Even the Washington Post – not the most radical of newspapers – now admits massive civilian casualties in Iraq as a result of the US and UK terror bombing campaign.
All the talk of precision 'high tech' bombing is simply propaganda: a wing of B52's creates a crater a mile wide, and two and a half miles long. There is nothing precise about that, and that is the weapon being used against Iraqi cities.
As we enter the third week of the war, the US and UK leadership feel confident enough to begin talking openly of the real allied war aim: Under cover of United Nations resolutions calling for the restoration of "security" in the region, the US and UK aim at the destruction of Iraq as a force in the middle east.
This war is not simply about the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait – which Socialist Outlook condemned and still condemns. It is about securing western oil interests. As a side effect of its war diplomacy, the US hopes for conflict amongst Arab states leading to the destruction of Opec and a free market in oil. A free market in which the US, of course, would be market leader. King feels confident about revealing the real aims of the war for two reasons. The massive propaganda barrage in the press and on 'warvision' has had an effect on public opinion. This has been easier to accomplish because of the complete lack of opposition from the Labour leadership. As Kinnock's speech to the last Labour Party Conference showed, he is frequently more of a warmonger than the Tories. Emphasis on United Nations initiatives, or sanctions, from the Labour leadership has been echoed by other sections of the party. This amounts to a blank cheque for the US Government to pursue the war in any way that they wish. Bush didn't even bother to wake the UN Secretary General up to tell him that the bombing had started! The United Nations is nothing more than a fig leaf for US aggression. A fig leaf helpfully provided by the Soviet vote at the Security Council. The Soviet leadership cynically abandoned its former ally, Iraq, to buy itself time to 'deal with' the Baltic Republics.
Against this background, the turnout at the Hull demonstration last Saturday must be seen as a limited success. Despite poor numbers, an effective demonstration showed some people that there is an alternative to the war. It also shows how far we have to go to build the mass campaign against the war that we need in Hull.
Further action needs to be built – particularly in workplaces, amongst women, and amongst the large number of Labour Party members who find the position of their leadership repugnant.
Opposition to the war can be built. There were mass demonstrations last weekend in Germany and other European countries, the USA, and Australia. In Turkey, action against the war has been linked to the demands of workers taking mass strike action. In Morocco last Monday a general strike in support of Iraq brought the country to a standstill.
The litmus test for any activity we undertake must be whether or not it helps to build this type of mass action.
Socialist Outlook Forum: 'Building a mass anti-war movement'. Wednesday 6th February, 8.00pm. Venue from Socialist Outlook sellers.