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Vol. 77/No. 35      October 7, 2013

 
Back fights of Syria toilers!
No to US war threats!
(editorial)
 
Under the impact of the worldwide crisis of capitalism, workers and farmers around the globe confront a relentless drive by the propertied rulers to press down our living standards, intensify our labor and deal blows to our political rights. While these attacks and the resistance to them vary widely in substance and scope — from the U.S. to Bangladesh to Syria — it is becoming easier to see that the world’s toilers have the same interests and face a common enemy.

Among the manifestations of the crisis is the intensification of conflicts among capitalist nation-states, increasing tendencies toward trade disputes, “diplomatic” strife and military conflicts. It’s in this context that the propertied ruling families in the U.S. have raised the threat of military action in Syria.

In response to the rulers’ war drive, socialist workers in the U.S. and elsewhere are deepening their door-to-door discussions with working people about the need to fight for a massive government-funded public works program to cut across the division between workers who are employed and the jobless millions, to fight for a big raise in the minimum wage, and to organize unions and bring union power to bear — steps aimed at strengthening the self-confidence, solidarity and fighting capacity of the working class along an independent course toward political power.

As part of this, socialist workers are unmasking presentations in the big-business press that “peace talks” between Washington and Moscow means the threat of U.S. intervention has receded. Increasingly irritated by President Barack Obama’s naive penchant for trying to negotiate away irresolvable and growing conflicts, the propertied rulers of the world’s most dangerous imperialist power are determined to get their way in Syria and stand ready to use their military might when expedient.

The civil war in Syria is taking an enormous toll on working people. Bashar al-Assad’s forces, backed by Russian arms, Hezbollah troops and special forces from Iran, have stepped up bombardment of working-class areas. Within Syria, the biggest obstacle for workers and farmers is the current regime, against which working people have been fighting for political space and an end to tyranny. Fighting workers the world over should stand in solidarity with this struggle.

Imperialist intervention could only be used against the working people of Syria. In any military assault, workers in the U.S. and elsewhere should stand with Syria, regardless of the current regime in power there, in the fight against Washington and its allies. In Syria, class-conscious workers would seek to join in battle to repel the invaders.
 
 
Related articles:
US warships deployed off Syria amid ‘peace’ talk
 
 
 
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