NEW TENDENCIES IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:
WAY FROM THE WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA TO THE POLICY OF
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
REPORT OF PRESIDENT OF THE HUNGARIAN WORKERS' PARTY
GYULA TH�RMER
Ladies and Gentlemen, friends, comrades,
We gather here, in Budapest in a sombre time. A time when we are still
shocked and revolted by the barbaric terrorist attacks on the United
States. A time when, for people all over the world, the sense of
safety and security was ripped away. A time when we witness a new
imperialist policy aimed to control our planet and humanity.
NATO Secretary General Robertson said: "The events of September 11
have changed the world." I don't agree. It is not true. It was the
capitalist world, the capitalism to have been changed. It was the
capitalism that has led to a great degree to the tragic events of
September.
I would like to confirm our political position clearly: the Hungarian
Workers' Party reaffirms its condemnation of any form of terrorism. We
support the implementing of all relevant resolutions of the United
Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. At the same time we
declare: terror must not be the answer to terror.
Terrorism is not a political party, not even a state. Terrorism a
philosophy, a method. It can be used by the most different political
forces. Yes, terrorist organisations have changed the character of
their activity. Yes; their destructive power has been enormous. But,
why? What is the real reason?
Terrorism has its roots in the world's global problems. Before, at
those times when terrorism was useful for the capitalist big powers in
their fight against socialism, they supported it, financially,
militarily, politically. But now it is beyond their control and has
turned against them.
The aim of the current US-British military operations is not to arrest
Bin Laden and members of his terrorist organisation. The obvious
priority is a demonstration of force by the USA.
Worldwide US offensive
The NATO war against Yugoslavia was the experimental laboratory for
the large scale capitalist offensive we are witnessing now. The NATO
aggression in 1999 had its clear aims:
To finish the process of capitalist changes in Eastern Europe, to
avoid all possibilities to return to socialism.
To weaken Russia, undermining its international influence.
To strengthen US influence in Europe in a situation when the
European common currency just introduced before seemed to overcome US
dollar.
To elaborate new methods of political, moral, media, and military
war.
Important conclusions were made after the war. Some of these lessons
made the US and NATO to revise basic elements of their policy before
beginning a large-scale new offensive.
It has become quit evident that even the sophisticated US weapons
do mistakes. Remember the bombardments of the Chinese Embassy in
Belgrade or the so-called undesired attacks against civil persons.
It became clear that there is a gap between military capacities of the
US and their European allies. Just after Yugoslavian war Europe has
begun its new military doctrine and the EU began its tragic way to
turn into an organisation with strong military and security aspect.
Western countries could exclude Russia from Balkan regulation, but
Russia was not weakened. On the contrary during the presidency of
Putin the situation in Russia has been consolidated. Russia finds
newly its voice of super power.
The result of media war astonished deeply Western leaders. It was
very difficult to mobilise public opinion for war-participation. The
public opinion of such countries like Spain, Greece, Portugal, partly
Italy turned against war. Later, especially after Kosovo's occupation
many of the pro-war intellectuals expressed their doubts concerning
imperialist ideological explanations. Nato Secretary General already
in October 1999 warned NATO states to strengthen media work against
NATO-sceptic elements. The concept of so-called human rights, ethnic
cleaning have failed forever and nobody uses them today.
The Balkan peace settlement has turned to into a farce. There is no
stability on the Balkan. In Yugoslavia situation continues to be
serious.
Capitalist forces coming to power last October would like to finish
capitalist political and social changes in all fields of life. The
economic situation in Yugoslavia is catastrophic. New government
cannot solve these problems.
The arrest of Milosevic and his extradition to Hague has broken one of
the pillars of government coalition. Left forces are in deep crisis.
Kosovo is under NATO occupation. The US wants to create a sovereign
Kosovo although they deny it officially. In Macedonia US supports
Alban ethnic forces. The NATO and US will remain for a long time in
this region.
"The events of September 11th have changed many things. They have
reinforced the logic of keeping the peace in the Balkans - because
building stable, multi-ethnic states are our best insurance against
terrorism emerging in the first place."- NATO leaders declared.
The neighbours of Yugoslavia are unsatisfied with the results of the
peace settlement. They expected much more money for their political
and military assistance. Some of them have territorial claims, though
usually non-declared officially. The question of borders is not
closed. Many of these nationalistic forces hope to realise their
dreams about Great Albania, Great Hungary, sovereign Vojvodina and
sovereign Montenegro using this uncertain situation.
One of the aims of the war against Belgrade was to create a strong
corridor against Islamic forces which are playing more and more
important role in the world. It was not enough. The situation in the
Middle East has been worse as result of open Israeli aggression. The
Israeli government tries to overcome its internal crises by escalation
of conflict. The Middle East crisis serves American interests, too.
Bush: new conservative world
The Bush government has greatly changed the US policy and has
influenced very deeply the whole international situation.
First, US leaders are aware of weakening possibilities of USA in
modern world. They have decided to strengthen American hegemony in
world.
Second, US leaders are clearly aware of economic crisis in USA. They
expect from a global political and military offensive a new up come in
economy.
Third, US want to strengthen its leading position in military field.
Fourth, US want to diminish the role of Russia, and in long
perspective change it to a fully capitalist country.
Fifth, US want to stop in foreseeable perspective socialist
development of China and to finish historical revenge of capitalism.
Sixth, US want to create a new conservative world order with clear
American dominancy.
Seventh, The new policy has its clear internal aspects, too. US and
some other Western political forces came to the conclusion that new
challenges, like antiglobalisation movements, strengthening of non
Christian religions etc cannot be handled by classical methods of
bourgeois democracy, parlamentarism etc. There are attempts to
restrict the constitutional freedoms of citizens and persecute
so-called "anti-American" attitudes. Lets remember that US President
now has got the right to decide alone about war and peace, to decide
who is good and who is bad. We witness change to the presidential
ruling in Great Britain, in Italy, and even in Hungary. We see
dangerous movement to fascism.
We should carefully study what these all changes mean for contemporary
capitalism generally. Can we speak about general tendencies, including
fascism?
US leaders are clearly aware of economic crisis in USA. They expect
from a global military and political offensive a new and even long
lasting up rise in economy that has risen only by 2,5% for the first
half of 2001. We can see the first concrete steps. Military industry,
air transport has got such amounts of money they had not even dreamed
about. Under normal circumstances it would have been impossible.
Beside economic aims they want to strengthen their leading position in
military field. New military building up will take place. The new
military program can probably include space armaments, antimissile
defence systems. At the same time military building up will be spread
on traditional armaments, new types of aeroplanes, tanks, and weapon
systems.
The USA is going on with enlargement of NATO. They try to overcome the
opposition of some their allies in EU, and Russia. The Prague summit
can decide to invite to NATO Slovakia, Slovenia. The Baltic States
mean a great question. Experts do not exclude that the Prague summit
will not take final decisions.
The most aggressive forces in NATO now can explain their aim to give a
new role to NATO in world affairs. Remember what Robertson said
recently:
"There is a deep awareness that this is going to be a long
struggle, a struggle in which patience and persistence will be key.
Those who expected US unilateralism have witnessed instead a
masterpiece of multilaterally - rallying the world behind a common
purpose in a way only the US can. This has been coalition building at
its very best. NATO will of course be one of the key pillars of that
coalition"
Or lets take an other fresh literary masterpiece of NATO Secretary
General: "Europe's Security and Defence Identity is still in its early
stages. And the structures and functions of the UN and OSCE are
different and certainly do not mirror the unique composition,
strength, cohesion and speed of delivery of NATO".
Enlargement itself can lose some of its importance. Now it is more
important to give new functions to NATO. It is a permanent coalition,
a unique network with 19 nations and with further 27 in a partnership
relationship.
The 46 nations Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council is getting also new
aspects. It must enable NATO "to mobilise a coalition for the long
haul, tying in countries from Vancouver to Bishkek to make a
difference on real issues such as effective border control in Central
Asia."
EU: own concerns and interests
The EU-countries have their own concerns and interests. The economy of
the EU has braked. Temps of development have been diminished in most
of EU countries. Last year the production of GDP in EU has risen by
3,4%, this year only by 2,6%. The course of euro to dollars has been
falling and only during the last weeks there are some rises. The
EU-countries cut down almost all achievements of welfare state.
Internal political and social tension is increasing.
Germany has a special role. German economy develops slower than other
EU-states. This year GDP production rose by 2,6%.
The German Red-Green government for the first time after WW II decided
to send German soldiers into military action. They are aggravating the
political, social and ecological problems by socially unjust reforms
of the pension and tax systems, by an austerity policy detrimental to
future economic development. They cannot achieve real progress in
overcoming unemployment, whereby they disappointed many voters.
Further integration of East Germany is also a big question.
The conservative forces in Europe hope to return to power after many
years of social democratic government. Their strategic aim is to
establish a new conservative order in Europe. The most pillars of this
new conservative order would be strict commitment to conservative
values, final historical liquidation of all socialist and communist
experiments, full recognition of US strategic concepts.
After the collapse of Soviet Union the conflicts between the USA and
European allies became sharper. US try to share military burdens with
the Europeans. They insist on building up a sovereign European
military force but they want to save control first of all through
NATO.
The EU-enlargement leads to new serious conflicts. The Nice Treaty of
last year clearly demonstrated that large EU states want fully control
the Union. There is serious discussion among the leading countries
about the future of European institutions.
Ireland is the only of the 15 EU member states voting on the Nice
Treaty, which legally can only enter into force if ratified by all.
46.13 per cents were in favour of the Nice Treaty and 53.87 per cent
were against. This is the first time that an EU treaty has been
defeated by a referendum in Ireland.
The negative result of Danish referendum about Euro, the negative
attitude of Irish people expressed during the Irish referendum about
Nice treaty, the rising pro-referendum behaviour in Austria show
clearly that important socials forces have increased their activity.
The EU has been supported the new US policy from the very beginning.
First, the leading European states have realised their common class
interests. They are interested in common fight against threatening
anti-globalisation forces, rebirth of communist forces, for stopping
Chinese offensive.
Secondly, they also realised, that US could play its role without
them. The EU capital does not want to lose the chance to share with US
the economic and political privileges of capitalist militarisation.
Third, they see that the European economies also need serious
additional forces. War and concentration of power can be one of them.
Fourth, the EU political leaders are threatened by the
antiglobalisation fight. It has become cleat that existing
political institutions cannot solve this problem.
Russia: strategic ally or strategic enemy?
US continue considering Russia as one the strategic adversaries, one
of the main obstacles on the way to US World Empire. Western
capitalist forces have not given up their plan to create in Russia
social-political system identical with that in Western countries. They
understand that it can be realised only in the far future.
US would like to press Russia to accept their antimissile defence
plans and other one sided political steps in the world. Russia wants
to make US to recognise its strategic interests in the Baltic States
and Central Asia.
The EU is interested in a larger - than the US - degree of economic
ties with Russia. Europe cannot give up energy import from this
country, but they fight against the new offensive of Russian companies
on Eastern European markets and the natural desire of Russian firms to
get leading position in Eastern Europe and on the Balkan by buying up
local industrial companies
Russia tries to use the conflicts between USA and EU. They have
recently signed French-Russian declaration on strategic issues.
The EU does not want to cooperate with Russia against the USA, but
they are interested in saving strategic balance.
Russia and China have recently signed treaty of friendship and
strategic cooperation. Formally it contains nothing against US but on
practical terms it means serious political, economic and even military
step against US policy.
China is developing its bilateral relation with formal socialist
countries in Europe. The demonstrative state visit of Chinese
President to Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldavia was more than a symbolic
opening to these important countries.
NATO leaders and US understand that Russia does not want to accept
neither the new role of NATO nor its enlargement. They think that in
Russian eyes, Article 5 has been the quintessential demonstration of
NATO's Cold War orientation. Now NATO found a new explanation of
Article 5 in an entirely different context, one to which Russia can
relate. They hope to use the real interest of Russian to stop Islamic
forces in places like Central Asia.
China: principal challenge of the 21 century
China has achieved serious successes in economic and social
development.
Chinese economy is rising every year, people began to live better.
China is right to declare that it is due to the development of
socialism. China played important role in peace efforts on Balkan.
Beijing has got the right to organise Olympic games that clearly
expresses its increasing international respect and influence.
Western leaders try to explain Chinese successes by the fact that
China uses many capitalist methods in economic and even social policy.
Western politicians say that it is nothing more than economic and
social reform that have opened the way before capitalist development
in China, too. It is fare from the truth.
The strategy of Western countries is simple. They try to involve China
in international cooperation by inviting to WTO and other forms of
economic cooperation, and to contribute to the strengthening of
private sector in China.
They use military and diplomatic methods to influence Chinese
leadership make them to understand that only a pro Western political
elite devoted to Western political values and standards can get the
sympathy of West.
During the Bush-administration US-Chinese relationship has become more
tensioned. The incident with American intelligence airplane this
spring was the first serious political affair for a long period.
US-administration has made even some gestures. It did not oppose
publicly the Beijing Olympic Games and said no on Taiwan idea to
create common US-Japanese-Taiwan antimissile defence.
But it is only the surface. The Bush-administration wants to speed up
capitalist changes in China. They try to use internal forces in China,
too. US policy does not want a final worsening of strategic
relationships with China. US are interested in economic ties, and
China is an important actor also in some Pacific and Asian issues.
What to do?
I am convinced: the fight against capitalist globalization is central
to the class struggle today. It touches and affects virtually every
economic, social and political struggle of our parties.
Fidel Castro said the following phrases in Durban on September the 1:
"The capitalist, developed and wealthy countries today participate of
the imperialist system born of capitalism itself and the economic
order imposed to the world based on the philosophy of selfishness and
the brutal competition between men, nations and groups of nations
which in completely indifferent to any feelings of solidarity and
honest international cooperation. They live under the misleading,
irresponsible and hallucinating atmosphere of consumer societies. I
wonder: Will they be able to understand the grave problems of today's
world which in its incoherent and uneven development is ruled by blind
laws, by the huge power and the interests of the ever growing and
increasingly uncontrollable and independent transnational
corporations?
Will they come to understand the impending universal chaos and
rebellion? And, even if they wanted to, could they put an end to
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other related issues,
which are precisely the rest of them all?
>From my viewpoint we are on the verge of a huge economic, social and
political global crisis. Let's try to build an awareness about these
realities and the alternatives will come up. History has shown that it
is only from deep crisis that great solutions have emerged. The
peoples' right to life and justice will definitely impose itself under
a thousand different shapes"
Left forces should play definitively more active role in fight against
war, terrorism, for democratic international relations.
We have now better conditions for it than 5-10 years ago. We see some
consolidation in left movement. Left and other progressive forces have
archived serious results in recent period, although there has not been
a dramatic positive change, yet.
The antiglobalisation movement has become a very serious factor. All
of us remember the streets of Seattle, Genoa, Salzburg. Goteborg. And
most of us know what role communists are playing in this movement. We
think we should help to spread the antiglobalisation movement on
Eastern Europe, too.
Antiwar movement plays a very sensitive role on Greece, Italy and in
many other countries, which are important for our parties.
Now we have better conditions to cooperate on the terrorism-war issue
than during the war against Yugoslavia. Many of us remember the
dramatic summit meeting of European communist leaders on Cyprus. No
real result, positions were to far from each other. The European
communist left could not stop the war. Now, the situation is
different. Our positions are very near to each other.
The Hungarian Workers' Party support all efforts to strengthen our
cooperation. The Hungarian Workers' Party proposes to organise
International Summit of Left Forces on War.
Our position is clear. We deny terrorism and do not consider it a
possible form of fight against capitalism. What we left forces want is
safe, peaceful, and democratic world. The road to it is not the
violence. The only possible way to achieve such a world is the
exclusion of violence from the international relations, the peaceful,
by political means, handling of conflicts.
The road to it: establish a society based on social justice.
At the same time we declare: terror must not be the answer on terror.
The recent military action of the US is not a classical war: it is a
sort of mean terrorism raised on the level of state politics.
New weapons systems do not bring security. We should continue
fighting against military programs.
NATO is totally unsuitable for combating terrorism. It arose from
confrontation and its self-image is unchanged. Its new alliance
strategy does not solve any security problems. On the contrary, it
creates new ones. We should not give up our fight against NATO.
We think it is the United Nations who should get its decisive role in
international questions. All measures have to be carried out through
the united efforts of the international community with the United
Nations at the centre and under the control of the UN. For the
elimination of international terrorism, it is vital to create, through
isolation of terrorists by the whole international community, a
situation in which there is no place in the world for the terrorists
to hide. There is no other organization but the United Nations that
can play a central role and has the authority to carry it out.
The international community should enter into a dialogue of cultures;
lead a non-military struggle against poverty, misery and injustice in
the world to remove the hotbeds of terrorism.
We should demand to spend much more money on development aid. We
should demand to spend money not on military adventures in Kosovo and
other places but on help to Afghan refugees and to the Palestinian
Authority as assistance to the suffering civil population. We demand
to finance these operations by a special tax on the assets of the
multi-millionaires.
We should fight for democracy, against the policy of leading
capitalist powers. They misuse the people's fear of war. They use the
wartime psychosis to draw away popular attention from the hardships in
the economy and the society. At the same time, the mass media boycott
the different public statements of left and other antiwar forces
opposing this war. We should fight against violation of freedom of
press and the democratic basic rights of the citizens. We should fight
against right extremism and fascism.
We have our national task, too. We, the Hungarian Workers' Party
condemns the decision of the Hungarian government and the Hungarian
Parliament to support the militarist policy of the US. Hungary has no
kind of military interests, neither on the Balkans, nor in
Afghanistan. What is in the interests of the Hungarian people is not
war, but peace.
The Hungarian Workers' Party demands that Hungary should diminish its
activity in the NATO to the minimum. We oppose that nuclear weapons
and other weapons of mass destruction be deployed on Hungarian soil.
American and all other foreign troops must be withdrawn from Hungary.
No Hungarian soldier must wage a war outside Hungary! Hungarian troops
must be recalled from abroad.
Dear friends,
People fear of war, terror attacks. People think they cannot do
anything against war. We should demonstrate people, young and old,
that they are not alone. We can and should fight against war, and we
will do it. I am optimist.
I am convinced that the international left movement is the political
force which can and will give people the safety of future generations
in an uncertain future.
---
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WAY FROM THE WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA TO THE POLICY OF
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
REPORT OF PRESIDENT OF THE HUNGARIAN WORKERS' PARTY
GYULA TH�RMER
Ladies and Gentlemen, friends, comrades,
We gather here, in Budapest in a sombre time. A time when we are still
shocked and revolted by the barbaric terrorist attacks on the United
States. A time when, for people all over the world, the sense of
safety and security was ripped away. A time when we witness a new
imperialist policy aimed to control our planet and humanity.
NATO Secretary General Robertson said: "The events of September 11
have changed the world." I don't agree. It is not true. It was the
capitalist world, the capitalism to have been changed. It was the
capitalism that has led to a great degree to the tragic events of
September.
I would like to confirm our political position clearly: the Hungarian
Workers' Party reaffirms its condemnation of any form of terrorism. We
support the implementing of all relevant resolutions of the United
Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. At the same time we
declare: terror must not be the answer to terror.
Terrorism is not a political party, not even a state. Terrorism a
philosophy, a method. It can be used by the most different political
forces. Yes, terrorist organisations have changed the character of
their activity. Yes; their destructive power has been enormous. But,
why? What is the real reason?
Terrorism has its roots in the world's global problems. Before, at
those times when terrorism was useful for the capitalist big powers in
their fight against socialism, they supported it, financially,
militarily, politically. But now it is beyond their control and has
turned against them.
The aim of the current US-British military operations is not to arrest
Bin Laden and members of his terrorist organisation. The obvious
priority is a demonstration of force by the USA.
Worldwide US offensive
The NATO war against Yugoslavia was the experimental laboratory for
the large scale capitalist offensive we are witnessing now. The NATO
aggression in 1999 had its clear aims:
To finish the process of capitalist changes in Eastern Europe, to
avoid all possibilities to return to socialism.
To weaken Russia, undermining its international influence.
To strengthen US influence in Europe in a situation when the
European common currency just introduced before seemed to overcome US
dollar.
To elaborate new methods of political, moral, media, and military
war.
Important conclusions were made after the war. Some of these lessons
made the US and NATO to revise basic elements of their policy before
beginning a large-scale new offensive.
It has become quit evident that even the sophisticated US weapons
do mistakes. Remember the bombardments of the Chinese Embassy in
Belgrade or the so-called undesired attacks against civil persons.
It became clear that there is a gap between military capacities of the
US and their European allies. Just after Yugoslavian war Europe has
begun its new military doctrine and the EU began its tragic way to
turn into an organisation with strong military and security aspect.
Western countries could exclude Russia from Balkan regulation, but
Russia was not weakened. On the contrary during the presidency of
Putin the situation in Russia has been consolidated. Russia finds
newly its voice of super power.
The result of media war astonished deeply Western leaders. It was
very difficult to mobilise public opinion for war-participation. The
public opinion of such countries like Spain, Greece, Portugal, partly
Italy turned against war. Later, especially after Kosovo's occupation
many of the pro-war intellectuals expressed their doubts concerning
imperialist ideological explanations. Nato Secretary General already
in October 1999 warned NATO states to strengthen media work against
NATO-sceptic elements. The concept of so-called human rights, ethnic
cleaning have failed forever and nobody uses them today.
The Balkan peace settlement has turned to into a farce. There is no
stability on the Balkan. In Yugoslavia situation continues to be
serious.
Capitalist forces coming to power last October would like to finish
capitalist political and social changes in all fields of life. The
economic situation in Yugoslavia is catastrophic. New government
cannot solve these problems.
The arrest of Milosevic and his extradition to Hague has broken one of
the pillars of government coalition. Left forces are in deep crisis.
Kosovo is under NATO occupation. The US wants to create a sovereign
Kosovo although they deny it officially. In Macedonia US supports
Alban ethnic forces. The NATO and US will remain for a long time in
this region.
"The events of September 11th have changed many things. They have
reinforced the logic of keeping the peace in the Balkans - because
building stable, multi-ethnic states are our best insurance against
terrorism emerging in the first place."- NATO leaders declared.
The neighbours of Yugoslavia are unsatisfied with the results of the
peace settlement. They expected much more money for their political
and military assistance. Some of them have territorial claims, though
usually non-declared officially. The question of borders is not
closed. Many of these nationalistic forces hope to realise their
dreams about Great Albania, Great Hungary, sovereign Vojvodina and
sovereign Montenegro using this uncertain situation.
One of the aims of the war against Belgrade was to create a strong
corridor against Islamic forces which are playing more and more
important role in the world. It was not enough. The situation in the
Middle East has been worse as result of open Israeli aggression. The
Israeli government tries to overcome its internal crises by escalation
of conflict. The Middle East crisis serves American interests, too.
Bush: new conservative world
The Bush government has greatly changed the US policy and has
influenced very deeply the whole international situation.
First, US leaders are aware of weakening possibilities of USA in
modern world. They have decided to strengthen American hegemony in
world.
Second, US leaders are clearly aware of economic crisis in USA. They
expect from a global political and military offensive a new up come in
economy.
Third, US want to strengthen its leading position in military field.
Fourth, US want to diminish the role of Russia, and in long
perspective change it to a fully capitalist country.
Fifth, US want to stop in foreseeable perspective socialist
development of China and to finish historical revenge of capitalism.
Sixth, US want to create a new conservative world order with clear
American dominancy.
Seventh, The new policy has its clear internal aspects, too. US and
some other Western political forces came to the conclusion that new
challenges, like antiglobalisation movements, strengthening of non
Christian religions etc cannot be handled by classical methods of
bourgeois democracy, parlamentarism etc. There are attempts to
restrict the constitutional freedoms of citizens and persecute
so-called "anti-American" attitudes. Lets remember that US President
now has got the right to decide alone about war and peace, to decide
who is good and who is bad. We witness change to the presidential
ruling in Great Britain, in Italy, and even in Hungary. We see
dangerous movement to fascism.
We should carefully study what these all changes mean for contemporary
capitalism generally. Can we speak about general tendencies, including
fascism?
US leaders are clearly aware of economic crisis in USA. They expect
from a global military and political offensive a new and even long
lasting up rise in economy that has risen only by 2,5% for the first
half of 2001. We can see the first concrete steps. Military industry,
air transport has got such amounts of money they had not even dreamed
about. Under normal circumstances it would have been impossible.
Beside economic aims they want to strengthen their leading position in
military field. New military building up will take place. The new
military program can probably include space armaments, antimissile
defence systems. At the same time military building up will be spread
on traditional armaments, new types of aeroplanes, tanks, and weapon
systems.
The USA is going on with enlargement of NATO. They try to overcome the
opposition of some their allies in EU, and Russia. The Prague summit
can decide to invite to NATO Slovakia, Slovenia. The Baltic States
mean a great question. Experts do not exclude that the Prague summit
will not take final decisions.
The most aggressive forces in NATO now can explain their aim to give a
new role to NATO in world affairs. Remember what Robertson said
recently:
"There is a deep awareness that this is going to be a long
struggle, a struggle in which patience and persistence will be key.
Those who expected US unilateralism have witnessed instead a
masterpiece of multilaterally - rallying the world behind a common
purpose in a way only the US can. This has been coalition building at
its very best. NATO will of course be one of the key pillars of that
coalition"
Or lets take an other fresh literary masterpiece of NATO Secretary
General: "Europe's Security and Defence Identity is still in its early
stages. And the structures and functions of the UN and OSCE are
different and certainly do not mirror the unique composition,
strength, cohesion and speed of delivery of NATO".
Enlargement itself can lose some of its importance. Now it is more
important to give new functions to NATO. It is a permanent coalition,
a unique network with 19 nations and with further 27 in a partnership
relationship.
The 46 nations Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council is getting also new
aspects. It must enable NATO "to mobilise a coalition for the long
haul, tying in countries from Vancouver to Bishkek to make a
difference on real issues such as effective border control in Central
Asia."
EU: own concerns and interests
The EU-countries have their own concerns and interests. The economy of
the EU has braked. Temps of development have been diminished in most
of EU countries. Last year the production of GDP in EU has risen by
3,4%, this year only by 2,6%. The course of euro to dollars has been
falling and only during the last weeks there are some rises. The
EU-countries cut down almost all achievements of welfare state.
Internal political and social tension is increasing.
Germany has a special role. German economy develops slower than other
EU-states. This year GDP production rose by 2,6%.
The German Red-Green government for the first time after WW II decided
to send German soldiers into military action. They are aggravating the
political, social and ecological problems by socially unjust reforms
of the pension and tax systems, by an austerity policy detrimental to
future economic development. They cannot achieve real progress in
overcoming unemployment, whereby they disappointed many voters.
Further integration of East Germany is also a big question.
The conservative forces in Europe hope to return to power after many
years of social democratic government. Their strategic aim is to
establish a new conservative order in Europe. The most pillars of this
new conservative order would be strict commitment to conservative
values, final historical liquidation of all socialist and communist
experiments, full recognition of US strategic concepts.
After the collapse of Soviet Union the conflicts between the USA and
European allies became sharper. US try to share military burdens with
the Europeans. They insist on building up a sovereign European
military force but they want to save control first of all through
NATO.
The EU-enlargement leads to new serious conflicts. The Nice Treaty of
last year clearly demonstrated that large EU states want fully control
the Union. There is serious discussion among the leading countries
about the future of European institutions.
Ireland is the only of the 15 EU member states voting on the Nice
Treaty, which legally can only enter into force if ratified by all.
46.13 per cents were in favour of the Nice Treaty and 53.87 per cent
were against. This is the first time that an EU treaty has been
defeated by a referendum in Ireland.
The negative result of Danish referendum about Euro, the negative
attitude of Irish people expressed during the Irish referendum about
Nice treaty, the rising pro-referendum behaviour in Austria show
clearly that important socials forces have increased their activity.
The EU has been supported the new US policy from the very beginning.
First, the leading European states have realised their common class
interests. They are interested in common fight against threatening
anti-globalisation forces, rebirth of communist forces, for stopping
Chinese offensive.
Secondly, they also realised, that US could play its role without
them. The EU capital does not want to lose the chance to share with US
the economic and political privileges of capitalist militarisation.
Third, they see that the European economies also need serious
additional forces. War and concentration of power can be one of them.
Fourth, the EU political leaders are threatened by the
antiglobalisation fight. It has become cleat that existing
political institutions cannot solve this problem.
Russia: strategic ally or strategic enemy?
US continue considering Russia as one the strategic adversaries, one
of the main obstacles on the way to US World Empire. Western
capitalist forces have not given up their plan to create in Russia
social-political system identical with that in Western countries. They
understand that it can be realised only in the far future.
US would like to press Russia to accept their antimissile defence
plans and other one sided political steps in the world. Russia wants
to make US to recognise its strategic interests in the Baltic States
and Central Asia.
The EU is interested in a larger - than the US - degree of economic
ties with Russia. Europe cannot give up energy import from this
country, but they fight against the new offensive of Russian companies
on Eastern European markets and the natural desire of Russian firms to
get leading position in Eastern Europe and on the Balkan by buying up
local industrial companies
Russia tries to use the conflicts between USA and EU. They have
recently signed French-Russian declaration on strategic issues.
The EU does not want to cooperate with Russia against the USA, but
they are interested in saving strategic balance.
Russia and China have recently signed treaty of friendship and
strategic cooperation. Formally it contains nothing against US but on
practical terms it means serious political, economic and even military
step against US policy.
China is developing its bilateral relation with formal socialist
countries in Europe. The demonstrative state visit of Chinese
President to Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldavia was more than a symbolic
opening to these important countries.
NATO leaders and US understand that Russia does not want to accept
neither the new role of NATO nor its enlargement. They think that in
Russian eyes, Article 5 has been the quintessential demonstration of
NATO's Cold War orientation. Now NATO found a new explanation of
Article 5 in an entirely different context, one to which Russia can
relate. They hope to use the real interest of Russian to stop Islamic
forces in places like Central Asia.
China: principal challenge of the 21 century
China has achieved serious successes in economic and social
development.
Chinese economy is rising every year, people began to live better.
China is right to declare that it is due to the development of
socialism. China played important role in peace efforts on Balkan.
Beijing has got the right to organise Olympic games that clearly
expresses its increasing international respect and influence.
Western leaders try to explain Chinese successes by the fact that
China uses many capitalist methods in economic and even social policy.
Western politicians say that it is nothing more than economic and
social reform that have opened the way before capitalist development
in China, too. It is fare from the truth.
The strategy of Western countries is simple. They try to involve China
in international cooperation by inviting to WTO and other forms of
economic cooperation, and to contribute to the strengthening of
private sector in China.
They use military and diplomatic methods to influence Chinese
leadership make them to understand that only a pro Western political
elite devoted to Western political values and standards can get the
sympathy of West.
During the Bush-administration US-Chinese relationship has become more
tensioned. The incident with American intelligence airplane this
spring was the first serious political affair for a long period.
US-administration has made even some gestures. It did not oppose
publicly the Beijing Olympic Games and said no on Taiwan idea to
create common US-Japanese-Taiwan antimissile defence.
But it is only the surface. The Bush-administration wants to speed up
capitalist changes in China. They try to use internal forces in China,
too. US policy does not want a final worsening of strategic
relationships with China. US are interested in economic ties, and
China is an important actor also in some Pacific and Asian issues.
What to do?
I am convinced: the fight against capitalist globalization is central
to the class struggle today. It touches and affects virtually every
economic, social and political struggle of our parties.
Fidel Castro said the following phrases in Durban on September the 1:
"The capitalist, developed and wealthy countries today participate of
the imperialist system born of capitalism itself and the economic
order imposed to the world based on the philosophy of selfishness and
the brutal competition between men, nations and groups of nations
which in completely indifferent to any feelings of solidarity and
honest international cooperation. They live under the misleading,
irresponsible and hallucinating atmosphere of consumer societies. I
wonder: Will they be able to understand the grave problems of today's
world which in its incoherent and uneven development is ruled by blind
laws, by the huge power and the interests of the ever growing and
increasingly uncontrollable and independent transnational
corporations?
Will they come to understand the impending universal chaos and
rebellion? And, even if they wanted to, could they put an end to
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other related issues,
which are precisely the rest of them all?
>From my viewpoint we are on the verge of a huge economic, social and
political global crisis. Let's try to build an awareness about these
realities and the alternatives will come up. History has shown that it
is only from deep crisis that great solutions have emerged. The
peoples' right to life and justice will definitely impose itself under
a thousand different shapes"
Left forces should play definitively more active role in fight against
war, terrorism, for democratic international relations.
We have now better conditions for it than 5-10 years ago. We see some
consolidation in left movement. Left and other progressive forces have
archived serious results in recent period, although there has not been
a dramatic positive change, yet.
The antiglobalisation movement has become a very serious factor. All
of us remember the streets of Seattle, Genoa, Salzburg. Goteborg. And
most of us know what role communists are playing in this movement. We
think we should help to spread the antiglobalisation movement on
Eastern Europe, too.
Antiwar movement plays a very sensitive role on Greece, Italy and in
many other countries, which are important for our parties.
Now we have better conditions to cooperate on the terrorism-war issue
than during the war against Yugoslavia. Many of us remember the
dramatic summit meeting of European communist leaders on Cyprus. No
real result, positions were to far from each other. The European
communist left could not stop the war. Now, the situation is
different. Our positions are very near to each other.
The Hungarian Workers' Party support all efforts to strengthen our
cooperation. The Hungarian Workers' Party proposes to organise
International Summit of Left Forces on War.
Our position is clear. We deny terrorism and do not consider it a
possible form of fight against capitalism. What we left forces want is
safe, peaceful, and democratic world. The road to it is not the
violence. The only possible way to achieve such a world is the
exclusion of violence from the international relations, the peaceful,
by political means, handling of conflicts.
The road to it: establish a society based on social justice.
At the same time we declare: terror must not be the answer on terror.
The recent military action of the US is not a classical war: it is a
sort of mean terrorism raised on the level of state politics.
New weapons systems do not bring security. We should continue
fighting against military programs.
NATO is totally unsuitable for combating terrorism. It arose from
confrontation and its self-image is unchanged. Its new alliance
strategy does not solve any security problems. On the contrary, it
creates new ones. We should not give up our fight against NATO.
We think it is the United Nations who should get its decisive role in
international questions. All measures have to be carried out through
the united efforts of the international community with the United
Nations at the centre and under the control of the UN. For the
elimination of international terrorism, it is vital to create, through
isolation of terrorists by the whole international community, a
situation in which there is no place in the world for the terrorists
to hide. There is no other organization but the United Nations that
can play a central role and has the authority to carry it out.
The international community should enter into a dialogue of cultures;
lead a non-military struggle against poverty, misery and injustice in
the world to remove the hotbeds of terrorism.
We should demand to spend much more money on development aid. We
should demand to spend money not on military adventures in Kosovo and
other places but on help to Afghan refugees and to the Palestinian
Authority as assistance to the suffering civil population. We demand
to finance these operations by a special tax on the assets of the
multi-millionaires.
We should fight for democracy, against the policy of leading
capitalist powers. They misuse the people's fear of war. They use the
wartime psychosis to draw away popular attention from the hardships in
the economy and the society. At the same time, the mass media boycott
the different public statements of left and other antiwar forces
opposing this war. We should fight against violation of freedom of
press and the democratic basic rights of the citizens. We should fight
against right extremism and fascism.
We have our national task, too. We, the Hungarian Workers' Party
condemns the decision of the Hungarian government and the Hungarian
Parliament to support the militarist policy of the US. Hungary has no
kind of military interests, neither on the Balkans, nor in
Afghanistan. What is in the interests of the Hungarian people is not
war, but peace.
The Hungarian Workers' Party demands that Hungary should diminish its
activity in the NATO to the minimum. We oppose that nuclear weapons
and other weapons of mass destruction be deployed on Hungarian soil.
American and all other foreign troops must be withdrawn from Hungary.
No Hungarian soldier must wage a war outside Hungary! Hungarian troops
must be recalled from abroad.
Dear friends,
People fear of war, terror attacks. People think they cannot do
anything against war. We should demonstrate people, young and old,
that they are not alone. We can and should fight against war, and we
will do it. I am optimist.
I am convinced that the international left movement is the political
force which can and will give people the safety of future generations
in an uncertain future.
---
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