The Russian Proletarskaja Gazeta on Afghanistan

[sipila]

From: "Magnus Bernhardsen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Subject: [Peoples War] Proletarskaja Gazeta on Afghanistan

http://www.apk2000.dk/netavisen/artikler/verden/2002-na0125-proletarskaya_ga
zeta_a_russian_view_on_afghan_war.htm

THE «CIVILIZED WORLD» OF CAPITALISM
IS THE SOURCE OF TERRORISM AND WARS
Proletarskaja Gazeta 14
Russian Marxist-Leninist Newspaper

The imperialist powers, led by the U. S. imperialism, in their propaganda
present themselves as «the civilized world». This proclamation of
themselves as «civilized» parasites allows them to portray the rest of
the world as barbarians and savages.
The kamikaze attack of September 11, 2001, crashed Boeings together with
their passengers and crew into the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York and
the Pentagon in Washington. This resulted in the destruction of the
buildings and the deaths of several thousand people, which provided
bourgeois propaganda with a great excuse to build up a mythical threat to
the «civilized world» from «international terrorism». The ruling
classes of the USA have declared their intention to strike an unprecedented
military blow in retaliation in order to «to destroy bases of
terrorists» in various countries and «to liquidate terrorists, as well
as those who shelter them».

What is behind the provocation of September 11?
The provocation of September 11 in New York and Washington created the
conditions for the U. S. to secure military control over oil routes and
created favorable conditions for the stiffening of political and military
pressure on oil-extracting countries to strengthen the pressure on OPEC and
its executive committee.
The price of oil had been steadily increasing over the past years,
something that the U. S. government was not very happy with. The U. S.
government has increased its military pressure and has resorted to carrying
out terror in the region of the oil-extracting countries of the world in
order to frighten their governments by complementing political and economic
pressure with military aggression. The military blackmail and direct
military aggression by the imperialists are meant to secure low prices for
oil. 
Additionally, this new aggression further boosts the profits of the
military industry in the U. S.
Therefore, the provocation of September 11th, which has taken the lives of
thousands of civilians, serves the economic interests of U. S. imperialism.


It is necessary to note that before the tragic events of September 11th,
economic data had clearly pointed to a recession that could lead to a deep
global economic crisis. This insanity about an alleged threat to U. S.
national security by «international terrorism» is meant to divert the
attention of the American public from the economic crisis and its
consequences for the American people.
The military aggression against Afghanistan had been planned before the
tragic events in New York and Washington. Many documents released by the U.
S. government and several government committees bear witness to this. The
U. S. capitalist had already calculated the economic benefits of a military
occupation of Afghanistan.
The industrially developed West is not expected to increase its consumption
of oil and gas in the foreseeable future. In order to consume the oil and
gas extracted from the region of the Caspian Sea, new emerging markets are
required. International corporations expect the demand for oil and gas to
grow significantly in Asia. Specialists have emphasized that the main
regions of oil and gas consumers will be India, Pakistan and China. Due to
its geographical location, Afghanistan is a necessary transit point for gas
and oil supplies to the countries of the Far East. Afghanistan is located
between Turkmenistan and Pakistan, and also near India and other countries
in the region. In order to allow gas and oil supplies from the Caspian Sea
and Bashkiria to reach the Far East, it is necessary to build expensive gas
and oil pipelines. Due to the complicated mountain geography of Kyrgyzia
and Tadzhikistan, the Afghan route is the best solution for the
construction of gas and oil pipelines.
In October 1997 the governments of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan (the Taliban),
Pakistan and an American company created a corporation and signed a
memorandum for the construction of pipelines through the territory of
Afghanistan. 
In particular, the Taliban regime agreed with foreign corporations and the
governments of Turkmenistan and Pakistan on the construction of a 48-inch
diameter pipe that would run 1270 kilometers along the Herat-Kandahar road
to Pakistan. 
However, in June 1998 the American partner (which owned 46,5% of the
corporation) pulled out, due to the continuing civil war and the unstable
political situation in the country.

During this period the U. S. government refused to recognize the Taliban
government. The U. S. government did not believe that the Taliban would
ever be able to establish a stable government in the country and become a
stable partner of U. S. imperialism in this region.
The ruling Taliban understood this and decided to fight for its own
economic interests in a different way. In April 1999, the governments of
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan resumed talks and revived the
corporation by inviting a major Saudi Arabian oil company. It is no
coincidence that a number of U. S. officials conceived of the possibility
of carrying out «retaliatory» strikes on the territory of Saudi Arabia.
The U. S. imperialists faced the possibility of losing control over the
transit of oil and gas to the Far East through Afghan territory, as a new
potential source of profits.
The construction of a pipeline with local resources would boost the
economic independence of the countries in the area. The U. S. imperialists
were adamantly opposed to this development, as it would prevent the U. S.
corporations from controlling the new emerging markets. U. S. imperialism
is aiming at establishing political and military control in Afghanistan in
order to impose its conditions on the countries of the Far East and the
countries that produce gas and oil in the region of the Caspian Sea. The
control of the transit of gas and oil would allow U. S. corporations to
impose high tariffs prices.
The prices of gas and oil provided to the emerging markets would come
closer to world prices. This would give the U. S. imperialists the ability
to influence the development of the emerging markets. This mechanism would
also influence the price of Russian gas and oil supplies to Europe. This
way, U. S. imperialism would be able to influence the economy of the
European Community. The governments of the European Community have tried to
get the US government to show restraint in its campaign of retaliation in
general, and its campaign against Afghanistan in particular. Shortly after
the defeat of the Taliban, several West European countries showed readiness
to send ground troops to Afghanistan in an attempt to secure some of the
profit from the «Afghan deal».

The provocation of September 11th triggered an unambiguous reaction from
the Russian bourgeoisie. The mass media all of a sudden were filled with
anti-Islamic propaganda. All of a sudden the mass media recalled the
bombing of houses in Russia and the deaths of innocent civilians. President
Putin was quick to declare that the Russian authorities were right in
declaring a crusade against the terrorist evil. At the same time, the
Russian authorities are trying to justify the atrocities committed by the
Russian military in Chechnya, leading to the deaths of thousands of
innocent civilians.
After a short period of relative stability, the Russian economy is likely
to go into a deep depression again. Even the government does not conceal
the fact that the economic situation is unstable and may significantly
worsen soon. This impending new crisis will be reinforced by the dependence
of the Russian economy on the interests of international capital that
dictate the economic reforms implemented by the president. The indignation
of the popular masses is on the rise. The reserve of political tricks
played by the ruling classes and their demagogy is exhausted. This will all
lead to serious social upheavals.

The Russian authorities are trying to introduce a police regime in the
country, using the excuse of defense against the threat of «international
terrorism». The army and police have been given special powers to
suppress any expression of social unrest and political activity by the
working masses against capitalism.
At the same time, the «Chechen terrorist attacks» and the war against
«international terrorism» are being used by the Russian authorities to
frighten the masses and divert their attention from the internal problems
of the country. 
The Russian bourgeoisie, as a producer of Caspian and Bashkirian oil and
gas to be pumped into the Far East, is deeply interested in the
construction of pipelines in Afghanistan. In this sense its interests are
closely related to those of U. S. imperialism.
However, the actual extraction of natural resources is not the only source
of profit. The control over the transit of oil and gas towards the emerging
markets is also a source of profit. Therefore, the Russian bourgeoisie is
also interested in establishing its own monopoly control over the transit
of oil and gas through Afghan territory. In this respect the interests of
the Russian bourgeoisie and the U. S. bourgeoisie are opposed and hostile
to each other. This forces the Russian bourgeoisie to quickly take
positions in this war of aggression against Afghanistan.
Therefore, the provocation of September 11th and the U. S. aggression
against Afghanistan are politically convenient for the Russian bourgeoisie;
they help the latter in justifying its colonial atrocities and diverting
the attention of the masses from the internal social problems.

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan was supported by U. S. imperialism as
guardian of its interests. However, the Taliban were not only unable to
accomplish the task within Afghanistan but, on the contrary, they turned
against their masters. The U. S. imperialists could not cope with the idea
of losing such a lucrative source of profits as the control over the
transit of oil and gas to the Far East. This is the real cause underlying
the aggression against Afghanistan. The provocation of September 11th in
New York and Washington created the excuse for waging this war, and
possibly other future wars. The objects of these provocations were chosen
in such a way as to best boost pro-war propaganda, not only in the U. S.
but also in the rest of the «civilized world». The war in Chechnya
waged by the Russian troops and the bombing of Russian houses served the
same interests of the Russian bourgeoisie in the same way as the
provocation of September 11th and the aggression against Afghanistan serve
the interests of U.S. imperialism. At the same time, with this aggression
U.S. imperialism wants to teach a lesson to those who serve the U.S. in
other parts of the world. It is relevant to note that, at the time of the
aggression, the U. S. did not have a clear and solid replacement for the
Taliban government to further safeguard its interests in the area. As a
result, U. S. imperialism is not interested in the creation of a stable
central government in Afghanistan. At this time they prefer a weak and
divided power in the territory of Afghanistan that is easier to control by
military means. 

The Russian bourgeoisie is avoiding a direct intervention in Afghanistan by
cunningly arguing that the defeat of the social-imperialist Soviet Union
created negative conditions for future military interventions by the
Russian army. However, the capitalists of Russia have never refused to gain
a new source of profit. The tactics used by the Russian bourgeoisie in this
respect are different from those used by U. S. imperialism. It is
interesting to touch upon two main factors that have influenced the tactics
of the Russian bourgeoisie.
First, the Russian army is weak and is unable to cope with the colonial war
in Chechnya, let alone to intervene in Afghanistan. As of today, the
Russian bourgeoisie, and especially the troops of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs, is only able to crush unarmed demonstrators or to humiliate
citizens in the streets.
Secondly, due to the weakness of the Russian bourgeoisie, a military action
would objectively serve the interests of U. S. imperialism. A Russian
military force would not be in a position to withstand the pressure from
other competitors. 
Therefore, the Russian bourgeoisie is trying to reach Kabul through the
back door, cunningly avoiding the North Alliance. It is influencing
political developments in that country to serve its economic interests. The
Russian bourgeoisie is bidding for the creation of a strong centralized
power in Afghanistan that would be friendly to the Russian government.
The statement of the Russian bourgeoisie supporting the war against
«international terrorism» is no more than a cunning propaganda trick.
The Russian bourgeoisie is trying to secure an additional source of profit
in Afghanistan, i. e. it is pursuing its own economic interests.

An analysis of the causes of the aggression by the U. S., Russia and their
accomplices against Afghanistan bears witness of the fact that in the
territory of Afghanistan the imperialist predatory interests of various
countries are overlapping. The struggle over the control over the transit
of oil and gas will last for a long time. In any case it is the Afghan
people who will suffer the most. The Afghan people have no choice!
In the '80s of the XIX century, the heroic Afghan people defeated the
expansionism of British imperialism in its quest for world domination and
blocked its advance towards Central Asia and Russia. A century later, the
Afghan people resisted a new aggression and defeated the social-imperialism
of the revisionist Soviet Union.

Today the Afghan people should take up arms
and lead the national liberation of their homeland
to a real Victory!



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