From: "AIAIF" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Published in Proletarian Era (Vol. 35. Issue No. 4, October 1, 2001) Organ of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), Calcutta Foil This Sinister US War Design Following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon HQ in Washington on September 11, the USA has mobilised huge air and naval forces directed at Afghanistan from all sides. A formidable naval task force of 14 ships including aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers and destroyers and hundreds of advanced warplanes have been assembled. Three aircraft carriers carrying over 200 planes are in the Mediterranean. Two aircraft carriers along with their complements of guided missile cruisers and destroyers are in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. There are US warplanes stationed in Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey and in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan along the Northern border of Afghanistan. A number of US crack special forces including commando and airborne troops have been mobilised. In this way, the most powerful military power on earth surrounds a weak country like Afghanistan and is poised to destroy it. The USA is preparing for an all-out war. To start with, President Bush has in no time, got approval of the Congress for a staggering allocation of 40 billion US dollars for the purpose. Why this attack ? It is because the Taliban administration of Afghanistan has not acceded to the US demand to hand over Osama bin Laden to it. Why does the USA want to get hold of Laden? Because it wants to punish him for the 11 September terrorist strikes. Has Laden's isvolvement in these attacks been proved? No. But the USA considers Laden to be the prime suspect, and deems that to be sufficient ground for launching all-out attack on Afghanistan. It has brushed aside the Taliban demand to show proof that Laden was behind the terrorist strike. There is no necessity to adduce proof! Nor does the USA really possess any proof. Various piecemeal information handed out so far and publicised the world over, result of investigation by US intelligence agencies, do not add up to any coherent proof of anything presentable to the world. And yet, because the USA suspects Laden and Laden is supposed to be somewhere in Afghanistan, the USA must lay waste the whole of Afghanistan killing, injuring and maiming hundreds of thousands. If the USA comes up with "fool proof evidence" of Laden's complicity tomorrow, not much credence should be given to it, as the US intelligence agencies are known to be past masters in cooking up "evidence" to suit or justify US misdeeds. Imperialist-terrorist role of USA US President Bush has declared a crusade against world terrorism. There is no doubt that Osama bin Laden is an arch terrorist organizer operating on international scale. But what has been the international track record of the USA itself ? It has been an unbroken spell of heinous attacks and state-sponsored terrorism against different countries, of international brigandage and gangsterism. There is no need to go into the details of US invasion of Korea in the early fifties of last century or the subsequent total war against the Vietnamese people, or how the Vietnamese gloriously defied the armed might of the arch imperialist country, USA and gave it a fitting rebuff. But what about the blockade of Cuba lasting for decades designed to stifle the Cuban people and cow them down into submission, the numerous terrorist attacks and assasination attempts engineered there by the USA that have been proved abortive by the heroic Cuban people, the all-out invasion of Iraq over a decade back and the subsequent on-going blockade and armed siege of that country punctuated with intermittent attacks, killing millions of Iraquis but failing to force them into submission, and the brutal attack of genocidal proportions on the peoples of erstwhile Yugoslavia centring round the Kosovo issue? Besides, in recent years, the USA invaded Granada in the Carribeans, bombed Tripoli and Bengahzi in Lybia killing a large number of civilians in their sleep ; it killed thousands in Panama in a night attack on Christmas Eve, destroyed a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan by rocket attack. The factory used to produce bulk of Sudan's medicine requirement. Its sudden destruction was responsible for the death of thousands of innocent Sudanese. These attacks were carried out on various pretexts, mainly in the name of combating terrorism, but without any back-up evidence. In 1995, the USA accused Arab and Islamic organisations of perpetrating a bomb blast in Oklahoma City, but eventually it came to light that a right-wing extremist Army veteran was responsible! The point is that the USA, as the arch imperialist country on the globe is hell bent to maintain and enhance its domination over the world at any cost. In pursuing this objective, it brands as terrorist whomsosever it likes and thinks nothing of launching attacks on any country it chooses trampling upon the independence and sovereignty of such countries with disdain. Through such state-sponsored terrorism on a global scale, the USA stands as the biggest perpetrator of international terrorism, as the foremost rogue state on the planet. And in furtherance of its nefarious design, it makes use of terrorist organisations from country to country. And all such terrorism, US state sponsored or by proxy, are dubbed as fight for democracy and freedom. Terrorism becomes terrorism in US estimation only when it is directed, for whatever reason, against US imperialist interest. Take the case of Osama bin Laden himself. It is wellknown that the USA, as part of its bid to counter armed Soviet presence in Afghanis-tan following the invasion of country by the Soviet Union (then turned revisionist) in the 1980, beefed up Laden's armoury by clandestine funding of reportedly at least 3 billion US dollars through the CIA, providing arms and technological support to Laden's terrorist effort, including the deadly stinger missiles. That Laden has proved to be a Frankenstein is another matter. Sinister US design There are signs that the US strike may not be limited to Afghanistan but expanded. The US Deputy Secretary of Defence, Wolfowitz has gone on record saying, "Its not just simply a matter of capturing people and holding them accountable, but removing the sancturaries, removing the support systems, ending the states who sponsor terrorism" (report in The Statesman, 15.9.200l). This has a sinister implication as Bin Laden's terrorist outfit Al Qaeda reportedly has connections in many a country of the Middle East and Africa, countries which must now feel vulnerable to US pressure or even raids. Already, the USA considers Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea and Sudan to be sponsoring terrorism against it and may use the opportunity offered by the present terrorist strikes in USA to launch or step up attacks on them at times of its choosing. Right now, Wolfowitz and Libby, Chief of Staff to the US Vice-President, "are pressing for the earliest military campaign not only against the Osama bin Laden network but also other suspected terrorist bases in Iraq and Lebanon's Bekaa region" and "These officials are seeking to include Iraq in the target list with the aim of toppling Mr Saddam Hussain from power even if he can't be linked with the terrorists who struck New York and Washington" (report in New York Times quoted in The Statesman, 21.9.200l) In a haughty denial of the other nations' right to their own perception and opinion, to exercise their independence, US President Bush, in a special address before the US Congress, warned that USA would pursue any nation that it considered to be aiding terrorism." Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists. Any nation that harbours terrorists will be regulated by the USA as a hostile regime," said he. Such brow-beating to force other nations into toeing the US line is in conformity with the high handedness and utter disregard about the world opinion that have characterised US state craft and diplomacy. The USA has expanded the NATO on to the Russian borders - a grave military provocation. Besides helping Zionist terrorism in every way for decades, it has been conniving at the aggressive Israeli policy of building settlements on patently Palestinian land. The USA unilaterally rejected the Kyoto Accord on reducing greenhouse gases and also rejected a UN draft for an accord to make the three decade old treaty against germ warfare enforceable. President Bush has informed the Russian President Mr Putin that the USA would abrogate the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that had been signed by Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev. The US delegation has rejected a treaty to control small arms. USA tries to gang up But when it comes to launching an imperialist war, the same USA,the high priest of unilateralism, if it suits its purpose, tries to garb its bid of wanton aggression as a joint venture by a group of countries, under the aegis of UNO as it did in Iraq making this world body a rubber stamp for endorsing its nefarious designs or of the NATO as it did in the case of Kosovo. This time too, USA has been quick to marshal support. Invoking a special clause in its charter, the NATO has declared that the terrorist attack on USA would be considered to be an attack on all its l9 members. In a joint statement, NATO and Russia have expressed support for the USA. Japan and China too supported the USA initially, but are showing some reservations now. UN Security Council has passed a resolution authorizing use of force against further terrorist attacks. The USA now wants to do away with any dependence on the UN as it does not want to face the UN General Assembly, being aware of the adverse public opinion in the countries including the USA about its blatantly aggressive role. So, the US Secretary of State General Colin Powell is engaged in a bid to gang up over 100 countries in support of the coming US attacks without any reference to the UNO. The UN General Secretary Kofi Annan has complained that the USA is bypassing the UNO ! Although the USA has been able to enlist general support of a large number of countries, it is being revealed that a number of its supporting or associate countries have difference in perception with it on various issues like whether just Ladden as a terrorist and his organisation should be attacked and eliminated or whether there should be a general invasion of Afghanistan and whether the Talibans should be overthrown from power, etc. The USA has not yet been able to resolve these and launch the attack. But it has made it amply clear that it would embark upon a long drawn out war, overt and covert, involving many countries. The US logic is simple. Either a country toes the US line, or it faces US wrath. In this ''crusade against terrorism'', any country or organisation that obstructs US imperialist design is liable to be branded ''terrorist''. In this way, 26 organisations in different countries have been declared ''terrorist'' and the USA has ordered freezing their bank accounts and other assets, wherever they may be ! Role of Indian government Such is the character of the USA with which the Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee wishes to join hands to embark upon the ''crusade'' against international terrorism. And what is the character of the Vajpayee government, its track record ? Successive governments in Delhi serving exploitative and oppressive capitalist order have immeasurably strengthened the army and the police force and have gifted to the nation a plethora of paramilitary forces and draconian laws to provide security to capitalist class rule, to further capitalist class policies and to ruthlessly crush all discontent and disaffection. Those from the forces have virtually been provided with the"licence to kill" as they are immune from prosecution if they are deemed to have acted "in good faith".Whenever and wherever the forces are sent out in the name of curbing terrorism, their oppression and torture on the people come out in lurid light. The BJP-led government in Delhi have raised the military budgets to unprecedented levels and further strengthened the military/para-military forces. Wherever these forces are sent to curb insurgency or terrorism, they kill and maim the people,torture them, extort money, rape the women. Currently, they have let loose a reign of terror on the people of Kashmir. If this is not state-terrorism, then what is it? About 600 policemen face charges of violating human rights in Punjab, a legacy of their "fight" against militancy there. The issue was highlighted when Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human right activist who was collecting evidence of secret cremations in Punjab, suddenly "disappeared". Reportedly, Khalra had just completed data collection about thousands who had ''disappeared'' when he himself ''disappeared''. Recently, Home Minister Advani came to the defence of the accused policemen by advocating legal protection to those on counter-insurgency duty against human rights violation! Currently, the Indian and Pakistani governments are vying with each other in trying to please the USA on the terrorist issue in a competition as to who can curry more favour with the USA, in a manner which must make all sensible, self-respecting Indians and Pakistanis hang their heads in shame. Both the governments have provided unconditional support and facilities to the USA to attack the Talibans, in the hope to be more favoured by the USA, especially in the context of the Kashmir issue. The USA has graciously lifted the economic sanctions against both clamped down by it after the last bout of nuclear explosions by the two countries, as a reward for their support to USA for the coming attack on Afghanistan. Currently, the USA is more receptive to the offer of facilities by Pakistan as it makes better sense logistically, given the geographical positions of India and Pakistan vis-a-vis Afghanistan. It is because of this that the USA now appears to be more favourably inclined towards Pakistan. It has re-scheduled debt-repayment by Pakistan leniently and considering lifting of arms assistance ban to Pakistan. This has caused considerable discomfiture to Delhi which is trying to comfort itself by Colin Powell's utterance in an interview to the BBC on 22nd September that terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir is on President Bush's target list. Indian monopoly capital wishes that the opportunity provided by the terrorist strikes on the USA and its aftermath be utilised by its subservient BJP-led government in Delhi to launch fresh economic attacks on the Indian people, and this has been reflected in a section of the monopoly press. The Statesman in an editorial on 16th September, after pointing out that the Indian economy does not face the risk of a major disruption due to the happenings, advised: "Howevcr, the government should be intelligent in trying to take advantage of the psychological context following the attack on American targets and push through some of the hard measures so far held up by political squeamishness. The Prime Minister seems to have adopted this line and he is right. Except that he has to play his cards carefully so as not to give political opponents a chance to accuse him of cynical manipulation." What a blunt and hypocritical admission of anti-people capitalist class motive! Already, talks of steep hike in the prices of kerosene and cooking gas are in the air. It would not do for the Indian people to be swayed by Vajpayee's tall talks about the crusade against terrorism. Their task is to organise themselves to resist imperialist-capitalist onslaughts on their life and living, the attacks on their democratic rights and civil liberty, the state sponsored terrorism USA utilising present situation to further imperialist designs It is clear that the USA is trying to utilise the situation arising from the terrorist attack on it to pursue multiple imperialist objectives to strengthen its position. Firstly, the US economy is gripped with intense crisis, as indeed is the whole imperialist-capitalist economy of the world. The present recession is so intense that the Centre for Economics and Business Research has forecast a 2.2 percent fall in GDP of the world during the next year. (report in The Statesman dated 25.9.200l). The Centre has, of course, assessed the 11 September terrorist attacks on the USA to be responsible for this, but we know better. It is the deep-seated worldwide recession, that is the prime cause, and not the terrorist attacks on one country. It has merely been made the scapegoat. In the face of this grave recession, the US imperialist rulers urgently need to further step up militarization of US economy in a bid to mitigate the crisis somewhat, need war to effect a release of the arms stockpiled in their arsenal. The present warlike situation offers an excellent opportunity for this, and the US rulers can now go for unfettered rise of military budget in the coming years with impunity. Secondly, in the background of worldwide recession, contradiction between the imperialist countries have been growing over gaining larger shares of the world market and intense trade war between them is on. The situation following the terrorist attacks will, at least for the time being, turn the situation in USA's favour by making the other imperialist countries toe the US-line. Thirdly, countries like Russia and China are strongly opposed to President Bush's aggressive plan of NMD. But in view of the present situation created by the USA centring round the terrorist strike, these countries will have to lie low with their objections muted, allowing the USA to proceed with the nefarious NMD scheme unhindered with some kind of a moral sanction behind it. Fourthly, the US economy is so crisis-ridden that thousands are losing their jobs in factories and offices every day. There is discontent all round and movements against the attacks on life and living are growing. The present situation will help the US rulers to smother the movements and to further curtail the democratic rights of the American people on the plea of curbing terrorism. Fifthly, a strong feeling against American imperialism has been on the rise in the countries of the Middle-East. The USA is utilising the present opportunity to rope in their governments to its side. Sixthly, taking advantage of the present situation, the USA is trying to establish the dangerous practice of sending its armed forces, naval units and military aircrafts to whichever country it pleases, through pressurisation or under threat, if necessary. Lastly, it is to be remembered that the USA has been trying for long to make inroads into Central Asia. Taking advantage of the present situation, it has already gained footholds in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It canot be ruled out that one objective of the current US moves is to set up a vassal state subservient to it in Afghanistan, destabilising both Russia and China. Moscow cannot be happy at the US military presence in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, considered by it to be in its sphere of influence. And the fact that the Northern Afghan Alliance, at war with the Talibans with Russian backing for so long, is now negotiating with the USA for help, cannot but cause discomfiture to Russia. To balance the situation, Russia has assured the Alliance of military help. Task of the people Only a mighty, militant anti-imperialist movement, anti-war peace movement sweeping across the globe can provide the deterrent to US imperialist designs. The task of the peoples is to see to it that their revulsion at the terrorist attack on the USA and sympathy for the victims of the attack are not made use of by the imperialist-capitalist powers, headed by the USA, to divert attention from their own terrorism and imperialist attacks and to confuse the people in order to muster public support behind their fresh onslaughts on countries in the name of crushade against international terrorism, and that the growing international anti-imperialist movement is not impaired in any way. It is heartening to note that a movement has begun in the USA against the current blatantly aggressive US moves, and we congratulate the American people on this. We have common cause with them. They are our fraternal allies in the anti-impertialist struggle. There is a tendency in some quarters to view the current US attack as an attack against Islam, a precursor to clash between Christianity and Islam. Such a concept is erroneous and harmful. It is erroneous because imperialism does not go by religion when it attacks a country. Korea, Vietnam and Cuba are not Muslim countries. It is harmful because it would divide the people on the basis of religion, causing rift in the anti-imperialist unity of the people. We demand cessation of the war-like situation created by US imperialism, an end to military build up. We demand that the imperialists take their hands off other countries. We appeal to all to cement the peoples' unity and strengthen the international anti-imperialist movement. - END - KOMINFORM P.O. 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