The greatest danger for working people is to fall prey to the U.S. president's theme that there is a "we" of the United States or a "we" of Europe who have common interests against "them"--"dark forces" in unruly lands that are a threat to the prosperity and peace of the great powers. The aim of both the Republican White House and Democratic Congresspeople is to take the eyes of workers and farmers off our real enemy: the wealthy capitalists and bankers and their predatory imperialist government in Washington.

Working people have nothing in common with Bush and the superwealthy families the Democrats and Republicans represent. Our common interests lie with workers and farmers, not only in Europe and Japan, but also in Russia and other workers states and in the semicolonial countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The resistance these fellow toilers are mounting to the impact of the world crisis of capitalism strengthens our common battles.

In harnessing its military power and seeking to deploy an antimissile shield, Washington aims to use nuclear blackmail against any nation on earth. Although professing to offer its "allies" coverage with an antimissile system, there is no doubt who will control and run the operation. While it is part of the U.S. rulers' drive to reconquer Russia and other states where capitalism has been overthrown, the weapons system, if deployed, will also be aimed at the imperialist powers of Europe and Japan.

By offering Russia integration into the European Union, Washington is pressing the EU powers to "bear the burden" of integration and do a better job at imposing capitalism on Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union. "Hug the bear" is Bush's message to the EU. It is this, not "negotiations" with Russia, that Washington is offering to an increasingly receptive layer of the ruling stratum and wannabe capitalists in Russia.

The European Union is ultimately aimed at confronting U.S. imperialism as competition sharpens on a world scale. But the push to strengthen the EU's centralized power and position of the biggest imperialist countries within it will only bring greater destabilization and deepening class struggle across the continent. Working people will more and more resist austerity measures and cutbacks demanded to increase productivity and competitiveness for the bosses, as can be seen in the strikes, rallies, and mobilizations by working people in many countries in Europe today. Surprises, such as the rejection in Ireland of the Nice Treaty, will continue to upset the plans of the imperialists as smaller countries and oppressed peoples decide not to bow to the interests of the great powers.

Working people will face growing opportunities in the years ahead to set a course different from what the imperialists offer the world. It is only by fighting--in country after country--to replace the capitalist government with one of our own, that workers and farmers can bring an end to the assaults, brutalities, fascism, and war that will more and more mark world politics.  
 
 
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