Malvina İslands, the British government nas humiliation and slaughter, fore to the lives of tens of millions of people.
In all the bloody annals of British rogance, there are few. if any, crimes so reckless and insensate. But these crimes are not simply the responThatcher government particular or British imperialism in general.
The dominant world imperialist power, United States, has thrown its weight behind them, ofport fering to the even 1014310 task supAnd the other perialist TENC backed the British action.
Thus. Malvinas
war represents a response of the world imperialist system as a whole. This is a dramatic sign that in its decay, becoming not only more murderous but more and more dangerously unstable.
The clashes of powerful air and naval lore that began in the first days of May off the Argentine coast have already revealgreat political and material weaknesses of the world imperialist system.
they have set deep tremors in motion that will continue regardcome of a conflict that has escalated unexpectedly into a major wong casts and which could quickly lead to much larger explosions.
The weaknesses of the world imperialist are shown precisely by the Fact that such a crisis could ›low up over an issue suct is the Malvinas. None of the governments involved have any fundamental conflict of interests there and the interests of all of are fundamentally threatened by the explosion of a crisis that could shake imperialist control of a vital region foundations.
major revolutionary threat Central America, and obviously was counting on squandered the help of which has had one of the stronger military dictatorships in Latin America.
If this regime falters, the US could lose more than an ally. Argentina is a major, semi-industrialised country, and at the start of through three full-scale ur- decade went Morcover, right next which has been ine ounci main bulwark of reaction South America, has been breaking down in reyears, and faces the development of mass revolutionary workers movement.
has the LOCA move Argentine government assert overeignty OVEI the Malvinas Islands touched off a major crisis for imperialism?
Two years ago, in fact, the so-called *Ridley Plan, the British foreign office recommended negotiate Argentine sovereignty over the islands in return for Icase-back greemen rovided the oil surroun ding the islands is exploited by American and British oil companies, as it would be. would not have threatened basic imperialist economic interests.
Today, however, the mperialists have responded was originally a token Argentine occupation by sending a massive military machine to the South Atlantic and initiating armed actions that could have the most far-reaching consequences domestic politics.
modern military equipment in the world is being used to attack the forces of semi-colonial country, which other colonial countries throughout • the region have been compelled to express their sympathy.
The US's carefully constructed of Pan-American solidarity diplomatic and ideological cover for inLatin TE VEnTE America, has been shown to be utterly false. It is left without ran ol *good neighbourly* cover its imperialist operations. It even felt obliged to offer logistic support to the British military offenThus, the US has been obliged to pay a staggering rice as regards its interna tional policy in the conti And the position in nent. ine peoples Latin America struggling against imperialist domination nas been greatly strengthened This course of events can be understood only by LOOKIES Devond mediate moves in this conflict to the whole situation colonial country perialism today.
The Argentinian military dictatorship retook the Malvinas after 150 years of British oc or as on as a direct result its own deep interna. mounting discontent nead the powerful of March Aires and other cities, the dictatorship sought gain popularity by satisfving the long-felt just demand of the Argentinian people for undisputed control of But the crisis of Argentinian dictatorship is only one of a whole series that developing The cconomic miracles of the 1970s achieved by the ironfisted procapitalist policies of the Latin American dictatorships have staggered to a halt amind S110bn foreign Latin American Gross Domestic Product fell by 2 percent in 1981, after rising by an of 5 per cent a year This crisis hits not only the weakest but also the most powerful BEETLE American Gross Domestic Product in Brazil I fell by 3.5 per cent in 1981, after an average rise of 6 percent in the preceding three years and crashed by over 9 percent.
Estimates for the Chilean economy predict an absolute decline in production for 1982, after an average 8 per 9977-80. cent annual increase in The Uruguayan economy grew o, and will probably cent 1981 and shrink this year, after an average 5 per cent a yea Mexie has been sever sly exnansion 1974-80. hit by the oil price fall.
this general economic crisis nas been worst of all. In 1981, Most modern military equipment in world used to attack sami the economy as a wnole shrank by 6 per cent and manufacturing production ell by 14 per cent. Intia tion, at over 130 per cent.
is the worst in the world As this crisis has dee the revolutionary movements Central America have continued a rapid political and military thest cumstances, the policy of US Reagan clear.
made double-or-nothing bet on military dictatorship and repression this respect, the Argentina junta was a ke For months, the US the bay for the pee o way for tise Argentine troops Salvador, either alone or as part of a wider international force. li was le try save the Argentine dictatorship from the consequences of its action in tne falvinas that Haig made his mammoth shuttle diplomacy between DUCIUS Aires and London.
But the junta knew that it was too weak at home to risk popular joint military operation US imperialism Central desperatel needed to justify itself anc its massive mintary SOCH ding by using its high priced hardware for somethin that it could hope would popular among the Argentine masses It is poetic justice that Galtieri and his military butchers got themseives into big trouble by their illusions in the strength and flexibility of in the self-confidence of imperialists in today's world.
The only reason that the junta dared risk retaking the Malvinas was hat they believed that Bri tain would make only a formal protest, or at most display a little token sabre Battling. It assumed ap parently tha the government -WAS SLEWAS cnough and self-confident enough to take an insult from a subordinate regime that needed to look tough to its own people in orde to continue doing its job for its imperialist masters.
Lion But if the British government no longer hac old imperia confidence, if the lion's tail had become too sore from frequent twisting, then the could be relea TO bring the to scuses After all, it had an enormous stake in the Argen preparations hip, as using Preparano:
Argentine troops in Cen tral America showe However on ine one hand, Britain remains one of the most powerin and states possesses the third most powerful navy of any country. It is quite able and determined to defend its own interests first, Thatcher's notion of defending democracy test in me perialist CYCL much more powerful US, afterward. And there is no honor me the ha other hand was too weak to • be able to tolerate the sort of affront represented by the Argenlanding in the Malvinas. The country has three million unemployed in has the lowest standard of living of any country u Western Europe after Por tugal, Spain and Ireland traditional economic structure is collapsing The British masses over the last decade have suffered con tinual and drastic declines in this sion, this situation, the British capitalists need a government that can look control and will put things tough, like it is firmly in in order regardless of the pricthe Argentine takeover. therefore, was a severe blow to the reac tionary Thatcher the is da ment. From of the crisis, Thatcher knew that if she did not do something drastic restore the tough image of her government, her whole political project WES danger of collapsing So for the sake of the credibility of a reactionary government. air craft carriers and nuclear submarines sent 8,000 miles to bring death and the South Atlantic.
For a century, a British population many times the number of the hundred on the Malvinas have lived peacefully in Argentina The British aggression now endangers not only the innabitant: of the Malvinas but the British community in Argentina.
The Argentine population will be enraged by this in sult to their country.
The generals could continue to look for relatively easy And the fact of the matte despite the government's attempt to do a replay of the siege of Lucknow Star Wars style, despite even the fact that the British military could wreck a considerable part of the world, British quite incapable of maintaining a foothold 8,000 miles from the home island in face of the hostility and bitterness of an entire continent.
here is no way now that the Malvinas can b kept British. Pearls of fa greater 21130 be relinquished by the British Bai in the face of far less The Thatcher govern ment's claim Enal I : defending democracy anc law against a lawless dictatorship is also absolutel untrue. That doesn't mean thatators; far from it. Bu dictators; their action had democratic represented the aspirations of millions and millions of Latin Anded Mores that divided the forces maintain the oppression of Latin American 1835565 After five years of one most brutal and total dictatorships in the history of Argentina, the of people got a chance to come onto the 10330 streets again demonstrate that is their something democratic right. And this tremendous power dictatorship further conflict the very for is the, the imperialists forces it depends on socalist movement in Bri- For the workers tain and throughout the world, the Malvinas crisis means great opportunities It shows how i fragile the world imperialist order is and how precarious also is peace. It shows the threat of mass murder that langs over every people he neocolonial world wh demand the least democratic right or con inCESSOR creasingly reckless display:
of military power in whic the capitalist government capable of destroying the dulge in order to maintain their decaying credibility, The movement in Britain and the rest of ine world must mobilise to de fend the Argentinian peo ple and themselves to de possibilies or the future. fend all humanity From Internationa/ Viewpoint Socialist Challenge 13 May 1982 page 11
resistance of the workers For example, in Silesia, disagree Equally
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BY ITS response to the Argentine govern- ment's moves to assert sovereignty over the
already endangered the lives of thousands of people, threatened an entire oppressed nation
hundreds of millions of pounds that could have relieved mass deprivation in Britain, and in- creased the dangers to world peace and there-
In particular, this crisis comes when the US faces a
the Brazilian dictatorship, to
in Latin America and the general crisis facing im-
Presumably US