"More blood to shed"

Article by Rui Paz, collaborator of the International Department

The NATO militaristic propaganda Conference, organized annually,  in Munich, by the Boeing representant in Germany, a BMW ex-manager and a  former Chancellor Kohl’s counsellor, took place, this year, visibly under the motto:  more blood must be shed. Three days before the beginning of the Conference, Rice had stated in London in regard to Afghanistan, that " the population must understand this is  not a simple peace mission ".

And Gates, the USA’s Secretary of War, threatened, in  Munich that "NATO cannot afford allowing some countries to perform less  dangerous missions, whilst others fight and die". The German right-wing press, in  euphoria, commented, the following day, that just as it had happened in Vilnius, the central issue of the Munich meeting was a " share of efforts within Afghanistan ", as " it is no longer just a question of money, but blood " ( FAZ, 11.02.08 ).

Facing the resistance of peoples towards the new strategic concept – decided in Washington, in April 1999, on which basis, NATO under the USA command, has attacked more and more states – imperialism is facing serious difficulties in imposing its authority.

In Germany, the parties belonging to the governmental militarist and neo-liberal  coalition, constituted by the Christian-democracy and the social-democracy have just suffered new defeats and important vote losses in consecutive regional elections. This coalition of the defeated in the 2005 elections runs the risk of suffering falling out in the next elections.

It is amazing how, in spite of the intense bellicose propaganda, the German  population refuses to adhere both to war and militarism. The situation is such, that the German government, after having announced and sending more than 1000 soldiers to Kabul, denied the news, as it is the eve of the new state elections.

But, as Volker Kauder, the president of the Christian- democrat parliamentary group, said, last Autumn, the Bundestag will decide , in order to end the discussion in 2009, the year the Federal Parliament elections take place. The elections must be postponed until the government decides to reinforce its participation in the war, in order to prevent the German people to condemn the bellicose plans of imperialism at the ballot-boxes. It is exactly the same autocratic concept of power, which is drivingthe European Union governmental federalist elites to deviate the peoples away from the referendum to the so-called " reformer " treaty. The PS and the PSD have decided to asphyxiate the voice of the people and liquidate one of the fundamental principles of democracy, by accepting a state or a group of states might impose their points of view and interests to others, only by the fact they are more powerful on what  concerns their population and economy.

If fascism, from the Azores to the Continent, filled Portugal with USA and NATO’s military bases, the Socialist Party and the counter-revolution have given their blessing to militarism, war and have daily thorn apart the Constitution of the Portuguese  Republic and the democratic and humanist principles of the 25th of April liberator  revolution. Little could the Portuguese people and the Armed Forces Movement  imagine, in April 1974, that Portugal, and this time, not by the hand of a fascist regime, but by a Government of the Socialist Party, would send soldiers abroad again, at the  service of the neo-colonial interests of the great imperialist powers.

 

  • Central
  • Articles and Interviews
  • European Union
  • Nato
  • War