First of May 2003:
DIRECT ACTIONS AGAINST THE CAPITALIST EXPLOITATION AND WARS!
When this is written, Uncle Sam is installing a puppet regime in Iraq.
The victims in this war have been, and are, ordinary people that have
been suffering wars, sanctions and a brutal Iraqi dictatorship. The United
States has a supreme military machine, but the hegemonic power of capitalism
is vulnerable economically. It’s fighting on many fronts, and there
are because of this more desperate capitalist wars to come.
The economic problems became visible in the aftermath of the economical
boom in the 90s. This boom grew from new technology that facilitated faceless,
speculative stock, bond and currency traders sitting behind computer screens
moving money to the parts and fields of the globe. The multinational corporations
spread their factories around the world, constantly shifting them to the
most efficient, low cost producers. The United States became the global
economy’s buyer, soaking up the goods from factories as in Indonesia,
Brazil, South Korea and China, besides their deliveries from Germany and
Japan.
One important part of the economical foundation of the US hegemony lies
in this management of the finance capital, not in the mercantile production.
It relies on the world’s financial centres, transnational corporations,
rating agencies, auditing, accounting and consulting firms, and, politically
on the United States special relationship with the United Kingdom. Most
major credits must be granted with reference to US- and UK-
based rating agencies. The auditing firms are indispensable in the evaluation
of assets in the case of major mergers or large-scale privatisation.
Another part of the economical hegemony is the US position as the most
powerful member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and as a powerful
centre of alliances within the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Great Britain
has an important role also in this by preventing the European Union (EU)
from bringing its full weight to bear against US positions.
In monetary terms, the US superiority also rest highly on the US dollar
acting as the world`s main currency as a store of value, a medium of exchange
and a unit of account for official and private users. It serves as the
main currency for world trade, bank loans, bond issues, international
bank loans and bank currency reserves. This brings considerable advantages
to the US as it attracts international assets and investments, the US
authorities gets a larger range of fiscal policy options, and as long
as the system functions, the foreign governments themselves see an interest
in the stability of the dollar.
The system functioned according to the US intentions during the Cold War
when Japan and Germany were “protected” by the United States
against the external threat of the Soviet Union. But, when the Soviet
Union was disintegrated in late 1991, it left a “black hole”
of countries, and some of them were possessing nuclear weapons. The first
task of the US was then, as it was written in a draft plan made by the
Pentagon in 1992: ”To prevent the re-emergence of a new rival either
on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere”.
This task described in the Pentagon draft has since been the subordinate
policy of the United States. The plans made in the 1990s till today have
come far in the planning, but shorter in the implementation and the challenges
are: 1. To develop the economical, technological and military supremacy
in the New Century. 2. To prevent the emerging of rivals by having a New
Common Enemy, and by using a split and rule policy. 3. To use
oil as a central issue and weapon in the geo-political play.
It seems that the following problems toppled for the US in the turn of
the millennium, and it explains why we lately have seen an increasingly
more aggressive and militarist capitalism:
Firstly, the US economy went wrong as the speculative economic boom was
a bubble bursting, and the US got the scandals with Enron, WoldCom, Arthur
Andersen etc. The world`s confidence in the dollar declined with the huge
US deficits, and the terrorist attacks September the 11th 2001 worsened
the economic situation.
Secondly, the US got a rival with European Monetary Union`s (EMU) implementation
of the euro in 1999. Numerous articles in international policy and economic
magazines discussed the significance of this step. The main conclusions
were that the euro was the biggest challenge to the economic, and as a
result, political hegemony of the United States since the dollar replaced
the British sterling as the leading international currency. Foreign states
and capital got an alternative currency for trade, bonds, reserve currency
and investments, and gradually the US would have to renounce their advantages.
Thirdly, the prospects for the future energy demand showed a rise, while
the US own production of oil would decline. The US policy of being less
dependent of the oil from the Middle East, has made a world wide hunt
for new resources and pipelines. And while Afghanistan and Iraq have been
in the media: Russia continues the war in Chechnya to secure an oil pipeline,
and the United States increases the support and participation in the bloody
Vietnam style war in Colombia. This war “mission” is extended
to be the Andean Regional Initiative. (ARI)
The market share of the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) has
decreased from 70% in 1970 to 40% in 2002. But, soon it will rise again,
and OPEC still has the main mechanism for adjusting the oil prices by
rising and cutting the production. This spare capacity is today in the
Persian Gulf, with cheap, high quality oil and the world`s largest oil
reserves.
If we look at the OPEC countries Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Algeria,
Venezuela, Nigeria, Indonesia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Qatar,
we see that most of them are blinking lights on the US geo-political highway.
Saudi Arabia is considered as an unreliable partner, especially after
September the 11th. Iraq, Iran and Libya were put on the list of the “Axis
of the Evil States”. The President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela suffered
a coup attempt in April 2002, and actions of the opposition in the end
of the year.
And when Iraq in November 2000 made the decision to have the oil transactions
in euros instead of dollars, the dictatorship hit the nerve centre of
the United States. Who would follow this move, and perhaps withdraw the
enormous petrodollar investments in the US? Had the euro became the link
between the “Axis of the Evil States” and the EU?
When the terrorist attacks hit the US September the 11th 2001, hard discussions
appeared in the US administration if Iraq should be the first target,
but the Taliban in Afghanistan and the hunt for Bin Laden were chosen.
The war against “terrorism” was used by the US to accomplish
the plan in the “Silk Road Act of 1999”: By implementing economic
and military influence in a corridor of East-European and Central- and
East Asian countries the US could reduced German, French, Russian and
Chinese
influence.
These plans were based on the book “The Grand Chessboard”
(1997), written by the former Security Advisor of Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski.
He also recommended an enlargement of EU and NATO to undermine French,
German and Russian influence. France and Germany should also be balanced
against each other so neither of them dominated Europe.
The US used the war against “terrorism” to deploy troops in
the Eurasian corridor, Philippines and the Persian Gulf, and Iraq became
the next target. The wrangling in the UN Security Council about the weapons
inspections were only the cover of the underlying roots of the conflict:
The imperialist battle of present and future oil resources, the control
of competitors, the price mechanism, and the currencies of oil transactions
and investments.
Iraq is now occupied by the US and the UK, and the imperialist battle
continues. Britain, Italy and Spain and several smaller EU countries,
most of them Eastern Europeans in the “Eurasian corridor”,
backed the US on Iraq. The United States will punish France for their
opposition to the Iraq war. The “Old Europe” France, Germany,
Belgium, Luxembourg have initiated an open mini-summit April the 29th
to discuss common military plans.
In the economy there is an open question if, or when, the OPEC will switch
transactions to euro. In April 2002, Javad Yarjani, Head of OPEC`s Petroleum
Market Analysis Dept, gave a speech in Spain (Oviedo) where he said that
the OPEC closely observes if the oil producer Britain implements the euro,
and if Norway joins the EU and the eurozone. He said also that the momentum
for OPEC to consider switching to euros grows with the
enlargement of EU with 10 new member states in 2004.
Besides this, there is a development going on concerning the use of currencies.
The “BusinessWeek Online” reported on February the 17th 2003,
that Russia, Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong and all the Eastern European states
that will join the European Union next year, have increased their holdings
in euros. It still rests to see to how this “euro-virus” will
be spreading, but is obvious that it can be a gradual threat to the hegemony
of the United States.
The capitalist rule is “expand or die”, and the struggle goes
on for new markets, resources and control of other countries economies.
Privatisations and deregulations of services are also expansion of markets.
These attacks come with the flexibilisation and casualisation of work
conditions in order to split and divide the workers. While the world`s
attention is directed towards the Persian Gulf and the next step of the
United States, the EU and the US are preparing a major assault on worker`s
rights through the negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services
(GATS).
The services are 72% of Gross National Product (GNP) in the EU and 76%
in the United States. The EU is the world`s largest exporter of services,
with the US not far behind, and we can only imagine the consequences of
the coming proposals of the GATS. A leaked document reveals the EU draft
plans for opening up essential service sectors in 29 countries including
postal services, water supplies, finance and banking, electricity generation
and supply, and telecommunications services.
Social and economic attacks are followed by repression. “Anti-terrorist”
laws are used to be implemented against demonstrations, strikes and generally
against everyone that wants to fight against the social, economical and
military wars made by the capitalists. There are unfortunately many examples:
We will mention the killings in Colombia, the
murder of the anti-fascist Davide Cesari in Milan, and the criminalizing
of squatters- and social movements in Spain, but also the threats and
intimidations of comrades in Serbia, Italy and Colombia.
And be sure, other laws and repression will follow. We must remember that
the First of May is in the commemoration of the Haymarket Martyr`s. These
anarchists were persecuted to stop the strike movement for the 8 hours
day in Chicago in 1886. They were unjustly accused of having exploded
a provocatory bomb, and this can happen again with today`s aggressive
and militarist capitalism.
As anarchosyndicalists we are convinced that we as workers must liberate
ourselves. What totally differs the working class from the capitalists
is that we don`t need them, but they desperately need us for the death
machine called capitalism. The world is divided in classes, and we don`t
support any capitalism, imperialism or dictatorship.
Because of this, it’s suicide to support the EU against the US hegemony,
as some anti–war persons have done lately. The Social Democratic
parties in Europe support the EU capitalist project, and it`s important
to follow their positions about the anti-war and anti-globalisation movements.
It must also be noticed that the “anti- Iraq war” church,
the Vatican, implemented the euro as its currency in 1999.
Contrary to the reformist unions, the International Workers Association
(IWA) rejects integration into the capitalist system. We don’t class
collaborate, have no paid union officials, and we don’t receive
any subsidies from our enemies. Our coherence is essential as the struggle
against the capitalist exploitation and wars, also is a fight for a new
system: The IWA`s goal is to replace the capitalism and the state by the
free federation of workers free associations – the libertarian communism.
The Sections and Friends of the IWA have been active against the capitalist
wars in general, and specifically against the war and occupation of Iraq.
Information has been passed. Actions have been taken and supported. General
strikes, as in Italy and Spain, have been organised. Saying this, does
not mean that we have forgotten the fight against the social- and economic
exploitation, as in Latin America. The URGENT ACTIONS in support of strikes
and for reinstatement of sacked comrades are also parts of the same
struggle!
Finally, we will in this First of May statement, made in the 80th Anniversary
of the IWA, maintain the importance of seeing the possibilities. Hundreds
of thousands of people have marched against the Iraq war, and awareness
about direct actions and ways of resistance are exchanged through all
continents of the globe!
Direct actions against the capitalist exploitation and wars!
Long live the IWA!
Oslo the 27th of April 2003
IWA-Secretariat