• Down with WTO and the anti-social agenda of trade liberalisation!
  Defend the sovereign right of every state to its own economic policy!

• Indo-US military exercises endanger peace and security in the region

• Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s State Visit to India

• Powerful Opposition to Sharon’s Indian visit

• Diabolical manoeuvres to perpetuate and legitimise and the occupation of Iraq:
  Fight for the immediate restoration of the sovereignty of Iraq!

• ‘Doha Mandate’ and continuing crisis of the WTO

• Anti - people dumping of gricultural products

• Down with patent laws that restrict the right of people to health

• Employees of finance sector unions raise their common demands

• Increase in suicides by peasants in Karnataka:
  Damning indictment of the system

• Vigorous demonstration by workers of Modern Food Industries

• The UNO and inter-imperialist rivalry

Down with WTO and the anti-social agenda of trade liberalisation!

Defend the sovereign right of every state to its own economic policy!

The fifth ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) opened in Cancun, Mexico, on September 10, 2003. This meeting marks the halfway point in the ‘Doha Round’ of negotiations that are scheduled for completion by January 2005. Just as in the previous rounds, the Cancun conference of the WTO has met with mass protests all across the globe.

The so-called Doha Mandate has remained a nonstarter. The negotiations in the WTO have been more or less stalled for the past two years on several major issues. Presenting their reports prior to the Cancun conference, the chairs of the negotiating committees were forced to admit to ‘significant divergence’ of views amongst the WTO members. The divergence between the members has only widened since Doha, and the WTO remains in serious crisis (see Box on the ‘Doha Mandate and continuing crisis’).

Resistance to WTO has been escalating in the countries of Latin America, including Brazil and Argentina. Mexico, the country hosting this conference, is already in the throes of a deep economic crisis as a consequence of the antisocial restructuring program. The people and government of Cuba are determined to continue the struggle against the ‘free market reforms’ as well as the prescriptions of bourgeois democracy, ‘rule of law’ and ‘good governance’. Opposition is mounting among many nations and peoples of Asia, including Korea and India. It is also widespread in Africa and all over the world. These factors have added to the strength and militancy of the mass protests against WTO on the occasion of the Cancun conference.

One of the most controversial issues at the present time is the question of agricultural subsidies and import restrictions. The United States and the imperialist states of the European Union continue to heavily subsidise their agricultural production and exports, so as to flood the markets of other countries with their cheap products (see box on dumping of agricultural products). At the same time, the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America are being told that they have no right to restrict such imports, either by banning any of them or by charging high customs duties.

Under the banner ‘non-agricultural market access’, the WTO stipulates that all member states must reduce their import duties on industrial goods. This is to enable the major industrial powers to penetrate foreign markets more easily with their products. The imperialist powers and capitalist multinationals want to dictate terms to the entire world, using WTO as a weapon towards this end. Any country that dares to resist this dictate and assert its sovereign rights is accused of creating "trade distortions".

The working and oppressed peoples of all countries are refusing to accept the dictate and offensive of imperialism and the capitalist monopolies. Industrially less developed countries and oppressed nations are resisting the imperialist pressure and demanding their right to protect and develop their own economies.

The Government of India has been taking steps to raise the profile and visibility of its role in the WTO. At Doha, the then Indian Commerce Minister Maran presented himself as the hero who helped to save the day, by pushing forward the so-called developmental agenda. In the recently concluded mini-ministerial meeting at Montreal, India was represented by the Minister for Disinvestment, Mr. Arun Shourie. He cautioned the big powers that if the pace of economic reforms causes too much dislocation, or if it is perceived as an imposition from outside, then there could be a backlash. He warned that such a ‘backlash’ could set back the whole process of multilateral trade negotiations. At Cancun, India is being represented by its Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley. He is reported to have rejected the first draft under discussion at the conference, stating that the subsidies in Europe and the US were hurting farmers in India.

The stand taken by the Indian representative reflects the crisis being faced by the Indian bourgeoisie at this time. It is a reflection of the rising resistance among workers and peasants to the ‘reform’ program, and the consequent erosion of the credibility of this program. It is also reflective of the intensification of contradictions within the ruling class. With both the major parties of the bourgeoisie highly discredited, and elections on the anvil in major states, the Indian bourgeoisie is striking a posture. Its aim is to deceive the people, especially the disgruntled peasantry, into believing that the Government of India is defending their economic interests at the WTO.

The stand taken by Arun Jaitley also reflects the imperialist aims of the Indian big bourgeoisie. In order to advance these aims, the Indian State is trying to assume the mantle of ‘leader’ of all the states that are resisting the pressure of the big powers at WTO. It wants to usurp the leadership of the anti-imperialist struggle, so as to bargain and strike deals with the big powers. The imperialist powers of the G-8, on their part, are not averse to have India play the role of ‘leader’, given its adherence to Anglo-American democracy and loyalty to the capitalist system.

Far from being opposed to the agenda of trade liberalisation, the Indian bourgeoisie has enthusiastically embraced this agenda. The Government of India has even reduced customs duties on all imports and cut back its price support for agriculture, more rapidly than what is stipulated by the WTO agreements.

What is being attacked, through the WTO and under the banner of trade liberalisation, is the sovereign right of every nation, country and people to their own economic policy, including the right of every state to set its own tax and subsidy policy.

The agenda of ‘trade liberalisation’ is an agenda to subjugate the nations and peoples of all countries and deprive them of their sovereign rights. It is an agenda to subordinate the majority of states and economies to serve the interests of the biggest imperialist powers and capitalist monopoly companies.

It is only through determined and uncompromising struggle that the workers, peasants and oppressed peoples of the world can defeat imperialism and its agenda of subjugating the world under the banner of trade liberalisation. They can then unfurl the banner of international trade for the mutual benefit of all nations and peoples, on the basis of recognising the sovereign rights of every country. It is one common struggle against imperialism and in defence of the fundamental rights of nations and peoples.

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Indo-US military exercises endanger peace and security in the region

Why are the US forces interested in high altitude joint exercises with Indian forces? This question must be looked at from the point of view of the openly stated US strategy as outlined by President George Bush’s advisors.

The US looks as one of its principle aims how to block China in particular and East Asia in general from emerging as a challenge to the US in the future. China and North Asia, South Asia and South East Asia constitute powerful and growing economies and have a huge population and market. To a greater or lesser degree, there is opposition to US imperialist plans in all the countries of the region. There is also a growing collaboration amongst the countries of the region. For instance, there are positive developments in Sino-Indian relations, as well as in relations between India and the countries of South East Asia and China and these countries as well. There is also a growing sentiment amongst the people of India and Pakistan to join hands against US imperialism and forge bonds of friendship with each other. The attempts of US imperialism to build a coalition of countries in Asia-Pacific Region under its command to attack North Korea have not had much success so far.

India is a country whose population and military strength vies with that of China. India’s million strong armed forces is something the US is calculating can be deployed to advance US interests, whether in West Asia such as in Iraq, or in Afghanistan, or against China or North Korea. The US would also like to ensure that rapprochement does not take place between India and Pakistan on the one hand and India and China on the other. There are forces amongst the Indian ruling circles who are excited at the prospect of working jointly with the US in the military encirclement of China. They also see the prospect of the US supporting India against Pakistan at a future date. A confluence of interests between the US and such forces amongst the ruling circles in India lies behind the increasingly close military collaboration as evidenced by joint military exercises in India and in the Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean region.

This is not the first time that the US has tried to set up India against China. The fifties were marked with the growing friendship between the two Asian neighbours. Concerned at the threat it posed to its imperialist interests, the US deliberately incited reactionary circles in India against China by laying claims over Tibet. It carried out covert military operations in support of Tibetan counter-revolution from Indian soil with the connivance of the Nehru government. The result was growing mistrust between India and China leading to the border war and a big setback to the peoples of the region and their struggle against imperialism. Similarly, whenever there have been signs of rapprochement between India and Pakistan, the US imperialists have been covertly over active in blocking and reversing it, using the politics of assassination, and terrorism to achieve these aims.

The result of growing Indo-US military collaboration can only be extremely dangerous to the cause of peace and security in the region. This is a time when in Pakistan, there is a growing opposition to US military presence in that country and a demand that Pakistan and India resolve their problems without and against US imperialist interference. Similarly, in China, there is growing recognition of the need to improve bilateral relations between India and China. In such circumstances, Indo-US joint military exercises can only have one result—strengthening the hands of the US and those forces who do not want the peoples of the region to live in peace and prosper.

The situation demands utmost vigilance. Because of powerful mass opposition, the Indian communists have thus far blocked the US plan to recruit India and her armed forces into its war of occupation against the Iraqi people. The diabolical effort of the US to block the prospect for peace, prosperity and progress of our region needs to be exposed and defeated.

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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s State Visit to India

Sharon’s visit is a follow up to L K Advani’s visit to Israel three years ago. It is well known that Israel and India have been coordinating in counter insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir. Israel hopes to use this visit to India to blunt the international criticism of its terrorist line towards the Palestinian struggle. The Vajpayee government, on its part, hopes to make strategic arms purchases from Israel.

It must be noted that the state of Israel practices multi party democracy and the "rule of law" in much the same way as India does. In this sense, it is a "democracy" certified by the Anglo-American definition of democracy. However, the masses of people in the world quite correctly regard the Israeli state as a racist, fascist, terrorist state. On Saturday, September 6, 2003, the Israeli Prime Minister ordered the bombing of an apartment wherein civilians resided, in the Gaza strip. The Gaza strip formerly belonging to Israel, now belongs to the Palestinian Authority. The bombing was aimed at assassinating Palestinian leaders whom the Israeli Prime Minister Sharon charged as being terrorists. Following the failure of the bombing, Sharon ranted that he would kill all the Hamas leaders. This is but the latest in a series of barbaric and bloody acts of terror by the state of Israel, against the Palestinian people. The state of Israel has always used open terrorism and fascist repression to drown the struggle of the Palestinian people for their homeland. It has illegally occupied the land of the Palestinian people and it has consistently violated the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to establish their own state on their homeland and live in peace . Advancing the logic that the people fighting for their rights, for self-determination and a life of dignity are "terrorists", it continues to carry out the ruthless slaughter of a defenceless people, using the slogan of "crushing terrorism".

With the collapse of the Soviet Union a decade and more ago, the Indian state began to re-orient its West Asia policy to the new situation. This re-orienting has been carried out on a pragmatic and unprincipled basis. It is well known that Israel has been deployed by the US as a pistol over the heads of the Palestinian and other Arab peoples, ever since its founding. Within Israel, and amongst the Palestinian and other Arab peoples, there has been a growing urge for peace in the region. The US imperialists and the state of Israel have constantly pursued policies to thwart these aspirations. The Indian people must demand of the Indian government that it pursue a principled anti-imperialist policy that defends the sovereignty of the peoples of West Asia including the national rights of the Palestinian people. Such a policy demands that India oppose US imperialist intervention in West Asia and put its weight behind the demand of progressive and peace loving peoples in West Asia and around the world, that Israel should immediately cease its policy of crushing the Palestinian people and resolve the Palestinian problem, for the mutual benefit of the peoples of Israel and Palestine.

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Powerful Opposition to Sharon’s Indian visit

links between the bloodthirsty Israeli regime and the Indian government were forcefully condemned. Among the organisations which took part in these actions were the CPI, the CPI(M), the Communist Ghadar Party of India, CPI (ML) CITU, SUCI, DSU, ADS, ICTU, PSU, SFPR, WPRM, Nepali Jan Adhikar Surakhsa Samiti, Samajwadi Sikshak Manch, Yuva Bharati, Sangharshil Mahila Union, Stri Adhikar Sangathan, Saheli, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, etc.

On 11th September 2003, a meeting was organised in the Gandhi Peace Foundation, in which senior journalists, jurists, lawyers and human rights activists participated. This meeting castigated the atrocities being committed by the Israeli state on the Palestinian and Arab peoples, upheld the long-standing support of the Indian people to the valiant Palestinian people and assailed the attempts to forge closer links between the fascist Israeli government and the Indian government.

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Diabolical manoeuvres to perpetuate and legitimise and the occupation of Iraq:
Fight for the immediate restoration of the sovereignty of Iraq!

In his address on September 7, 2003, George Bush appealed for help from the UN Security Council members. He portrayed the war against the opposition to the occupation as a war of "humanity" against "terrorism". He appealed to the governments of France, Germany and Russia to not allow "past differences to interfere with present duties" of fighting against terrorism. Earlier, President Jacques Chirac of France and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany had said their countries would not support an American draft resolution at the United Nations because it did not transfer enough political control to the Iraqis or make the military force international enough. The Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov also had said that the US draft resolution seeking more involvement of other countries in Iraq needed further work to make it acceptable. The US draft, while seeking to involve the troops of other countries, did not relinquish political or military control from the US, which is what made it unacceptable to the governments of France, Germany and Russia. Bush has indicated that his government is prepared to negotiate further. Following his speech, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, called for foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the Security Council to meet him in Geneva.

In this situation, the Indian government has chosen to deliberately follow a murky course. It has acted coy with the Anglo-Americans, giving them enough hints that it is completely pragmatic and waiting for a deal which it can sell to the Indian people. The language used by Bush and Blair and their henchmen while talking about India and Pakistan is disgusting. They are openly saying that all the Indian government wants is an appropriate excuse to jump into the "coalition of the willing" and once that happens, Pakistan will be only too happy to follow suit! It is not without significance that throughout the past few weeks of intense negotiations led by Bush and Blair and their ministers and officials, throughout the period of open talk of how the principle aim of the Anglo-Americans is to involve Indian troops in Iraq, the government of India has maintained a diplomatic silence. This is a government that has wanted desperately to become a member of the Security Council and it is acting as a slighted partner. There seem to be no principles involved as far as the Vajpayee government is concerned.

It is clear that the US-led coalition occupying Iraq is in deep trouble and wishes to extricate itself with the help of troops and funds from other countries. The different imperialist camps are trying to work out deals that can accommodate all their interests. In the entire process, that the occupation of Iraq by the US is illegal and unjustified is being brushed aside.

The present situation, in which the imperialists are attempting to overcome their differences and work out deals, requires greater vigilance on the part of the worlds’ peoples. The peoples of the world must demand that the United Nations and its Security Council must work for restoring the sovereignty of Iraq and not perpetuate the unjust occupation. The forces now occupying Iraq must withdraw immediately and unconditionally. The Iraqi people must and will decide their own future. The Indian working class and people must demand that the government of India does not become party to the machinations to legitimise the occupation of Iraq. The government of India should continue to demand that the occupation forces leave Iraq and be punished for their crimes against the people of Iraq.

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‘Doha Mandate’ and continuing crisis of the WTO

The meeting in Doha was marked by the differences among the member countries. Conflicts broke out between the big imperialist powers of the G-8 and other member states, as well as among the big powers themselves. Under such circumstances, in an attempt to save the WTO from a serious crisis, the fourth ministerial meeting decided to launch a "development round".

According to the ministerial declaration at Doha, the challenge facing the WTO was to be met by recognising that "international trade can play a major role in the promotion of economic development and alleviation of poverty". The declaration called for placing the "needs and interests of the developing countries at the heart of the work program" of the WTO. This constituted an attempt to reconcile the interests of the victims with those of the beneficiaries of the liberalisation agenda. The Government of India played an active role in this effort to save the WTO at Doha, in the name of reconciling interests that cannot be reconciled.

Two years after Doha, the tall promises of "economic development and alleviation of poverty" have proved to be empty words. The big imperialist powers have continued to push for changes in their own narrow interests, no matter what the consequences are for other countries and for the peoples. Such measures have already led to devastating consequences for the workers and peasants in numerous countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as in Europe and North America.

In India, there are continuing reports of factories shutting down and workers being laid off as a result of cheap imports, as well as rising number of suicides by peasants who have been left to "fend for themselves", and who cannot bear the debt on their heads.

The ‘Doha Mandate’ was justified under the premise that the liberalisation of trade would provide economic prosperity for the peoples of all countries. It was justified by asserting that the WTO is the proper forum for looking after the interests of the ‘developing’ and the ‘least developed’ countries. The facts, however, expose the hollowness of these claims and assertions.

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Anti - people dumping of gricultural products

Behind all the discussions and arguments about subsidies and trade barriers, there is one issue – dumping, that is of immense significance to Indian agriculture and therefore needs to be noted. A recent report from the International Agriculture and Trade Policy Institute has shown that in several US commodities, the level of dumping has increased since 1995. The US pays hundreds of dollars in subsidies to growers of several types of agricultural produce from wheat to soya bean to cotton, so that the produce can be sold to other countries at prices far below their cost of production. For example, while the full cost of US wheat in 2001 was $6.24 / bushel, its export price was $3.5 / bushel. In this way, the US dumps these products on the markets of other countries and causes enormous harm to the producers there. Such subsidies have allowed for the increase in dumping from 23% to 44% between 1995-2001. India is one such country whose peasants have been ruined by such dumping.

Indian peasants and the working class must affirm their right to oppose dumping by any means, whether through import tariffs, or quantity restrictions or trade embargoes. We have the right to resist this anti-people attack on our economy and we must not submit to any ‘agreement" that the Indian government may become party to, on this issue. We may note that under the guise of inability to violate the WTO declarations on subsidies, the Indian government has been cutting back on all agricultural subsidies. The current subsidy level in India is, in fact, far below the allowable subsidy limit under the terms of the WTO.

The peasants and all people concerned with this attack on our sovereign right must establish the country’s trade policy. We must unite to fight against any conciliation with the imperialist-imposed agenda.

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Down with patent laws that restrict the right of people to health

However, with many countries refusing to accede to this, the Doha declaration at the WTO 4th Ministerial Conference (2001), acknowledged that a country has the freedom and sovereignty in determining the grounds by which it need not adhere to the TRIPS agreement. The declaration stated that in cases of emergency or extreme urgency, a country could issue compulsory licenses for producing and importing medicines, without prior consultation with the patent holder. The US government exercised these rights in October/November 2001 when a few people fell ill with anthrax in the US.

On the contrary even where there had been clear evidence of a public-health emergency, such as the HIV crisis in Africa and many parts of Asia, the US government had used its might to limit those countries’ options to provide affordable drugs. For example, in 1998, the US limited the Thai government’s right to issue compulsory licences for pharmaceuticals, by threatening to increase tariffs on imports of wood products and jewellery. A couple of years ago, the US government had filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation over a law that enabled Brazil to produce cheap generic versions of anti retroviral drugs. This in the face of evidence that the number of AIDS-related deaths in Brazil had halved since 1995, partly due to the availability of cheap anti-retroviral drugs.

The US government has since retracted its complaint, in the face of public protests and the growing opposition of the people. Likewise, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of South Africa and 39 international drug companies were forced to drop a 3 - year law suit to prevent the South African government from importing cheaper drugs for HIV and AIDS.

It is the people’s vigilance and united opposition that can stay the hand of imperialism and multinational corporations from imposing restrictions on the rights of people to critical medicines and health. Every country must have the right to decide on its health and drug policy and the people must demand that this right be exercised for the benefit of the working people.

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Employees of finance sector unions raise their common demands

The antisocial offensive of the government, its policy of globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation as well as its harsh measures against the rights and livelihood of the working people were vigorously denounced. The participants at the meeting raised the issue of the massive non-performing assets in the banking sector, to the tune of 1,20, 000 crores of rupees. The government was trying to pass this burden on to the working people by adjusting the balance sheets. The government’s attempts to push through the Banks Privatisation Bill in the winter session of parliament and the move towards privatisation of the insurance sector were also denounced. The people’s money should be utilised for the wellbeing of the people and not for the profits of the private monopolies, the finance sector workers declared.

The finance sector workers denounced the non-implementation of wage revision which has long been overdue. Retrenchment of workers in the finance sector and forcible VRS were other issues highlighted. Trade union rights of the working people in this sector are also under attack, it was pointed out.

The finance sector unions adopted a joint declaration, raising their common demands and decided to launch a powerful campaign against privatisation and forcible VRS in the finance sector, including an All India Convention in December 2003.

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Increase in suicides by peasants in Karnataka:
Damning indictment of the system

These suicides by peasants, both in Karnataka as well as in other parts of the country like Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, show in the clearest way that something is terribly wrong with the existing system. The cultivators are forced to take loans from private as well as institutional moneylenders because the cost of all agricultural inputs has increased tremendously. They are often cheated or misinformed about the inputs they purchase. For instance, the Karnataka State Federation of Consumers’ Organisations, which is taking up the cause of the peasants, has revealed that farmers are being supplied spurious seeds that result in crop failure. They have also claimed that there is a nexus between government agencies and departments and the seed companies to cover up the fraud. Even where the crop has not failed, the depressed and fluctuating prices of agricultural produce, greatly aggravated by the process of globalisation, often lead to a situation where the peasant is unable to repay his loan and faces harassment and ruin as a consequence.

The Central and state governments have been forced to make some token noises of sympathy because of the large number of suicides brought to their notice. But, apart from promising a paltry amount as "relief" to individual families in some cases, they are utterly unwilling to do anything to take substantial measures to rectify the situation which is driving the peasants to commit suicide in the first place. In the last two decades, as many as ten committees have been set up to "study" the problems of farmers, including the factors that are compelling them to take their own lives. A host of recommendations has come from these committees, but many even simple recommendations to assist the peasants have remained just that—recommendations that are just gathering dust in some files in government departments. Some of these committees have also wasted public money just covering up the real causes of the problem, such as the Veeresh Committee which "studied" the causes of farmers’ suicides in Karnataka and submitted its report in April this year. The Veeresh Committee not only suggested that alcoholism among farmers was one of the causes, but also took up the cudgels on behalf of the authorities when it suggested that the government should prosecute those who are "misleading the public and Government by providing false information about farmers’ suicides as crop failure or indebtedness though the victim died due to health problems such as heart attack and chronic illness as brought to the notice of the committee’’!

The results of the more than decade-long process of globalisation and privatisation are coming in. Both workers and peasants have been severely hit. Lakhs of workers have lost their jobs, and currently, the bourgeoisie is gearing up to deprive them of their collective rights won through the hard-fought struggles of generations of workers. At the same time, the peasants are being completely ruined, and hundreds of them, seeing no other way out, have been driven to the extreme step of taking their own lives. What the situation shows is that there is no future for peasantry or other toilers within the present system. It is no use their looking for help to the governments and politicians that remember the kisan only when it is time to gather votes, and let them go to ruin at other times. The situation points to the urgent necessity for the workers and peasants, all the toiling classes, to come together on one platform to defend their common interests and to find an alternative to the present system that serves only to maximise the profits of a small minority of exploiters.

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Vigorous demonstration by workers of Modern Food Industries

Following the sale of the former public sector company MFIL to the multinational Hindustan Lever, two and a half years ago, the workers have been fighting and continue to struggle. In the course of a long and arduous struggle under the leadership of the Modern Food Industries Employees Union, the workers have been exposing all the falsehoods propagated by the government, the disinvestment minister, and the Lever management to justify the privatization of MFIL. With several forceful examples, they have showed that the disinvestment was completely unjust, that the Lever management had reduced the once – profitable company with an excellent brand name to a loss-making concern. Production has been deliberately reduced there, plant and machinery have been shut down, bread made outside on contract has been labelled and sold as Modern bread, and workers of MFIL have been forcibly given "voluntary" retirement schemes and thrown out of their jobs, so that only about a fourth of the workers now remain. The management has spared no effort in trying to break the unity of the workers, foisting false police cases on the militant union leaders and having them dismissed from service.

This spirited struggle has also won the attention of the media on several occasions. The resolute struggle of the MFIL workers has also been a source of inspiration to other public sector workers facing the threat of disinvestment.

The valiant and long – drawn struggle of the MFIL workers has forced the government to set up a high – level committee to investigate the effect of disinvestment on the conditions of the workers. In early September 2003, when this committee had a sitting in the Lawrence Road Works, the workers gathered in huge numbers at the gate, denouncing the Lever management and the government and all the falsehoods spread by them.

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The UNO and inter-imperialist rivalry

If there are a couple of features that characterise the present era, it must include the profound contradiction between imperialism and the peoples, and inter-imperialist rivalry. However, one is yet to see the emergence of blocs that are contending for control of resources and markets. In this period, the Anglo-American alliance finds that its pre-eminence is not being challenged by other powers such as France, Germany and the European Union in general. Contradictory tendencies are present in the latter especially with certain states aspiring on the one hand to join the EU, and at the same time aspiring to please the Anglo-Americans as seen in their participation in the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ of the Iraq war.

Nevertheless, the Anglo-Americans are facing challenges not so much from the other big powers, but from the peoples of the world. While the ‘peace movement’ in the USA, UK, Australia and elsewhere have been silenced for the moment, it is only a matter of time before those voices will emerge from the wilderness and organise progressive opinion in these countries. In the meantime, the depth and sustenance of the resistance to the occupation in Iraq has surprised the occupiers and they are now poised to approach the United Nations to contribute to a multi-national force. The reasons for this approach could range from an attempt to distribute the casualties among the forces of the contributing countries to try and garner a cloak of legitimacy to the occupation.

However, in the United Nations the inter-imperialist rivalry is expected to play out to an extent that it has not played out since the beginning of the occupation. The United Nations Organisation itself is at a cross-roads where it has been effectively reduced to a rubber stamp, having been reduced to a tool of US foreign policy between the two Gulf wars, and having been rendered powerless when the USA and UK decided to launch an attack against a member country in all contravention of international law. The UN has been trying to revive itself by playing the role of a humanitarian organisation, which is not what the founding charter of the organisation meant it ever to be reduced to. It could have played a much more positive role in the inter-war period by easing the crippling sanctions, and instead contented itself with drafting food-for-oil programs and managing escrow accounts. It does not have the power to prevent the big powers from launching wars of aggression, and so it begs the question as to what the United Nations Organisation is good for. The fundamental problem with its structure is the lack of democracy in its most important wing, namely the Security Council, with the discriminatory treatment that the five permanent members receive. Any reform of the organisation must come from a move to democratise the Security Council.

Instead of taking on this important question, countries like India have unfortunately gone down the road of making it clear that they would like to be a part of the select club. By exploding the nuclear bombs in 1998 and definitively entering the nuclear club, India was hoping to release this dream. Now India will try to play a deliberately ambiguous role in the question of new resolutions before the United Nations to sanction United Nations intervention and try to gather some advantage to try to win guarantees towards this ambition. The people of India must watch very carefully the machinations of imperialist forces in the sphere of international law, and simultaneously ensure that the Government of India play only a principled role in these matters.

Sincerely,
A. Narayan,Bangalore

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