Issue 50 Spring 2024
CONTENTS: US dominance under threat: a more dangerous world, Alex Davidson Israel, Palestine and the world, Dee Stoneley Is global war inevitable?, Simon Korner Capitalism in a quagmire, Noah Tucker World disorder and developing countries, Paul Sutton Germany - growing militarism and attacks on the working class, Arnold Schoelzel Inflation - The high cost of profits, Peter Latham Pay - official figures and working class reality, Brian Durrans Growing wave of protest faces real risk of repression, Claire Bailey General election looms, Frieda Park
COMMENTARY
ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE
The evidence of Israel’s genocide presented by South Africa to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was so overwhelming that even though it has a Western bias, it had to accept that there are sufficient grounds to launch a full investigation. Noting the immediate risk to Palestinians in Gaza it ordered Israel in the interim to prevent genocidal actions. Israel had argued strongly that the Court should dismiss South Africa’s case as utterly unfounded. This then is a major defeat for Israel and its backers.
It will have ramifications for Israel and the West. It will alienate still further the global majority who have condemned Israel’s war. Any future finding that Israel is guilty of genocide also has legal implications for those who have abetted that genocide by arming Israel and giving it other forms of support. There have also been cases lodged at the International Criminal Court against individual Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu, alleging war crimes. The decision by the ICJ lends credibility to these cases.
The victory at the ICJ was one for Palestinians, and everyone who has campaigned to end the slaughter in Gaza. It also means we have the opportunity to increase the pressure for a ceasefire, an embargo on arms sales to Israel and in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.
Imperialism’s problems
However, as the Western imperialist alliance becomes more isolated, over Gaza and before that over Ukraine, it becomes ever more dangerous. Alex Davidson examines the problems faced by US imperialism in the transition to a multi-polar world in US dominance under threat: a more dangerous world. Israel’s actions in Gaza and the US support for them has destroyed America’s objective of bringing Arab states closer to Israel and marginalising the Palestinians.
Mistrust of the United States is widespread and reflects itself not only in opposition to its policies but also in the increasing reluctance of countries to rely on the dollar. The move to use other currencies for international trade and transactions threatens one pillar of US power – the dominance of its currency. There are also the development and expansion of alternative international organisations like BRICS plus, which is examined by Paul Sutton in World Disorder and Developing Countries.
Ultimately though the question is, can the US and its allies be constrained? In Is global war inevitable? Simon Korner addresses this question and looks at the forces driving the West to war and those which might hold it back. Although the West is not winning the war in Ukraine, with the so-called counter-offensive having completely failed, that is not stopping the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East by the West nor is it abating US plans for war against China. The US dominates other imperialist countries and has pushed Germany into catastrophic economic decisions which will harm not only it, but the whole of the EU. These involved ditching Russian gas for more expensive US supplies and ramping up arms spending. The position of Germany is analysed in detail by Arnold Schoelzel in Germany - growing militarism and attacks on the working class.
Korner notes, however, that the West now is less able to build coalitions as potential allies do not want to have their vital interests sacrificed in support of Western objectives. In addition, there is some increase in anti-war sentiment within Western countries.
Protests banned
We should not doubt that our governments see the threats posed by protest against war and unrest against the decimation of living standards and services. As Schoelzel tells us, Palestine solidarity demonstrations have been all but banned in Germany. Claire Bailey spells out the Tories repressive legislation to curtail the right to strike and to protest here in the UK in Growing wave of protest faces real risk of repression. In the last couple of years Parliament has passed three pieces of legislation which restrict freedom of speech, the right to protest and the right to strike. A fourth which would outlaw public bodies from boycotting Israel is currently making its way through Parliament. Anti-democratic repression in Germany, the UK and elsewhere goes hand in hand with the militarist, anti-working class agendas of our rulers.
Can capitalism be fixed?
Yet the problems of advanced capitalist countries run even deeper than their desperate fight to cling onto global dominance. There are serious problems within the system itself which are explored by Noah Tucker in Capitalism in a quagmire. Throughout the G7 productivity is in decline and he argues that this is not a new phenomenon, nor is it a specifically British problem. As economic gurus have struggled to find an explanation for this, one thing has become clear, that the unleashing of neo-liberalism under Thatcher and Reagan did nothing to halt this tendency. So far capitalism is not providing the answer to its economic malaise, but can the left? If the problem is the system itself then it may not be fixable. If so then this is yet another reason to question the usefulness of capitalism to humanity, alongside the threat of global war and environmental catastrophe.
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