of war THE US decision to impose tariff sanctions on European good has panicked EC But it was the absolutely foresee able outcome of worsening rela. tons between the three main trading blocs - the US-dominated and the Japanese-dominated Asian zone (the so-caled Triad") rent conflict: wortd economic reces. sion and the long-decline of the Us as the major economic and military trade and markets decine, the US is engaged in a furious campaign to It is no surprise that the conflict has broken cut over agriculture. The US and Europe are the two dominant agricultural areas (Japan lood needs); and food exports impart enormous political cout to the power which controls the markets.
American talk of a lovel playing fell' is nonsense. The fact is that the EC wishes to subsidise its farmers, whereas the Unted States does not. This in turn reflects the bal rural farming population, especially in France, Italy and Germany The domination of large-scale agribusiness, whie growing, is less dormoond than in the US.
The real scandal over agricul ture is not this or that subsidy regime but the fact that both lood which the hundreds of mil sons of starving people worldwide are too poor to buy. This is literally a crisis of overproduction of commodities; but if the poor had the buying power, there would be no overproduction' at all.
Trade between the three major blocs is today heavily managed by negotiated quotas and tariffs: tree trade is a myth. This again reflects the irrationality of moder capitalism; the lack of buying power can't sustain the productive potential of modern industry. As a result who can sell where has to be heavily regulated.
he row over farming subsidies is just the first incident in what is bound to be escalating conflict. Two factors will accelerate this process. First, the decline of US that the US faces a major tactical choice; either to fight now with every weapon avalable, or to risk a situation in 10 or 15 years time Second, the collapse of the USSR removes the necessity to moderate inter-imperiaist conficts in the name of fighting a common enemy.
Since the Reagan years the Americans have shown clearly they intend to use every ounce of their miltary and political might to imJeepening of economic confict would destablise the whole system of international capitalist alliances since 1945. This is the kind of thing people go to war over. Running from reality of US economic crisis - Clinton Clinton is no Roosevelt