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Austerity USA

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:41:04 +0100

Editors' note: In Europe, austerity takes an overt form. The European Union, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund impose austerity on Greece and other weaker European economies. In the US, austerity takes a more complex and deceptive form. At the federal level, austerity wears the mask of a slow-moving political deadlock between the Executive and Legislative branches ( sequestration ) in which both monopoly parties are complicit, or else at the state and local level, austerity is public service cutbacks and assaults on unions. Austerity in the USA was described in a recent Counterpunch article by Shamus Cooke below. U.S. politicians have cried wolf over austerity long enough for the public to ignore them. A perfect time, then, for politicians to actually unleash the wolves. Barring an unlikely last minute deal, here's a short list of some of the massive, national bi-partisan-created austerity cuts, according to the New York Times:

Plans for World Meeting

Sat, 11 May 2013 01:00:00 +0100

Press Statement by the Portuguese Communist Party on the Meeting of the Working Group of the International Meetings of Communist and Workers' parties 1 � The Working Group (WG) of the International Meetings of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP) held, on May 11, 2013, in Lisbon, a preparatory meeting of the 15th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties, which will be held in Portugal next November. A total of 9 delegations took part in this preparatory meeting, between members of the Working Group and other Parties that take part in the process of the International Meetings.

The Reprehensible Meddling of the AFL-CIO�s Solidarity Center

Sat, 11 May 2013 01:00:00 +0100

Just before the April 14 Presidential elections in Venezuela, RT News reported on a Wikileaks Cable from 2006 in which, in the words of RT, then �ambassador to Venezuela, William Brownfield, outlines a comprehensive plan to infiltrate and destabilize former President Hugo Chavez� government,� including through programs of the USAID and its Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI).�� On May Day, Bolivian President Evo Morales informed the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia that he wanted USAID to leave Bolivia because he (quite reasonably) suspected USAID of trying to subvert his own government as well.

Politics Are in Turmoil, Doctors Have Cure

Fri, 10 May 2013 01:00:00 +0100

David Brooks, based in the United States, wrote in the progressive Mexican La Jornada newspaper. �There are weeks,� he wrote in February, �when one cannot report from the United States rationally about what frequently is, objectively, a mosaic of craziness. If one does so, there is the suspicion is that it�s only because one has ended up as another inmate in the madhouse.� He had examples:

Victory Day, May 9, 2013

Thu, 09 May 2013 01:00:00 +0100

Editors' note: it may be difficult, not only for the young but the middle-aged as well, to appreciate the meaning, the scale, and the cost of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.� On June 22, 1941 when the hitherto undefeated Nazi armies, 4-million strong, stormed over the border toward Moscow, conventional wisdom in Western ruling circles was that the USSR would quickly go down to defeat. Less than four years later, after 30 million deaths on both sides, no swastika flew over the Kremlin. The red flag flew over the Reichstag. Little wonder, then, the victory still stirs profound emotions. Seizure of the rich land of the Ukraine was a key goal of German imperialism. Below, leader of Communist Party of Ukraine, Pyotr Simonenko, salutes the Ukrainian people and war veterans on Victory Day. Dear veterans!� Dear compatriots!� I heartily congratulate you on the Day of the Great Victory!

Socialism or �Castles in the Air�?

Wed, 08 May 2013 01:00:00 +0100

It�s hardly a secret that the US left is barely alive. While left-wing movements in the US have hardly shaken the foundations of power in my life time, they have known moments of modest success, reshaping the political landscape in significant and irreversible ways. Since World War II, left activism has stirred and nourished important movements like the struggles for African American equality and against US aggression in Vietnam. The left has also played important roles in fueling struggles for women�s and gay rights and for strengthening environmental protection. While 1960s talk of revolution and radical alternatives were more hyperbole than real, the ferment of those days was real.

The West and Its Allies Cynically Bleed Syria to Weaken Iran

Wed, 08 May 2013 01:00:00 +0100

If anyone had doubts that Syria's gruesome civil war is already spinning into a wider Middle East conflict, the events of the past few days should have laid them to rest. Most ominous was Israel's string of aerial attacks on Syrian military installations near Damascus, reportedly killing more than 100.

Red Lines and Other Double Standards

Mon, 06 May 2013 01:00:00 +0100

According to the White House, Israel has the right to defend itself (1). I would argue that it doesn�t. Based on the theft of another people�s land and denial of their right to return to the homes from which they fled or were driven, Israel no more than any other thief has the right to defend itself.S

Rene: A New Standard-Bearer

Fri, 03 May 2013 01:00:00 +0100

Rene Gonzalez could have used the same reasons of those who very soon decided to plead guilty and cooperate with the authorities. After long years of separation, he already had at his side Olga and Irmita, and had been able to enjoy for just four months the newborn Ivette.

FAO Congratulates Cuba on Food Production Success

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0100

Jos� Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO), sent a congratulatory letter to Fidel Castro, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, from Rome, Italy, on April 29, which we reproduce in full below:

Celebrating Solidarity

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:06:31 +0100

Be there when a showing of Gerardo Hernandez� political cartoons opens. �That�s on May 1, International Worker�s Day, at the�Meg Perry Center in Portland, Maine�at 644 Congress Street. Food and refreshments are at 6 PM.� Discussion starts at 7 PM.

May Day 2013

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:43:51 +0100

The World Federation of Trade Unions appeals to all trade union organizations in the world to organize on the occasion of May Day 2013 rallies and activities in all countries, on all continents, honoring International Workers� Day and the martyrs of the working class.

Obama's Syria Horror

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:29:15 +0100

President Obama has fueled Syria's civil war flames and lied to Congress about his modest role in that conflict. Between 2002 and 2007, I visited Syria four times. I drove through the fertile valleys that parallel the Mediterranean coast, and to the Golan Heights' barbed-wired border with Israel.

Requiem for a Dominatrix

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:27:37 +0100

On April 8, 2013, the western world lost a grand dame, an iconic figure, a woman admired by millions while dismissed by others as just another lady in a bouffant hairdo. She came from a modest social background yet she made her way to the top, a woman who could perform winningly in what is arguably the most competitive arena of life. I am, of course, speaking of Annette Funicello, singer and Hollywood actress.

The US Must Recognize Venezuela's Election

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:20:49 +0100

The United States is refusing to recognize the results of the Venezuelan elections, insisting that Venezuela conduct a re-count of 100 percent of the votes in light of the narrow margin of victory for Nicolas Maduro. The facts surrounding the voting process and election outcome in Venezuela, the U.S.'s own experiences with close presidential elections, and the U.S.'s recent recognition of coup governments in Latin America demonstrate that the U.S.'s position in regard to Venezuela has nothing to do with the U.S.'s alleged concerns for democracy, but rather, its complete disdain for it.

Support the People of Venezuela and Their Choice

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:47:31 +0100

Statement of the U. S. Peace Council supporting the people of Venezuela and their choice of President The United States Peace Council (USPC), affiliated with the World Peace Council, condemns violence and murder at the hands of defeated opponents of recently elected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Their presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, a leader of the center-right Justice First Party, distinguished himself as a high profile participant in the unsuccessful military-media coup directed at President Hugo Chavez in April 2002. At the time, Capriles led a group of thugs that forcibly occupied the Cuban Embassy in Caracas.

Mr. Kerry's Neighborhood (or is it His Backyard?)

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Secretary of State John Kerry testified this April at a Senate budget hearing concerning his Department. Presiding Senator Bob Menendez worried that a focus on the Middle East could create a vacuum in our own hemisphere � meaning a declining hegemony in Latin America � that would be filled by people like past president Hugo Chavez �Venezuela�, Evo Morales, and a whole host of individuals....   

"Our" Terrorists and "Your" Terrorists

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The Boston bombings should force us to take a deeper look into how the US labels and relates to groups or people who �use violence against civilians for political purposes� -- the definition of �terrorism� consistently expressed almost in chorus by the Clinton, Bush and Obama regimes when they go to war against it.

Stockman's Rant

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On the rare occasion, an article appears in the mainstream press that takes a deeper, more thoughtful view of human affairs, a document that gives a hint or glimpse of an unspoken truth beyond the pablum that occupies media puppets. Such an occasion was the publishing of The New York Times opinion piece entitled �State Wrecked: The Corruption of Capitalism in America� (3-31-2013) and authored by former Reaganite budget director, David Stockman.

Chechen Terrorists and the Neocons

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

I almost choked on my coffee listening to neoconservative Rudy Giuliani pompously claim on national TV that he was surprised about any Chechens being responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings because he's never seen any indication that Chechen extremists harbored animosity toward the U.S.

Communists Hold 37th Convention

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Canada's third-oldest political party gathered at the Steelworkers Hall in Toronto over the April 5-7 weekend, amid important signs of growth and renewal. Formed in 1921, the Communist Party of Canada has kept its eyes on the prize of socialism for over nine decades, despite periods of intense ruling class repression.

Africa: Imperialism�s High Mark of Conquest in the 21st Century

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The US-NATO military curtain has fallen the length and breadth of Africa.�

The Many, Many Charges Against Margaret Thatcher

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The eulogies for public figures who served the right interests are always bloated and collective amnesia keeps their victims and wrongs out of sight and mind. �On the day Margaret Thatcher died, Barack Obama, as expected, gushed that the �The world has lost one of its true champions of freedom and liberty�� It gets worse. �Pope Francis, hailed Baroness Thatcher for her promotion of freedom�.� Neither man bothered to explain what they meant by freedom or whose freedom Thatcher had actually fought for.� Grandiose tributes like these � as well as being a slap in the face for British working class people who saw their lives blighted in the 1980s and beyond --- are politically motivated and intended to hide uncomfortable contradictions.

Danny Glover Prevented from Visiting Gerardo Hernandez

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Actor� Danny Glover was prevented from visiting Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Cuban Five imprisoned in the U.S. Yesterday another incident of injustice against one of the Cuban 5 took place at the Victorville Penitentiary in the high Mojave desert of California.

An Interview with North Koreans about the Current Situation

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

I am an anti-war and Latin America solidarity activist in Chicago. I recently returned from a late March trip to North Korea [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK)], along with 45 others, through Koryo Tours.

Lessons from Cuba and Haiti - Throw off Exploiters, Live Better

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Both Cuba and Haiti have lived under the thumb of northern nations. The two countries returned wealth to rulers that, once jilted, subjected them to special loathing. Cuba�s offense after 1959 was to have become a socialist and anti-imperialist outpost in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti roused fear and hatred as the world�s first and only republic founded on a slave rebellion.

The Global Crisis is Far from Abating

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

From the Keynote Address to the 37th Central Convention of the Communist Party of Canada, presented by party leader Miguel Figueroa.

Behind the U.S.-North Korea Conflict

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

What�s happening between the U.S. and North Korea to produce such headlines in recent days as �Korean Tensions Escalate,� and��North Korea Threatens U.S.�?

New Leadership for German Communists

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On March 2 and 3, the 20th Congress of the German Communist Party (DKP) took place in the town of M�rfelden near Frankfurt. There were important results. Because of the large number of amendments to the main document, �Responses to the DKP Crisis,� the Congress could not discuss all the motions. Therefore, there will be an additional day [of Congress], probably in late May.

Throwing BRICS at the U.S. Empire

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The meteoric rise of the BRICS nations � Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa � now concluding their fifth annual summit meeting in Durban, became inevitable once the imperial powers began moving the world's industrial production to the Global South, decades ago.

What Ails the GOP?

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The plight of the Republican Party and its damaged brand are much in discussion recently. Republicans are in a state of despair over their loss in the 2012 presidential election and, as is always the case, debate among themselves about the reasons for their defeat.

The Position of Greece within International Capitalism

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:15:56 +0100

Article for El Machete, the Theoretical and Political Review of the CP of Mexico The 19th Congress of the KKE will take place on 11-14 April 2013. Its main subject besides the review of the activity and the duties of the party until the 20th Congress is the elaboration of the Programme of the Party and its Statutes.

A Decade to Save Russia

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0100

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) has no illusions about the European Union as a predatory, expansionist, anti-working class alliance. Together, the EU and the US are seen as a single bloc of imperialist powers with Nato as their military stick.

Two Documentaries: Sixto and the Queen of Versailles

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Seventy-five years ago, Christopher Caudwell�s Studies in a Dying Culture was published posthumously. Caudwell, a brilliant young British Communist writer and poet volunteered to fight for the Spanish Republic and was killed in 1937. If Caudwell�s assessment of capitalist culture was appropriate to the mid-twentieth century, that culture has reached a terminal phase in the second decade of the twenty-first century.

The Cuban Embargo: Policy Outlook After 50 Years

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

At the outset, let me thank Georgia University and particularly the Dean Rusk Center for its invitation. Thanks to Dean� White, as well as Ambassador Donald Johnson who has been working in this initiative for almost a year.

A Silent Antiwar Movement Is Unacceptable

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0100

The peace movement�s silence in the face of imperialist military escalations in Africa and the Middle East is unjustified and unacceptable. On Monday February 25th, the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, announced that the United States will be directly providing the so-called �Syrian opposition� with �non-lethal� aid in a coordinated effort to overthrow the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. In addition, U.S. officials have announced that the United States will be supplying the so-called �Free Syrian Army� with medical supplies and the U.S. Military�s Meal-Ready-to-Eat field rations.

Cuban Five Raised at US Union Conference

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

From 9-12 March, the British Cuba Solidarity Campaign was present at the USW (United Steel Workers) Women of Steel conference in Pittsburgh, USA, to raise awareness and support for the campaign for Justice for the Miami Five and their families.

Eugene Debs, Colonel Steele, and the Nature of Capitalism

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:50:09 +0100

A famous picture from 1912 shows socialist leader Eugene Debs leaning forward and speaking out to a crowd in Chicago. If a picture can show a call to action, this one is it.� It conveys the message that action, once begun, admits of no delay, no deviation, and goes to the end. Debs was suggesting exactly that when, in the socialist newspaper Appeal to Reason, he asked �Who shall be the John Brown of Wage-Slavery?�

The Siege and Terrorism

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

In his 2011 book Crisis in Korea: America, China and the Risk of War, Tim Beal writes, The Americans, and their friends and allies, tend to have a disengaged attitude toward sanctions�disengaged both ethically and in terms of causality. Sanctions are, after all, but the modern version of the age-old military tactic of the siege. The aim of the siege is to reduce the enemy to such a state of starvation and deprivation that they open the gates, perhaps killing their leaders in the process, and throw themselves on the mercy of the besiegers.�

Theses for 37th Congress, CPC

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

37th Central Convention of the Communist Party of Canada Draft Main Political Resolution Section I � The International Situation 1. The 37th Convention of our Party takes place at a particularly complex and dangerous moment in the workers� and people�s struggle. The systemic crisis of capitalism in Canada and internationally has continued to deepen over the past three years, reflected in ever-widening social disparity, intensified economic and social attacks against the people, fresh assaults on labour and democratic rights, the further degradation of the national and global environment, and increasing militarism, aggression and war.

Sentencing Variations Show U.S. Bias against Cuban Five

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Defenders of the Cuban Five political prisoners see their convictions and sentencing as evidence of extreme prejudice. To compare sentences they received with sentences handed out to those who actually spied on the U.S. government may serve as corroboration. Prior to September 12, 1998 when they entered prison Gerardo Hern�ndez, Antonio Guerrero, Ram�n Laba�ino, Fernando Gonz�lez, and Ren� Gonz�lez were in Florida monitoring groups carrying out anti-Cuban terror attacks.

1,426 Billionaires vs. 80% of Global Population Living on $10 a Day!

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The 1,426 billionaires of the world are celebrating their rankings at the Forbes Magazine�s 2013 List of Billionaires, having gathered a total net worth of $5.4 trillion, an actual $800 billion increase since last year. Let us remind ourselves that these riches could not have been accumulated without the most vital means of production: the labour force.

International Working Women's Day, March 8

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:13:12 +0100

March 8th is International Day Working Women�s Day. We need to talk to our students about how and why� International Working Women�s Day was established. March 8 is not a typical anniversary dedicated to women. It is the day that marks the struggles of working women, of the working class women, for their liberation and emancipation��from the exploitation and the oppression of the capitalistic employers and from each and every one of the prejudices against them.

Song for Chavez

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:57:50 +0100

The progressive folksinger David Rovics composed� Song for Chavez in 2010. The video can be viewed here (http://www.musictory.com/music/David+Rovics/Song+For+Hugo+Chavez) . Song For Hugo Chavez For the moment the horizon is on fire Democracy rising balanced on a wire Liberation, you can smell it in the air Things are moving and the rich are all aware Some will talk along the sidelines, others they will do Me, I'll sing a song for Chavez before the coup

The Sequestration Tango

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Obama and GOP Dance Through the Graveyard of the New Deal The Obama regime has been remarkably successful � in pushing forward a Republican agenda. Obama, especially, has moved with such elegance and poise, his fans forgot that he was dancing with a partner: the GOP. Together, they have starved the federal beast and forged a consensus on the inevitability of austerity. Let the gruesome-twosome take a bow.

Farewell, Comandante!

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Statement of the Revolutionary Government: It was with profound and searing grief that our people and the Revolutionary Government learned about the decease of President Hugo Ch�vez Fr�as and are therefore preparing to pay a heartfelt and patriotic tribute to him, for he will go down in history as a Hero of Our America.

In Memoriam: Phillip Bonosky (1916-2013)

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Editorial Note: One of our editors has pointed out that the heartfelt and accurate appreciation of Phil Bonosky, below, by Daniel Rosenberg somewhat understates his contribution to Left cultural work in the US.� For example, the Harlem Writers Workshop which Bonosky organized in 1951, lasted for 30 years. Through it passed some of the nation's leading African-American writers and poets, including Douglas Turner Ward, Rosa Guy, Alice Childress, John Oliver Killens, Audre Lorde and Lonnie Elder III. The writer Phillip Bonosky, a member of the Communist Party since 1938, died on Saturday (March 2, 2013) in Brooklyn, New York. He was 96.

Notes from the Brink

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

More Workers' Woes If it seems like I�m picking on the United Auto Workers union, it�s only because its descent from its once lofty, exemplary stature as one of the most democratic and militant CIO unions has been the steepest. Last month, I wrote of the leadership�s complicity in the gutting of union wage and benefit standards, a gutting that has left starting wages often lower than for their non-union counterparts. I reported that UAW contracts were pressuring management at non-union Toyota to buy out older workers in order to establish a new, lower starting wage to compete with their unionized competitors. UAW union contracts are now the corporate tool for slashing labor costs!

The U.S. Scorched Earth Policy, Ten Years After Iraq Invasion

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0100

When the United States invaded Iraq on March 17, 2003, the Bush regime hoped to forestall America�s impending economic eclipse through ruthless deployment of its last remaining global advantage: a war machine so huge and technologically advanced, it accounted for half the world�s military spending. The strategic aim of the unprovoked assault, broadly outlined by the�Project for the New American Century and telegraphed in numerous Pentagon leaks, was to block the rise of any challenge to U.S. imperial supremacy in the foreseeable future.

Annals of Imperialism: Militarization of Space

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

In an exclusive interview with the Voice of Russia, Bruce Gagnon shares little known facts about the militarization of space by the United States, the development of first strike space drones and the foundation of the US military industrial complex by Nazi scientists bent on victory in World War III. If you thought missile defense and drones were bad, you haven't heard anything yet.  

Social Democracy at the Service of the Ruling Classes

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Editors' Note: the third issue of International Communist Review is newly posted <<http://www.iccr.gr/site/>>. This article, Social Democracy at the Service of the Ruling Classes.  The Struggle of the Communist Party, is taken from it. Revisionism is a historical phenomenon hostile to Marxism. Since the birth of the labour movement to this day, an intense struggle between two tendencies has been waged within the movement: the revolutionary one and the opportunist one.

A Tale of Two Prescriptions and a Root Canal

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

There is a scene near the end of� Michael Moore�s healthcare movie SICKO when� a woman, whose lungs were severely damaged working at ground zero after 9/11, goes into a neighborhood pharmacy in Havana, Cuba to see if they have the same� medicine in Cuba that she has been taking in the United States.

New Abusive Measure against One of the Cuban Five.

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:05:28 +0100

Ren� Gonz�lez Sehwerert, Hero of the Republic of Cuba, has been the subject of new arbitrary measures by the Government of the United States that is toughening the conditions of his supervised release, making it seem even more as prison conditions, with the aim of continuing to punish him after so many years of unfair and cruel treatment. Since September 2012, the Department of State has denied all requests by the Cuban Interests Section in Washington to let Cuban diplomatic officials visit Ren�. These visits had been permanently authorized during the 13 years in which he was imprisoned and during the first few months of his supervised release upon finishing his prison term. Up to now our Diplomatic Mission in the United States has unsuccessfully presented the Department of State several alternatives for continuing regular consular visits to Ren�, and these have been rejected.

The ABC of Bourgeois Politics

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

From the Russian Revolution until the demise of Soviet and Eastern European socialism, one dominant, uncompromising and persistent theme has obsessed ruling elites in the capitalist world and their allies: Anything but Communism (ABC).

The Image of Socialism We Are Fighting For

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On February 25, in Moscow the proceedings of the roundtable discussion organized by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) were made public. The topic was The Image of Socialism We Are Fighting For. � Foreign delegations at the 15th Congress of the CPRF participated. Elisseos Vagenas, member of the CC and Director of� the International Relations Section of the CC of the KKE, made a contribution to the round-table discussion on behalf of the KKE.� His remarks were as follows:

Political Report, 15th CPRF Congress

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Political Report of the Central Committee to the 15th Congress of the CPRF Preparing for the 15th Party Congress, the Presidium of the CC CPRF has decided to publish for a broad discussion the draft Political Report of the Central Committee to the Party Congress. We invite all the Communists, Party supporters and all the country�s citizens to acquaint themselves with our position on international issues and the internal and foreign policy of Russia. The remarks and proposals made during the discussion will be taken into account in finalizing the document at the Plenary Session of the CC CPRF on the eve of the Congress.� Submitted by the Presidium of the CC to the Central Committee of the CPRF Esteemed participants in the Congress,

U.S. a Factor in Six Million Congo Deaths

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, writing for The Guardian of London, called it the most important assassination of the 20th century. He was referring to the murder of the first legally elected prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC or Congo ), Patrice Lumumba, on January 17, 1961, through the combined efforts of the United States and Belgium. The assassination took place less than seven months after Congolese independence from Belgium. The Congo has yet to recover from this tragic event.

Book Note: The Hot "Cold War" � The USSR in Southern Africa

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:38:04 +0100

Editors' Note: The reviewer served as a military intelligence analyst with the Cuban armed forces in Angola. He is also one of the Cuban Five, a prisoner of the US government, serving an 18-year sentence on completely bogus espionage conviction. We are honored to post his review on a subject� on which he is an expert� -- African liberation.

Family Visits With Ramon Labanino: Does Mrs. Alan Gross Deal With Stuff Like This?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Ramon Labanino's 74-year-old father, his younger brother, and oldest daughter were slated to visit him at the Federal Prison in Jesup, Georgia from December 23rd through January 11th. This would allow him to have visits on 12 days, the maximum number of days allowed under the 8-point system at Jesup Federal Correctional Institution (FCI).

About the Book of Roger Keeran and Thomas Kenny

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 17:05:30 +0100

Roger Keeran and Thomas Kenny. Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union. (New York, International Publishers, 2004) Empty and superficial minds quickly resolve issues and hasten to express their opinion, but anyone who is serious about a significant subject, reaches a satisfactory outcome only by studying it completely. This requires long and hard work, plunging into subject for a long time, and studying it in calm. Hegel (1).

Venezuela Donates Free Heating Oil to 100,000 Needy US Households

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

For the eighth straight year, Venezuela's state oil company is donating free heating oil to hundreds of thousands of needy Americans.

Why Nobody's Paying Attention to Black Folks These Days

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

While the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met at the White House to press for immigration reform, on January 25, traditional Black organizations gathered at Washington's Mayflower Hotel to further refine their so-called Black Agenda � for presentation to President Obama at some future date.

Terrorists Are Protected in the United States; Anti-terrorists Are in Prison

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Atilio A. Boron explains why continued imprisonment of the Cuban Five is an abomination. U.S. hypocrisy is on display, once more. He renews the call for President Obama to send them home.

The Real Invasion of Africa

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

A full-scale invasion of Africa is under way.� The United States is deploying troops in 35 African countries, beginning with Libya, Sudan, Algeria and Niger.

Joint Statement of the Istanbul Anti-NATO Meeting

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

After attending the meeting Struggle against NATO barbarism in the Middle East and North Africa on February 2-3 2013 in Istanbul, the Communist and workers' parties made the following joint statement. They call on all progressive forces that struggle for peace and justice to undersign and share it.

The Srebrenica Massacre Was a Gigantic Political Fraud

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Renowned author Dr. Edward Herman spoke with the Voice of Russia regarding the facts surrounding the Srebrenica Massacre, the pretext for the humanitarian invasion of the former Yugoslavia, and takes apart the official version that has always been promoted by the West. Dr. Herman reveals that there were in fact multiple massacres at Srebrenica, and that the killing of Bosnian-Muslim soldiers at Srebrenica (the West's pretext) was in response to the killing of over 2,000 Serb civilians, mostly women and children, at the location.

Praise for President Chavez� Anti-imperialism is Deserved, but Distracting

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Novelist and poet William Ospina�s recently authored a paean to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that extols him as a hero for the ages. Chavez, ill in a Cuban hospital, is praised for his anti-imperialism. Ospina brings Chavez into the company of deceased Latin American cultural and historical icons, yet the anti-imperialist qualifications he requires for admission into such a pantheon are unclear. His article appeared in the Colombian newspaper El Espectador and on the Colombian Communist Party�s website.

Book Review: A Guide to Marx's Capital by Kenneth Smith

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

A Guide to Marx's Capital by Kenneth Smith. Anthem Press, 2012.� $29.95. Smith is up front about the fact that the views about Marx which he advances in this guide are controversial . Given that the book is an attempt to combine the presentation of these controversial views with a comprehensive introduction to all three volumes of Marx's Capital, we must first evaluate the book's performance as an introduction, then discuss Smith's critical arguments in more detail.

A Terrible Normality

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Through much of history the abnormal has been the norm. This is a paradox to which we should attend. Aberrations, so plentiful as to form a terrible normality of their own, descend upon us with frightful consistency. The number of massacres in history, for instance, are almost more than we can record.

An Interview with Irina Malenko, Author of Sovietica

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Irina Malenko, the author of Sovietica, is interviewed by SYU, the Sinhala-language magazine of the Socialist Youth Union of Sri Lanka. The interview will be published in SYU soon. Comrade Irina, we welcome you. At SYU, the magazine of the Socialist Youth Union of Sri Lanka, we thought of having a special kind of conversation with you.

On War and Antiwar

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The �war on terror� might now be considered the longest general imperialist war in history. Now in its twelfth year, it comfortably exceeds the duration of the two world wars of the twentieth centurycombined. Particular imperialist wars � against the Vietnamese for example � have lasted longer; but the �war on terror� is of a different type � a war ostensibly against a method, fought by fluctuating alliances of great powers, with the USA at their core, extending over a vast and enlarging range of nations across thousands of miles, reading from west to east � Mali, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan being those explicitly targeted, with still others, headed by Iran and Syria obviously targeted. In its scope and duration, this has been a historically imposing episode.

Oxford Union Debate Rejects the American Dream

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The Oxford Union voted narrowly to reject the motion �That this House still dreams the American Dream� on Thursday evening January 24. The Oxford Union is a debating society in Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from Oxford University. Founded in 1823, it has gained a worldwide reputation for vigorous, sharp debate. Speakers in favour of the motion included former CIA agent Ray McGovern (now a campaigner against US government� torture policies) and former Islamic fundamentalist turned American cheerleader Maajid Nawaz. On the winning side were US author (and now British resident) Bonnie Greer, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, and Communist Party of Britain general secretary Robert Griffiths. His contribution is below.

"Left" Front Backs French Imperialist Adventure in Mali

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 19:19:01 +0100

Editors' Note:� while some on the US Left seem to think that the Left Front (Front Gauche ) in France is a wholly positive development, the interview below with one of its main spokesmen shows how opportunistic the Front Gauche is in going along with French intervention in its ex-colony, Mali.� For almost a century social reformism has openly supported imperialism and imperialist war.� Nowadays, social reformism covers up its opportunism by claiming an intervention is humanitarian. Of late, humanitarian imperialism has been on display in Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Iraq and other lands in Africa and the Middle East.� In other imperialist states,� the humanitarian imperialist argument is influential, for example, in the US among many Democrats, and in Britain among right-wing Labour supporters. Their flawed mode of reasoning is similar, and it is illustrated below. Interview with Fran�ois Asensi, speaker of the Left Front Group in the French National Assembly on Mali It is rare that the progressive camp approves of French military intervention abroad, why is Mali an exception?

Algerian Communists Denounced Mali Intervention

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

No to imperialist interference in Mali and the provocations of their Islamist agents in�Algeria! French imperialism continues unabated in executing its plan for total political and military control of its former African colonies. After C�te d�Ivoire, where commandos removed Gbagbo by force � sent to a prison in The Hague � and installed their puppet Ouattara, France has launched its air armada and landed its troops in Mali under the pretext of fighting Islamist armed groups deployed in the north of the country and defending Mali�s territorial integrity.

Once Derided, Gaddafi�s Warnings about Jihadists Now Used to Justify Mali Interventio

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:03:54 +0100

In the January 20th New York Times, Steven Erlanger justifies the French intervention in Mali on these grounds: � It responds to �a direct request from a legitimate government.� � It combats �the spread of radical Islamists, some of them foreign jihadists, strongly connected to terrorist groups like Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.�

Horse-Trading Versus Struggle. Paternalism and Ass-Covering in Spielberg�s �Lincoln�

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:46:34 +0100

Which film about the abolition of slavery was intended to burnish the reputation of a contemporary President? If you answered that it was Spielberg�s lavishly praised �Lincoln�, you were right. When asked in a November 15th NPR interview whether he saw parallels with the Obama administration, screenwriter Tony Kushner replied:

Chile, a Revolution Denied

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

This coming September 11 will mark the fortieth anniversary of the coup overthrowing the elected government of Chile, a country that, at the time, enjoyed the longest enduring tradition of electoral stability in South America. Despite the uninterrupted existence of a constitutional parliamentary system from 1932, the Chilean military�aided by US covert services�overthrew the President, Doctor Salvador Allende Gossens, and violently suppressed his supporters, installing a military junta that ruled for 26 years.

A Communist Vision of Trade Unions: A Review

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Review of Toni Gilpin, Left by Themselves: A History of the United Farm Equipment and Metal Workers Union, 1938-1955 Volumes I and II (Ph.D dss., Yale University, 1992) From 1947 until 1955, Local 236 of the United Farm Equipment and Metal Workers Union (FE) at the International Harvester company's plant in Louisville, Kentucky, exemplified a union run according to the Communist vision of trade unionism.

Forty Years after the "Christmas Bombing of North Vietnam"

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Editors' Note:� In the US, it's usually referred to as the Christmas Bombing of North Vietnam. Below is a Vietnamese assessment. Dien Ben Phu, of course, was the decisive Vietnamese victory over French imperialism in 1953. The Vietnamese see the so called Christmas Bombing as Dien Bien Phu in the air, that is, a comparable defeat for US imperialism. Fortieth anniversary of H� Nội - Điện Bi�n Phủ in the air victory (Dec. 1972 � Dec . 2012) Stature and historical lessons of the victory H� Nội - Điện Bi�n Phủ in the air Phương Minh H�a is Lieutenant-General, Doctor, Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam's Central Committee, Commander of the Air Defense and Air Force The strategic decisive battle Điện Bi�n Phủ in the air over H� Nội, Hải Ph�ng and some other northern cities in December 1972 was an event of great stature and important historical lessons during the Vietnamese nation's anti-US war of resistance. This historic victory was a vivid manifestation of Vietnam's revolutionary heroism and reflected pro-activeness, innovation and fearlessness of sacrifices and hardships. With this victory, Vietnam's military tactics reached their climax in the all people's warfare for national defense.

WFTU Denounces Imperialist Intervention in Mali

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The World Federation of Trade Unions strongly denounces the military intervention of the French socialist government of Francois Hollande in Mali with the support of other imperialist forces, using as pretext the intensification of the conflicts between the Malian army and the militant organizations that are appearing to be fighting for the independence of Northern Mali in Azawad. The military intervention was presented as a response to the request of the Malian President, Dioncounda Traore; the President who was appointed in his position after the military coup of last March.

The Unprecedented Role of Money in the 2012 US Elections

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The first presidential election since the so called Citizens United decision lived up to its hype, with unprecedented outside spending from new sources making headlines. Demos and U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund analysis of reports from campaigns, parties, and outside spenders to the Federal Election Commission found that our big money system distorts democracy and creates clear winners and losers.

Action Alert: Help Free Colombian Political Prisoner David Ravelo!

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

From: North American Committee to Free David Ravelo To: Anyone for social justice and/or solidarity with political prisoners This communication has four parts: �Why we are contacting you �Who we are �Two letters we hope you will endorse �Background information

UNAC on the Rapidly Increasing U.S. Military Intervention in Africa

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The US is sending 3500 troops to Africa. On Christmas Day, 2012 � a time when few people were paying attention to the news � the Associated Press reported that the Obama administration had decided to send some 3,500 U.S. troops early in 2013 into as many as 35 of Africa's 54 countries, claiming it is part of an intensifying Pentagon effort to train countries to battle extremists and to give the United States a ready and trained force to dispatch to Africa if crises requiring the U.S. military emerge.

The Class Struggle Intensifies in France

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Nearly two thirds of French people see a class struggle being waged in their country, according to a new poll. That�s nearly 20 points up from the late 1960s, according to pollster IFOP. Among the blue collar workers this perception rises to 67%, against 59% for white collar employees.

Obama�s Steady Road to Austerity

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Barack Obama�s second swearing-in as president will not produce anything approaching the awesome pilgrimage � the �Great Black Hajj� � that swarmed around him on January 20, 2009. Most African Americans experienced the last inauguration as a new beginning, a collective grabbing of the gold ring, a fantasia on the National Mall. Few caught the meaning of his coded messages of impending austerity � a careful telegraphing of his intentions to gut Franklin Roosevelt�s New Deal and Lyndon Johnson�s Great Society programs. �Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions � that time has surely passed, the new president told the tearfully joyous throng, only a handful of whom understood that the �narrow interests� he referred to was them, and that Obama had already made the �unpleasant decision� to launch an all-out assault on the social safety net.

The Pentagon's Planet of Bases

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The United States has 460 bases overseas!� It has 507 permanent bases!� What is the U.S doing with more than 560 foreign bases?� Why does it have 662 bases abroad?� Does the United States�really�have more than 1,000 military bases across the globe?

Military Judge Recognizes Bradley Manning Was Mistreated

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

�A military judge has recognized what many progressives denied: Bradley Manning was mistreated. The ruling is but the latest repudiation of claims from Obama supporters that Manning was treated fairly and justly.

Certain Issues regarding the Communist Movement Emerging from the Experience of the KKE

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 08:18:37 +0100

Article of Giorgos Marinos, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece. An abridged version of the article was published in the German journal, Marxistische Bl�tter, issue 5, 2012. It is a fact that when we refer to the complex problems of the Communist and labour movement, especially when we refer to problems related to the strategy of the Communist parties, and to the policy of alliances we are required to enhance, different approaches and disagreements are apparent in the ideological-political discussion of issues. Let us� put forward arguments, so that the various positions are tested based on real experiences, Marxist-Leninist principles and the experience of the Communist and labour movement.

Colombian Peace Negotiations � Voices on the Side

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The year that is ending was important for peace, wrote Carlos Lozano in mid December in Voz, the Colombian Communist Party weekly newspaper he directs. The last of the national security forces were freed by unilateral decision of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the FARC ended hostage taking for the sake of money, dialogues began in Havana, and the FARC declared a unilateral truce through the holiday season.

For Whom the War Bill Tolls

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The $1 trillion-plus Iraq and Afghanistan wars were the first US wars since the American Revolution to have been fought without a general tax increase to cover them. Without tax increases to pay for the Pentagon�s ballooning budget, the country�s debt as a percentage of GDP has grown. Since a rise in debt relative to income can�t continue indefinitely without undesirable consequences, politicians are looking for ways to arrest the trend. It�s very likely that the burden of covering the costs of run-away US military spending will fall upon poor and middle-income Americans. High-profile economists like N. Gregory Mankiw are preparing public opinion for eventual rate hikes, concealing the role played by US war spending in driving up the percentage of debt to GDP, and blaming growing entitlement spending on the need to raise taxes.

Understanding the Crisis

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

For a student of Marxist political economy, one of the last year�s highlights was the seven-part discussion of the global economic crisis, its causes, and consequences which was featured in Socialist Voice, the excellent monthly publication of the Communist Party of Ireland. Beginning in January with the review of a book on the crisis, two interlocutors�identified as NC and NL-- surveyed the landscape of radical and Marxist explanations of economic crises and their meaning for the working class movement.

Cuba: More Data, Without a Magnifying Glass (Eng.; Esp.)

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This article appeared December 26, 2012 on the blog of Cuban writer and political analyst Iroel S�nchez. The URL is: http://lapupilainsomne.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/cuba-mas-datos-sin-lupa/ Reading it is a good way to observe the 54th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 2013. Translation is by Tom Whitney. On the past December 13, at the adjournment of the 10th period of sessions of the Seventh Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power, Cuban President Ra�l Castro asserted that, With regard to 2011, most activities registered superior results. That corresponds to policies of promoting development in the production sphere while sustaining free social services for all Cubans. Levels have been maintained since [these policies of] more rationality and efficiency began.

Only an Uprising Can Save Us from Social Security Cuts

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

In his recent proposal, President Obama included a change in the cost of living adjustment (COLA) that will make cuts in Social Security benefits. Ugly, hurtful cuts.

Do Publicly Owned, Planned Economies Work?

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Compared to capitalism, the USSR's publicly owned, planned economy worked remarkably well.� The Soviet Union was a concrete example of what a publicly owned, planned economy could produce: full employment, guaranteed pensions, paid maternity leave, limits on working hours, free healthcare and education (including higher education), subsidized vacations, inexpensive housing, low-cost childcare, subsidized public transportation, and rough income equality.

Matching Fund for Hurricane Relief to Cuba - Please Donate

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban Five has a matching fund for Hurricane Sandy relief donations to Cuba. So far, we have matched over $5000 in donations. Cuba is the country that sets the example of international solidarity. It has 38,000 medical personnel serving in 66 countries. Cuban educators have helped teach over 5 million in other countries to read and write. It has trained over 10,000 foreign students at the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana to be doctors, free of charge.

The International Communist Movement Today and Tomorrow

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 18:44:34 +0100

A seminar was held, organized by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, on the 15-16 December 2012 in Moscow with the theme: �The International Communist Movement Today and Tomorrow.� The following parties participated in the Seminar: CP of Vietnam, CP of Brazil, KKE, CP of India, CP of India (Marxist), CP of China, CP of Cuba, Lebanese CP , CP of the Ukraine, Portuguese CP, CP of the Russian Federation, CP of Bohemia-Moravia. KKE was represented by Elisseos Vagenas, a member of the CC and responsible for the International Relations Section of the party.

Advancing the Socialist Agenda to Include Food and Land

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

During its formative years, Marxist Leninist practice played out in and around the cities of the global North. Employed property-less workers were pitted against factory and mine owners, railroad moguls, and government repression. Demands of aggrieved small farmers for land, while crucial to the victories of the Russian and Chinese revolutions, never informed much of the revolutionary ideology handed down over the years to U.S. and European socialists.

Obama�s Historic Assault on Social Security

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

President Obama and his Republican partners in austerity have choreographed a kind of bi-partisan ballet, in which the dancers reach out to each other in slow motion, their fingers almost touching, teasing the audience. These cheap and transparent theatrics are designed to transmit a soap opera-like sense of drama: �Can the two parties come to a compromise for the sake of the country?�

For Withdrawal from the European Union, the Eurocurrency and NATO

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Giorgos Marinos, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, participated in a conference organized on Saturday Dec. 15, 2012 by the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain,� with the slogan: For withdrawal from the EU, the Euro and NATO . Apart from the KKE, (Communist Party of Greece), the CP of Italy (Communists-People's Left), the Union of Revolutionary Communists of France and the Pole for Communist Renaissance in France also participated.

The Corporate Candidate

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The selection of which corporate candidate would serve their interests for the next four years has mercifully come to an end. We, the working people of this country, are being told we must give up earned benefits in order to save us from the fiscal cliff by our corporate leader and his staff as well as a host of media pundits, corporate CEOs, right wing economists, and others.

North American Delegation Visits Colombia in Support of Political Prisoner David Ravelo

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Editors' Note: We urge our readers to write� the Colombian Ambassador in Washington, DC calling for the freedom of David Ravelo. The Colombian Ambassador to the United States is Carlos Urrutia. His email address is� emwas@colombiaemb.org On December 21 human rights and labor organizations in the US,� Colombia, the UK, and Germany have taken up his cause. Read about it here. (../images/pdf/121217-carta-modelo-a-fiscal-con-logos-arriba.pdf) Colombian prison authorities allowed two members of a nine person visiting North American solidarity delegation to visit prisoner David Ravelo at La Picota prison in Bogota on November 29. Ravelo has been imprisoned since September 14, 2010. Trial proceedings in his case ended in May, 2012. Diego Martinez of the Permanent Committee on Human Rights CPDH), who was accompanying the North Americans at the prison, informed David Ravelo that he had been convicted and sentenced to 18 years.

It's Back!!!

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

It's back!!! Red-baiting lives! Actually it never waned. Like most evils, it lurks in the shadows and under rocks until it is called on again to serve the rich and powerful. Like racism, red-baiting is a tool of division and distraction. It is designed to separate those who are weak or wavering from those determined to change a malignant political and social system. Red-baiting harnesses fear to tarnish those seeking social justice. Red-baiters sow cynicism, dampen ardor, nurture doubts and dissolve unity.

The �Fiscal Cliff� Fairy Tale

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Just coming off the electoral cycle roller coaster, the people of the� United States are now being entertained by the capitalist media and capitalist politicians. You hear nothing but terrifying stories about what will happen if the nation �goes over the fiscal cliff.�

U.S./Israel Lose Twice In UN

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The UN General Assembly has delivered two major defeats to Israel in the last two weeks. The governments of the U.S. and Israel are furious.

Understanding the Crisis, and Putting the System on Trial (Parts 2 & 3 )

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:11:16 +0100

The first part of this article was published in the October issue of Socialist Voice. These are the two concluding parts. The general crisis of capitalism (GCC) is often misrepresented or misunderstood as meaning that� the socialist world was on the brink of victory over capitalism and that consequently, since the victory of the counter-revolution in some socialist countries, the theory is no longer relevant or valid. Indeed many of the critiques of the general crisis of capitalism suggest that since socialism (or �state capitalism,� as they call it) was abolished, this disproves the GCC theory.

Report of Hu Jintao to the 18th CPC National Congress

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 07:32:50 +0100

Report to the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China by the President of the People's Republic of China. Other reports of the CPC Congress are at <http://china.org.cn/china/18th_cpc_congress/node_7167318.htm>>. Comrades, I now wish to deliver the following report to the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China on behalf of the Seventeenth Party Central Committee. The Eighteenth National Congress is one of great importance being held when China has entered the decisive stage of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Take Action for Gaza

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Update: The cease-fire seems to be holding, but collective punishment of the people of Gaza in the form of illegal closure is still the norm. Learn more at our Israel/Palestine 101 page. JVP continues to call for an end of the siege. Join Jewish Voice for Peace <<http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org>> and thousands in anti-war protests around the world including in Bethlehem, Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Haifa.

2012 Election Spending Will Reach $6 Billion

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:07:37 +0100

The 2012 election will not only be the most expensive election in U.S. history, the cost will tower over the next most expensive election by more than $700 million.

Final Statement of the 14th Meeting of IMCWP - Beirut Declaration

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 10:28:04 +0100

The Fourteenth Meeting of the International Communist and Workers� Parties (IMCWP) was held in Beirut, Lebanon�s capital, between the 22nd and the 25th of November 2012, under the banner:

Greek Communist Contribution, Beirut Conference

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

We would like to thank you for hosting the meeting in a country, in a region which has been suffering for years and, in recent days as well, as the imperialist intervention and invasion is almost a permanent feature which marks all the levels of barbarity, authoritarianism.

Climate Change: The Challenge of Hurricane Sandy

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

A week before the U.S. election, Mother Nature slammed the Caribbean and the eastern coast of North America. Over a hundred people were killed by Hurricane Sandy, and the damage to property and infrastructure is estimated at $50 billion. The storm devastated the city of Santiago de Cuba, the Jersey Shore region, and parts of New York.

Appeal for Solidarity with Basque Revolutionary Political Prisoners

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

To our trade union friends around the world: From LAB we ask for your support for the massive demonstration that will take place in Bilbao (Basque Country) on January 13th, 2013, in support of the more than 600 Basque revolutionary political prisoners, incarcerated in prisons in the Spanish and French states.

Socialism and the Path to Socialism - Vietnam�s Perspective

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 08:28:07 +0100

Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, paid an official friendship visit to Cuba and gave a presentation at the Nico Lopez Party School of the Cuban Communist Party. Following are excerpts from Party leader Trong�s presentation. � Socialism and the path to socialism is a fundamental and practical theoretical topic with broad and complicated content, demanding thorough and in-depth study. I hereby mention just a few aspects from Vietnam�s perspective for your reference and our discussions. And several questions are focused: What is socialism? Why did Vietnam choose the socialist path? How to build socialism in Vietnam step by step? How significant has Vietnam�s renewal and socialism building process been over the past 25 years? And what lessons have been learnt?

Book Review: Slouching Toward Sirte

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The next time that empire comes calling in the name of human rights, please be found standing idly by.

Human Rights or Imperial Partnership?

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Amnesty International has a bee under its bonnet. A human rights advocate, educator, and labor attorney, Dan Kovalik, mustered the audacity to challenge the world�s most prominent and highly regarded rights-based advocacy group. Claiming over three million members since its birth in 1961, AI is the poster child for modern �non-governmental organizations� or NGOs, the hundreds of thousands of hazy entities that play an ever-growing, influential role in international affairs.

Four More Years of Groundhog Days

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

In the 1993 movie�Groundhog Day, the Bill Murray character finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. (William Shatner wound up in a similar scenario in�Nick of Time, a 1960�Twilight Zone�episode.) The endless looping eventually causes Murray to reexamine his life, and set a new course.

Sam Webb's Main Report

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

What is really significant about Chairperson Webb�s �report� to the CPUSA National Committee on November 17, 2012 is that it is not a report at all.

Theories about the �Independence and Neutrality� of the Trade Unions

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Speech of George Mavrikos, General Secretary of the WFTU in Copenhagen, Denmark. The reactionary changes globally over the last 20 years and the temporary dominance of the forces of capital and reformism at the political and ideological levels revived old theories about the �independence� and the �neutrality� of the trade unions. These perceptions claim that the coordination of the struggle of the workers in a class-oriented direction limits this struggle, subordinates it to political priorities and traps it into paths that are not serving the interests of the working class of each respective country. Naturally, the forces of capital and their supporters in the reformist trade unions are not only satisfied by such perceptions, but promote them and maintain them as, supposedly, modern and progressive.

Obama Re-election: No Time for Celebration

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

As U.S. election returns rolled in, most Canadians breathed a sigh of relief. The nightmare of a White House and Congress controlled by ultra-right bigots and warhawks was blocked, at least for the next few years.

A Great General Strike, a Powerful Day of Struggle

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Statement by Jer�nimo de Sousa, General Secretary of the Portuguese Communist Party on the General Strike of 14th November 2012: Today�s general strike, on 14th November 2012, called by CGTP-IN, against exploitation and impoverishment, and for a Portugal with a future, constitutes a great general strike, one of the biggest ever to date. It is a powerful affirmation by the Portuguese workers and people of rejection of the Pact of Aggression by the troika, of a clear statement that it is necessary to put an end to this government and this policy, before this policy and this government put an end to the country.

Cuba Answers US Slanders at UN

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Reply by Bruno Rodriguez, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba, to Ronald Goddard, a US representative to the UN,� in the United Nations General Assembly on November 13, 2012. Mr. President: Mr. Goddard� has come to repeat, Goebbels-style, the same fable he tells this Assembly every year to defend either Bush's policy or President Obama's.

Score at United Nations: Cuba 188 � U.S. 3

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The United States stands virtually alone in its crusade against Cuba, at the United Nations General Assembly and in western hemispheric forums.

We Need a Working People's Political Party

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

U. S. elections are notable for the wealthy elite paying out hundreds of millions of dollars to support candidates of both major political parties. Additionally, presidential elections have been marked by low voter turn-out. In 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 63.6 percent of the voting age population actually voted. Low income directly correlates with reduced likelihood of voting. The 67.4 percent of registered voters who cast ballots that year earned the United States a 55th place ranking among 86 nations surveyed.

When Will the Killing War in Iran Begin? It Already Has Begun

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

�Economic sanctions are, at their core, a war against public health.� �The New England Journal of Medicine [1] While campaigns are organized to deter the United States and Israel from acting on threats to launch an air war against Iran, both countries, in league with the European Union (winner of this year�s Nobel Peace Prize) carry on a low-intensity war against Iran that is likely to be causing more human suffering and death than strikes on Iran�s nuclear facilities would.

The U.S. Interests Section in Havana: Tool of Subversion

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

THE U.S. Interests Section in Havana continues to function as the general staff in charge of implementing the government's policy of subversion toward Cuba, which has as one of its principal goals the fabrication of an opposition movement challenging the legitimate Cuban government and fomenting internal destabilization, in order to provoke a 'regime change' in the country.

US Policy on Syria in Tatters

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The United States government, as well as the governments of France and Great Britain, the three main Western enthusiasts of regime change in Syria, simply did not envisage a situation when, several months since the beginning of an all-out armed civil conflict, the Syrian drama would still continue. Instead of a brief melodrama, which Washington expected, Syria is facing a tragedy without an end. Assad retains the loyalty of the army while the jihadist presence among the rebels is becoming more and more visible. Interestingly, this situation was envisioned by Russia and China, those very countries that Mrs. Clinton cannot wait to see sidelined in decision-making.

On the Conflict in Syria

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Joint Initiative of the parties that participate in the International Communist Review, <<http://www.iccr.gr/site/>>, regarding the developments in Syria: Imperialism, disguising its face under the banner of the 'Syrian opposition,' has embarked upon a bloody assault on the Syrian people. After a brief period of confusion regarding the incidents in Syria, the haze has cleared. There is now no doubt that the rebel group, the so-called 'Free Syrian Army' (FSA), which is involved in an armed struggle against the Syrian government is sponsored by US-led imperialism, its counterpart the European Union, and its regional clients including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. Not only do they politically endorse the FSA but also finance its activities, train its militia and supply arms for their 'holy' struggle.

On the Presidential Elections in November in the US.

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Facing the presidential elections in the US � a country which holds a place at the pinnacle of imperialism, and in the imperialist organizations and groupings (NATO, IMF, World Bank, etc.) � the worker's and Communist parties listed below, express the following:

Is This Really The Most Important Election Ever? If So, Then Where Are Our Issues?

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This is the most important election ever, black America is told every two and four years. That's probably true if one's own status and political legitimacy are on the line, and for the black political class that's really what this election is all about. It's about their legitimacy. It's about their perks and set-asides, their TV shows and the government grants to their ministries. It's about their careers, and those of their hangers on and aspirants.

Hack the Vote: Foreign Election Experts Scorn US Elections, Voting Machines

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Russia�s Central Election Commission chief has ranked the American electoral system among the �worst in the world.� One of the main problems with the US electoral system is the lack of transparency, Vladimir Churov argues in an article published in Wednesday�s issue of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Social Democrats in France, Fascists in Latvia

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

France's new President, Francois Hollande, is having an uphill struggle. He calls himself a Socialist, but like many European socialists he would more accurately be called a Social Democrat. Although intending to work solely within the capitalist system he nevertheless felt himself able to promise voters that if elected he would foster growth domestically and in Europe and to balance the French budget by 2017.

Where Have All the Profits Gone?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Mid September marked the fourth anniversary of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, widely viewed as the final trigger of the global economic collapse, a shock that remains the dominant factor in global economic life.

"Bolivarian Revolution"

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Translated Avante! article by Luis Carapinha, Member of the International Department. Suddenly, Venezuela has disappeared from the dominant media networks. Instead, if Capriles had won the election on October 7th, all would have been otherwise.

Understanding the Crisis and Putting the System on Trial (Part 1)

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 18:01:22 +0100

Earlier in the year a number of articles in Socialist Voice sought to explain the struc tural causes of the present economic crisis and to identify some of the dominant characteristics of the monopoly capitalist system of production as it is today.[1] These articles bring to the fore the  contradictions within the system that creates economic crisis and also some of the features that create mass human misery. They seek to explain crisis as  rooted in the internal process of capital accumulation and reproduction and not  in the superficial establishment explanations of human failings. Crises are  not caused by greed, though that is rampant.

Our Leningrad

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

�No one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten�. That is what is engraved in gold on the granite stone, right behind the Statue of the Motherland, spreading her arms in grief. The Piskariovskoye Memorial Cemetery is in the city of St. Petersburg �186 mass graves and about half a million people are buried there, including most of my family from the maternal side.

The ITUC Supports the Imperialists Against the Syrian People

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The intensifying imperialist intervention against Syria is a threat first and foremost against the Syrian people, as well as for the people of the wider region of the Middle East, Africa and the Mediterranean.

Against the Blockade and Annexation

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Final Declaration of the Ninth Forum of Cuban Civil Society against the Blockade and Annexation We, the representatives of 136 Cuban Civil Societies and of regional and international organizations headquartered in Cuba, which met in Havana, on October 19th, 2012 on the occasion of the Ninth Forum of the Cuban Civil Society against the blockade, following up on the positions adopted in the previous fora, agree to state as follows:

The Nobel Peace Prize for War

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Those who own the wealth of nations take care to downplay the immensity of their� holdings while emphasizing the supposedly benign features of the socio-economic order over which they preside. With its regiments of lawmakers and opinion-makers, the ruling hierarchs� produce a never-ending cavalcade of� symbols, images, and narratives to disguise and legitimate the system of exploitative social relations existing between the 1% and the 99%.

On Developments in Middle East and Syria

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The imperialist aggressions and contradictions in the region of Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean are increased intensively towards Syria for more than a year now. The developing imperialist intervention together with the imperialist infighting and contradicting agendas form an increasing danger on the peoples of the region.

Warmakers Awarded; Peacemakers Shunned

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

While the Nobel Prize Committee has again awarded the Peace Prize to a war-maker on a grand scale -- this time to the EU, which, through NATO, has been carrying out war continuously for decades in such far-flung places as Yugoslavia, Libya and Afghanistan -- it is important to remember that there are indeed peacemakers in the world deserving of the prize. However, these deserving peacemakers may not be people you would think of because they have either been vilified or completely ignored by the Western press.

The Duopoly Debates Itself

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The two titans of America�s finance capitalist duopoly clashed � leaving behind a dull fart. It was as if the town hall at Long Island�s Hofstra University was hermetically sealed against the raging realities of a world and nation in systemic crisis. For 90 minutes, not one useful fact or thought was allowed to enter or escape.

Frenchwoman's Letter to Obama on Cuban Five (Eng.; Esp.).

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Jacqueline Roussie�s monthly letter to President Obama on the Cuban Five Beginning October 6, 2009, retired professor Jacqueline Roussie, who lives in Monein, France, has written her monthly letter to President Obama on the Cuban Five political prisoners. Widely circulated in Europe, they ask Obama in one way or another to free the Five. The 36th such letter appears below, as translated by W. T. Whitney Jr. from a Spanish version. Here�s the link to the letter in Spanish and to 35 other letters:�� << http://canariasinsurgente.typepad.com/almacen/2012/10/la-carta-del-mes-a-obama.html#more>> October 1, 2012 President Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington DC 20500

We Need a Critical Reading of the Election Results

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Communist Party of Venezuela: We need a critical reading of the results of October 7. A strategic defeat was delivered to imperialism. We need to continue to gain strength. The Venezuelan people and international forces for peace and progress have been celebrating, first of all, because the presidential election process played out peacefully and in an orderly fashion, which shows a strengthening over almost 14 years of peaceful mechanisms of conflict resolution.�

Impressions on the Eve of the Venezuelan Victory

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

1. Scenes from the Mass Rally for Hugo Chavez on the Eve of the Election <<http://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/n215489.html

Post-election Deficit Deal Threatens Medicare and Social Security

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The solution is improved Medicare for all

Hypocrisy, Cynicism, Corruption and the Persecution of the Cuban Five

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Toronto, Canada in late September was the setting for a Peoples� Tribunal established to secure justice for the five Cuban patriots victimized by the US criminal justice system. Appropriately dubbed �Breaking the Silence,� the tribunal sought to bring attention to a gross injustice largely ignored or distorted by the North American media.

Obama and Romney: Similar Views On Foreign/Military Policy

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Despite the sharp charges and counter-charges about foreign/military and national security policy there are no important differences on such matters between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney. The back and forth between the candidates on international issues is largely about appearance not substance.

Letter of Michael Parenti to President Obama

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama, This past month marked the 14th anniversary of the unjust incarceration of the five Cuban men who came to the United States to monitor the activity of anti-Cuban terrorist groups operating with impunity in Southern Florida. The Cuban Five came with no weapons, no intent on harming U.S. citizens or undermining U.S. policy.

Assimilation or Rupture?

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Assimilation or Rupture? Introductory Speech of the General Secretary the Central Committee of the KKE,� Aleka Papariga, to the European Communist Meeting, Brussels, October 1-2, 2012 on the stance of the Communist Parties towards the capitalist crisis:�

A Tale of Two Labor Federations

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 07:33:55 +0100

At its recent 11th Congress, COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) heard speeches from Sharan Burrow,� head of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and from George Mavrikos, head of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). COSATU decided to re-affiliate with WFTU. The WFTU press release announcing affiliation is below their remarks.