CP of India, Contribution to the Athens Meeting 21J2002
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From: Communist Party of India, Sun, 16 Jun 2002
http://www.cpofindia.org , mailto:cpi@vsnl.com ,
mailto:cpi@cpofindia.org
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Topic: the New Situation in the world after September 11

Dear Comrades,

The National Council of the Communist Party of India
extends its revolutionary greetings to the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of Greece for convening
such important Seminar at appropriate time and on important
subject. We also greet the participants from fraternal
parties participating in this important seminar and wish
them all successes in their endeavor.

Introduction
For us in India, the history of terrorism did not start
with September 11. We have been victims of terrorist
attacks for nearly two decades. It has cost us no less than
60,000 precious lives. Terrorist killed our two Prime
Minister and many important leaders of our country. But
most dastardly attack, which targeted the most cherished
symbol of our sovereignty and democracy, was the one on the
Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001. By attacking the
Parliament itself, the terrorists had roused the
indignation of the whole world. India's case is now better
understood. Of course our understanding of fighting
terrorism is completely different from that Bush's
understanding. For that reason we strongly and
unequivocally condemn terrorism of all brands especially
terrorism based on religious fundamentalism, and wherever
it occurs, Global terrorism including state terrorism as a
phenomenon has to be eliminated.

Situation after September 11
Bombardment against its own creation

Following the September 11 terrorist attack, America
reacted by launching a war against Afghanistan, on the
pretext of capturing Osama Bin Laden and destroying his Al
Qaida outfit. It should be recalled that the US
administration contributed to the creation of terrorist
group like Taliban to serve their narrow national interest.
Brezezinsky, former national security Adviser of President
Carter revealed on July 3, 1979 that the President Carter
secretly authorised $500 millions to create an
international terrorist movement that would spread Islamic
fundamentalism in Central Asia and destabilise USSR. The
CIA �operation Cyclone� and spent $4 billion for setting up
Islamic training schools in Pakistan and in United States
itself.

The war against Afghanistan was a most unequal war between
the world's most powerful country and a most backward and
poor country which took the toll of more than 10,000
innocent civilian lives.

After the most terrible devastation wreaked on that
unfortunate country and its people, the dark oppressive
Taliban regime was no doubt destroyed though the objective
of capturing Osama has remained unfulfilled so far. The
Government of India, along with some other allies of the
US, fully backed the American strategy from the beginning;
some countries watched from a distance; while others who
equally wanted an end to terrorism-opposed war as an answer
to the problem. The Government of Pakistan gave up its
long-time Taliban friends, and extended all help to the
American forces in carrying on the military operations. And
finally after the collapse of the Taliban a broad-based
Afghan interim regime has been installed in Kabul and later
on Loya Jirga (grant council) met and approved the ministry
of Hamid Karzai. But the so-called war against terrorism is
yet to finish.

The new doctrine of aggressive US foreign policy \

Taking advantage of terrorist attack on September 11 on the
military and economic symbols of America, US imperialists
are carrying forward their aggressive policy of world
domination by all means.

This new doctrine has four distinct features.
To give US administration full authority to act
pre-emptively
To have more US bases in different regions to infringe upon
the independence and sovereignty of nations
To support any reactionary regime to undertake just
struggles of the people
To continue its economic domination by backing forcefully
the policy of the capitalist globalisation.

All these elements were there in the speech of President
George Bush in his �State of nation� address. Identifying
North Korea, Iran and Iraq as an �Axis of evil� Bush didn't
stop there. After some days he added Libya, Syria and Cuba
and stated that they are ready to do everything against
these countries in the name of fighting terrorism, as he
said in his �State of nation� address:
�Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun.
This campaign may not be finished on our watch yet it must
be and it will be waged on out watch.

We can't stop short. If we stop now leaving terror camps
intact and terror states unchecked our sense of security
would be false and temporary. History has called America
and our allies to action, and it is both our responsibility
and our privilege to fight freedom's fight.

Our first priority must always be the security of our
nation, and what will be reflected in the budget I send to
Congress. My budget supports three goals for America: we
will win the war; we will protect our home land; and we
will revive our economy.�

So it is clear that the American priority has nothing to do
with the international community but only to its own
political and economic interest.

War on terrorism or expansions of US hegemony

It was crystal clear from the very beginning that the US
war against terrorism and against Afghanistan has specific
objective that is to impose its world hegemony and grab
resources of oil and other raw materials and revive his
economy under cover of fighting terrorism.

Using this conflict, America has already established its
military and political presence in this sensitive region,
and is even threatening to extend it to other countries,
such as Iraq. Us has long desire to wrest control of the
vast reserves of oil and gas in the Central Asian nations.
At the time of PDPA government in the eighties the US used
6 billion dollars from American oil Company UNCAL and drew
up plans for a giant pipeline that would transport LNG from
Turkmenistan via Afghanistan Pakistan and thence, to
Southeast Asian markets by sea. But the existence of USSR
and PDPA regime in Afghanistan was the biggest hurdle to
realise of US objective. In this regard it will be
appropriate to mention that on those war-torn 1990s, one of
UNOCAL's most able executives was Mr. Hamid Karzai, the
present head of the State of Afghanistan. People should
understand the real link.

Not only US succeeded to install its own man in Afghanistan
but also expanded its military presence in this region. Let
us see how US administration have used the September event
and extended its military deployments in this part of the
world in the name of fighting terrorism.

Central and South Asia: Since the Afghan war began the US
has set up bases in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. It has
troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan, plus warships in the
gulf and Arabian Sea.

Caucasus: A unit of US Special force now stationed in
Georgia to train Georgian army against terrorism. The US
army is in such Azerbaijan and Armenia for expanding its
bases there.

Pacific: In the Philippines, US forces are training troops
to fight radical Muslims believed to have links with
Al-Qaida terror network.

Not to mention about US Military presence in Southwest Asia
including the Middle East and the Gulf, Eastern Europe and
South America.

So the aim of stabilising their hegemony and control on oil
and other raw materials of this region with non-opposition
from present Russian rulers (who are also surviving with
oil and gas) is almost in place.

US-Israel axis to finish the Palestine authority
The US and Israel had long history of terror against the
national liberation movements. Using the present
development both countries wants to justify their present
policy of opposing independent Palestinian homeland by
characterising the Palestine authority as terrorist one.

The terrorism is indivisible. There cannot be double
standards on the matter. When President Bush arrogantly
declared, �Those who are not with USA are with terrorists�,
he arrogated to himself the right to define what
constitutes terrorism. For USA, the fight against terrorism
is subject to what it considers America's �national
interests�. It also depends on who is the perpetrator.
Thus, the PLO and its leadership including Yasser Arafat
have been termed as �Terrorist� by Israeli prime minister
Ariel Sharon. Israel has launched full-fledged war against
Palestine. Palestinian civil facilities have been
mercilessly bombed. Palestinian hamlets have been encircled
and blockade imposed on major cities. But the Bush
administration instead of reining in the state terrorism of
Israel has lent all moral and political support to Sharon.
The situation in West Asia and the Islamic world is very
explosive and without solving this problem there is no end
to terrorism in that region.

Bush is also not prepared to call off state terrorism
practised against socialist Cuba, and extradite the
terrorists acting from its soil.

Analysing the present international situation after
September 11 what emerges and need to emphasised is:
The attack of September 11 came in the wake of growing
economic crisis world over and deepening recession in the
US economy itself/
The policies of neo-liberalism are being pushed through and
pursued with the sole aim of establishing arbitrary
domination of international finance capital. To achieve
economic domination, the international finance capital is
broadening its area of exploitations of people and
less-developed countries a brazen manner.
As financial capital needs a structure that confirms to its
narrow interests, Democratic rights all over the world are
under threat. It is bent upon propping up anti-democratic
regimes in various forms in different region to perpetrate
�fascist dictatorship�.

Here we would also like to underline that, apart from
enactment of various anti-democratic legislations to curb
the democratic and civil rights of the native population,
the imperialists have taken the path of giving against
terrorism a racial and sectarian religious connotation.
Various anti-immigration laws enacted in USA, UK and other
European countries is a pointer to this.

Today no doubt that International terrorism poses a threat
to the peace and security of the entire world, therefore it
has to be fought and eliminated. The international
community has to find ways to resolve this problem. It is a
complicated task. Unilateral military action by powerful
states can in fact create further problems. Therefore, the
role of the UN and measures undertaken by it are to be
highlighted.

Our tasks
Even after all these aggressive posture, the Bush
administration is not having a smooth sailing. It is
clearly manifested by thousands and thousands of people
marching on the streets of cities wherever Bush has gone in
his short tenure as President. The powerful voice of people
against the US global policy war and domination is an
indication the US administration will not succeed in its
game plan. The awakening of masses all over the world will
eventually frustrate the dream of President Bush This
development has to be taken seriously by the international
Communist movement.

Terrorism has roots sense to economic, social and political
injustice. It also has religious fundamentalism and
fanatism as its one of the aspect. It is important that the
growth and rise of terrorism including state terrorism is
properly analysed with all its economic, political and
historical contexts in totality. The fight against
terrorism needs to be combined with the fight for economic
justice, abolitions of disparity between nations and within
the countries and defence of national sovereignty of all
people.

The Communist movement has particular responsibilities to
mobilise the masses in exposing the real political and
economic objectives of US imperialists and the same time to
oppose all kind of terrorism, which ultimately divides
people, and destroy the real people's cause. In this regard
the initiative of the Communist Party of Greece we believe
will contribute further in projecting our common resolve to
support reguine struggles of the people and oppose all
kinds of terrorism including state terrorism.