Article by Luis Carapinha, member of the International Department
The arrival in force of the capitalism crisis, multiplies the instability and uncertainty factors, throughout the world. Even far from reaching the brink, the abrupt and continuous meltdown of the stock markets, the "shocking" bankruptcies, the gigantic ransom plans of the capitalist State – of a never seen before dimension, but with no guarantee of success – and the sinking itself of countries pointed out, up to the present, as an example of modernity and welfare (such as Iceland) represent a clamorous neoliberalism bankruptcy.
The seriousness of the crisis imposed itself, becoming assumed, when, months ago, barely some government leaders and opinion makers excelled in to conceal its real dimension, confining readily to the subprime and the financial sector: Bush refers as to a " long and painful recession" and to a " suffocating menace " for the US economy ( in EFE, 24.09.10 ), Brown acknowledges the recession framework and takes the Bank of England governor’s words for an amazing confession: "never, since the Ist World War, has the international Banking System been so close to collapsing" ( Reuters, 22.10.08 ). On the other hand, Alan Greenspan – who, during 19 years, led the Federal Reserve, the US Central Bank, and was one of the authors of the speculative bubbles " miracle" – makes his appearance, before the cameras, repentant, alleging " being shocked" with the " credit crisis" and the markets self-regulation inability and promising a strong increase in unemployment within the US. Using Lampedusa’s aphorism," changing all so that everything remains the same", the set up of the crisis speech is also suits, ignoring responsibility for what has happened and hiding the system’s ideological defeat, the great Capital can now legitimate the demand of huger and incommensurable sacrifices from the same as always.
The emergency of the systemic capitalism crisis increases, exponentially, the intercapitalist rivalry factors and the imperialism vigour towards the use of force escalade.
A brief round the world would be sufficient to make it clear: Iceland accuses Great-Britain of an "unfriendly act" after London having used the anti-terrorist legislation against the NATO’s partner in order to blockade Icelanders commodities, in answer to the disappearance of British banking savings absorbed by the Iceland default. Within another dimension, the "anti-terrorist saga" proceeds in Afghanistan, where, last week, the US and NATO forces doubled the 1000 casualties, but promise more troops in 2009, loosing account of the number of civil victims, among the population. The destabilization spreads unto Pakistan – the perpetrated killings by the US forces and the brutal violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, have become a routine. In the eve of elections, the US raises the bound of regional destabilization, perpetrating a criminal terrorist act of aggression against Syria, starting from occupied Iraq. The offensive against Russia – and beyond – China. At the peek of the crisis, the conference of donors appoints millions to Saakashvili puppet regime in Georgia and the MIF "rises again" from the ashes to deliver 13 thousand millions to the discredited Ukraine’s orange power, whose economy faces a collapse spectrum. A general panorama for a larger number of countries.
The ransom measures of capitalism do not abstain from a larger capital centralization and concentration. Temporarily the dollar becomes stronger. Its power as global money is for the present, a reality of ultimate resource within the global imperialist architecture. Hand in hand with the military power. However, the current crisis, will certainly be a landmark in a decline that figures out to become, in due time, irreversible.
For the present, times of though struggle are announced. The struggle of peoples, popular masses and workers ‘ capacity of resisting and overcoming, shall be decisive for the perspective, that today opens the way towards a world of more justice.
