What goes around comes around. We are looking at a repeat of the
1950's and the Red, Commie Threat to Democracy. And by the way,
that's my personal opinion.
Another personal opinion is that every Empire must have enemies.
It must have enemies in part, because it must have a tangible outlet
in order to profit from its War Production, and in part it enables the
Empire to better control its own People.
Many Left Wing journalists refuse to let go of the idea that we can
make over our existing government. A little tweak here and there and
we'll see the return of FDR's New Deal. While I am not going to tell
other observers what their personal opinions ought to be, I certainly
can express my own. And above all, I see the need to remove all
control and all wealth from our long established American Oligarchy.
So long as they possess the Land and the Corporations, they will
return to power unless forced to become part of the American People.
Carl Jarvis
On 7/20/18, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
It is interesting to observe how each journalistic outlet, chooses a set of
facts and then interprets those facts in line with the philosophy and
economic interests that underly it. The Militant is as obvious in its
distortions as is the New York Times. One fact that the Militant completely
got wrong is that NATO has, in fact, functioned in the Middle East, and it
functioned in Libya. To my knowledge, the only place where it hasn't fought
is Asia.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Roger Loran Bailey
(Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2018 11:01 AM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Washington, Moscow seek new Mideast arrangement
https://themilitant.com/2018/07/14/washington-moscow-seek-new-mideast-arrangement/
Washington, Moscow seek new Mideast arrangement
By Terry Evans
Vol. 82/No. 27
July 23, 2018
Washington seeks to use the July 16 summit in Helsinki, Finland, between
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to open deeper
collaboration with Moscow on future alignments in the Middle East. The U.S.
rulers’ goal is to get acquiescence to driving Tehran’s military out of
Syria, a goal they share with the rulers in Israel, Saudi Arabia and other
Sunni-led regimes in the area.
The U.S. president will also take part in the NATO summit in Brussels, where
he is pressing the capitalist rulers in Europe to stop freeloading on
Washington’s back and kick in a higher share of the military alliance’s
budget.
The Washington/Moscow summit takes place on the heels of airstrikes July
8 by the Israeli rulers in Homs, Syria, targeting Tehran’s military and
allied forces there. This was the third time in a year Tel Aviv has bombed
the Homs base with no complaints from Moscow. Since 2015 the Russian rulers
have increased their sway in the Mideast, using air power against Syrian
opposition forces to restore Bashar al-Assad’s tyranny over much of the
country.
While the Russian rulers sit atop a significantly weaker military and
economic power, Moscow’s role in the region is reflected in those coming to
meet with Putin this week. In addition to Trump, he will sit down with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Ali Akbar Velayati, senior
adviser to Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; and Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas. The Iranian rulers have deployed ground forces
alongside allied Hezbollah militias across Syria. They aim to entrench
themselves there, extending their counterrevolutionary influence across the
region while also strengthening their position against Tel Aviv. Iran’s
cleric-led capitalist government — which calls for Israel’s destruction and
for driving the Jews into the sea — now faces growing pressure to pull back
due to Washington’s decision to renew sanctions and to Israeli airstrikes.
A new onslaught by Moscow and the Assad regime against opposition-held areas
in southwestern Syria has driven an estimated 189,000 people to flee towards
the Israeli border. In response, the Israeli rulers have reinforced their
military positions in the Golan Heights. They are wary that as the Syrian
army advances it could bring Tehran-backed forces allied with Assad closer
to the Israeli border.
Washington still maintains formidable military forces in the Mideast, but
has not deployed them in the kind of bloody wars waged by previous
administrations. But it wants Moscow’s consent as it moves against Tehran.
The capitalist rulers in Russia are seeking to defend their strategic
interests, particularly their military base and warm-water naval port in
Syria.
NATO’s inter-imperialist tensions
None of Washington’s NATO allies are centrally involved in the steps the
U.S. rulers are taking in the Mideast. The declining powers in Germany,
France and the United Kingdom have concentrated on defending their interests
through the protectionist European Union trading bloc, seeking to compete
with U.S. capitalists and those from other countries with tariffs. They do
so while relying on the U.S. rulers’ military umbrella through NATO, while
contributing relatively few funds or weaponry to maintain it.
They don’t attempt to deploy the kind of armed might capitalist classes have
historically needed to defend their interests and to deter competitors from
any threat of turning trade wars into shooting wars.
The German navy had to withdraw its only two tankers, both built in 1974,
from NATO operations earlier this year for repairs. The British navy —
declining steeply from one of the world’s largest decades ago — increasingly
relies on “cannibalized” parts removed from other equipment to operate.
Washington established NATO in 1949 in Europe as part of exercising its
domination over the world capitalist order, building on the victory over its
rivals in the second imperialist world war. It has since grown to encompass
the conflicting ruling classes of 29 countries across Europe.
With the EU increasingly coming apart, as the international crisis and
competition of capital pushes each member nation’s rulers to look out more
and more for themselves, NATO means less and less. No one believes today
that NATO’s Article 5 commitment to mutual self-defense is still binding.
Just ask NATO “partners” Georgia and Ukraine when they were invaded by
Moscow without any NATO response.
On his way to Brussels, President Trump stepped up his attacks on his
European “allies.” He excoriated the EU’s $151 billion trade surplus against
U.S. capitalists, saying he “cannot guarantee” it won’t affect relations
with NATO.
He singled out the German rulers, the main beneficiary of the EU setup.
He said Angela Merkel’s government was “a captive of Russia” for allowing
the Moscow-owned Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline to run directly to
Germany, bypassing eastern Europe. “How can you be together when a country
is getting its energy from the country you want protection against?” he told
Berlin’s European allies. “They’re just making Russia richer.”
At the same time as the U.S. rulers’ summit negotiations with Moscow near,
administration officials say Washington continues to oppose Moscow’s 2014
annexation of Crimea and will maintain sanctions on Russia. But when asked
if Washington’s position on sanctions could soften, both Trump and National
Security Adviser John Bolton said, “We’ll see.”
In This Issue
Front Page Articles •Unions rally in fight for gov’t-funded pensions
•SWP: Get US rulers’ troops, planes, bombs out of Korea!
•Workers’ struggles are key, not who’s on the Court •‘We need to tell the
truth’ about US colonial rule in Puerto Rico •Washington, Moscow seek new
Mideast arrangement •Pittsburgh protests continue in fight to convict cop
who shot Antwon Rose
Feature Articles •UK health workers beat back attack by hospital bosses
Also In This Issue •Twin Cities rally: ‘File charges against killer cop’
•Books by SWP leaders draw interest at Tehran book fair •New Zealand retail
store workers fight bosses’ attacks •Hundreds celebrate life of ILWU fighter
Byron Jacobs •Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond freed!
On the Picket Line •Strikers chase scabs from Ontario salt mine
•Massachusetts natural gas workers fight National Grid lockout •Illinois
Teamsters end strike at American Bottling, make gains •Vermont nurses call
strike for wages, staffing
Books of the Month •Black troops had key role in revolutionary victory over
slavocracy
25, 50 and 75 years ago
Corrections
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