> > WW News Service Digest #169 > > 1) U.S./NATO steal Yugoslav elections > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 2) Illusion & reality: What happens when imperialists get their way > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 3) Int'l observers condemn U.S./EU interference > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 4) In their own words > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 5) Class struggle, parties & elections > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 6) Thousands in Prague say: 'Smash the IMF' > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Oct. 5, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >U.S./NATO STEAL YUGOSLAV ELECTIONS >Soft Money and hard threats > >By Sara Flounders > >On Sept. 26 the State Election Commission in Yugoslavia >announced the results of the Sept. 24 elections. The >candidate backed by the U.S. government and the European >Union, Vojislav Kostunica, received 48 percent of the vote >to President Slobodan Milosevic's 40 percent. > >Since neither candidate received more than 50 percent, a run- >off election has been set for Oct. 8. > >Kostunica's immediate reaction was to reject participation >in a run-off election and demand that Milosevic concede >defeat. Bill Clinton, Britain's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook >and other NATO leaders who bombed Yugoslavia in 1999 also >demanded Milosevic concede. > >The first point for the whole international movement that >opposed NATO's war against Yugoslavia to keep in mind is >that the Yugoslav elections were not "free and fair." >Imperialism stole the election through its blatant pressure, >bribery and interference. > >The elections raise a vital question. Will Yugoslavia be >turned over to the Western banks and corporations? Will the >assets of industrial enterprises be broken up and sold off, >as they have been in every other country in Eastern Europe, >Russia and the former Soviet Republics? Will the majority of >the population be relegated to living below the poverty >line? > >The Sept. 24 elections involved three layers of voting. >Besides the presidential vote, there were also municipal >elections, in which the U.S.-backed opposition won many >cities and towns. > >There was also an election for the Yugoslav Federal >Parliament. The coalition of the United Left, the Socialist >Party and the SP's sister party in Montenegro won a strong >majority of both houses. In Montenegro it was unopposed, as >the pro-Western government abstained from the election. >Under Yugoslav law, Parliament has more rights than the >president and directs the government, electing the prime >minister. > >But a setback for Milosevic in the presidential election >puts more at risk than the future of one individual. He was >the main target of the war carried out by U.S. and NATO--the >imperialist world powers--and because of that he has come to >symbolize Yugoslav resistance. In addition, he was at the >center of the coalition of forces that led Yugoslavia during >the 78 days of bombing. > >All the social gains of an independent country that had >broken free of imperialist enslavement and held out during >years of encirclement and war are now endangered. > >WESTERN INTERFERENCE DISTORTED ELECTIONS > >In this election the U.S. and European Union governments >used every possible dirty trick, corrupt practice and >payoff, and then bragged about them. Threats of bombing, >promises to end nine years of sanctions, intimidation and >military maneuvers heightened the tension. > >On election day the Pentagon and Croatia held their largest >joint military exercises ever--a joint landing on an island >in the Adriatic near Montenegro, part of Yugoslavia, to >simulate an invasion. Fifteen British war ships have now >moved into the Mediterranean. A U.S. aircraft carrier in the >Adriatic Sea has moved closer to Montenegro. > >The major media here--the New York Times on Sept. 20 and the >Washington Post on Sept. 19--have described in detail the >exact amounts funneled into the opposition parties, radio >and TV stations and newspapers. The U.S. Congress publicly >voted on $77 million in open interference. Then on Sept. 25, >the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to send >another $105 million to aid anti-Milosevic forces in Serbia >and Montenegro. > >These articles describe suitcases of cash handed over at the >border, endless supplies of computers, fax machines, cell >phones and the trainers to use them. These goods have been >passed to the opposition through front organizations, NGOs >and media outlets. > >Weeks before the election, Western-funded polling >organizations announced that Kostunica would win a sweeping >victory. For the West's media monopoly beaming into >Yugoslavia, there were only two options. Either Milosevic >would lose or there would be massive fraud. > >The U.S. State Department announced that even if Milosevic >won by overwhelming odds, Washington would refuse to accept >the results. > >HOW SOULD MOVEMENT EVALUATE THESE EVENTS? > >Those who opposed NATO bombing in 1999 and all the militant >activists who have taken on the International Monetary Fund, >World Bank, globalization and sweatshops have a stake in >what happens next in Yugoslavia. > >Are they ready to stand in solidarity with whatever steps >are necessary to keep another country from being forced >under the boot of the IMF and World Bank? > >Washington, London, Paris and Berlin have openly intervened >and bragged of it. In the face of these admissions, those in >office in Yugoslavia have every right to void the elections >and disqualify the opposition. > >In the United States, France, Britain or Germany, would such >an election have been allowed to continue? In the United >States no political organization is permitted to accept >funds from another government for political purposes unless >it publicly registers as an agent of a foreign power. The >U.S. ruling class is determined that only it should control >the electoral process. > >Any U.S. politician found accepting contributions, bribes or >payments of any kind from a foreign government is disgraced, >attacked and could face criminal indictment. > >Just the allegation that the Clinton administration accepted >a contribution from an ethnically Chinese businessperson who >might have had contact with China sent every politician >running for cover. > >CORRUPTION AND TREASON > >It is important to recognize that the Yugoslav government >has the moral right to nullify this election on the basis of >outrageous outside interference. It has every right to >refuse to proceed with further elections under conditions of >war, sanctions and occupation. > >The Parliament has every right to establish a criminal >inquiry into the funding sources of the opposition. >Government prosecutors have every right to indict and jail >the politicians and publications that have corrupted the >election process. > >The masses have every right to go into the streets and >denounce the opposition parties and publications as agents >of a foreign power. > >Kostunica, until now a minor politician considered a Serb >nationalist with a long history of anti-Communism, >consistently maintains that he has not accepted any money >from the West. He has even criticized the NATO bombing and >sanctions. No Yugoslav politician could win significant >votes if seen as a NATO stooge. > >It may be true that he personally has not pocketed any >money. But Kostunica has surrounded himself with political >parties and organizations that are toadies to the NATO >countries. His whole campaign has been publicized by radio >and television stations and newspapers wholly and openly >financed by grants from Washington and Berlin. > >He is supported by the U.S. and European imperialist powers >because his political program, even if it criticizes NATO, >embraces the very policies that NATO is demanding. He is the >easiest of the politicians to make into a pawn because he >has no personal base. He is the candidate of a bloc of 18 >small feuding political parties that have no common >interests or ideology. They are united only by opposition to >the government and their willingness to accept foreign >funds. > >U.S. ENGINEERED COUPS AND COUNTERREVOLUTIONS > >The big U.S. monopolies and banks and Washington itself have >never accepted an election as "free and fair" if it put >their class interests in danger or brought the masses onto >the scene. Since the end of World War II the U.S. has >organized the overthrow of more than 50 governments. > >In Chile in 1973 the CIA organized a military coup to drown >the progressive legally elected government in blood. It did >the same in Iran in 1953 and in Guatemala in 1954. > >In 1990 the U.S. orchestrated the overthrow of the >Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Washington had cobbled together a >20-party coalition whose only aim was to overthrow the >government and restore the old propertied class. It promised >to end the "Contra" war and sanctions and provide massive >aid if the popular Sandinistas were defeated. > >In this situation, much like the one today in Yugoslavia, >Washington succeeded in manipulating the election to drive >out the Sandinistas. But the U.S. never came through with >the aid, and now some of the lowest-paid sweatshops in the >world operate in the Trade Zones" of Nicaragua. > >'FREE ELECTIONS' IN A COUNTRY UNDER SIEGE? > >Yugoslavia, like Nicaragua, illustrates the dangers of >holding an election in the midst of an unrelenting war, >sanctions and occupation of part of the country by foreign >armies. With their dominance of the world media, the lure of >material goods, the bribes and the threat of further >punishment, these powers were able to reach right into the >country. > >President Milosevic was trying to get a mandate by calling a >vote when the opposition seemed divided, weak, discredited. >But the imperialists quickly strengthened them using tactics >refined over decades of interventions. > >Yugoslavia, a small, beleaguered country maneuvering to >survive, has allowed dozens of openly pro-imperialist >parties to maintain offices, staff, publish newspapers, >organize and to participate in elections. These concessions >have only further emboldened the enemies of the Yugoslav >workers. > >Even though the imperialists complained that they were not >allowed to monitor the elections, hundreds of foreigners did >come in as election observers and certified that they were >"free and fair"--that the government honestly and legally >abided by all election procedures. But this shifted >attention from the actual fraud taking place: the massive >intervention and intimidation by imperialism. > >The political opposition was allowed to engage in >practically unrestrained acceptance of foreign assistance, >advice and media hype. The whole process was corrupted by an >army of Western advisers and pollsters. > >WILL U.S./NATO FORCES SUCCEED? > >Reports from election observers and even the big-business >media show there is a hard core of working-class support for >Milosevic from those who see him as a defender of the >country against NATO. Even among those who naively voted for >Kostunica out of anger against Milosevic, there are many who >want to resist Western imperialism. > >The question facing the Yugoslav masses now is will the >Western multinationals, on the basis of this election >distorted by intervention, be able to capture the state >apparatus and open the door to super-exploitation? > >Will the enemy that failed to break Yugoslavia's resistance >with 78 days of bombing be able to take over by manipulation >of an election--or will the government be able to resist? > >If the left organizations and patriotic parties in >Yugoslavia resist, will the progressive and working-class >and anti-war movements in the West defend them against an >inevitable propaganda blitz from the West and a possible new >military campaign? > >WHAT CAN BE DONE? > >One contribution to this effort could be a Commission of >Inquiry to examine the corrupting role that the U.S. >government, the European Union, their NATO military arm and >their international financial organizations played in the >Yugoslav election. > >This Inquiry could gather and publicize information on these >institutions' efforts to subvert and overthrow the Yugoslav >government. It could also gather information on the open and >secret funding of political parties, organizations and >publications by U.S. government agencies. > >The Inquiry could deepen international understanding of >Yugoslavia's problem by incorporating testimony and reports >on U.S. intervention in the internal affairs of other >governments. This would include the overthrow of other >popular governments in Guatemala, Panama, Chile, Iran and >Indonesia and also intervention in elections in Italy, >Haiti, Nicaragua, Guyana and others. > >Activists in other NATO countries could organize their own >Commissions of Inquiry and public hearings to examine how >this latest intervention violated their laws. Similar >information came to light earlier when hearings and >tribunals in many countries put U.S. and NATO leaders on >trial for war crimes against Yugoslavia. > >The importance of international solidarity should never be >underestimated. Yugoslavia must not stand alone. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <007301c02904$4c58f440$[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Illusion & reality: What happens when imperialists get their way >Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 00:26:40 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Oct. 5, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >Illusion and reality > >WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IMPERIALISTS >GET THEIR WAY > >By Deirdre Griswold > >What will it mean for the people of Yugoslavia if the U.S. >and other imperialists get their way and break down that >country's resistance? > >No one can have escaped the steady tide of propaganda meant >to convince the world that life will be better if Yugoslavia >gives up its struggle to remain independent of the >imperialist world order and allows the bankers, investors >and military strategists of the "West" to have their way. > >However, we don't have to imagine what would happen. >Imperialist intervention, in many different forms, is >nothing new. The United States, in particular, has >intervened in other countries hundreds of times in the 20th >century. Every time, there has been a loud propaganda >campaign in the mass media to soften up the population at >home and in the target country. Only the noblest motives >have been claimed. Whether the intervention was covert or >overt, by troops, CIA agents, or economic sanctions, it was >always undertaken to "help" the people of the area. > >Many books have been written to show that just the opposite >happened. > >Former Central Intelligence Agency and State Department >officers like Philip Agee, William Blum and Ralph McGehee >have exposed the murderous workings of the U.S. government's >secret global police. They and author Michael Parenti have >produced detailed chronicles of who, what, when and where >Washington has carried out assassinations, invasions, covert >operations and other forms of intervention to achieve its >ends. > >What happens after a successful intervention? Does it bring >improved material and political conditions for the people? >If new, pro-U.S. leaders have been installed, are they >crusaders for democracy, human rights and social justice? > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
