Updates from CPI (ML) Red Star November 2021
Make the 12th Party Congress of the CPI(ML) Red Star Great Success!
The 12th Party Congress of CPI (ML) Red Star, is scheduled at Kozhikode, Kerala, from 24th to 29th September, 2022. As decided by the Central Committee in its meeting held from 21st to 24th October 2021, the Party Congress will start with a rally on 24th October. It will take up the Draft of the updated Party Program, the Party Constitution, the Path of Revolution, the Political Resolution and the Political Organisational Report for finalization based on which the Party has to be strengthened and revolutionary struggles are to be intensified for marching forward towards completion of the tasks of People’s Democratic Revolution (PDR) and advance towards Socialist Revolution.
The Party Congress is being held at a time when neoliberal imperialism and neo-fascism are on the offensive. The unleashing of corporate capital on all spheres has resulted in unprecedented political-economic crises, social tensions and an environmental catastrophe that threatens the very sustenance of life on planet earth. All inherent contradictions of imperialist world system have accentuated and inter-imperialist contradictions and geopolitics have assumed new dimensions. Working class and oppressed peoples the world over are coming up against this imperialist offensive in manifold ways. Consequently, as normal methods of plunder and surplus value extraction are becoming difficult for corporate capital to gobble up super-profits, the ruling regimes are increasingly resorting to neo-fascism. This has made the world situation favourable for revolution. However, the International Left on account of its ideological-political setbacks to concretely evaluate the emerging situation and choke out revolutionary political action, is still unable to come forward giving leadership to working class and peoples’ struggles which surging against ruling classes in different parts of the world . In this context, the Party Congress will discuss the ideological, political and organizational tasks confronting the Communist Movement both in India and at the global level and will discuss on the peoples’ alternative and the tasks thereon to overcome this critical situation.
India is a typical case of this neoliberal-neo-fascist offensive. Under the Modi regime led by RSS, the longest-running fascist organization in the world, India is confronting the worst-ever crisis in its history. Using Modi regime, the RSS through saffronising all constitutional and administrative institutions is on its way to transform India into a majoritarian theocratic Hindurashtra, where the minorities will be deprived of citizenship rights and where the Dalits and oppressed will be made subhuman, based on Manusmirti. India which was facing the biggest economic crisis on the eve of Covid due to super-imposed Demonetisation and GST, started experiencing a horrific economic downturn during the Pandemic. When the Adani-Ambani like Indian corporates and MNCs made fabulous wealth accumulation along with flourishing corruption, the country and its people faced historic economic collapse, unemployment and price-rise including that on petrol, diesel and cooking gas reaching unprecedented level. Even when world crude oil prices reached lowest levels, under Modi has the highest petroleum prices in the world. Vast majority of the people are experiencing multi-dimensional poverty and deprivation. Using the pandemic as a cover for the corporate-fascist offensive and through the most stringent and coercive lockdown, Modi has superimposed a series of corporatization-policies in all spheres of political-economic life. The replacement of 44 labour laws with 4 labour codes, pro-corporate amendments in environmental laws and New Education Policy are followed by the draconian Farm Laws with the aim of corporatization of the entire agriculture leading to the world historic ongoing farmers’ movement in India. All PSUs in industry, banking and other sectors are privatized. Indian corporate tax rates are the lowest in the world while the entire tax burden is pushed on to the shoulders of common people through GST.
This corporatization agenda of RSS is proceeding along with saffronisation of all domains of social life. Abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act, wanton use of Sedition Act and UAPA mainly directed against minorities and political dissidents are part of this saffron agenda. Dalits, Adivasis and oppressed sections are subjected to heinous forms of subhuman Manuvadi oppression. All constitutional and administrative institutions of the country including military and police are being saffronised. By extending the notorious PPP model to military, RSS affiliated educational institutions are allowed to start military schools at par with Indian Military Academy and cadres from the former are going to be directly recruited as military officers. All hard-earned democratic rights of the people are being snatched away.
It is in this fascist situation that CPI (ML) Red Star, in continuation of its initiative to build up the Party and efforts to bring together Marxist-Leninist forces based on a correct ideological-political line, is moving towards its 12th Party Congress. The Congress process along with finalization of the draft documents by the end of this year will start from Branch and Local Conferences. The State Conferences will begin by the second quarter of 2022. Fraternal parties from India and abroad including leaders of ICOR (International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations) will attend the Party Congress.
We appeal solidarity and support of all Communists and Left & Democratic forces to make the 12th Party Congress a grand success.
March Forward, Completing Tasks of Democratic Revolution and Advancing to Socialist Revolution!
Expose, Defeat Manuvadi/Hindutva RSS/BJP Rule which Serves Neoliberal/ Corporate Imperialism!
Long Live ICOR! Uphold Proletarian Internationalism!
Make the 12th Party Congress a Great Success! Long Live CPI (ML) Red Star!
Hail the Victorious Conclusion of 4th World Conference of ICOR!
The 4th World Conference of ICOR (International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations) was held during mid-October 2021. First day of the Conference was set apart of reading documents, presenting the introductory speech and report and moving motions and resolutions. Various Continental Conferences, namely - Conferences of Asia, Americas and Africa – were held on the second day. The World Conference that followed discussed the main political issues confronting the world today. Among them, the urgent need for an anti-imperialist, anti-fascist front at the international level, the Palestine question, the struggles led by Communist and progressive forces in different parts of the world, the need for building up a women’s platform within ICOR and the international political situation including inter-imperialist contradiction were the most important. Of the motions and resolutions, notable one was the motion that ICOR would celebrate 2024 in memory the heritage of Lenin, since 2024 is 100 years of his demise. Motion on the strengthening of ICOR website and the resolution on solidarity with the historic Indian farmers’ struggle are also important.
Intensify Defeat BJP, Save Democracy Campaign in UP-Uttarakhand!
The Central Committee of the CPI (ML) Red Star which met at Guntur from 21st to 24th October discussed the question of intensifying the Defeat BJP, Save Democracy Campaign in UP- UK, in the context when the RSS/BJP is engaged in no-holds-barred criminal, conspiratorial moves to crush the ongoing eleven months old farmers’ movement led by the SKM at any cost. As the Modi-Yogi governments are further exposed and the movement is spreading to middle UP following the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the saffron regime has intensified this heinous move. As part of this, the corporate-saffron media has unleashed a propaganda blitzkrieg against the SKM utilizing the killing of a dalit from Punjab by the Nihangs. But soon it was exposed that this incident was the result of a conspiracy hatched by the RSS/BJP forces including the central agriculture minister with a Nihang chief! Now, the Bangladesh incidents of attacks on Hindu worship places are used to attack the minorities and to whip up communal riots in UP to help BJP in elections. But in this case also, an international conspiracy hatched by the religious fundamentalist forces of all streams involving the IS, Saudi rulers, Israel and CIA using the Islamic fundamentalists of Bangladesh to help are coming out. All these developments reveal that RSS will not hesitate to use all sinister means including its international contacts and with the help of US imperialists to manage victory in UP, which is important in view of RSS’s plans for announcing the date of India’s transformation to a Hindurashtra.
Why all these frantic moves by the RSS? Its top bosses and the BJP leaders are well aware of the negative consequences of the neoliberal/corporate policies pursued by Modi government, causing unprecedented rise in the prices of all items including petrol- diesel-cooking gas-kerosene other essential commodities. While enabling the corporates to accumulate super-profits, rising prices impoverish the masses, who are already suffering from unemployment and loss of livelihood. Besides, the growing influence of the farmers’ movement has pushed the BJP to a defensive situation. So, the saffron fascists shall go to any extent to win the UP elections. But, this danger is still not recognized by the opposition parties including the CPI (M) led Left Front parties, or by even some of the CR forces. That is why the party appeals to al revolutionary left and struggling forces to intensify the Defeat BJP campaign. At the same time it has decided to mobilize the farmers as extensively as possible, and strengthen the SKM campaign against BJP. The CC also appeals to all party committees to organize support to the UP campaign to defeat BJP.
CC Resolution on Price Hike
The Central Committee of CPI (ML) Red Star strongly condemns the galloping prices of fuel which are part of pro-corporate policies of Modi Government that have become unbearable to the overwhelming majority of the common people, particularly for the working masses.
As of now, prices of petrol and diesel have crossed hundred rupees per liter while the price of cooking gas per cylinder has crossed thousand rupees. Along with the fuel prices, prices of kerosene, edible oils, vegetables and all essential commodities of mass consumption are sky rocketing.
Actually, big hike in prices of domestic petroleum products are not due to the international crude oil price, since during the last 7 years of Modi regime, Indian prices of petrol-diesel and cooking gas have been continuously rising when global crude prices were going down. In fact, Modi has been constantly increasing central excise duty and other cess on petroleum products, such that even during 2020 alone, Modi Government could collect 3.61 lakh crores from excise duties on petro-products.
In this context, the Central Committee of CPI (ML) Red Star has resolved for a week long protest from 7th to 14th November 2021 all over the country against the price hike of petro-products and essential commodities.
The Central Committee also demands an immediate reduction of excise duties of petro products and effective measures against high prices of essential commodities.
The Central Committee of CPI (ML) Red Star appeals to the broad masses of working and oppressed peoples of India to rise up in protest against the neoliberal anti-people policies of Modi regime that need to unjustified rise in prices.
FEPAD’s Call: Observe 6th November as the Global Day of Action against Impending Ecological Catastrophe.
In a situation when many Earth Systems are nearing collapse, and the Industrial Capitalism, instead of adopting any meaningful steps to reverse the present conditions of alarming levels of ecological destruction, is seeing 'Opportunities' for Selling more "Solutions packages", an urgent Zoom meeting of the Forum for Ecological Protection and Alternative Development (FEPAD) was organized on 15th October evening, to discuss the Strategic Approach to be taken to face this challenge. Com. Soumya Dutta, presenting the main points of the note issued, stated that though he is participating with many environmentalists the Glasgow Conference on Climate convened by the UN, the imperialist countries are not interested to take any serios decisions to reverse the situation even now. So no significant decisions are going to be taken. Presently, the ecological destruction has taken us to a point of no return from the impending hot house situation. Once it is reached, a hundred generations have to strive to survive it, before returning to normal levels. So without an immediate system change, humanity can be saved from the impeding danger.
After a round of discussion by the participants, com. KN stressed that all the serious studies coming out on the consequences of impending ecological catastrophe, should convince us that we have to transcend our discussions from the traditional type of finding individual remedies, or isolated acts for ecological protection. While continuing them, we have recognize that what is urgently required to reverse the situation is a political solution of ending the system which leads to this catastrophe, and to hasten to create a new system with a development alternative. It can be achieved only by the political forces conscious of this fact coming forward, unite with the environmental movements and the students, youth, most vulnerable sections like fisher people and agricultural workers to launch effective movement to change the ruling system. In all movements this core point should be stressed.
The participants noted that in spite of sending the appeal and link for the meeting, the participation is nominal. So, we have to hold discussions with the forces who have to be targeted first, so that in the next meeting a better activists’ participation can be assured. The meeting decided to take urgent steps to Organize 6th November as Global Day of Action against impending ecological catastrophe uniting all like-minded forces on the occasion of demonstrations at international level, including the huge rally at Glasgow. A core committee was formed to put it to practice, to update the website, to launch social media propaganda, and to convene the next meeting in the first week of December to carry forward the movement with urgency. Students and youth auxiliary to be formed to help day to day activities of FPEDA. The meeting concluded with an appeal to all concerned forces to come together to intensify the ecological movement with the political stress of changing the ruling system to save the humanity from the impending catastrophe.
Many Earth Systems are Nearing Collapse: Time for Drastic Actions
Soumya Dutta
In June 2021, the Second-Order Draft of the IPCC Working Group II report (part of the upcoming Sixth Assessment Reports), which assesses impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to climate change, was partially leaked to the media. This has caused a fresh set of alarm about the time-window of actions and the scale of global changes called for. But Nature was sounding these warnings for quite some time now. July 2021 turned out to be the "hottest month ever recorded". The mid 2019 to mid 2021 saw Australia’s worst bushfires that killed over one billion (100 crores) animals and countless other insects and other life. It also sent about 700 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - a part of which was surely captured by phytoplankton s in the ocean. The US western coast saw some of the biggest wildfires in a century (burning over five million acres of forests) and possibly the worst continuing drought in over a millennia. Its Gulf Coast was hit by an unprecedented five consecutive hurricanes. Texas suffered a huge snowstorm and power outages. And the torrential rains and devastating flooding with the large losses of lives and property, from northern Germany and Belgium to western India, is another reminder that these “new normals” are now challenges of saving lives by the millions, and arresting many millions more from becoming “climate Refugees”.
India’s west coast is now becoming the target of a big cyclone every year – four years in a row for now, and millions of coastal inhabitants from its more cyclone prone east coast are now looking at the prospect of permanently leaving – to an uncertain place and future. And two of the normally coldest places on Earth, Siberia and Alaska, have experienced record temperatures for sustained periods, leading to widespread wildfires. Cool Canada and north-Eastern USA is right now experiencing Rajasthan’s desert like temperatures, and under the influence of a huge heat-dome. Arctic expeditions have shown than both on land permafrost and shallow sea bed methane hydrates are releasing the potent Green house gas Methane at increasing rate. Nearly 40% of the Coral reefs globally – called the rainforests of the ocean and nurturing nearly 30% of all marine life -- have been bleached and died, with projections that nearly 90% will die if the temperature rise reaches 1.5C. What that will do to the rich coastal ecosystems and hundreds of millions who depend on these rich fisheries, is not difficult to understand. Nearly 10% of insect species are already facing a loss of range, with the prospect of extinction (with huge implications for agriculture and forest biodiversity).
And the impact that was predicted decades from now has actually started happening – the Amazon rainforest, one of the biggest CO2 sinks till now, has stated releasing more CO2 that it’s absorbing or sequestering. This is an early signal that the dreaded Amazon dieback can start much sooner than models predicted. Far in the north, the Arctic Ocean ice cover is shrinking so fast that greedy mineral explorers and shipping companies are looking for “new business opportunities”. This, along with super-fast Greenland ice-sheet melting is adding massive amounts of cold water, visibly slowing down the Earths major heat transport mechanism, the global ocean currents (Thermo-haline Circulation, or the Atlantic Meriodinal Overturning Circulation AMOC), another possible tipping point for a major earth system.
From the science of emissions and temperature rise, and taking into account the time lag of temperature rise behind the atmospheric CO2 concentration, it’s now quite clear that we will cross the first redline of 1.5C above pre-industrial mean temperature – by some estimates, as early as the decade of 2030-2040. And It’ll be a herculean task to limit the rise within 2C in the 2nd half of this century. The all round catastrophic consequences of that breach can be looked at from the tined-down (politically vetted) IPCC Special Report SR1.5, released in October 2018. In India, where a huge population lives in close proximity to coastal belts, rivers and deserts, the challenges are to get communities understand and prepare for these massive threats to both their lives and livelihoods. And we have not yet started these preparations, in any real sense. The Covid-19 crisis has shown us how high a price a people have to pay, if its leadership is callously unprepared. And yet, this Covid-19 crisis is but a curtain raiser of much worse crises that the Climate Crisis might bring – in far larger scale and scope. Though people’s action is building up in several countries, sadly in India, this is not even a major issue for discussion, not to mention for elections. The long delayed CoP-26 is scheduled to take place this November in Glasgow, and surely there will be increased pressure from now-alarmed public opinions from several countries. The life-and-death question is, will that be the Social Tipping Point for decisive Climate Action, or we will be hurtling towards certain climate catastrophe, as we are doing now?
Unity of the Communist Revolutionary forces in Telengana; Another Important step towards CR’s Unity and Party Building.
Culminating a long process of unity, in Telengana the CPI(ML) Red Star SOC and UCCRI(ML)- Kishan who had formed the Co-ordination Committee for merger on 23rd July, have declared the completion of their merger on 20th September at the meeting observing the 23rd anniversary of com. Kolla Venkaiah Day at Hyderabad. It is a significant development when even after the attacks from the neo-fascism is intensifying day by day, many of the CR forces, including the micro sections are not prepared for even to start talking about unity in to single party, capable of leading the people’s movements against modi/s facist offensive.
It was in 2017 a section of the UCCRI (ML) left its parent organization UCCRI (ML) and decided to work independently, mainly because of the differences in the approach to caste question. The unity discussion was initiated with UCCRI(ML)–Kishan by the CPI(ML) Red Star right from the time when it had become part of the revolutionary Left core formed in 2019 end. The UCCRI(ML)–Kishan and the Telangana committee of Red Star were working together on many issues in the state. At all India level, this group led by com. Sadanandam became part of the Revolutionary Left Alternative based on a Common Program. Com Sadanandam attended the 10th September joint meeting of CR forces convened by the CPI(ML) Red Star at Kolkata also. In continuation to all these and the merger discussions taking place for last two years, overcoming all hindrances created by the Covid-19 Pandemic, in the physical meeting and discussion on 22nd July held by comrades KN Ramachandran, GS, Soura and R Manasayya, PB members, and Saidulu, the Telangana Committee secretary of CPI(ML) Red Star with com. G. Sadanandam, secretary of the UCCRI(ML)-Kishan, both sides agreed on the importance of uniting the Communist Revolutionary organizations who have basic agreement on all main issues. So, both decided to unite the two state level committees in to a single committee, the Coordination Committee for Merger, with a single executive committee, organ and office, as part of the process to complete the merger. The class/ mass organizations also shall be the same. The Coordination Committee for Merger, following a joint conference at Hyderabad on 23rd July forenoon, this formation of the coordination was announced in a press conference.
Following the Merger meeting the Committee took up various activities. The trade unions’ conference was held at Manchriyal and a TUCI committee was formed on 29th August. Com. Sadanandam addressea public meeting at Warangal calling for people’s support to the land struggle going on in the suburbs of the city. Surprisingly, based on false allegations from the landlord a case was chargd by the Hanamkonda police alleging extortion against six people and com. Sadanandam and Ad Shiva, state committee member of state OPDR were also included in the case charging UCCRI (ML) is a front organization of the Maoists, invoking UAPA provisions against all. Red Star GS com KN has send a letter to the home minister, DGP and Warnagal police commissioner asking for revoking tie false case against comrades. The Merger Committee also called for withdrawing this false case. It decided to organize a campaign against UAPA, and for withdrawal of the case. The OPDR leadership also has taken up the question of getting this false case withdrawn and to demand the repeal of the black act, UAPA.
On 20th September, following discusions with all the leading members of UCCRI(ML) Kishan, a video of com Sadananddam announcing the completion of the merger process with the CPI(ML) Red Star, and announcing the re-organization of the Coordination Committee for Merger of the two committees in to the State Committee of the CPI(ML) Red Star, with the membership renewal for the year and enrolment of new members to be taken up under this committee. Com jamuna and other comrades of UCCRI(ML) Participated in the memorial meeting and later the new committee sat and decided to work as one committee in the presence of com Saura, the PBM responsible for Telangana.
The State Committee decided to campaign for the success of the 27th bharat BAndh called by the SKM, for organizing campaign for withdrawing the false case against com Sadanandam and other comrades, to carry forward the membership renewal and merger of new sections of comrades from different districts, and to form the AIKSS organizing committee to carry forward the efforts towards forming the state level farmers movement uniting all like minded forces.
The completion of this merger process in Telangana is another important step towards the rebuilding of the party at all Indi level.
AUKUS: Strategic Shift in Geopolitics from the Atlantic towards Asia-Pacific?
P J James
The Australia-UK-US agreement (AUKUS), the trilateral security pact announced by Biden, US president, on September15, 2021 is a strategic military initiative after America’s ignominious exit from Afghanistan. Being strictly an Anglo-sphere alliance, it is mainly directed at the emerging Chinese hegemony and relative US weakening in the Asia-Pacific and the consequent shift of the geopolitical centre of gravity from the Atlantic to Asia. Effectively excluding both France, the long-term strategic partner in the trans-Atlantic NATO alliance, and India, the junior partner of US imperialist machinations in the Indo-Pacific and member of the quasi-military Quad, the AUKUS clearly orients itself towards a reinvigoration of the two centuries-old Anglo-Saxon hegemony over the world. Thus for the first time, Australia, which so far played a relatively lesser role in global geopolitics but having common settler history with the US, has been brought into one of the most strategic military alliances of the post-Cold War period.
At the core of AUKUS, which embraces a wide spectrum of technological, political, diplomatic and economic collaborations ranging from cyber-security to artificial intelligence, is a US military deal with Australia for supplying a fleet of nuclear-propelled long-range submarines. To comply with it, Australia had to cancel a diesel-electric submarine contract worth billions of dollars with France signed in 2016. Keeping US imperialism’s EU allies including France completely in the dark, the launch of AUKUS using Australia as a military base targeted against China following long-drawn-out secret negotiations, is reminiscent of US’ Pacific military operations against Japan during World War II. Obviously, China has condemned the AUKUS as the outcome of “Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice” and declared that it “seriously undermines regional peace and stability and intensifies the arms.”
France’s immediate response to the announcement of AUKUS by Biden that at one stroke wound up its $90 billion diesel-powered submarine contract with Australia was withdrawal of its Ambassadors from both US and Australia. Apart from this economic impact, the total exclusion of France and other EU allies who have their own specific spheres of influence in the Asia-Pacific (of course, as the supreme arbiter of the postwar neocolonial order, ever since the time of Marshall Plan and tense days of Cold War, the US has been consistently reluctant to involve its EU allies in its Asia-Pacific operations) will definitely have its repercussions in the form of new deals and the emergence of new alliances among imperialist powers and sharpening of inter-imperialist rivalries. It is in this background that in AUKUS, its latest military pact which is more aggressive than “pivot to Asia” or Quad, the Biden administration has unequivocally declared both UK and Australia as the most trusted and reliable allies, who have been the wholehearted supporters of all heinous postwar US aggressions directed against Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obviously, France, which has historically been among the ‘senior partners’ in the Western imperialist bloc and is a major player in international affairs, is left out of this new military pact in a clean sweep. But in the post-Brexit situation, as UK is closely integrating with US, together with Germany, the economic powerhouse of EU, France is openly upholding an independent defence and foreign policy for EU including the need for developing a separate European army totally delinked from NATO led by US. Moreover, Italy another major EU partner has already become part of China’s BRI and many countries of Europe are interested to pursue open economic relations with China. Hence, in spite of the general scepticism that prevails in Europe on the rise of China, the European powers are reluctant to seek the mediation of US in dealing with it nor interested allying with it against China. More significantly, led by the European powers an EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific with the aim of enhanced presence in the region with cordial relations with China has been unveiled recently. To be precise, all these developments have prompted US imperialism to resort to a NATO-isation of the Asia-Pacific solely based on the two century-old historically and culturally reliable Anglo-Saxon alliance.
For France, if AUKUS is a “stab in the back”, it is a “slap in the face” to India’s Modi regime despite it being US’s acknowledged South Asian junior partner in the Quad and having key agreements with US such as BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) that is aimed at countering the rise of China. AUKUS is a clear reminder to the Indian regime that, as a less privileged partner, apart from regular joint military exercises and shows, there will not be any core military power-sharing with it like that among the Anglo-American powers. Therefore, as a quasi-military arrangement, the role of Quad shall be more of a consultative umbrella organisation within which the AUKUS will be the trilateral core military pact targeted against China. Despite Modi regime’s conspicuous allegiance to the US on many vital issues both at global and in Asia as was the case with India’s last-minute withdrawal from the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), India has a historically well-functioning relationship with Russia and more often, the latter also acts as a mediator between China and India. As such, Modi government’s deal with Russia for a multi-billion S-400 air defence system and the continued membership in the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) are among the major hindrances that prevents US to bestow India the status of a principal ally in the Asia Pacific.
Henceforth, with Australia as its strategic military base in Asia-Pacific and backed by nuclear-powered sub-marines, US imperialism can strengthen its provocative interventions against China in East and South China Seas. Following its ignominious exit from Afghanistan, US has now located Taiwan as the new geopolitical ‘hot spot’. After ending its official relationship with Taiwan and abrogation of defence treaty with it together with the recognition of People’s Republic of China as the legitimate government of China in 1979, for the first time, US imperialism has invited Taiwanese representatives to attend Biden’s presidential inauguration ceremony. In gross violation of all established precedents, US defence personnel are reported to have joint exercises with their Taiwanese counterparts. The Chinese response to this US offensive is as expected. For, commenting on the emerging situation including the formation of AUKUS, Xi Jinping has advanced the Chinese agenda of unification with Taiwan with the appeal towards fulfilling the “historic task of complete reunification of the motherland.”
Apart from the apparent manifestations, the long-term repercussions of AUKUS in the entire Asia-pacific are going to be far more serious. Today nuclear-powered submarines are the monopoly of only a few countries having nuclear weapons. In this context, logical corollary of the acquisition of US-made nuclear-powered submarines by Australia is the prospect of it acquiring nuclear weapons at a later date. Its outcome will be horrific as it will lead to a nuclear arms-race in the Asia-Pacific, tempting other countries to acquire the same from other sources. That’s the US imperialist move to equip its Anglican ally with nuclear-submarines in the guise of threat from China and to cover up its own Afghan debacle is going to transform the Asia-Pacific into a region of acute arms race compelling the countries of the region to side with either US or China leading to a further sharpening of Sino-US inter-imperialist contradictions. To be precise, in the mad pursuit of reversing its declining hegemony vis-à-vis China, US imperialism has dragged the entire South-East Asian countries in to a state of proxy wars.
As Lenin pointed out, imperialism and the domination of finance capital imply the constant striving and relentless struggle among rival imperialist powers for global hegemony or open war to undermine the hegemony of adversaries. Revealingly, on the last day of US troop pull-out from Afghanistan, Biden had confessed that the era of US military operations to remake other countries was over. But within a short time, Biden has tried to regain his lost credibility due to the exit from Afghan through reformulating his agenda by a refocus on tackling China as the emergence of latter as a powerful adversary is harmful to US interests. According Biden’s think-tanks, confining to conflict zones such as Afghanistan or fighting Taliban do not serve America’s security interests while China acquiring a pre-eminent role will be challenge to US global hegemony. Thus the ignominy arising from withdrawal from Afghan is rectified by announcing AUKUS, the most ambitious military alliance fortifying Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, bombers and advanced missile technology directed against China. Thus the thrust of America’s foreign policy under Biden is to contain China and hence the Asia-Pacific is to unfold as the new global centre of great power contest.
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