July 2004

"HANDOVER DAY" REVEALS FAILURE OF U.S. POLICY

THE "HANDOVER OF POWER" which took place in Iraq on June 28, far from being a day to celebrate any success for
peace and democracy, marks the failure of US/UK imperialist policy in the region. Fourteen months after President Bush declared "victory", the US and its allies continue to sustain heavy casualties, and thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed by the occupation forces. The limited rebuilding of some elements of Iraq's economic and social infrastructure does not undo the terrible damage done by two wars and the intervening years of a crippling embargo. Even top members of the US ruling circles admit that the claims of weapons of mass destruction and of the "links" between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda were public relations lies. In short, the war and occupation have been a complete disaster, leaving the world a more dangerous place than ever. Continuing this policy will not solve the crisis.

Like many other anti-war forces around the world, the Communist Party of Canada believes that UN Security Council Resolution 1546, which seeks to justify the US war and the occupation of Iraq, has extremely disturbing consequences for the situation in the Middle East and around the world. Once again, the Security Council has been manipulated by the Bush administration, since this "solution" contradicts the UN Charter and legitimizes the illegal war of aggression against Iraq.
Dashing the earlier hopes of many in Iraq that the so-called "transfer of power" would return sovereignty to their country, it is clear that this is at best an illusion. The so called "interim government" forged by the occupation forces is led by a US puppet, well-known as a CIA collaborator. Opinion surveys show that this government has virtually no credibility among the Iraqi people, even among those who initially adopted a "wait and see" attitude towards the US-led occupation.

Already, this new "Interim Government" has launched a massive security crackdown, bordering on martial law, in order to root out various "terrorist" and other resistance forces opposing the US-led occupation. This shows that the brutality of the occupation will continue under the auspices of the new Iraqi "masters."

Resolution 1546 leaves the key levers of political and military power, including control over the police and military, in the hands of the occupation forces, even though the US was compelled to negotiate some compromises which do not endanger its dominant position. The UN's credibility is further weakened by this process, since its special envoy to Iraq and its General Secretary, Kofi Annan, took part as mere observers. This brazen strategy by the US and its allies reinforces the need for global action to enforce respect for the UN Charter and to democratize the United Nations.

Coming at a time when US imperialism was increasingly isolated due to the growing resistance of the Iraqi people and the revelations of criminal practices in Abu Ghraib and other prisons, Resolution 1546 gives the occupation forces a chance to continue their plans for imperialist domination of Iraq, the Middle East and the world.

The Communist Party of Canada renews its call for the United States, Britain and their allies to completely withdraw from Iraq, and to pay compensation for the destruction caused by their invasion. The people of Iraq must determine their own future, with the assistance of such international bodies as they find suitable, rejecting both occupation and dictatorship, to achieve a truly sovereign, independent and democratic Iraq.

We call for continuation of the anti war struggle, and the immediate return of the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan. Canada's military involvement in occupied Afghanistan is unjustified in its own right, and helps free the US to maintain larger numbers of troops in Iraq.

We also warn against the ongoing militarist projects of the US, where political leadership is controlled by ultra-right hawks committed to the so-called "Project for a New American Century." The elements of this strategy include the Missile Defence plans which aim to give the Pentagon complete military domination of space, stronger control of NATO, plans to "reshape" the political map of the Middle East, the creation of intervention forces for use in Africa and other regions, and new threats against Cuba, Venezuela, and the liberation forces in Colombia. Driving this imperialist strategy is the goal of intensifying neo liberal policies, which mean super-profits for the transnational corporations and deeper poverty for billions of people.

The June 28 federal election has resulted in a Parliament where the two largest parties, the Liberals and Conservatives, are both committed to expanded cooperation with the US war machine. It will be up to the peace movement and other progressive forces to use this situation to mobilize mass pressures against such a course. The huge anti-war actions early in 2003 forced the Chretien Liberals to avoid direct participation in the illegal invasion of Iraq. That decision won overwhelming support among the Canadian people, whose peace sentiment remains a powerful factor facing any new government. The Communist Party remains committed to helping to build the broadest possible anti-war movement, in order to put maximum pressure on the new Parliament for an independent Canadian foreign policy based on peace and disarmament, not integration into US imperialism.

© 2004 Communist Party of Canada