Anti-Imperialism, War and
Peace, Part 0
Do you remember the days of
slavery?
Short General
Introduction
To
Anti-Imperialism, War and Peace
We are about to begin a new
course on the YCLSA Discussion forum: Anti-Imperialism, War and Peace.
The series begins with
Chapter 1 of Clausewitz’ “On War”, described by one critic (Bernard Brodie) as “Not simply the greatest, but the only great
book on war”. Clausewitz shows the dialectical (or in Clausewitz’ own term
“reciprocal”) nature of any study of war. It also shows that war can only be an
interval between negotiations. It is the pursuit of politics by other means
which cannot be conclusive, but which have to yield in due course to politics,
again.
We are for peace but we have
to be prepared for war. Although we have no interest in bloodshed, we are not
pacifists. We seek the ascendancy of the working proletariat. We know that the
bourgeois power is everywhere defended with brutal force.
The ANC democratic
breakthrough owes its existence to successful armed struggle, in turn a part of
a historic worldwide struggle against Imperialism. Yet the South African armed
struggle is barely acknowledged. Instead, bourgeois virtues are daily paraded
in front of us by bourgeois “role models”. The South African police shoot
demonstrators, while bourgeois pacifism is pushed as a compulsory ideology for
the rest of us.
Internationally in the 21st
Century, Imperialism has embarked upon a series of wars, including wars in
Africa, which have the character of “underdeveloping” once again and
subordinating, or recolonising, African countries.
Therefore it is necessary to
have a frank look at the question of the military. The political democracy must
know enough about war to be able to oversee and to command the military. The
military must always be subordinate to the political.
This is the most important
thing to know.
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