ONV The Bosnian Serbs have the weapons of the former Yugoslav army. Huge amounts of arms are being sold to Croatia by the Italian arms industry. The UN arms embargo is against Bosnia.
This embargo is not a workers' embargo, it is enforced against Bosnia by international imperialism.
Whilst Militant support the imperialist arms embargo against Bosnia they call for the lifting of imperialist sanctions against Serbia. There is clearly a contradiction here. Either you are for or against imperialist intervention. You can't have it both ways. Unless, of course, you think there is something progressive about the Serbian regime or Serbia is the major victim of imperialist policy.
Which is precisely what Militant's supporters in France do. They prioritise campaigning against "The Crime of the Embargo' and organising an aid convoy to Serbia. They prioritise links with Serbian trade unions. These campaigns, endorsed by Militant, do not imply a 'neutral' position. The logic is supportfor Serbia.
The overall solution to the war presented by the Militant editorial, despite some correct positions, misses the main point. It is worth quoting at some length:'the international labour movement's priority must be to develop independent class action; to assist the organisations of the working class in Bosnia that can cut across religious and racial divisions....Socialists must build support across sectarian divides. Salvation for the working classes of Bosnia lies in creating unity between Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim peoples. There is a solution. It lies in the potential power of the regions's working class which can overthrow the nationalist leaders....A combination of workers' movements could unite under the banner of the struggle against poverty, unemployment, rampant inflation and for peace. Forging democratic defence committees could protect communities, combat the nationalist murder gangs and would not be seen as a threat by other communities. It would be this that would lay the basis for workers' unity and a socialist federation of the Balkans.' The waris not a religious war between *Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim peo ples - Slav Muslims are primarily a nacialists to support Irish indeThe Communists and pendence, not only in the interthe Irish Revolution, ests of the Irish struggle but
with the aim of educating Britedited by D.R. ish workers in the spirit of deO'Connor Lysaght, mocracy and national equality. and available from In advocating independence Marx's aim was not the permaSocialist Outlook (29) nent separation of Ireland, but reviewed by DAFYDD a democratic federation, freely entered into on all sides. This RHYS presupposed a change of government in the oppressor nation, an event which he hoped WITH SO MUCH talk of would be greatly accelerated peace, agreements and by a successful independence reconciliation it is easy to struggle. lose sight of the grim real- Lenin was always ready to subject his ideas to the test of ity of Northern Ireland;
practice, and when the Irish The example of Ireland is SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 57, 26 February 1994, Page 13 -FREE A notable missing element in Jim Sheridan's film (see review below) is any reference to the Birmingham Six