THE UNITED war-mongering has begun to break up cold war attitudes. longer accept without question that the threat of war comes from the East.
However, when crushed Solidarnose, spotlight on tatorship in Eastern Europe, and thus exposed one of the left's principal dilemmas. Is it right, and is it possible, to fight for freedom in Eastern Europe, and still defend it against Reagan's warmongering?
The left often seems to face both ways. It knows what the US is doing in Central America and it knows Soviet Union gives aid (often limited) to liberation struggles. tively backs those, are fighting for freedom in the East. This leads sometimes to two contradictory approaches One approach, not confined to the Communist Party, says that SolidarLUSC the movements in Eastern Europe must be wrong because ley ments under attack from Reagan.
Others back believe that since the West is 'freer', either LUSI alliances such as NATO or, at best, one must demand that the Russians disarm before Western contemplated.
There are two issues at stake. The first is a failure to distinguish between what should be defended, should destroyed Europe. The understand who can bring freedom to the peoples of Eastern Europe and how to create the best conditions for their success.
If Eastern Europe is approached by asking Solidarnosc achieve its aims, most of these apparent contradictions can be resolved in a consistent. single policy Where does the most potent threat of war and repression come from! It is the USA that has a military stretching across the globe. that ringed missiles and bases before the Warsaw Pact was created.
The USA bomb. made bomb. Only the USA has used STATES every third People no Turkey Jaruzelski he put repression and dicfrom the USA's. the economic But it instine- ting like Solidarnosc, OYCH the Europe.
Many independant peace peoples, treaten gover Solidarnosc support Western LUSI and what in Hastern Kurope.
Eastern second is a failure to serI the East.
aggression.
The USA Jaruselski the Soviet Union with workers made the first atom the first hydrogen the the world over. bomb in war. The USA stands behind world dictatorship from Salvador. It imposes economic blockades on every country. such as Cuba or Nicaragua, that throw off their dictators if the United States considers they represent the slightest threat to Us interests.
This is not just because Reagan is a warmonger, it is a consequence of the USA's economic system, , a result of private capital's insatiable thirst to dominate all markets at whatever cost to human life and welfare.
The suppression of the people of Eastern Europe by the Kremlin leadership follows a different economic logic It flows not from need bureaucracy's obsession with protec its borders, its "sphere of the and its political domination working class in Eastern Far opposing this domination the West connives at it and really mass movement in Eastern Europe.
Moreover, the excuse for militarising Eastern Europe, and repressing its is the war threat from the West. This is a real threat, and assists the bureaucracy. Disarmament of the West would deprive the bureaucracy of powerful ideological weapon, but it is the West opposed any walch nas consistentis moves even to minimal arms reduction in Europe. It is this constant military pressure which provides the excuse for the USSR's continued military presence If the aim is to support the working build a force which is independent of Reagan and Thatcher - and directed first and foremost against them. It is the anti-missiles, anti-war, and labour movements in Western Europe which are the greatest allies of Solidarnosc in movement that backs Solidarnosc against Poland's rulers but which also defends the rights of Polish, Russian and Jast European peonles to defend themselves against US military overthrown by Polish that's a great step socialism. Jaruselski and the Polish workers both crushed by Reagan's war that's the tion and the strengthening of reaction