September 20, 2001: Worldwide grief over the innocent victims of terror cannot justify Bush's "New War"

1. On Tuesday, 11 September 2001, the World Trade Center and parts of the Pentagon in the USA were bombed into ashes by four hijacked airplanes. Thousands of innocent people were killed. People in the entire world were dismayed at this cowardly and politically senseless terrorist attack. From the very beginning, the grief and the solidarity with the victims and their families were accompanied by the fear that the USA would use this as an opportunity to launch a war.

2. In fact, on the day of the catastrophe, US-President Bush already announced the launching of a "New War" under the pretext of combating "worldwide terrorism". In the meantime, the government of Afghanistan was called upon to extradite Osama Bin Laden within three days. Otherwise, the government and the people of Afghanistan would have to reckon with a military intervention by the US air and ground forces. That is an open threat of war against Afghanistan. The Taliban-government in Kabul has, on its part, announced a holy war of all Islamics against all participating countries in the case of an attack on its country. That draws up a scenario of an unpredictable spiral of a reactionary massacre in war in which a large part of the countries in the entire world would be included.

3. The Saudi Arabian multimillionaire and former US-protege Osama Bin Laden is named repeatedly as the main enemy in Bush's "New War", although, up till now, there isn't any evidence of his direct responsibility. That doesn't seem to be so important anyway. The main thing is that the "New War" can begin. Every war simply requires a war enemy. For the USA, everyone belongs to the "terrorist" camp who fights against the values of the so-called "free world". This "free world" is, in fact, the system of imperialist exploitation and oppression of the entire world.

4. With the attack on Afghanistan, which would supposedly destroy Bin Laden's terrorist base, it is being taken into account from the very start that tens of thousands of civilians will be killed and that there will be hundreds of thousands of refugees. That means that the attack of the USA clearly defies international law which calls for the proportionality of means, even in the case of defense. US foreign minister Powell already declared that the USA is planning "a global attack against terrorism in general" after that, employing all available diplomatic, economic and military means for a number of years. That means that the worldwide situation has come to a turning point which is a challenge for all peace-loving people and all anti-imperialists and fighters for freedom from exploitation and oppression in the entire world. The saber-rattling of the USA is acutely endangering peace in the world.

5. The mobilization by the USA and NATO is already in full swing. US-troops have been put on full alert and 35,000 reservists have been called up. Congress gave US-President Bush "special powers" and provided 40 billion dollars. The USA are forming a new type of alliance of leading world powers in union with reactionary governments of dependent countries. The NATO-council already adopted the first "case of alliance". By means of an unprecedented psychological war preparation, the attempt is being made to misuse people's sympathy for the innocent victims of the attacks for making them support Bush's policy.

Democratic rights are being dismantled in order to suppress the inevitable protests. In Germany, a first part of the emergency laws was enacted. The German federal government is already bringing in the new "Anti-Terror Laws" in accord with the CDU/CSU. Minister of domestic affairs Schily is already demanding the internal deployment of the armed forces in the future.

6. Bush's "New War" is not a response to the terrorist attack. It is rather the result of a strategy which has been being planned and prepared for a long time. In 1999, NATO decided to deploy crisis reaction forces against revolutionary struggles and liberation movements. Since then, NATO claims the right to operate outside of the boundaries of its "alliance region". This was put into practice in the war against Yugoslavia or is now being put into practice with the occupation of Macedonia. From 1996 until the year 2000, US annual arms expenditure rose by 33 billion dollars to 304 billion dollars. Shortly after his election, Bush launched the biggest military program in history. The entire military of the USA and NATO has long been restructured according to what is now to become reality in the "New War". The armed suppression of revolutionary movements under the code word "Plan Columbia" is brutal practice in the countries of the Andes in Latin America.

7. The real reason behind Bush's "New War" is that the struggle for national and social liberation is on the outset of a new upswing worldwide. Neocolonialism is in a new and deep crisis. The USA financed their high economic growth rates in the 1990's also at the expense of Latin America and Asia under the catchphrase "neoliberalism". In the wake of a new worldwide economic crisis, the competition between the international monopolies has intensified. They are getting more and more aggressive and, at the same time, are expecting fabulous profits from the new arms programs.

On this background, a tendency of revolutionary ferment beyond national borders has developed all over Latin America and could not be stopped by the USA up till now. The anti-imperialist struggle of the peoples is developing worldwide. A focus of this is the second Intifada in Palestine. Struggles and protests, such as those in Indonesia and in the Philippines, increasingly hit the USA and international finance capital. In Turkey, general strikes against the IMF took place. In Genoa, 200,000 people protested against the policies of the IMF and leading western states. Class consciousness is awakening on a broad front in the western countries. Revolutionary parties and movements in many countries are working for a new upsurge in the struggle for socialism and for coordinating and revolutionizing the worldwide struggles. The "New War" is directed against this development against imperialism and is, in essence, a counterrevolutionary campaign against all efforts for the liberation from the exploitation and suppression by imperialism.

8. Chancellor Schroeder and all Berlin parties zealously declared that the "civilized world" now has to be defended. That means completely defaming all those people in the world as being uncivilized who have no high regard for the values of western society. What is supposed to be civilized about imperialist countries who are responsible for the fact that the gap between rich and poor in this world is constantly widening in the dependent and oppressed countries as a result of their economic bleeding, financial ruin and systematic exploitation of cheap resources and labor power? Even if we abhor this senseless and cowardly terrorist attack, the question must be raised: is this attack not primarily an expression of this gap which is being caused and widened by the USA and its allies themselves? What is civilized about Bush's US-government, which has not kept to any agreement since it came into office? It sabotages the ABM-disarmament treaty, rejects even the completely insufficient decisions of Kyoto and takes on the risk of a global environmental crisis in its greed for profits. What is civilized about the USA acting as a global police force, interfering everywhere and never hesitating to subject non-compliant countries with warlike terror, intervention of secret services and massive economic pressure if necessary? Since the 2^nd World War, the state terrorism of the USA has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people. The USA has become the main enemy of the international working-class in those countries which are dependent on and oppressed by imperialism.

9. The Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany is convinced: When the first bombs fall, they will provoke world-wide protest. The deep desire for peace on the part of the broad masses of people will be stronger than psychological war preparation. International solidarity will belong to the workers and peoples of the entire world and not to the imperialist regimes! The masses of workers and peoples will not allow their justified struggle for national and social liberation being suppressed by the state terror and bombs of the imperialists.

• With the outbreak of a US war of terror, active resistance against it will be the order of the day!
• Active resistance against Bush's "New War" and against its support by the German government!
• No German troops abroad!
• Dissolution of the NATO, the West European Union and the intervention forces of the federal army!
• Defend and extend bourgeois-democratic rights and liberties! Repeal the Emergency Powers Acts!
• Solidarity with the revolutionary liberation struggles in the entire world!
• For peace and peoples' friendship - genuine socialism!
• Workers of all countries, unite!
• Long live international solidarity!