Never ending war

by Siobhan O'Dwyer

The war on terrorism as declared by George W. Bush, after the September 11th attacks in the USA, has one primary outcome – we are now fighting a perpetual war against a range of unknown enemies with unknown aims. We don’t know who the enemies actually are and therefore everyone can be a suspect and all democratic and human rights can be waived in the fight against them. The US and Britain lead the rest of the Western democracies in demanding further erosions of civil and human rights in their own countries and around the world. They will enforce their anti-democratic and draconian demands by the use of “terrible force”, if necessary, as shown by the war against Iraq but otherwise the New World Order is being built by threat and fear with a culture of risk aversion and self-regulation.

The ideology of the United States neo-conservative power brokers is pro-capitalist, morally conservative, anti-democratic and extremely dangerous to all those who believe that the world should be a fairer and more equal place. Richard Perle, one of their more famous spokespeople, says that he wants the world to be more equal but also, more responsible and that they will achieve this by defeating “America’s enemies” throughout the world and by imposing a conservative, right-wing, lifestyle on us all. The ideology of this new power base have so much in common with Osama Bin Laden and fundamentalist Muslim states - just replace Muslim with Christian and their views are almost identical. Indeed, the fundamentalist right wing Christian power block must be extremely jealous of the level of control that the Muslim religion holds over its followers in countries where you cannot challenge their ultimate rule. Christian religions are now embracing fear and risk aversion as the foremost ideology of the West and hope to impose this system of beliefs on us all.

It is of course much easier for policies restricting people’s rights to be introduced if people are afraid and looking for reassurance and safety. While everyone is so busy being afraid of some unknown enemy the issues that continue to affect our everyday lives are pushed to one side, ignored, get worse and we are accused of being unpatriotic, selfish and stupid for raising them. Therefore the fact that abortion and contraception rights are being eroded; that quality education and healthcare are denied to more and more people; that the police and army have unlimited rights to arrest, detain, question and hold you for unrestricted periods of time; that the focus of governments is on reducing risks of attack to the denial of all other political issues – this is the diversion that is the war on terrorism. The impact on our lives is bad enough but the impact in Palestine, Africa and the Middle East is much worse and extremely deadly.

This isn’t actually all that new. A similar level of paranoia and fear was used by Western Governments to stunt democracy and prevent pro-human policies developing after the Second World War and all throughout the Cold War. The difference then was that at least there was a battle of sorts between two different political, economic and social systems represented by the US and the Soviet Union. The risk of confrontation between the two systems was played up but within both the West and the Communist block there were large numbers of people who refused to be diverted by fear and continued to promote a pro-human, anti-imperialist and socialist agenda. With Vietnam, Northern Ireland, many African countries, Civil Rights Movements - political analyses were put forward in opposition to the prevailing paranoia, capitalist ideology and millions of people supported them, through military campaigns, massive public disobedience campaigns and street marches and radical political organisations.

Today it is a very different picture. The war in Iraq is an example of a manufactured dispute which allows the US/ UK to wage war against a weak, defeated enemy while the important outcome is to show the world that to oppose the US/ UK on any issue has real and deadly consequences for you. The war is fought from a hands off position where it really kills people and destroys countries, without endangering US/ UK troops and leaves them in the position of deciding what countries and nations will be allowed to prosper and which will not. The war on terrorism means that the lesson will need to be taught again and again both to manufactured enemy states or groups and to the folks at home – stand with us, do what we tell you, embrace capitalism and conservatism and you will be alright. Do not and we will destroy you, imprison you, make you destitute and so on.

The real threat is from the US/ UK neo-conservative, capitalist power brokers who are determined to order the world for maximum profit and stability for themselves while continuing to exploit the natural resources of the developing world. Indeed, the threat posed by suicide bombers, whether from Al Queda or other groups, is an example of the despair and lack of political ideology and organisation these groups have. They do not expect to be able to change the systems they live in through political organisation and so opt for fundamentalist religious ideologies coupled with an ongoing armed struggle with no end ever in sight. Suicide bombings with the express intent of killing large numbers of civilians do not further the cause of justice, peace and equality and while we may have sympathy for their desperate situation, particularly in Palestine, we do them no favours by pretending otherwise. Indeed, the politics of despair these acts and groups represent are a direct challenge for those of us who continue to believe that real change in the world can only come about through political organisation and people acting together to change things.

As republicans and socialists, we must continue to use our analysis to attempt to understand and explain to others what is going on in the current race to create and maintain a New World Order. We know the dangers of not challenging and questioning leaders and sacred cows and continuing with an old, outdated struggle when the world had moved on without us. We also believe in humanity, reason and people’s innate wish to have better lives and conditions for all. It is important that we understand what the world political situation means for our lives and struggle and that we re-affirm our commitment to international solidarity and action with progressive, radical groups across the world. We must send out a message of positive political analysis and action and combat the politics of despair and defeat with real alternatives. To do nothing is to await disaster.

FOURTHWRITE, PO BOX 31, Belfast BT127EE