THE real content of the ‘war against terror’ (a tool for promoting imperialist interests and for grabbing the world’s resources) has been proven with the US decision to put radars and missiles into Poland, and the Czech Republic along an eastern front facing Russia.
Russia is after all supposed to be a partner in the so-called ‘war’. It has now become a target.
This action follows on Bush’s declarations of the vital importance of the war against Al-Qaeda, while he in fact made a huge and bloody grab for Iraq’s oil. Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden has become a forgotten man!
Prime Minister Blair, anxious not to be left out of the latest imperialist venture, is volunteering the UK as the site for the US’ interceptor ballistic missiles, despite the fact that Russia has warned that this will be viewed as a hostile act and will result in a new arms race and cold war.
At the same time the US has warned that it will be recruiting more Eastern European states into NATO, including Albania and the future state of Kosovo.
These states are to provide the anti-communist ground forces for a future war, so that in every sense the alliance runs right up against the borders of Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine.
Russia clearly has something that the imperialist powers want – and that is enormous reserves of oil, gas and other riches in western Russia, Siberia and the Caucasus.
Previously Bush and Blair thought that they would be able to get their hands on these resources through completing an internal bourgeois counter-revolution in Russia.
However, the section of the bourgeoisie that they were managing has now either been jailed or exiled, such as Boris Berezovskiy, while Shell and BP are being forced to hand back to the Russian state the majority of the concessions that they purchased for a song under Yeltsin.
Clearly disturbed by this setback the imperialist bourgeoisie has quickly identified Russia as its main enemy and is now making the appropriate offensive war preparations.
Bush and Blair went to war to plunder Iraq. The end result was the devastation of that country and the July 7 bombings in Britain.
Now they are preparing for war against Russia, and turning Britain into the main target for counter-measures by Russia’s ballistic missiles.
These war plans must be stopped. This requires action. The lesson of the struggle against the war on Iraq was that millions marching could not stop the dictatorial imperialists from going to war.
Millions marching will not stop an attack on Iran or the war preparations against Russia.
There must be action.
The cowardly TUC trade union leaders refused to call any action against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and allowed the inhabitants of these countries to be slaughtered.
Yesterday Labour party leadership contender John McDonnell told News Line that the whole of the Labour movement must rise up to stop Britain becoming a US imperialist aircraft carrier.
This is a correct call. However, it must be made less general and more particular.
What is required is that millions of trade union members speak out and act, demanding that the TUC General Council calls a general strike to stop the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to stop the moves to turn the UK into a US ballistic missile base.
It is no good rationalising the situation away with a plea that Blair will be gone soon. He will be succeeded by Gordon Brown who will carry out exactly the same policies as Blair both at home and abroad.
There must be a general strike to bring down the Blair- Brown government, to bring in a worker’s government that will withdraw all British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and carry out socialist policies at home including breaking with US imperialism.
Unless this is done, US missiles will be stationed in Britain and the entire British population will be put under threat of incineration.
