06) R2P: FORMULA FOR WAR

 

People's Voice Editorial

 

            The infamous "responsibility to protect" doctrine continues to weaken the potential for a broad and powerful anti‑war movement, leaving considerable room for militarist politicians and corporations to manoeuvre. The latest example comes with the dangerous situation in Ukraine, where nationalist and even outright fascist forces, openly backed by the EU and U.S., have overthrown an elected government.

 

            But many who should know better are lining up to praise the coup in Kiev. For some, including the opposition parties in Parliament, this is simply an exercise in opportunism, based on illusory calculations of vote gains from right‑wing ethnic organizations.

 

            But the problem goes deeper. In country after country in recent years, imperialism has launched similar operations. Having learned from the public relations disaster of the Iraq War, the key imperialist countries now present meddling in the internal affairs of other countries as "promoting the equality of women" or "protecting innocent civilians." In some cases, this strategy veers into the bizarre, such as the campaign to smear the repeatedly-elected government of Venezuela as "dictators" who have supposedly "crushed" the real democratic forces.

 

            For the anti‑war movement to rebuild in Canada, the starting point must be to reject this imperialist game. The U.S. and its allies have zero interest in "defending civilians." Those who focus on "protecting Ukrainians from Russian imperialism" fall into a deadly trap. This is not to defend the reactionary policies of the Putin government; but the anti‑Russian campaign by the U.S. and EU today is based on a geo‑political strategy of encircling and destroying Russia, pillaging its resources, and tightening the noose around China, which could become a counter‑weight to U.S. imperialism. This is the true aim of the R2P doctrine, and the sooner this lesson is grasped, the better.

 

(The above article is from the March 16-31, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)