People's Democracy

FOURTEENTH INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF THE COMMUNIST & WORKERS’ PARTIES

Beirut Declaration of the IMCWP

THE fourteenth meeting of the International Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP) was held in Beirut, Lebanon’s Capital, between November 22 – 25, 2012, under the banner: “Strengthen the struggles against escalating imperialist aggressiveness, for satisfying peoples’ socio-economic-democratic rights and aspirations, for socialism”.

The meeting was attended by 84 delegates, representing 60 parties, from 44 countries from the five continents of the world – while letters of apology were sent by those parties unable to attend due to circumstances beyond their control.

The meeting, follows the extraordinary meeting which was held in the Arab region, in Syria 2009, about Palestine within a three year period, and constitutes a new opportunity for the Communist and Workers' Parties to express their continued solidarity and support for the struggle of the working class and the popular struggles and uprisings in the Arab countries against imperialist aggressions and big capital and for democratic change. The discussions, which took place during the meeting, contributed to the exchange of views regarding unfolding developments worldwide and to agreement on the development of common and convergent actions aiming to effect a revolutionary struggle for socialism.

The 14^th meeting of the International Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP) re-asserted its earlier statements issued during previous meetings between 2008 and 2011 regarding the capitalist crisis of capital overproduction and over accumulation, the root of which lies in the sharpening of the main contradictions between capital and labour, which continued to deepen and intensify. The different bourgeois versions for the management of the crisis have failed to bring it under control; all of them have the same barbaric effects for the people's rights. The imperialist reaction to the crisis is being marked by a multifaceted offensive of imperialism against the social, economic, democratic and national rights of the peoples, an offensive that aims to destroy the achievements won by the workers' and people's struggles during the twentieth century and to intensify  the level of exploitation and oppression.

This fact, in combination with the increased aggression of imperialism and the expansion of imperialist wars, the realignments in the international correlation of forces where the relative weakening of the position of the USA co-exist with the growing economic and political power of several countries raises a group of issues which indicate that the world is, once again, at a critical and dangerous junction where the contradictions and the competitions are intensifying, and where great dangers co-exist with real opportunities for the development of the workers and peoples' struggle. 

In this regard, it is useful to pose the question: how does the universal, increased, imperialist aggression manifest itself, militarily, politically, economically and socially and what forms does it take?

Firstly, imperialism is pursuing an offensive that aims at large-scale destruction of economic, social, political, cultural and national rights, and a regression in the correlation of forces even more in favour of capital and against labour. Massive operations are under way to further concentrate and centralise capital. At the same time far reaching attacks are launched against social and labour rights, with massive cuts in salaries, massive unemployment, privatisation and destruction of social functions of States, the privatisation of nearly all the sectors of the economy and areas of social life. This anti-social offensive is accompanied by an unprecedented offensive against the democratic, national and ecological rights of the peoples.

In particular, the attack against the labour, economic and social rights of women has sharpened, provoking a brutal worsening in the conditions of life both in public and private fields. Addressing and defeating this aggression is crucial, because the struggle for the real equality of women is a vital part in the struggle against capitalism.  

Secondly, it should be stressed that the reassertion of Barack Obama in the UN, where he stated that his country will not “withdraw” from the world, agrees with the program approved by NATO at its latest Chicago summit effectively implying an increased military imperialist intervention throughout the world under the slogan of “clever defense”.  This includes launching the first phase of “rocket shield” or “star wars” in Europe and the global anti-missile shield program, direct military intervention in Libya, intermittent threats against Iran and DPR of Korea, increased military activity, aggressions and provocations in the Middle East, the Asia Pacific zone and throughout the African continent, intensified imperialistic militarism in Latin America and the Caribbean. The intensification of hostility and the blockade against Cuba continues, as well as the plots against Venezuela.

Thirdly, this campaign of military aggression is accompanied by insolent and public political interventions in the affairs of most countries worldwide. These interventions are manifested by the use of capital and influence in order to distort and falsify the will of the people, in order to manipulate, intimidate and prevent the representatives chosen by the people from reaching power.  Imperialist forces do not hesitate from employing the worst tools in order to reach their goals, including organising terrorist attacks, military coups, allying themselves with neo-fascist powers, promoting political - religious powers, and the various counter-revolutionary forces of different ideological backgrounds – all for the sake of exerting imperialist control throughout the planet, by redrawing borders and rearranging sectoral markets, especially the energy market with its oil and gas resources and transportation routes.  

Fourthly, this military aggression campaign is also accompanied by the intensification of the aggressiveness, such as employing the full resources of various international agencies and organisations, and in particular the IMF, World Bank, and the European Union with a view to safeguard the power of Big Capital. In order to guarantee its interests and objectives, in addition to further developing its aggression and insolent interventions in the countries of the world, the global capitalist regime is adamant on waging war on the international working class and their representatives, through a variety of measures including:

·                    A denial of the basic human right to work, and the associated gains achieved by the working class.

·                    A global ideological and media offensive aiming to restrain the workers and people’s struggles and persecute all the social and political forces that struggle against imperialism, specially the Communist and Workers’ Parties.

·                    Concerted efforts and actions in violation of all that is included in the UN charter and in the “Universal declaration of human rights”, which have been formed in conditions of a different correlation of forces thanks to the presence of the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries.

Fifthly, in the context of this over reaching, global imperialistic aggression, attention must be paid to the manner in which it is manifesting itself in the Middle East through the project of “the New Middle East” which aims at re-dividing the region and its people into ethnic and religious groups, constantly fighting each other. This in turn allows the appropriation of the natural resources found in this region and particularly the oil and gas resources. The military wars and occupation of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, and of the Israeli aggressions on Lebanon and against the people of Palestine are an inseparable part of the imperialistic "Big Middle East' project. In addition, it is within the context of this project that recent developments should be analysed including 1.The escalation in the rate of the USA and European Union imperialist threats of military intervention in Iran, and against Syria, taking advantage of both violence acts being perpetuated against civilians and relying on the forces which are supported by the imperialists, 2. the continued efforts to control the path of the uprisings which have occurred over the past two years in several of the Arab countries and, in particular, Egypt and Tunisia, through the use of sectarianism, racism and prejudice as well as the forever-obliging petro-dollars of all Arabian Gulf regimes.

These developments, and their potential consequences, exert pressure on the working class and communist and Workers’ parties to carry out their historic responsibilities of confronting the capitalist system and imperialist aggression.  This confrontation, which must take place in different countries separately, and on the international level, is necessary in order to conquer anti-monopolist and anti-imperialist ruptures and achievements and, succeed in building socialism, as specified by the thirteenth International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties, held in December 2011 in Athens.

The confrontation with imperialism dictates the strengthening of the cooperation and solidarity of our Parties and the definition of our common goals and guidelines of struggle on the one hand, and the convergent action with the various anti-imperialist forces and mass movements, including unions, women, youth and intellectual organisations, on the other hand.

In Latin America, the anti-imperialist forces, the trade union and other social movements continue their struggles for people’s rights and against imperialism. These struggles, that are the target of a counter-offensive of imperialism, led, in some cases, to the emergence of governments that declare themselves programmatically in defence of national sovereignty and of social rights, for the development and protection of their natural resources and biodiversity, considering that they give new impetus to anti imperialistic struggle.

This universal confrontation also dictates the organisation of the working people in the workplace and the trade unions, the strengthening of the class oriented movement the promotion of the alliance of the working class with the oppressed popular strata, the intensification of the struggle of the international working class and the peoples of the world. In order to impede the anti-people measures and promote goals of struggle that meet the contemporary people's needs, demands a counter attack for anti- monopoly and anti-imperialist ruptures for the overthrow of capitalism.

The ideological struggle of the communist movement is of vital importance in order to defend and develop scientific socialism, to repulse contemporary anti-communism, to confront bourgeois ideology, and all alien tendencies, anti-scientific theories and opportunist currents which reject the class struggle; and combat the role of social democratic forces that defend and implement anti-people and pro-imperialist policies by supporting the strategy of capital and imperialism. The understanding of the unified character of the duties of the struggle for social, national and class emancipation, for the distinct promotion of the socialist alternative requires the ideological counter offensive of the communist movement.

Considering the capitalist crisis and its consequences the international experiences from the socialist construction prove the superiority of socialism. We underline our solidarity with the peoples who struggle for socialism and are involved in the construction of socialism. 

Based on all the above, we stress the need to focus on the following joint actions:

1.                 Struggling to confront the new plans of imperialism on the military, political, economic and social levels in order to prevent it from controlling the world and destroying it.

2.                 Rallying for the removal of NATO military bases and the right of withdrawal from the imperialist alliances.

3.                 Expressing class solidarity with and providing support to strengthen the working class and popular struggles in the capitalist countries against the policies that put further burdens on people and for winning benefits for improving the livelihoods of the workers and peoples effecting revolutionary change.

4.                 Reasserting international solidarity with democratic popular movements and uprisings in the face of occupation and oppressive regimes; and the adamant rejection of imperialist intervention in these countries.

5.                 Confronting anti-communist laws, measures and persecution; waging an ideological struggle against the revision of history, for reasserting the contribution of the communist and labour movement in human history.

6.                 Condemning the US blockade of Cuba and supporting Cuba’s struggle for its immediate lifting. Strengthening the campaigns for the release and return of the five Cuban patriots to Cuba.

7.                 Condemning the ongoing atrocities perpetuated by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people, supporting their right in resisting occupation, and building their independent State, Jerusalem as a capital, and strengthening the campaign for the immediate lifting of the blockade against Gaza and for the Right of Return.

8.                 Promoting the international front against imperialism and the support for the international anti-imperialist mass organisations, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), the World Peace Council (WPC), the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), and the Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF), in the specific framework of every country.

Beirut, 25 November 2012