In Australia, in addition to the actions against the Iraq war, 
there has been a strong movement and many actions against the 
immoral and racist refugee policy of the Federal Government. The 
very people who have been turned into refugees by wars in which 
the Australian Government has joined, are refused refugee status 
in Australia, a right guaranteed under international law.

There is the stubborn struggle of Australia's Indigenous people, 
personified at the moment by the refusal of the elected Chairman 
of ATSIC, Geoff Clarke, to be intimidated by government ministers 
Ruddock and Vanstone. They are using the situation surrounding 
Geoff Clarke to wage an all-out attack on ATSIC and the 
Indigenous people in general.

There are the actions of teachers and students in the defence of 
public education and against the hike in student fees.

These struggles are all part of the growing people's movements 
and they will be multiplied many times over in the coming years. 

At present, in Australia, they do not challenge the social system 
of capitalism but as time goes on it will become more widely 
recognised that bandaid solutions do not go far enough. The real 
source of the attacks on rights and conditions, the worldwide 
poverty and the wars that cause so much misery and thousands of 
deaths is to be found in the system of capitalism and 
imperialism.

In Latin America the people's struggles have reached a high 
level. Socialist Cuba has survived more than 40 years of threats, 
embargoes, attempted assassinations and other covert actions. The 
people of Venezuela defended the revolutionary government of Hugo 
Chavez while the people of Brazil have elected a left-progressive 
government. The people of Colombia continue to wage an armed 
struggle against fascist-type governments backed by US money and 
arms.

This is only a small part of the world-wide picture but it gives 
enormous encouragement to all who are on the side of the people 
and against the power of the transnational corporations and the 
despicable governments that they impose.

Rather than the claim of US leaders that the century is theirs, 
the 21st Century will be a century of people's actions and 
people's power.