Article by Jorge Cadima, Member of the International Department
The signals of a fast increasing crisis multiply, which capitalism has plunged the planet. The many millions handed over to the great finance by governments, sustained, temporarily the collapse and preserved the profits, but did not resolve the major problems and gave birth to a new crisis factor: the unbearable indebtedness within the majority of States. The several incentives seem to have reached their limits: "Bernanke paints a gloomy picture" titled in Financial Times (10.02.25), by reporting the Federal Reserve President’s economy evidence, in the USA Congress. Unemployment hasn’t stopped increasing in an overwhelming manner, with workers and peoples paying the costs of a crisis of which they are not responsible for.
Greece is on the watch: the country was at the edge of bankruptcy and drastic measures had to be taken. The Portuguese will acknowledge Jose Socrates’ talks, which opened the way unto the PS government dreadful anti-social offensive, side-by-side with the great capital and the European Commission. But this new episode reveals deep cleavages between the USA and the EU, and within the latter. Obama’s decision in not attending the announced (and then cancelled) USA-EU Summit, is still to be explained.
It’s openly speculated about the eventual Greece’s withdrawal from the Euro or even of the European currency collapse (Samuel Brittan, in Financial Times, 10.02.19), which alleviates the pressure from a harassed dollar. Tittle-tattle gives way to realise the so-called Euro adherence criteria, was in many countries, (including ours, in Financial Times, 10. 02.16), has been a fraud. Greece, "basically mortgaged the country’s airports and motorways" to accomplish the criteria and the USA’s banks fulfilled a major role in the process (in New York Times, 10.02.14). Currently, some EU sectors (under Germany’s command) decided to choose a "tough course of action" towards Greece.
Ignoring a first agreement, they increased the stake, demanding more drastic measures. The EU withdrew Greece’s right of vote during the next meeting on its situation and threatens to apply direct administration special powers, under the new and anti-democratic Lisbon Treaty (in The Telegraph, 10.02.18). The Greek Vice- Prime-Minister responded, by saying Italy had committed more ruses amid its public accounts, accusing Germany of "having withdrawn the Bank of Greece’s gold" [during the II World War] and of never having returned it (in BBC, 10.02.24). And so are the EU’s "friendly Governments". But in one thing there seem to agree, within the Washington and Brussels general staffs: the time has come to impose salary cuts on the workers. More exploitation and poverty are the usual recipes to feed this monster, on the decline stage. Recipes, which have already received as an answer, the workers’ struggle.
Meanwhile, imperialism war machine does not relent. The USA’s military budgets (and the budget deficit) are growing. The USA and Israel’s threats upon Iran, recall the months which preceded the Iraq aggression. Saad al-Hariri, the Lebanese Prime-Minister (not long ago a USA ally and the ex-Prime-Minister’s son, assassinated in a bomb attempt) states "Israeli planes are making daily incursions over the Lebanese aerial space, leading to a very dangerous situation" (in Reuters, 10.02.23). NATO’s and Obama’s military escalade continue (together with crimes against the population), within Afghanistan and Pakistan. The USA is installing their anti-missile system in Romania and Bulgaria. They fulfil massive Taiwan weapons sales within the Persian Gulf. In Latin America, they increase their tampering.
Events demonstrate that imperialism, in deep crisis, is a danger for Humanity. Paul Craig Roberts, Ronald Reagan’s ex- Treasury Secretary of State, and Wall Street Journal and Business Week ex-director and columnist, but currently a "dissident", writes: "Iran has been besieged by military bases. The USA’s Administration aims to neutralize China, taking over the control in the Middle East and prevent China from reaching petrol. […]. Washington fatuous are promoting the unthinkable: nuclear war. The mad run, aiming at the North-American hegemony is threatening life on earth" (www.globalresearch.ca, on 10.02.26). The time has come to the peoples’ take their destiny within their hands.
