The Guardian 7 May, 2008
Editorial
The unwinnable war
Australia’s PM Kevin Rudd declared recently that Australia’s military forces would be in Afghanistan for the "long haul" but without a "blank cheque". Whether "the long haul" means 5 years, 10 years or 50 years is not clear. One commentator even suggested 100 years.
The PM spoke of a "deep sense of liberty — which should never be surrendered whatever the cost". Yet talk of not giving NATO, which orchestrated the invasion of Afghanistan (and that is what it is), a "blank cheque" suggests that there might be a cost too heavy to bear.
Or is this yet more spin to allay the fears of many Australians who do not support either the war in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Furthermore neither war is about liberty — any more than the war in Vietnam was about liberty.
The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam and Korea were all initiated by the US and were about occupation, seizing strategic territory, grabbing the resources of these countries, re-imposing colonialism and stifling the establishment of progressive governments.
The overthrow of Saddam Hussein (and the Taliban in Afghanistan) has not led to the formation of a more progressive government but has led to hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghani deaths, the looting of the country and, clearly, a US occupation for generations to come. That is their plan, at any rate.
The only reason making it possible for the US to impose its will on a number of countries is its superior military power, aided by the likes of Australia as it trails along doing the bidding of the US.
But this situation is gradually changing as a number of countries are improving their armed forces.
Furthermore, NATO’s interference and occupation is heightening the consciousness of people about the independence of their country.
No invader has ever subjugated Afghanistan and the NATO imperialist countries will not succeed this time either.
Anniversary of defeat of fascism
May 9 marks the 63rd anniversary of the victory over fascism in WWII. The Soviet Union played by far the greatest part in the defeat of Hitler’s military and those of the German allies at the time.
The Soviet Union had won tremendous prestige by the end of the war. The defeat of fascism and the role of the Soviet Union resulted in the formation of a number of new socialist countries and in the liberation of the colonial empires of Britain, France, the Dutch, Portugal and Belgium. Scores of countries of Asia, Africa, India and the Pacific threw off colonialism. By 1949 the Chinese revolution threw off colonialism and established the People’s Republic of China — a world shaking event that is still reverberating around the globe.
The major imperialist countries of Britain and the US rushed to reverse the consequences of WWII and launched the Cold War and have never for one day ceased their conspiracies, sabotage, boycotts and subversion aimed at undermining and overthrowing socialism.
That they succeeded in breaking up the Soviet Union and overthrowing socialism was a big victory for imperialism and was made possible by the existence of traitors within the ranks of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
However, the pendulum is now swinging back towards socialism and a new stage in the national liberation movement in which capitalism is being increasingly challenged.
A victory for fascism in WWII would have set back socialism and colonial liberation for perhaps 100 years.
We can be forever grateful to the Soviet Union and millions of anti-fascists, particularly the communists in many countries that fascism was defeated. There are now more than 100 million communists on all continents.
Historic vote
The historic vote in the NSW Labor Party Conference on the weekend (702-107) that defeated the attempt of the Iemma government to privatise that state’s electricity illustrates a new level of consciousness in the ranks of the Labor Party and the NSW trade union movement.
It is the first time that such a mass movement has arisen in Australia to stop the privatisation of such a facility.
There was no similar opposition movement when Telstra, the Commonwealth Bank, the airports and many other publicly-owned enterprises were meekly handed over to private profiteering companies by Labor and Liberal governments. It should not be forgotten that a previous attempt by the Carr Labor government was also defeated.
It remains to be seen what the NSW Labor leaders will do now, but it is to be hoped that the opponents of privatisation will stick to their guns.