DRAFT THESES ON CURRENT SITUATION --

AND FOR AN MARXIST-LENINIST ANTI-WAR UNITED FRONT

ZIMMERWALD 2001

At this point in time, many groups have come into existence that still hold to the essentials of Marxism-Leninism. This call is humbly submitted to all such organisations.

While all these groupings continue to hold polemics against each other -- or disagree on various fundamentals, they are in general well aware that in times of war they must join hands against imperialism; and more so against social-chauvinism on the parts of labour social-democrats who betray the class of the proletariat. We have seen this vividly in all countries, and in Canada the New Democratic Party have fallen into line with the Bush-Blair "crusade" against the peoples of Afghanistan.

All Marxist-Leninists (ML-ists) are probably likely to recognize that unless joint ML-ist anti-war movement comes into being, which will allow the ML-ists world wide to participate in the spontaneous movements against the surge to a New World war; then it is possible that their voice will become even stiller and fainter to the mass movements. ML-ists are aware that in the previous decades, during the mass spontaneous movements against nuclear war, that the lack of a proletarian leadership meant that the best elements could not be drawn forward.

Alliance ML offers these following DRAFT theses on the current war fever unexceptional to Marxist-Leninist, and asks that they be considered as one of the many basics that need to come forward, for a new movement towards Zimmerwald 2001.

Of course comrades will not need reminding, that in the words of the Short Bolshevik History of the CPSU(B):

"At the beginning of September 1915 the first conference of internationalist was held in Zimmerwald, Lenin called this conference the "first step" in the development of an international movement against the war. At this conference Lenin formed the Zimmerwald Left Group"; p. 166. Moscow 1939. Although only Lenin's Bolshevik Party took a firm consistent socialist stance against the war, Zimmerwald was followed by the Kienthal meeting in 1916 -- the Second Zimmerwald Conference.

Even though, again, the Kienthal Conference (Second Zimmerwald Conference) did not "accept the basic principles of the Bolshevik policy namely the conversion of the imperialist war into a civil war"; Ibid; p. 166; It did help the international movement by "crystallizing" the best elements:

"Nonetheless, the Kienthal Conference helped to crystallize the internationalist elements of whom the Communist Third International was subsequently formed";

Ibid; p. 166.

These draft theses are meant only as a draft -- to be another call for a principled ML-ist unity. We are happy that it be taken under many organisational re-writings/re-wordings etc; for the best formulation that will allow an un-impeded non-sectarian unity.

DRAFT THESES:

THE CURRENT PRE-WORLD WAR SITUATION 1) Before the World Trade Conference events of September 11th 2001, the world capitalist system was already being rocked. This was evidenced by the falling interest rates as governments tried to avert a recession; the over-capacity in the electronics and telecommunications industry -- which are the "new" cutting edges of the capitalist profit-margins; the ever increasing tensions over oil; the hostility of the trading blocks between each other -- in particular the hostility of the European Union (EU) to the USA led North America Free Trade Association (NAFTA); and the hostility of China to attempts of USA imperialism to subdue its trade. In fact some of these tensions had previously erupted into war in the very near past, notably in the Balkans.

2) All this points out that war is unavoidable under capitalism; and that it serves as a way to boost sagging technological-electronic-industrial profits; and that it enables a re-division of world market shares; and that in the jingoistic war fever it generates -- it diverts the proletariat away from the central task of destroying capitalism. Indeed, the political timing is very helpful to world capital, coming as it does so soon after the clear manifestation of huge anti-capitalist forces -- albeit under spontaneous and semi-anarchist leaderships -- during the anti-globalisation campaigns of the last year.

3) Currently the war appears to be currently limited to the arena of the Afghanistan state and perhaps will broaden into areas such as Iraq. However, its primary goal is to place NAFTA troops and hardware into permanent position in the Afghan area. What the long-term goal precisely of the Bush-Blair war mongers, will be is as yet uncertain; and in part will depend on the speed of the USA economic recovery and the recovery of other nations such as China.

4) NATO and the UN have been converted into passive puppets of USA imperial will. This has meant that atrocities committed by the USA against several sections of the peoples of the Middle East have been quietly set aside by international diplomats. In particular this process of setting aside, has swept under the carpet abuses against the peoples of Palestine, the peoples of Iraq and the peoples of Turkey and Kurdistan. Now the hand is raised against the peoples of Afghanistan.

5) In a pattern that has been repetitive, the USA denies any complicity from any of its prior actions - in having created the current crises. In each of the countries involved, the CIA has raised these hyenas -- such as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden -- who while serving faithfully the USA game-plans were allowed to terrorize their own masses without hindrance from the USA. However, when the hyenas turn "disobedient" they are attacked by USA imperialism, who however, is not content with chastising the leaders only. Instead it turns its guns on, and denies food to -- the entire peoples including children - of the entire region.

6) Irrespective of who was responsible for the World Trade Centre disaster, Marxist-Leninists condemn actions of individual terror. They are aimed at helpless civilians who are innocent victims of much larger forces. They lead and justify the severe restriction of even the most elementary democratic rights of the proletariat, and make the organization against capital even more difficult than it is currently. So-called Islamic Fundamentalism -- is as repugnant to the proletariat as Jewish Fundamentalism, Hindu Fundamentalism or Christian Fundamentalism. It is moreover, not the root cause of current events.

7) However the current war that has been launched on a country that has been already devastated by the effects of previous imperialist machinations, make it imperative for all the world's ML-ist organisations to stand together and organise collectively for:
i) Active opposition to the war of aggression launched against the peoples of Afghanistan;
ii) Gaining positions within the arising spontaneous anti-war movement; There to point out the role of USA and other imperialisms;
iii) To point out that unless there is a class war within each of the aggressor states -- these problems of the imperialist drive for markets are inevitable and will recur.

8) To convene in the near future a conference to discuss and resolve upon means of active collaboration in these goals.

This call is being submitted by Alliance Marxist-Leninist, and will be shortly considered by the International Struggle Marxist-Leninist formation (ISML); where we hope it will be ratified fairly soon, at least in some form. Until it is so ratified by ISML, it remains the responsibility of Alliance. However in the hope of expediting consideration and actions of comrades around the world, Alliance is issuing this in its name solely, for the time being. Monday October 8th 2001.