People's Democracy

ON TO AUGUST 16-31 CAMPAIGN

Say No To US Imperialism!

 Prakash Karat

AFTER September 11, 2001, US imperialism entered a new aggressive phase. On the pretext of a war against terrorism, the United States is out to extend and consolidate its hegemony. The war on Afghanistan was followed by the war on Iraq. According to Bush, this is a war without end --- till all traces of terrorism are eliminated. This is a convenient way to rally all its allies and advance its own imperialist interests.

Since September 2001, America has extended its influence and bases into new areas. The subjugation of Afghanistan was accompanied by the US entry into the Central Asian republics of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The oil and gas deposits of Central Asia and the Caspian Sea are within its grasp.

BELLIGERENT FORM OF IMPERIALISM

But it is the war waged against Iraq and its occupation which symbolises the new rampant and belligerent form of imperialism. The United States has occupied an independent Arab state which has the second largest oil reserves in the world. The aggression was carried out despite worldwide opposition and against the charter of the United Nations. It found no support from a majority of the permanent members of the Security Council. The main reason advanced for the military action was the danger posed by the so-called weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) allegedly possessed by the Saddam regime. Three months after the war, the Americans and the British are yet to find a single weapon or the evidence that such weapons existed.

The violation of international norms, the contempt for the United Nations and the disregard for facts have reached new heights under the Bush administration, even though these are not new features amongst the ruling circles in the USA. What is to be recognised is that the United States under President Bush represents a serious threat to world peace and a danger to the independence and sovereignty of all nations. Behind the hypocritical talk of combating terrorism and bestowing freedom and democracy upon the people in the countries it targets, is the naked use of economic and military power to bring nations and peoples to their heels if they try to defy America.

The United States uses economic blockades and coercion as freely as it wields diplomatic pressure. Cuba has been under such a blockade for about 40 years. In Iraq, the 11 years of sanctions caused havoc and were responsible for the death of at least half a million children. North Korea is now threatened with sanctions.

For the rest of the countries who do not invite sanctions, there is the choice of joining the club set up by the IMF-World Bank under the benevolent patronage of the US. The US announced a new 5 billion dollars foreign aid fund last year. Called the Millennium Challenge Account, it is meant to provide aid to the poorer countries. But the catch is that the money will be given to those who measure up to the performance expected, which is to follow free-market principles. Privatisation and free entry for international finance capital constitute what is called good governance in the imperialist terminology.

Despite its dominant position in the world after the end of the Soviet Union, the US has not cut down its military expenditure, nor has it scaled down the creation of new weapons of mass destruction. The National Missile Defence (NMD) system, the recent sanction to make small nuclear bombs and the rocketing defence budget after September 11 are all ominous indications that America is bent upon global domination. The National Security Strategy presented by Bush to the US Congress declared that it would not allow any country to acquire military parity with the US or surpass its strength.

THREAT BROUGHT TO INDIA’S DOORSTEP

This aggressive quest for world domination has brought the threat of US imperialism to India’s doorstep. With the war on Afghanistan, the US established military bases in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. With a compliant BJP-led government in office, the US is systematically moving towards making India a junior partner in its strategic plans. The last two years have seen an enormous increase in US influence in the South Asian region. In the past five years of the Vajpayee government, major steps were taken to establish a strategic military collaboration between the Indian and the US armed forces.

Underlying this military collaboration is the BJP’s ardent desire to become the “Israel” of South Asia. Brajesh Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister, voiced this goal in Washington by calling for a three way alliance between India, Israel and the US. Reflecting the close ties forged with Israel, the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has been invited to visit India. Sharon, who is known as the butcher of the Palestinian people, is to be an honoured guest of the BJP-led government.

The BJP-led government is the most pro-imperialist government in India since independence. It has abandoned the independent non-aligned foreign policy India adopted since the 1950s. Its willingness to send Indian troops to Iraq, which was thwarted by strong public opposition, indicates how far it has gone in tying India to the global strategy of the US. Though the BJP-led government has been compelled to refuse the American request for troops for Iraq, the efforts to please the US are to continue. Already, moves are on to get the United Nations to issue some appeal to countries to send troops to Iraq. The Bush administration, which is desperate to get its troops out, might agree to some sort of UN involvement. But the central question is: will Iraq be under US occupation or not? As long as there continues the American occupation, the United Nations sanctioning any multinational force to assist the occupation cannot be supported. The interim council set up by the Americans is nothing but an extension of the occupation. The US General-in-Command has admitted that they are facing a guerilla style opposition. There can be no question of sending troops to suppress the Iraqi people. The democratic and patriotic forces must continue to mobilise the people against such a move. 

The BJP affinity to US imperialism has a long history. Being an advocate of free market economics and an inveterate enemy of the public sector, the BJP-led government willingly follows the rightwing prescriptions of the Bush administration. It should not be forgotten that it was the short-lived Vajpayee government in l996, which sanctioned the Enron agreement for the Dabhol plant. If Jaswant Singh as foreign minister did the job of winding up the non-alignment foreign policy, Arun Shourie as the minister for disinvestment is performing the task of dismantling the public sector. Both represent two faces of the intense and sycophantic relationship with the US.

IMPERIALIST INROADS INTO OUR SOCIETY

Spearheaded by the US, imperialism is making rapid inroads into our society. The severe agrarian distress, which is being experienced by the peasantry and the rural poor, can be directly traced to the pro-imperialist policies of the government. So also the growing unemployment which is a result of the dismantling of the public sector and the big cuts in public investment. There is no sphere of life and society which is untouched by the penetration of US imperialism and the policies influenced by it.

Education is facing a major onslaught with the promotion of privatisation and commercialisation. The government is working towards the establishment of foreign universities and educational institutions in the country, which charge astronomical fees to hand out foreign degrees. The privatisation of public services such as health, education, power, transport are taking place under the direct pressure of the US which operates through the IMF-World Bank channels. The Vajpayee government has already allowed the big business foreign media entry into the electronic and print media. The opening up of services under the WTO’s General Agreement of Trade Services is looming ahead.

It is, therefore, essential to fight back this growing influence of imperialism and the US attempts to subordinate India to its global designs.

GIST OF THE CPI(M)’S CALL

The anti-imperialist movement has been mainly the concern of the CPI(M) and the Left forces. It is necessary to widen this movement by drawing in all those sections of people who are affected by the pro-imperialist economic policies and those patriotic sections who are getting worried about the erosion of our economic sovereignty and our independent decision-making capacities.

In the coming August campaign called by the Central Committee of the CPI(M), all the anti-imperialist issues must be taken to the people. We must demand that:

1) The Vajpayee government give up its pro-imperialist approach and adopt a non-aligned and independent foreign policy. This will require first of all an end to the strategic military collaboration with the United States.

2) There should be no question of sending Indian troops to Iraq as long as there continues the US occupation and a puppet administration.

3) For pursuing an independent foreign policy, India should develop closer ties with all major countries like Russia, China, Japan, France, Germany and the European Union.

4) There should be no strategic relationship with Israel which is oppressing the Palestinian people and illegally occupying Arab territories. The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is not welcome to visit India as he represents these aggressive policies.

We must call for building the widest resistance to the US pressures on a whole gamut of policies connected with the economy, opening up of the services sector, education, media etc.