Yugoslav elections: war by other means
From a talk
by John Catalinotto at
the Dec. 2-3 Workers World Party
conference.
I would like to raise four important questions
regarding recent events in Yugoslavia.
Question: We supported Yugoslavia from the attack by the
U.S. and NATO in the spring of 1999. We admired the Yugoslavs
for holding out for 78 days at that time. This fall, there
was an election in Yugoslavia and then a coup that ousted the
Socialist Party government led by Slobodan Milosevic. What
was our attitude?
Answer: The election battle, to paraphrase the Prussian
general Von Clausewitz, was a "continuation of the war by
other means." NATO used bribes and threats to assure that
Milosevic lost the election, then manipulated a coup to make
sure he was driven from power. The result was a setback for
the working class and for the independence of Yugoslavia and
a gain for imperialism.
Q: How does Workers World Party react to this setback?
A: The first thing is to know that it was a setback. Other
groups on the left in the U.S., like the Socialist Workers
Party for example, wrongly consider it a gain. Even more
important organizations in Europe, like the French Communist
Party and the Communist Refoundation Party in Italy, welcomed
the defeat of Milosevic. These positions disorient the
working class and all progressives. We have to take on the
political and ideological challenge of clarifying what
happened.
Q: What role does Workers World Party have in this
ideological struggle?
A: We have a strong influence within the anti-war movement
in the United States and our position counts. It also has a
big impact in the NATO countries in Europe, especially among
those groups that are truly anti-imperialist. They look to us
as a leading anti-war force in the center of world
imperialism that takes a clear revolutionary position on the
struggle against NATO. Many read Workers World newspaper, and
they invite us to take part in their forums to strengthen
their political struggle against the social democrats and
Greens who attack Yugoslavia and Milosevic.
Q: What is happening now in Yugoslavia?
A: At the Socialist Party Congress on Nov. 25-26,
Milosevic was reelected to the leadership with 86 percent of
the 2,600 delegates supporting him. While his talk did not
promise a struggle to defend socialism, it was strong against
NATO and full of fight. We consider this an optimistic sign
that the fight in Yugoslavia is not over.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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