Athens Meeting 18-20 November 2005, Contribution of Tudeh
Party of Iran
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From: SolidNet, Monday, November 28, 2005
http://www.tudehpartyiran.org ,
mailto:mardom@tudehpartyiran.org
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International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties
"Current Trends In Capitalism: Economic, Social And
Political Impact. The Communists' Alternative"
Athens, 18-20 November, 2005

Dear Comrades;
The Central Committee of the Tudeh Party of Iran is
honoured to participate in this international meeting of
the Communist and workers parties to discuss our
alternative to the capitalism's economic, social and
political offensive.

Allow me to express the deep gratitude of the Tudeh Party
of Iran to the Communist Party of Greece for facilitating
and hosting this event and creating favourable conditions
for our discussion to take place. I would like to convey
to the fraternal communist party of Greece the whole-
hearted greetings and wishes of the Tudeh Party of Iran for
their success in the struggle for World peace and socialism
in Greece.

We highly appreciate the significance of such gatherings
for helping to develop more effective forms of the
cooperation and unity of actions of Communist and workers
parties. They also give substance to our internationalist
approach.

Dear comrades

The topic of this discussion opens up the possibility of a
creative and illuminating exchange of views about the
consequences of the onslaught by forces of capitalism for
working people across the world and independent countries.
It is a fact that international developments of the past
two decades, the domination of a single super-power and the
imposition of the "New World Order" have created certain
issues in relation to the conditions in which we struggle.
Ignoring these issues is neither possible nor advisable.
This is in line with our Marxist approach that always
advise us to tackle phenomenon as they are and not as what
we wish them to be.

Documents adopted by the Central Committee of our party
have analysed the characteristic of the current period as
one of continuation of the offensive of neo conservatives,
apologists of neo-liberalism and growth of militarism from
one hand and the concrete strengthening of the resistance
movement and struggle of the people on the other hand.

Imperialism Offensive

At these early years of the third millennium, we are still
witnessing the widespread and destructive onslaught of
imperialism.

In the economic arena; we are witnessing the increasing gap
between rich countries and the developing world. The
non-stop and accelerated expansion of capitalist
"globalisation", as it opens up the markets and resources
of the world to capitalism for exploitation, is taking away
the possibility of independent development from them. While
the capitalist conglomerates are getting fatter with
astronomical profits, the salaries and work benefits of the
laboring masses are shrinking. Oppression is on the rise,
and freedoms and social rights are being restricted.

In the political arena; the orchestrated attack against the
sovereignty and independence of countries is the main
identifier of the current developments in the world. This
onslaught that began following the terrorist attacks on the
World Trade Centre on 11th September 2001 has taken a new
meaning and has intensified. In the past few years it has
manifested itself under the cover of the war on terrorism,
and is in fact the main focus of United States'
international diplomacy. The war on Iraq and the occupation
of that country in March 2003 have initiated a new and
dangerous phase in the imperialist offensive to gain world
hegemony.

US Imperialism, by exploiting the terrorist attacks of
September 11 (condemned unanimously by all workers
communist movements and progressive forces) has organized
an all out offensive to enforce its hegemony over the
world. Conservative and repressive circles of the US
capitalism, who closely direct the government,
systematically and by totally utilizing the superior
military and economic power of that country, and the
imbalance of international forces after the collapse of
socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, have
embarked on this journey.

What is clear now and has been acknowledged not only by the
progressive and left-wing parties, but also by the most
informed political personalities of the capitalist world is
that this onslaught was not accidental, but was part of the
"United States National Security Strategy" framework, that
was written in 2002, and that itself was based on a similar
document prepared 10 years earlier by the current advisors
of President Bush. Based on this, one can say that the
major direction of the changes in the world today coincides
with direction of efforts that were made by the US
government in 1991 during the presidency of George Bush Sr.
to enforce the "new world order".

International hostilities, ignoring international
institutions, unlimited and worldwide pre-emptive wars, and
pressuring the nations to accept this "new order" are all
signs of the new phase of changes that began in 2001.
Countries that do not accept to submit to this policy are
labelled "rogue states". If President Bush placed Iraq,
Iran, and North Korea among those countries in the
beginning of his first term, in the past few years we are
seeing the addition of Cuba, Syria, Zimbabwe, Burma, and
Belarus to that list. The disruptive and provocative
policies of the US against Venezuela are signs that this
country is also placed on top of that list.

Greater Middle East Plan
The special attention paid by the US and its NATO allies to
the Middle East are among significant signs of the
transformations of the world in the past years. Imperialism
has long been working to gain complete control in this
sensitive region of the world that contains essential
resources of energy and also untapped markets. In the
period after the fall of the Soviet Union, which was a
serious and strategic obstacle in the way of imperialism
plans for the region, the efforts of US and its allies have
gained new dimensions.

The Middle East, due to its important strategic location,
is of great importance to the plans of imperialism. The
ruling conservatives in Washington have for a long time
planned changing the political map of the region, and the
fact that the first regional WTO conference was held in
Amman the capital of Jordan in 1994, was not accidental.

The plan of "Greater Middle East" should be considered as
the continuation of imperialist attempts for colonially
controlling this region. This plan contains all key points
of imperialist attempts.

The aim of the planned efforts of US Imperialism is not as
they are portrayed in the media, to "spread democracy and
human rights", but to guarantee political control of this
sensitive region for that country and enable it to benefit
from its enormous oil reserves while subduing its economic
rivals.

What is important to understand at this point is that the
US has turned its sights squarely on the Middle East. The
control of some of the countries in the region by the US,
on one hand enable it to gain access to those oil reserves,
and on the other hand give it crucial geographic control
over a region that is the connecting bridge among the
countries in the mentioned region. These countries are in
the best position to transfer their oil and gas reserves to
the west and because of this, the US can even put pressure
on its rival imperialist countries by having complete
control over the extraction and prices of oil.

Iran
Under the pretext of war against terror and the spread of
democracy, the US administration is attempting to rally
international support for its policy against Iran. Another
round of dangerous brinkmanship between Washington's
neo-conservative and Iran's ruling dictatorship is
underway.

Iran has one of the largest reserves of crude oil and
natural gas in the world and with a population of a nearly
70 million is the biggest country and market in the Middle
East. Therefore it is reasonable to deduce that the future
control of Iran would form the basis of the Middle East
strategy pursued by the Washington's neo-conservatives.
Already the economy of Iran is being restructured on the
basis of American led neo-liberal economic model. Under the
Islamic Republic a powerful, parasitic and highly corrupt
mercantile capitalist class has emerged that would do
anything to support its own narrow interests. This is an
important element in bolstering US tactics in Iran. In any
case, the economic interest of the US is the main driver
behind its Middle East strategy. It is important to point
out that the US administration is playing a sophisticated
game with the regime in Iran. Despite the rhetoric, the
Iranian regime provided significant assistance to US forces
in their military interventions in both Afghanistan and
Iraq.

Historically and politically, developments in Iran have
significantly influenced direction of events in the region.
Consequently it is natural to assume that the regional
hegemony of the US would be largely dependent on the way
that Iran's political developments pan out. Therefore the
growing movement for democracy in Iran, not only poses a
real threat to the ruling theocratic regime - at the same
time it could be a direct challenge to the strategic US
policy towards Iran.

This context governs the recent standoff between the US and
Iran. The Tudeh Party of Iran (TPI) has made it very clear
that it is firmly against any external interference in the
internal affairs of the country under any pretext. The
party alongside all the progressive forces in the region
seeks a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction in
any shape or form. But the TPI points out that while
right-wing pro- US governments such as Sharon's in Israel
and the Pakistan military dictatorship are building
stockpiles of nuclear weapons with the financial and
technical assistance of US and other imperialist powers in
our region, the focus of world attention on Iran's nuclear
policy is not only a clear double standard but a cynical
ploy and political brinkmanship in line with US plans for
"Greater Middle East."

The fact is that Iran's nuclear industry is used as a
dangerous bargaining tool by both the US and Iran's ruling
dictatorship. The Bush administration's discredited record
on Saddam's WMD points to a similar pattern regarding
Iran's perceived nuclear threat. This issue forms the basis
of the regime's dangerous and unsustainable foreign policy
in gaining international support. Internally the nuclear
issue is used to heighten nationalistic sentiments in order
to overshadow the regime's massive unpopularity. As the
Tudeh Party of Iran stated in its May 2005 plenum: "along
with the other progressive and patriotic forces of our
country, we defend the rights of our country to access and
benefit from these resources [nuclear]. Therefore we agree
with those policies that can assure these rights. Clearly
the pressures exerted by the Americans and its allies must
be resisted. And through mobilisation of public opinion,
adoption of transparent policy and compliance with the IAEA
for non-military use of nuclear power, the military
policies in the region and in particular those that are
aimed towards Iran should be defused."

The furor created as a result of irresponsible comments
made by the President of the regime in October 26 is a
clear example of the regime's behaviour. Although all
progressive and democratic forces of Iran roundly condemned
this foolish and vain posturing, nevertheless the damage
was done. These comments were contrary to the norm in
international politics and for this very reason it was
predictable that the United States and its EU allies would
take advantage of Iran's stance and orchestrate a
comprehensive campaign against Iran. It is clear that the
stance of Ahmadi-Nejad and his advisers can further
increase Iran's international isolation, and seriously
threaten our country's independence.

We believe that given the immense problems that the new
government is facing within Iran and with the knowledge
that it cannot fulfill its election promises of
improvements in the living conditions of the working
people, the regime is attempting to divert public
attentions from a deep internal crisis. It would in the
meantime intensify the persecution of the opposition and
reformist movement.

Obviously, if the regime perseveres with its irresponsible
policies and repeats its recent aggressive posturing, and
its inflexibility regarding constructive negotiations with
the UN and its affiliate organizations, there is a serious
possibility of sanctions being imposed and Iran's case
being taken before the Security Council.

We consider respect for the statutes and resolutions of UN
and its affiliate organizations, such as the IAEA, ILO and
the Human Rights Commission as to be necessary for
guaranteeing the security and sovereignty of Iran in the
present conditions.

The democratic and progressive forces opposing the ruling
dictatorship, strongly reject any sort of foreign
intervention in Iran. The Bush administration is attempting
to create changes in Iran that are in line with its
strategic interest. Military attack by the forces of
US-Israel is not the only danger faced by the people of
Iran. The overall strategy of Bush administration,
masquerading as spreading freedom through the plan for a
"Greater Middle East" should be exposed and opposed.

Our party along with the other progressive forces are also
struggling for change. But these are fundamental
socio-political changes that are at the heart of the
aspirations of the people. The popular movement for freedom
and democracy in Iran needs and deserves the active support
and solidarity of all those that oppose US aggression, and
who strive for peace and progress.

Militarism
The growth of militarism in the world, especially
aggressive policies and those relying on the military might
of the US have clear implications for the world based on
their outcomes with respect to the changes in the world.

In the past few decades, the increasing influence of the
giant military corporations has worked to increase the
strategic influence of the military-industrial complex in
the political life of the United States.

It is estimated that in 2003, the three largest weapons
manufacturers "Lockheed Martin", "Boeing", and "Raytheon"
had contracts worth over 30 billion dollars with the
Pentagon. This means that for every 4 dollars assigned to
the defense sector, from the manufacture of the missiles to
the service sector, over 1 dollar was for the activities of
these powerful complexes.

The strategic influence of these conglomerates means that
the major policies of the US government cannot be made
without considering the interests of the
military-industrial complex. Similarly, this aspect of the
economic system of the US has to be considered that this
country was only able to overcome the economic hardships of
1999-2001 with the help of military production and the
growth of military-industrial complexes, and this means
that the economic life of this country is intimately tied
to militarism.

Imperialism in Europe is concentrating all its efforts in
creating a political and economic pole strong enough to
compete with the United States. These efforts have created
a uniform economy over the 25 member countries, but on the
other hand are working to create the best conditions for
getting the highest value for the exclusive European
capital.

All the EU agreements, from the Rome and Maastricht accords
to Lisbon and Gutenberg, include the free movement of
capital, goods, and conversion of services to goods and the
creation of a union of countries that function in the form
of a unified economy, directed from a central
political-economic unit. The motivation behind the creation
of this "freedom of movement of capital" was the founding
of a European market along with various agreements
including the now weightless constitution of EU.

For ordinary citizens, this event means that large capital
has the right to move freely and unhindered, sanctioned by
their elected governments and based on the democracy of
Europe. And now these citizens are seriously questioning
the validity of EU. Along that, there is the truth that
sooner or later, the actions of large European corporations
will face the actions of organized workers.

For example, there is a growing resistance by workers'
unions against the directives of EU for chopping up and
privatizing national railroads and public property all over
Europe.

The Left has to consider that the main aim of the EU in
"closer cooperation" and "the free movement of capital,
goods, services and workforce" is only to supply the needs
of the major capitalist companies. Thus, it comes as no
surprise that the powerful capitalist institutions, by
participating in the assembly of industry and European
industrialists, will force the passing of most laws through
using pressure groups and political brokering in this
unelected union.

For A Progressive Alternative
In the recent years, following the imposition of the
economic adjustment programs on poor countries, which have
had negative and destructive effects, trade problems have
increased. The plans of the IMF, has forced the borrower
countries to reduce or completely cut off subsidies to
local producers, privatize public services such as
electricity, water, gas, telephone, etc, and open internal
markets to international producers and brokers.

What is important is that the partisans of the anti
capitalist "globalization" movement are increasingly taking
sides against the imperialist campaigns against the
socialist countries. This is on the one hand due to the
disclosure of the reactionary and war mongering nature of
the ruling neo-liberal policies and the socialist gains
despite difficult world situation on the other.

Peoples' and toilers' struggle for peace and against
imperialist "globalization" implemented through World Trade
Organization, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund,
is gaining ground. The progressive forces struggle in this
great movement, which has been termed "the movement of the
movements", is geared towards building a global union to
stamp the capitalist "globalization" onslaught. People in
the capitalist countries have found by experience the
results of the neo-liberalism are deepening poverty,
growing unemployment, and neo-colonial policies.

What Should be Done?
In the current difficult world conditions, the task of the
progressive forces, along with resistance against the
capitalist onslaught, is to gather forces and create a
front of anti neo-liberalist, anti "globalization", and
anti war forces. The message of this front stems from the
concrete analysis of the antagonisms and developments in
the world and is geared towards describing the need for
united struggle and safeguarding the future of this
struggle. The activists within this struggle gain strength
from the growing struggle of the workers and toilers in
every corner of the world. Nowhere in the world toiling
masses have ceased struggling for a more just and free
future. It is paramount today that not only capitalism is
not capable of resolving the working peoples' problems but
has added to them and has imposed a grave economic, social,
and cultural situation on them, which is the cause of wider
injustice, inequality and cultural reversal. Six decades
after the end of the devastating World War II, the
neo-liberalist aggression has made the chance of a world
war ever increasing and has confronted the future of the
humanity with serious danger. We can not but see these
perilous outcomes the direct results of the structural,
systematic, and natural crisis of capitalism. It is
precisely for this reason that the progressive movement in
the world has raised the banner for structural and
anti-monopoly reforms and put the movement towards
socialism as a necessary and natural alternative at the top
of its agenda. The struggle for peace is again on the
agenda of the workers and progressive forces of the world.

Dear Comrades,

The victory over capitalism requires the active and
conscious presence of the workers and all working people.
The left and revolutionary forces in the world have a
unique responsibility in inducing this necessary
consciousness amongst people. And this task also rests on
revolutionary unity and the strengthening of the communist
workers parties in different countries and cooperation and
international solidarity amongst them. Tudeh Party of Iran
believes in maintaining and strengthening her historical
ties with this international movement and creating the
widest supporting umbrella for our people's struggle for
peace, fundamental reforms, and social justice.