Pamphlet: Revolution and Counter-revolution in the Middle East
Click on link below to read or download the pamphlet Revolution and Counter-revolution in the Middle East Tweet
West Asia
Five precedents for understanding Egypt’s July coup
The Egyptian army’s July coup was met with widespread confusion on the left. Within Egypt and internationally some socialists actually supported the coup, others were explicitly neutral in the struggle between the Muslim Brotherhood government and the army.
The article by John Riddell that appears below considers these issues from the point of view of the experience of the international communist movement from 1917 to the 1930s, drawing out why these positions are dangerously wrong.
US prepares its war against Syria
By Paul Roberts
Whilst President Obama tries to tie down support this week in advance of forthcoming Congressional votes, the US military is preparing an immense assault on Syria. US imperialism does not make idle threats, so it intends that the attack will proceed. Members of Congress are being told that a ‘no-vote’ next week, against air-strikes, would catastrophically weaken the US for years to come.
It is the imperialist powers and their allies who use chemical weapons
By Tom Castle
Propaganda in this country and by the other imperialist powers has sought to portray the use of chemical weapons as a uniquely barbarous act. Nick Clegg speaking in the Commons debate where the government lost in its initial efforts to authorise air strikes claimed they had not been used in a hundred years. More circumspectly, Foreign Secretary William Hague claimed they had not been used in this century.
Both are completely wrong and in trying to create a pretext for attacking Syria attempt to hide the role that the imperialist powers themselves have played in the use of chemical weapons. Chemical weapons are created by industrial processes. The most advanced industrialised countries, until recently solely the imperialist powers, have access to the most sophisticated chemical weapons, either for their own use or for sale to the reliable allies.
No attack on Syria – National Demonstration: Saturday 31 August
Assemble 12 noon, Embankment, London Further details from Stop the War Coalition Tweet
Emergency protest: No attack on Syria 28 August London
Emergency protest: No attack on Syria Downing Street, 5—7pm, Wednesday 28 August Following the victory of the counter-revolution in Egypt, imperialism is now moving on to eliminate its next target in the Middle [Read more]