CP of Chile, Contribution to the Athens Meeting 21J2002

The tragedy which occurred on September 11 in New York of
which, from what we know, North American security services
today had previous information, has accentuated the extreme
aggressiveness of the North American government and its
allies in its determination to destroy the peoples'
struggles in its desire for world domination.

Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to explain those
policies only in light of those terrorist actions. There is
too much evidence from those who hold key positions in the
North American government and particularly in the Santa Fe
documents which confirm that what is really happening is a
result of a long term plan in the most reactionary circles
of the United States.

In reality, an aggressive policy to reinforce the hegemonic
role of the United States over human kind has developed
since the beginning of the Bush government. It dismissed
the Kyoto Treaty which was proposed to avoid an
environmental disaster, reactivated the development of a
new generation of arms, placed the so-called "Star Wars"
back on the agenda, broke the treaty of non proliferation
of nuclear arms subscribed to by the USSR, withdrew from
the Conference on Racism and Discrimination. It ignores
any authority of the United Nations and at the same time
imposes its decisions on it in order to use it as an
instrument of its plans.

The criminal attack of September 11 has served the Bush
government well. On this basis, he has declared a "war on
terrorism" in which the world is divided into the good and
the bad: the latter must be exterminated. All democratic
States and progressive organizations are so characterized
if they do not unconditionally accept North American
demands. This political concept allows for the
justification of the most horrendous crimes of State
terrorism by the North American State against anyone who
opposes or obstructs its imperialist designs. Within this
framework is included the invasion and bombing of
Afghanistan and the threats of military intervention in
Iraq. The tragedy of the Palestinian people, victims of
the fascist government of Sharon with the complicity of
Bush, also falls within this context.

At the 2001 anniversary of West Point Academy, Bush
harangued the young cadets: "Our security will require that
. the military might which you will lead, (be) a force
which must be ready to attack immediately in any dark
corner of the world. And our security will require that we
be ready for a preventive attack whenever necessary...We
must uncover terrorist cells in more than 60 countries"

The aggressiveness of imperialist policies has increased
because it is evident that capitalist globalization has
failed in its ability to resolve peoples problems. In the
Call to the XXII Convention of our Party, we argue that
"the time of increased profits for capitalists produced by
the scientific-technical revolution, the process of
transnationalization and the fall of socialism in Eastern
Europe is coming to an end"

In spite of its serious inadequacies and errors, the
existence of socialism in Europe meant an important
development in the life of its people, made a significant
contribution to the end of colonialism, was decisive in the
defeat of fascism and, together with the rise of popular
struggles, forced the bourgeoisie of developed capitalist
countries to promote the so-called "welfare states" in
order to avert the risk of revolutionary change.

The change in the balance of forces at the international
level which meant its fall, created conditions for a
violent contra-offensive from capital, which has opened up
the way to a sharpening of social contradictions. Today
two thirds of humanity lives in poverty. The dogma of the
market as the sole regulator of the economy has weakened
national States and has accentuated their inability to look
after their peoples needs in health, education, security,
housing and other basic human necessities.

The drive of the transnationals for profit has reached
unheard of heights in the destruction of the environment
and has placed humanity in danger of extinction. New
plagues and epidemics are emerging. A nuclear holocaust
remains a constant threat. The planet is at risk from
global warming, of running out of water and oxygen; the
ozone layer is being destroyed; numerous animal and
vegetable species have been lost, resulting in the serious
imbalance in the biological chain.

The blind violence which has been put into practice has as
its objective the imposition of neoliberalism at the global
level in the interests of insuring the domination of
transnational corporations over the economy of all peoples
of the earth.

SOCIALISM RETURNS TO THE STAGE

Given the new world scene, even broader sectors are
reasserting the motto used by Rosa Luxemburg at the
beginning of the 20th century: "Socialism or Barbarism".
Workers' struggle against capital is today even more than
ever the main and irreplaceable component in the struggle
for a change in current social relations and the existing
order.

The so-called Third Way has failed miserably. The illusion
that it could humanize capitalism ended and turned its
promoters into obedient administrators of neoliberal
capitalism. Such has been the case in Latin America and
particularly the governments in Argentina, Brazil and Chile
whose presidents were standard bearers of these
formulations. Argentina is now sunk in a profound crisis
which has made more than half its population poor and
indigent. Brazil has fallen into recession and social
inequalities have sharpened. In Chile, where neoliberalism
was violently imposed on it by the Pinochet dictatorship,
was considered to be a successful model, but has recently
suffered from winter rain storms which have brought to
light the precarious infrastructure and the deplorable
conditions in which the majority of the population lives.

The election of Ricardo Lagos as President of the Republic
awakened hopes for change in many parts of the population.
However, two terms of his government have elapsed, and the
same neoliberal political economy engendered by the
Pinochet regime has been applied. Certain distinguished
government representatives have been known to say that the
Government agenda as well as that of the opposition parties
are fundamentally the same. "They're all right wing,
nothing more".

In Chile, the privatization of businesses and natural
resources, of health, education, social security funds,
roads and ports continues. The country's main resources
are in the hands of transnational corporations. There is a
growth in the concentration of property in the hands
transnational capital. The country has been
"denationalized".

The Chilean government is shown to be unconditionally in
favour of the North American policy of war and aggression.
It voted against Cuba in the United National and supported
the pro-coup government which tried to install itself in
Venezuela. In addition, it is the starting point for the
United States continental strategy to launch its Free Trade
for the Americas which will mean Latin America will be
turned into North American semi colonies.

The Governments of the Concertaci�n and Ricardo Lagos in
particular have not produced one institutional democratic
change of significance in the Pinochet Constitution imposed
in 1980. They have whitewashed the Pinochet right, have
conferred a democratic quality on it and have co-governed
along side it, paving the way for their possible success in
the next presidential elections.

We act with the conviction that the immediate historic task
in our country is the winning of full democracy, the
regaining of national sovereignty and the building of a
state power in the service of the people, drawing together
the victims of neoliberalism from all sectors and social
strata.

We believe that the main contradiction in our country is
between neoliberalism and democracy. What the country
needs is a Democratic Revolution which must establish a
fully democratic and participative state. In the economic
area, there must be a National Plan for Development in
which the State will play a fundamental role and at the
same time develop a plan for the drastic redistribution of
income including the increase in compensation for workers
and the people and a profound tax reform which
significantly taxes the transnationals and the big national
economic groups which today pay practically nothing. In
the social sector, the people must be given access to free
health, and education, decent housing and social security.
All type of discrimination must be ended especially against
aboriginal peoples. The balance of nature must be
respected.

In order to achieve the Democratic Revolution, we strive to
build a large social-political movement whose main force is
the workers and which includes all social sectors whose
interests are being threatened by neoliberalism.

We see the development of social mobilization, the
organization and unity of the people as the basic level for
the building of a social-political movement which we need
to overthrow neoliberalism.

The beginning of the year 2002 has been promising for
Chile. Important movements of an anti-systemic character
have developed among workers, students, the unemployed and
indigenous people demanding immediate solutions to their
problems. This is the general situation in Latin America.
National states have been deprived of their right to
sovereignty. Basic economic decisions are imposed by the
IMF, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization.
International policies are dictated by the United States
government. The Armed Forces of the region are subjected to
the guardianship of the Pentagon. This has produced a
process whereby democracy is stripped away and Parliaments
have ever more weakened powers and, due to the
antidemocratic nature of their electoral systems, lose
legitimacy. The people, particularly the young, participate
less than ever in the electoral process. Repression is
growing in the face of popular struggles, freedoms stifled
and racism and xenophobia is on the rise.

George Soros whose fortune was made by speculating in the
international financial markets referring to the next
presidential elections in Brazil and the campaign to
prevent the victory of the left said revealing the loss
of democracy and national independence that " in modern
global capitalism only North Americans vote, Brazilians
don't vote (the same thing happened) in Ancient Rome: only
the Romans voted."

There is something different which endures on our
continent. Cuba creates and develops great progress in
science, culture, health education, sports and all kind of
welfare for people. In spite of the huge problems caused
by the blockade and the constant threat of imperialism and
thanks to the policy of dignity and flexibility it has
developed, it continues to be a focus of hope for the Latin
American people.

The Venezuelan government is developing a process of
national sovereignty, social transformation and
revolutionary policies. This process affects the interests
of the transnational corporations and the United States,
which has initiated a destabilizing process, part of which
was the failed coup eventually overthrown by the Venezuelan
people.

The Columbian government is an unconditional follower of
North American dictates and has shown itself to be impotent
in the face of the drive by the FARC, a popular army which
for four decades has been fighting for peoples' rights. As
well, the Political-Social Front made up of left groups,
has made significance advances.

Important struggles are taking place in Argentina, Ecuador,
Bolivia and Peru.

As a response to the domination of capitalist
globalization, the entire planet has developed a growing
and powerful anti-globalization movement with many facets.

In the Call to our XXII Convention, we point out "the
Communists, the left and progressive forces of the world
are facing the challenge of bringing together forces at a
global level to drive forward events in the direction of
democratic change. Within this framework, it is imperative
to raise a new and massive world movement for peace and
against war which will isolate and contain war mongering
madness. The possibility for victory in the struggle in
Chile or in any other country depends on political and
social alternatives and the left being capable of becoming
involved in national struggles within the world
anti-globalization movement.

Many parties and organizations have expressed the need to
overcome capitalism and open up the way in the direction of
establishing a socialist society. We believe that
Communists must contribute to the coordination of these
struggles. This Seminar is a demonstration of the need for
the strengthening of our relations. We find the proposals
put forward by the Communist Party of Canada of great
interest in order to enrich our mutual awareness. We are
sorry that we cannot be present for the exchanges which
will take place in the next few days.

June 2002