Anti-Globalization Movement must oppose war
THE 3rd WORLD WAR: Message to the Anti-Globalization Movement
by Lorenzo Komboa Ervin
5,000 people have been killed in a murderous attack just a few days ago, clearly
stemming from past events in the Middle East. Although the President of the
United States correctly refers to this as "acts of war", he does not tell us
that this war has been raging for many years, and is fueled by long standing
American support of Israel, acting as its military proxy. The US is "no peace
loving country," it is the world's largest salesmen of military armaments and
has its hands in most of the wars waging around the globe.
Although millions have died around the world because of these wars, thousands
have now died in this country because of the militaristic policies of this
government, not just because of some scapegaot "Mad Mullahs" in Afghanistan,
Iran or Palestine. The USA is the world's most hated colonial power. But in the
name of those thousands recently killed in the USA, the President is planning
for what he calls a "global war against terrorism". This global war, based on
the new "Bush-Powell interventionist doctrine" will allow them to assemble an
international war coalition of western powers to invade, occupy, and destroy
numerous countries in the name of retaliation and "fighting terrorism. President
Bush says that this war will last for years, and will essentially allow
political assassination of heads of state, terrorist suspects, and other
individuals and groups on the anti-American "death list" of the CIA and military
forces. This is state terrorism itself, if not outright imperialist aggression,
even if it is cloaked in the gard of "national defense." It could lead to World
War 3 and it must be opposed.
But instead of opposing this new stage of capitalist military and political
domination, the anti-globalization movement is retreating. It is mourning,
instead of organizing. The Movement for Global Justice (and other organizations
which make up the movement) recently postponed its demonstrations in Washington,
D.C. against the International Monetary Fund because of the attacks on September
11th. it is not clear that they intend to do anything in this period of crisis
at all, and may even be dismantling its coalition entirely.
Even though this act of terror in the USA could be just the beginning of an all
out war, the anti-globalization movement, a mass movement of millions and
probably the most active anti-capitalist movement to be seen in decades, is
taking a position of neutrality, if not outright abstention. However, if they
passively stand by, these events could ultimately result in the slaying of
millions, even resulting in the use of nuclear weapons. Further, the USA is not
immune to another attack, killing even more like at the WTC. Where does it stop?
According to Bush "if we hit them hard enough, they will give up". This will not
happen.
Because there can be no peace without social justice, we must oppose this war on
political and moral grounds. International poverty and racial/neo-colonial
oppression are at the root of the conflict in the Middle East and many parts of
the world. The same international elite that exploit the 3rd world and poor
people at home are the same ones who would benefit from a war. They make and
sell the military armaments, they benefit from Defense Department government
contracts, and they have the coziest relationship with the Wall Street. The
International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and other capitalist
international institutions would love a war, and clearly covet Middle East oil
reserves, which would be theirs outright if they can take over from those
"meddlesome" Arab nationalist regimes and the oppressed peoples of those
countries. And if they can silence the anti-globalization movement and other
international movements, they can do that with ease. Clearly this movement
cannot police itself for international capitalism, no matter the nature of this
war, that is whether it seems "just" from the U.S. side. We cannot see the world
as Americans, but rather as internationalists.
It is racism and national chauvanism to only be concerned with American deaths
instead of consistent international mass murders of innocent civilians. Using
right-wing patriotism, the U.S. politicians are pushing us towards a global
catastrophe. The task of the Anarchists especially in the anti-globalization
movement has to be to build an *anti-war* movement in opposition to any further
military engagement. This retaliation is not for the good of the people of the
USA or the rest of the world, it is for global domination.
This anti-war movement has to understand that it must call for an end to
international terrorism, both that of small internal non-state resistance groups
and that of nation-states. It must use its force of numbers and ability to gum
up the works to prevent what clearly could be world war 3. After a few years of
war, it will not matter who started it, the blood of civilian victims will flow
like wine or water. We need to put ourselves in harm's way to stop this military
preparedness, and prevent further attacks by the war-mongers on both sides.
Clearly, the anti-globalization movement has the numbers and the organization to
be a major factor in building an international anti-war resistance, now whether
it has the political will to do so is another matter entirely. One thing for
sure, whatever it does now will impact its legacy, and either the victims of the
future will curse its inaction or praise its bravery.
-end-
Lorenzo Komboa Ervin