THE USA AND BRITAIN have launched a new round of sabre rattling against Iraq, threatening further bombing raids. Their excuse is the claim that Saddam has not destroyed Iraqi nuclear installations - a condition of the Gulf war 'ceasefire'.
But socialists should not be taken in by this excuse Though no-one welcomes Saddam's nuclear programme, this is just convenient whitewash for the Bush administration.
The USA has always been the main guilty party in terms of nuclear weapons proliferation. It has made absolutely no attempt to stop the development of nuclear weapons in a whole string of brutal regimes, from South Africa to Israel.
The real aim of George Bush and John Maior is to safeguard their domination over the Middle East. The establishment of a 'Rapid Deployment Forcé' of Western troops in Turkey will do nothing to make the Middle East a more peaceful area. It will be a prop for those dictators - like the Kuwaiti Emir or King Faud of Saudi Arabia - who support Bush's World Order.
As for the threat of a new round of carpet bombing of Iraq, this will just deepen the misery of the Iraqi people, already suffering from poverty and disease in the aftermath of the Gulf war. Bush's priorities were made quite clear in the UN decision of July 11 - where Iraq was once again denied permission to use its oil revenues to buy medical aid.
Socialists should campaigr n the Labour party and the unions - Hands off Iraq! Western troops out of Turkey!