The statement below was released by the Young Socialists national steering committee September 3, 1996.

The Young Socialists urge young people around the world to join us in picket lines and demonstrations to protest the brutal bombing attacks ordered by President William Clinton against the Iraqi people. These bombings, along with the tightening of the economic embargo, should be actively opposed by all young people fighting against injustice.

The Clinton administration has justified these latest attacks as defending the Kurdish people. But the record shows that the U.S. capitalist rulers have never been concerned about the oppression of the Kurds. Even Defense Secretary William Perry admitted that "the Kurdish people are not the issue." Their real goal in Iraq is to establish a servile regime that will loyally help Washington advance the interests of U.S. big business to expand their imperialist domination of oil reserves in the Middle East.

Washington is the real terrorist in the world having caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq, including the bloody slaughter in 1990-91 of thousands of Iraqis and the continuing effort to deprive the Iraqi people of food and medicines. The attacks on Iraq are part of their overall drive to war. As international tensions mount we can anticipate continuing threats against Cuba, Libya and North Korea.

The Young Socialists demand the immediate withdrawal of the 23,000 U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East to protect the interests of the billionaire families. Young people have a special stake in this because we are the ones who are sent around the world to fight against our brothers and sisters. Young people and workers have nothing to gain in this assault. Moreover, the savage military attack goes hand in hand with the bipartisan assault on public assistance, social security, and democratic rights that the Clinton administration is leading.

We should aim to get copies of the issues of New International magazine on "Imperialism's March towards Fascism and War" and "Opening Guns of World War III" into the hands of every young person interested in fighting against these imperialist attacks. YS members should organize classes on these articles and use every opportunity we have to explain what's behind Washington's moves.

The Young Socialists call on young people around the world to join us in demanding:

Stop the bombing of Iraq now!

U.S. troops out of the Middle East!

End the economic embargo!  
 
 
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