the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 7, 2002
Several weeks ago, the U.S. announced that the anti-Taliban forces had finally conquered the caves of Tora Bora. But while the pounding by the B52s may have left hundreds of dead in the rubble of the underground caverns, Washington’s spies haven’t picked up a trace of bin Laden. It seems they’ve also lost track of Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader whom they have made public enemy number two.
In other words, Bush has nothing to offer to U.S. public opinion except the ignoble bombing of a civilian population which had nothing to do with the terrorist attack.
This is undoubtedly why U.S. authorities, with the consent of the other Western powers, threw themselves into making such a show around the famous video of bin Laden discovered in Jalalabad. Unable to deliver bin Laden and his lieutenants to the military tribunals which he has prepared for them, Bush has called on the U.S. media to judge them–evidently hoping to prevent U.S. public opinion from knowing about the thousands of innocent people killed or maimed by U.S. bombs.
In the meantime, Western diplomats are beginning to compete with each other in Kabul. Each of the governments of the rich countries which make up the “coalition against terrorism” is determined to defend the part of the crumbs that it thinks its big capitalists will get. Afghanistan is perhaps a poor country, but even in misery, there are profits to be made by giant corporations.
This is the meaning of the bargaining which continues to develop around the constitution of the “international security force.” proposed by the U.N. at the behest of the U.S.
What will the future hold for the people of Afghanistan? Western leaders one after another demand the right for their troops not only to interpose themselves between possible belligerents, but to “maintain peace,” that is, order, by force of their own arms.
After the bloody war which the imperialist powers have made the Afghan people suffer, they are now imposing a “peace” which will worsen the situation still further. This so-called “peace” will be imposed by the U.S. and its allies supporting in power this fragile coalition of rival Afghan warlords: warlords who are notorious for the violence they carried out against the population when they held power before.