Greetings to the Lahore Anti-imperialist Conference
Dear comrades,
The Anti-imperialist Camp is sending its warmest revolutionary greetings to your Anti-imperialist Congress in Lahore, Pakistan. For financial and time constraints we were not able to participate but we try to contribute by this modest message.
We have entered a new period, namely the one of the American Empire. The recent elections in the US have destroyed the illusions that Bush and his neo-con clique was only an accident of history. No, it definitely was not. On the contrary, the imposition of the US tyranny and the waging of the permanent terror war against any opposition is a necessity to keep the imperialist system stable of which the US is the main pillar.
While we do not believe that imperialism is a paper tiger, we consider the change of line from the "New World Order" of the early 90s to the American Empire openly proclaimed after September 11, 2004, as a sign of fading political and cultural hegemony of the US. After the defeat of the USSR, the communist movement and also most of the national liberation movements they promised peace, prosperity and democracy to the world. Many – mainly in Western Europe – were inclined to believe it. However, though they happened to call it end of history, reality on the ground proved all these promises to be empty lies. Globalisation only brought about increased poverty, tyranny and eventually new violent conflicts. Resistance arose first of all in Palestine with the new Intifada inaugurating a period of global Intifada. In anticipation of these resistance movements the US was forced to launch its war and to build it Empire. While they maintain and even increase their military strength they decisively keep loosing political and cultural influence while the popular resistance movements are gaining momentum.
Iraq is today the centre of this struggle. The US thought they could teach the world a lesson paving the way to their Empire. But the Iraqi people bravely resist and there is a real chance to inflict a crushing defeat on them which would enormously spark and fuel rebellions not only in the Arab but throughout the entire world. Therefore the anti-imperialist movement of the world has to support the Iraqi resistance by all means and gather around it. Everybody understands that it is a great chance to stop the American Empire.
In the global imperialist architecture Pakistan is one of the weakest points. For decades the military oligarchy was a true ally to its masters in the US implementing their strategy of support to the Islamic movement against the revolutionary liberation movements in the Islamic world. However, for many reasons situated mainly in the Arab world an important part of the Islamic movement turned against imperialism. As a result the "war on terror" is being waged as a new crusade against Islam. This has jeopardized the Pakistani oligarchy as they were asked to curb the very forces they created. We strongly believe that in the years to come there will arise the possibility to bring down the Pakistani regime over the contradictions it created.
Therefore we believe that the revolutionary anti-imperialist forces have to approach those parts of then Islamic movement who are really ready to fight imperialism and its puppets and for that very reason are able to draw the popular masses behind them. That should not stop us fighting the reactionary aspects of the movement and first of all their leadership´s attempt to compromise with the rulers and betray the interests of the popular masses. Only in offering joint struggle against imperialism and their pawns the revolutionary forces will regain access to the masses.
Furthermore the Anti-imperialist Camp will support all attempts to unify the anti-imperialist forces in South Asia. While fighting for the self-determination of the different nationalities such as the Kashmiri one the popular masses must unify against imperialism heading towards a democratic and anti-imperialist confederation of the subcontinent.
The Anti-imperialist Camp calls upon your conference to join the attempts to build an international coalition of the forces in support of the Iraqi resistance in view of an international anti-imperialist front. Meanwhile the anti-globalisation movement has fallen into a deep agony as they tried a third way between imperialism and the popular resistance opposing the necessity to resort to armed struggle. Facing the stepped up imperialist aggression they have proved to be completely impotent. The anti-imperialists have to save the most consequent parts forming a global anti-imperialist pole. Instead of the World Social Forum we need a World Anti-imperialist Forum.
With revolutionary greetings
Alfred Klein
On behalf of the Political Committee of the Anti-imperialist Camp
Nov 25, 2004