Bush places his final bet on Iraq George W. Bush last night announced his “new strategy” for Iraq. His speech consisted of the usual rhetoric about “establishing democracy” and “defeating the terrorists” but particularly a lot of wishful thinking. Like an about to be defeated poker player, US imperialism faces the problem every gambler has when he is losing: if he leaves the table, he won’t be able to win back his losses. But a final bet can prove fatal too.
Saddam Hussein's Execution and the Iraq War The execution of Saddam Hussein could not have been a more cynically calculated PR event if a banner proclaiming "mission accomplished" had been placed above the gallows. His hanging will not provide a day of relief from the misery, humiliation, and violence the Iraqi people are enduring under the occupation, or absolve imperialism of its role in Saddam's rise to power and decades of brutal rule.
Israel’s use of biological weapons in 1948 The recent opening of archive material clearly demonstrates that Israel used biological weapons against the Palestinian population back in 1948. Israel to this day does not abide by internationally recognised agreements on the use of such weapons. The US imperialists turn a blind eye to all this, as they have their own “weapons of mass destruction”.
The revolutionary potential of the Lebanese masses On Sunday up to two million people came out onto the streets in the largest demonstration in the history of this small country. The protest was aimed against the Siniora government, which now stands exposed as a government with no support among the population. The people of Lebanon want genuine change, but who is going to offer it to them?
Lebanon – What is behind the conflict? There is much myth-making about what is happening in Lebanon. But what is the truth, what really lies behind the periodic breakdown into internecine civil war? Lebanon faces the real danger today of renewed civil war. The source of this conflict, however, lies mainly beyond its borders.
Massive public sector general strike rocks Israel A major strike took place in Israel yesterday, called by the Histadrut, over the issue of unpaid wages and siphoning off of workers' pension funds. The strike affected 200,000 public sector workers, uniting secular Jews, religious Jews, and Muslim and Christian Arabs all striking together against their exploiters. As the Marxists have always explained, the class struggle cuts across ethnic division, and offers the only path to a real solution of the problem.
Whose interests are served by yesterday’s assassination of Pierre Gemayel? Another assassination in Lebanon, and yet again the question is posed of who was behind it. We cannot say with certainty who was responsible, but we can say who benefits from it: the Bush administration.
Israel bombs Gaza but even its own ruling class cannot see a way out After the humiliating exit from south Lebanon, the Israeli generals have turned on the lesser-armed Palestinians of Gaza. Their bombing solves nothing. It only exacerbates an already extremely unstable situation. The situation highlights the fact that this rotten Israeli ruling class can offer no solutions, but only create more problems.
Pakistani Marxist, Lal Khan, speaks in Lebanon The International Conference in Solidarity with the Lebanese Resistance against Imperialist aggression was held at the UNESCO Building in Beirut on November 16-19. Lal Khan, Pakistani Marxist, had been officially invited to speak and here we provide a summary of his speech.
Iraq: US and British imperialism staring defeat in the face What started off as a show of strength on the part of US imperialism is now turning into its opposite. The war in Iraq is bringing to the surface all the contradictions of present-day capitalism. Defeat is staring the imperialists in the face. This will have far-reaching consequences well beyond the borders of Iraq.
The Partido Obrero distorts the ideas of Marxist.com on Israel/Palestine In spite of our exhaustive response to the leaders of the Argentinean Partido Obrero some time ago, they periodically repeat the same distortions of our ideas. Earlier this year they concentrated their efforts on our analysis and proposals concerning the situation in Israel/Palestine. Here our Israeli comrades set the record straight.
Gaza bombed again as Israeli government moves even further right Over the past couple of days 24 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. This follows a further shift to the right on the part of the Olmert government after the ultra-racist party of Lieberman joined the coalition. With these renewed attacks they are trying to distract the attention of the Israeli masses as it become abundantly clear that the country is in an impasse.
Imperialism is Rebuilding Iraq as a Graveyard The war in Iraq has been an unmitigated disaster. Far from “promoting democracy” what the imperialists have done is to plunge Iraq into the depths of barbarism. Even from a purely military point of view they are losing their grip on the country. Now the talk is about an “exit strategy”. We say the troops must leave now. Let the people of Iraq decide their own fate.
The crisis in the Middle East deepens The whole of the Middle East has entered a crisis. Country after country is rocked by political, economic and military crises. The shockwaves of the recent war in Lebanon are still being felt. Imperialism seeks to manoeuvre in this situation to defend its strategic interests, but every step they take simply exacerbates the situation.
Audio interview with Lal Khan on Pakistan and Lebanon Interview with a representative from the Pakistan Trade Union Campaign about the ban of the Sindh Teachers' Union, the protests against this, the Musharraf regime and the political situation in Pakistan in general. Lal Khan also speaks about his new book on the war in Lebanon. Listen to the interview here.
