From June 21-23, 62 communist and workers' parties from around the world 
met in Athens to discuss "The new world situation after September 11, 
2001". Central Committee Member Rob Gowland represented the Communist Party 
of Australia at the meeting. He presented the following contribution on 
behalf of the CPA.

The situation that has arisen following September 11, is a continuation and 
intensification of the policies of US imperialism to implement its 
aspiration for world domination.

This is a long-held ambition. Bush Senior announced it publicly when he 
called for a New World Order. President Clinton continued down this path. 
The events of September 11 provided the excuse for an intensification in 
the form of far-reaching military action, the war against Afghanistan and 
the setting up of new military bases in Central Asia.

These are also stepping-stones to the next stage, with the domination of 
the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China as the ultimate 
objective, which would consummate virtually in full, the American ambition.

Because the American leadership is surrounded both at home and 
internationally by an increasingly sceptical world, new provocations are 
being planned to justify the policy of aggressive and so-called pre-emptive 
war using concocted incidents and allegations against other countries.

It was a mythical "Tonkin Gulf incident" that was used as an excuse for the 
intensification of war against socialist Vietnam.

The terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon was just 
such an incident. All the available evidence points to collaboration 
between al Quaida and at least some elements of the top US administration.

The most recent, but not the last of these lies, is the allegation about a 
US citizen's plans for a "dirty" bomb. It was claimed that radioactive 
material was obtained from Russia, thereby implicating Russia in the plans.

While the allegations have now been somewhat discounted, the story has been 
spread worldwide and the propaganda value has been reaped.

The US leaders are following in the footsteps of Nazi propaganda chief 
Goebbels who perfected the technique of the big lie on the principle that 
if one tells a lie often enough it becomes the truth.

"Rougher methods of an earlier era"

The strategy and tactics of imperialism have been clearly written down by 
the British Institute of Foreign Affairs and published in the book, Re-
ordering the World.

One of the contributors to this book, Robert Cooper who is a senior serving 
British diplomat and adviser to Tony Blair writes:

"When dealing with more old-fashioned kinds of states outside the 
postmodern continent of Europe, we need to revert to the rougher methods of 
an earlier era — force, pre-emptive attack, deception, whatever is 
necessary to deal with those who still live in the 19th century world of 
'every state for itself'. Among ourselves, we keep the law but when we are 
operating in the jungle, we must also use the laws of the jungle...

"Weak government means disorder and that means falling investment...", says 
Mr Cooper.

He goes on: "All the conditions for imperialism are there ... the weak 
still need the strong and the strong still need an orderly world...

"What is needed then is a new kind of imperialism, one acceptable to a 
world of human rights and cosmopolitan values.

"If states wish to benefit, they must open themselves up to the 
interference of international organisations and foreign states."

Mr Cooper calls for a new commonwealth, which he concludes, would, "Like 
Rome, ...provide its citizens with some of its laws, some coins and the 
occasional road."

We see from this that the war against terrorism is terrorism itself.

Associated with the war drive is the sweeping attack on the democratic 
rights of the people won in more than a century of struggle. The new so-
called "anti-terrorist laws" are overthrowing even bourgeois democratic 
rights.

In Australia these proposed laws [Some have now passed through the Senate], 
which are meeting strong resistance and have not yet been enacted, provide 
for the banning of organisations and the jailing of the members of banned 
organisations for up to 25 years.

State security organisations are provided with powers to jail suspects 
without recourse to legal representation. All forms of communication may be 
tapped. The onus of proof, which is a cornerstone of the legal rights of 
citizens, is reversed.

It is timely to compare this legislation with that of the Hitler regime. On 
February 28, 1933, using the pretext of the Reichstag Fire, an Emergency 
Decree was enacted.

It overturned the Weimar Constitution and declared that "Restrictions on 
personal liberty, on the right of free expression of opinion, including 
freedom of the press; on the rights of assembly and association; and 
violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic 
communications and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscation as 
well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal 
limits otherwise prescribed."

The aggressive war plans, the intensification of the exploitation of the 
working people, the grabbing by big capital of any and every publicly owned 
enterprise and service, the destruction of hard-won democratic rights and 
liberties, the suppression of the sovereignty and independence of nations, 
the attempt to disrupt and destroy the remaining socialist societies are 
all an expression of the capitalist class' efforts to preserve its 
interests.

People's struggle

On the other hand, there is the struggle of the people for an end to 
exploitation and the liberation of nations from the shackles of 
imperialism.

It is the same class struggle revealed by Marx and Engels in the Communist 
Manifesto but unlike the times of Marx and Engels it is now worldwide. It 
takes many forms and there are many issues.

These issues include living standards and working conditions, hours of 
work, the rights of trade unions, the struggles for sovereignty and 
independence, the rights of indigenous people, the maintenance of public 
enterprises, for education and housing, for socialism and much more.

The concept of "Workers of the world, unite!" is becoming more and more a 
reality.

But the actions of the people are much broader than just those of the 
working class.

The sections of society that are feeling the oppression, suppression and 
exploitation by the giant transnational corporations are coming into action 
in defence of their specific interests — small farmers, peasants, 
academics, small business people, engineers, technologists, indigenous 
peoples, environmentalists — are becoming the natural and active allies of 
the working class.

Corporate globalisation has become the modern-day cross on which the lives 
of millions upon millions of people in nearly all countries are being 
crucified.

Worldwide there are actions. People are turning against the big 
corporations and their docile governments. Capitalism is more and more 
being questioned. This is the modern-day spectre that haunts the evil and 
barbarous system of capitalism and brings forth the savage counter-attack 
of imperialism.

The propaganda war and the ideological struggle are also being intensified. 
The promotion of racism, zenophobia and religious intolerance are major 
weapons in capitalism's attempts to split and divide the movement of 
struggle.

Failure of capitalist policies

Massive attempts are being made to hoodwink the people into the belief that 
the interests of capital and workers are the same, that the policies of the 
IMF and the World Bank are good for all countries, that free trade will 
create a level playing field, that so-called "competition" and "choice" are 
the hallmarks of a free and prosperous society.

Sufficient time has now passed and experience accumulated to demonstrate 
that these claims are nothing more than the means by which transnational 
corporations impose their policies and secure their interests.

If any proof is needed of the total fallacy of these claims and the failure 
of such policies then the experience of Argentina should demonstrate the 
truth.

Social Democracy is playing a discreditable part in this ideological 
struggle. By spreading illusions of class peace, that the concept of class 
is now "old-fashioned", that classes have now been replaced by 
"communities", to take a few examples, social democracy undermines the 
struggle of the working people and brings grist to the mill of imperialism.

Once again the examples of Labour party leaders Tony Blair and Shimon Perez 
who are in the forefront of the war drive are sufficient to reveal the real 
role of social democracy in the present era.

In the struggle for truth and knowledge, the work of Communist Parties has 
become ever more vital in contesting the real meaning behind the 
sophisticated words of the leaders of the imperialist states.

In presenting an analysis of the present situation which more than ever has 
to be seen in its worldwide dimension, we note the growing conflict of 
interests between the rival imperialist blocks.

This is particularly to be seen in the differing positions taken on 
important questions by the US on the one hand and the European Union on the 
other.

Needless to say, they are united when it comes to class interests but may 
be in conflict when it comes to their particular imperialist interests.

This may not yet have become a decisive difference but the aspirations of 
US imperialists for world domination cannot be acceptable to the 
imperialist interests of European capital.

We must also underline the important role played by the socialist states. 
The forthright role of the Communist Party of Cuba and, in particular, the 
role of Comrade Fidel Castro is an example for us all.

The Cuban comrades contest day by day, the machinations of imperialism and 
the ideological and propaganda war.

We warmly welcome the rapid economic growth of the People's Republic of 
China and Socialist Vietnam under the leadership of their respective 
Communist Parties.

Socialism in these countries has to prove, not only to its own people but 
also to the watching millions in other countries, that it is able to 
provide higher living standards, education and culture and a stable and 
humane society fulfilling the economic, social and cultural needs of the 
people, rather than the selfish interests of those whose motivation is 
profit.

All these factors taken together constitute main elements in the world 
situation following the events of September 11.

Confident of future

This terrorist act has not created a "new" situation but one being used by 
imperialism to threaten war against a number of countries, to introduce 
draconian anti-democratic legislation of a neo-fascist kind, to intensify 
the exploitation of labour, to destroy the sovereignty and independence of 
nations and impose US imperialism's objective of a New World Order of 
capitalist slavery.

At the same time it brings into action the forces of progress and of 
civilisation whose mission it is to save the world from a new barbarity.

This force made up of millions upon millions of ordinary people from 
diverse classes and social groups and in whose midst the Communists are to 
be found, are more and more resolutely and with greater clarity confronting 
capitalism and imperialism.

Despite the strength of our opponents and the savagery with which they are 
prosecuting their objectives, we must be confident that this mission will 
be achieved in the not distant future.

Our objective is a classless society. Primitive communal society had no 
need for conflicting and exploiting classes. The class relations which 
emerged in slave, feudal and capitalist society are historically of a 
transient nature and will ultimately disappear.

It is in this direction that the assertion of Frederick Engels that 
humankind would emerge from barbarity into civilisation is to be fulfilled.