Socialist Action - Socialist Action

Le Vénézuela et le socialisme du 21éme siècle

1st May 2006 Socialist Action 0

First published: May 2006

La visite de Chávez à Londres à la mi-mai a donné l’occasion d’approfondir notre compréhension de nombreux éléments de la révolution vénézuelienne. Les principaux points sur lesquels Chávez a insisté dans son discours dans le meeting de solidarité à Camden Town Hall le 14 mai ont été particulièrement instructifs.

Premièrement revenons sur des notions de base. Ce qui est en train de se passer au Vénézuela est la première tentative consciente de créer une société socialiste depuis la révolution sandiniste au Nicaragua. C’est donc aussi la première lutte offensive à un niveau étatique depuis plus de 25 ans. Ceci est déjà considérable. Après un quart de siècle, la classe ouvrière est en train de mener une lutte directe pour obtenir le pouvoir d’Etat. Qui plus est, la révolution vénézuelienne a la particularité d’être la première prise du pouvoir étatique victorieuse par le biais essentiellement d’une insurrection urbaine, depuis la révolution russe de 1917 et ses suites immédiates.

Venezuela and 21st century socialism

1st May 2006 Socialist Action 0

First published: May 2006

Chávez’s visit to London in mid-May gave an opportunity to deepen understanding of many details of the Venezuelan revolution. Particularly instructive were emphases in Chávez’s speech to the solidarity rally in Camden Town Hall on 14 May.

First let us return to fundamentals. What is taking place in Venezuela is the first self-defined and conscious attempt to create a socialist society since the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. It is therefore also the first offensive struggle at a state level for over 25 years. That is already momentous. After a quarter of a century the working class is waging a direct struggle for state power. Furthermore the Venezuelan revolution has the specific form of being the first successful taking of state power essentially through urban insurrection since the Russian Revolution of 1917 and its immediate aftermath.

Challenging the US global offensive, part 1

1st October 2004 Socialist Action 0

First published: October 2004 (pamphlet)

The European Social Forum and the struggle for socialism

1. Introduction

The European Social Forum (ESF) and the World Social Forum (WSF) are today the largest and broadest international movements against social injustice and neo-liberal capitalism. Socialist Action supports both.

The ESF, in addition to its fundamental goal of social justice, particularly embodies key steps forward that Socialist Action has championed for years.

Challenging the US global offensive, part 2

1st October 2004 Socialist Action 0

7. The situation in the imperialist countries

The overall orientation of the imperialist bourgeoisies has already been described above. However the capitalist class in the imperialist countries is such a small section of the population that it cannot maintain its rule without gaining support from wider layers of society. Undermining the position of the imperialist bourgeoisies therefore requires severing them from their wider layers of social support. This must be achieved in a very specific and concrete political situation.

Une riposte à l’offensive américaine mondiale

1st October 2004 Socialist Action 0

First published: Oct 2004

Voici la traduction en français de la majeure partie de la brochure rédigée par Socialist Action en vue du Forum Social Européen qui a eu lieu à Londres en 2004. A part les parties traitant du Forum social non traduites, la brochure reste un document de référence pour analyser la situation internationale et les rapports de forces mondiaux, même s’il faudrait y intégrer les développements récents. Le lecteur trouvera bien entendu des références aux forums sociaux qu’il lui faudra re-situer dans le contexte de la brochure.

1) LA SITUATION POLITIQUE INTERNATIONALE ACTUELLE

Aujourd’hui ce qui domine l’actualité politique internationale sont les effets de la guerre en Irak, à savoir la résistance prolongée à l’occupation dans ce pays, le mouvement international contre la guerre, et l’impact de tout ceci sur de nombreux pays. Cette situation politique immédiate à la fois regroupe, et repose sur, un certain nombre de tendances politiques, sociales et économiques déjà observées sur le long terme :

The era of permanent US aggression: Stop war in Iraq

1st February 2003 Socialist Action 0

First published: February 2003

The coming attack on Iraq is the latest in a series of wars waged by the US government – including the first Gulf War in 1991, the attack on Yugoslavia and the bombing of Afghanistan. But many more people than before have understood the real motives for the war and are therefore opposing it.

This is a vital change. Not only would an attack on Iraq kill thousands of Iraqi people but, if successful, it will be far from being the last, or even the biggest, aggressive war envisaged by the US. In his ‘axis of evil’ speech, George W. Bush has already named North Korea and Iran as potential future targets. The Pentagon ‘nuclear posture review’ document in 2002 named a hit list of countries against which Washington is prepared to use nuclear weapons, including Iran, North Korea, Libya and China. At the end of February, responding to a question from the anti-war MP Alice Mahon, Tony Blair declared that after Iraq, North Korea was next.