Led by the Libyans June, the henceforth it would step up has made Gaddafi 'enemy number one'.
According to the US, Gaddafi is the 'patron saint' of "terrorism', responsible for sending agents all over the world to assassinate his political ponents. The truth is that dafi antagonises the US bv backing struggles and move ments against many of the US's reactionary allies.
Cerned atonut the support concerned about support given by Gaddati to the Chad government President Goukouni Oueddei, waCH composed of the Frolinat (National Liberation Front), who fought against French domination OI Chad since the mid 1960s.
Last year Gaddafi sent troons to detend the government against French and Egyphan backca Icoes. Thanks to the intervention of the Libyans LIne WCIC roundly defeated. April, Libya $100m loan, after the Reagan Socialist Challenge 27 August 1981 Libyan SU-22 The shooting down of two Libyan Sukhoi-22 jets by carrier-based American F.14s is the most open and dramatic indicator so far of the new aggression in American foreign policy. PHIL HEARSE reports.
Only the most naive could believe that the 'incident' in the Gulf of Sirte was an unprovoked attackon innocent American warships merrily chugging along on the high seas. The US exercise off the Libyan coast is a carefully calculated step in the American plan to overthrow the Gaddafi Libyan regime. As long ago as last May the New York Daily News revealed a secret White House memo outlining a plan to 'de-stabilise' the Libyan government. On 2 Department announced military aid countries in northern Africa which wanted to resist Libyan 'terrorism' - in other words, it would beef up the armies of the reactionary states bordering Libya Egypt, Tunisia, and Sudan. The State Department regime had cut off all aid to Nicaragua in an attempt to starve the revolution there.
Volunteers Nor does the US like Gaddaffi's role in the Middle East.
Libya strongly supports Liberation tion. It has asked the world to send volunteers to the of the Palestinians sid the Palestinians Lebanese leftists. have also been leading critics of David between Israel and Egypt which proposes a 'settlement' of the Arab-Israeli conflict at the expense of the Palestinians.
It therefore, US chosen Libya as the first nation manouvring view coast reminiscent of the prelude to the US invasion of the Lebanon in 1958. Only two days before the shooting down of the Libyan jets, the Tripoli warned that there was a danger of an invasion from the The American sixth fleet is not Just a lew destroyers alcu Unich, challenging but a huge revolutionary task force composed of dozens of ships, including carners with Inousanas of marines and hundreds of airAmerica's that against Libya demonstration of what the US to those war drive is all about imperial might to world free for reaction. the OrganisaArab The Libyans surprising, within Is all too the kind aims of imperialism.
us imperialism those who precise political character.
Libyan GULF OF SIRTE FOR 'war drive' by the OSIRTE' But the the United States economically Above all, the prestige economic enjoyed, world's its allies in reaction.
conflict America, Reagan Salvador. government in this year, military "advisors' that country. the Soviet wing Duarte junta in power.
bullet Afraid aggression graphic - using keep the THE American administration the is gunning for Gaddafi because of Arab nationalist politics he puts forward brings him into sharp conflict with the There is nothing new in this: tionalist opposes all challenge 11 -of their SUCCLIVe Because Libya is in conflict Nasser. with imperialism, it does not follow that there is anything socialist or revolutionary about government. In defending Libya's right to selland opposing any Us attempt to de-stabilise the last 18 months Socialist Challenge has argued that the new arms race was the product of a growth of the colonial revolution, and in defence of the US's imperial interests. This explanation is widely contested by those who consider that the US and the USSR are equally responsible for the new 'cold war'.
events off the coast of Libya speak louder than millions of words of analysis: imperial America is on the rampage again.
During the 1960s and 1970s ly cut off. Former Rates suffered a and politically become defeat in Vietnam demaged its international are the us no longer Bas dominance is still the stongest military power. Now it is engaged in a right-wing process of wielding and deploy- Southern Africa ing that power in order to reinforce its position, and that of Over the past year anc half direct US involvement it nas increased In Central has moved quickly to prevent the victor of the left-wing insurgents in El revolutionary offensive in January of American and hundreds of tons of arms and other military equipment poured into This aid has been keeping the right The Reagan regime has also * reversed the uncertain and half-hearted approach of Carter to the Nicaraguan revolution. All aid and loans have been brutalexisting government, socialists should not in any way attempt to preluly widt tal government represents.
In fact, Gaddafi is the latest of a long line of radical namilitary figures in the Middle East. He explicitly takes much of his inspiration from historicalv the most important Egypt's Colonel Despite the radicalism and anti-imperialist flavour of Gaddafi's ideology and foreign policy, Libya remains a capitalist nation, which has not broken free from the bonds of aimed at the members of the Nicaraguan national guard are being trained in Florida to the spearhead of counter-revolutionary force, aimed at overthrowing the Sandinista government.
Reagan and his Secretary of Alexander Haig, have charted a much more stridently over Aid has been resumed to the pro-imperialist UNITA movement in Angola, The military government came to power through a coup in 1969. Since that time it has taken a number or very radica. measures internally, the most important the foreigition holdmajority is holdings measure was followed by policy systematic na tiona lisation not OlEN major means of production, but of everything right down to retail shops.
In carrying through these measures Gaddafi registered many important gains for the Libyan masses. 1 ne standard of living of the Libyans has which aims to overthrow the MPLA government, State Department has coddled 'up to the South African regime.
Elsewhere, while the Sixth Fleet is currently menacing Libya, other detachments the US navy are carrying out manoeuvres in the region Grenada, raising fears of an invasion.
The backdrop this general increast of direct American intervention is the rearmament programme proposed by • Defence Caspar Weinberge Over the next ten years the U
dictatorship dramatically. Virtually everyone has a decent house to tive in. Irrigation projects have eased the lot of the peasantry, as have state loans to peasant farmers for development proCULD.
This progress for the Libyan masses has been based on two factors Libya's wealth, and the fact that the Libyan population is very small, only 3 million. Oil revenue has been distributed to improve the well being of the ordinary people. (It should be added that the ot of Libya's immigrant workers is not nearly so good.) What prevents us characterising this regime as socialist?
In the first place, firmly held Dower military-officer caste.
Iv all state structures have been dissolved, and power lies in the hands of tees'. But that is a fiction. ICal DOWCI lies oil bureaucratic Cere or which is cardari and structure the military. The workers have real political power. political parties are 'dissolved'.
Second. economy is nationalised is not in itself definitive proof that a socialist system exists. For expolitical the tionalised but OfficialcommitThe in a complex capitalism'. Gaddifi's perialism economically.
All the fact that the to other imperialist powers. ample, in Nasser's Egypt, in the first phase of his rule. the majority of the economy was narevenues the from state business went into the pockets of the bureaucracy, Nasser's Egypt was in the real Captaisl class. the term Libya, paradoxically, remains tied to im- regimes Forty per cent of Libya's oil exports go to the United States, the rest Libya still retains the status of a producer of raw materials.
The limited industrialisation re mains dependent industrialisation, with foreign made parts being assembled in Libya, on basis of foreign-supplied Libya therefore depends on vagaries the market, and the present world glut of oil will hit the economy It is a characteristic of such that their policies can Tuctuate Gaddafi appears radical today. If he is not overunrown, It is not al all ex cluded that he could modify his international nolicies and seek new relationship with impenansm tomorrow.
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American F-14 NIMITZI Peter Sullivan MEDITERRANEAN SEA
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