Reagan's War!

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US President Ronald Reagan is for more 'aid' to the military RIGBY of Peckham YS looks this latest move.

RONALD Reagan claims there is a "Communist plot" to take over central America as part of a drive towards world domination..

This is complete ubbish. The real situation in Central America s the exact opposite: workers, peasants and youth are in revolt gainst the intense oppression that they luffer at the hands of JS monopolies and local andowners.

To crush this justified evolt, the US bosses and heir stooges in the area re, prepared to use the nost brutal methods.

In the last few years lundreds of thousands of jeople have been slaughered by the "security orces" in. El Salvador. suatemala and Honluras.

They regularly and ystematically rape, jurn, machine gun, frown, hang and tr rture he population il an ttempt to crush their isistance.

Yet they have not ucceeded! The resisince movements like the 4t. -MLN in El Salvador still ave the solid support of he great mass of the bpulation and are ktending their influence nd control into new reas.

It is this resistance to merican big business antrol that so frightens le American bosses. hat it is why Reagan is DST of us know that aparappealing to Congress in El Salvador. TOM at the background to in the process of increasing "aid" (that is more guns and military advisers) to the military regimes in the region. And it is why Reagan is stepping up the CIA's operations in Nicaragua in an attempt to destabilise the left wing regime there.

The US government is trying to physically destroy the resistance. This strategy is unlikely to succeed. It failed in Vietnam and it seems likely that it will only have the effect of drawing the US deeper and more directly into the conflict.

But what about "Soviet expansion'? Aren't the guerrillas just tools of the Russians and Cubans? This is what Cowboy Reagan would like us to think. All the make-up, Grecian. 2000 and sincere delivery that goes into his TV appearances are designed to convince us.

Reality is very different. There is no massive flow of arms from the USSR or Cuba to the freedom fighters. Even the Sandinista government in • Nicaragua has not provided the kind of aid that might have been expected.

This is because Soviet leader Andropov and Cuban léader Castro are not revolutionaries.

Despite what Reagan may say, they are bureaucrats who i put their own privileged position and stranglehold over society first and the interests of the world's oppressed people last.

, Castro and Co. are trying for a negotiated settlement in El Salvador which would mean disarming the workers and peasants while maintaining the very basis of their oppression - capitalism.

If the Russian and Cuban Stalinists have their way, no struggle, no matter how justified, will be allowed to upset the delicate balance that the. Russian and Cuban bureaucrats are trying to create between themselves and the bosses' governments in the west.

Fidel Castro. is no friend of the revolution in Central America. But unfortunately, the Sandinistas aren't that much different. After the overthrow of the dictator Somoza in 1979, which was a great step forward for the workers and oppressed throughout the world, the Sandinistas have not gone on to establish workers' and peasants' power. Instead the Sandinista government has been unstable - switching from one option to another, trying to please everyone: They have tried to keep the support of the Nicaraguan bosses, who still own 70% of the economy and who the Sandinistas describe as "patriotic businessmen".

Direction At the same time, the Sandinistas have increased their links with Moscow and Cuba, who. provide teachers, doctors and milit coul tion, unite crats oppc self-r 1979 popu the bann ed 1 retur torie owne isatic engineers as well as tary advisers. licaraguan society d move in any direc; but the thing that es the bosses, bureau; and Sandinistas is ›sition to workers' rule. he revolution in ) was immensely liar but since then Sandinistas have led strikes, imprisontrade unionists and 'ned. occupied facs to their capitalist ers. Workers' organins are only tolerated if they can be directed by the Sandinistas.

Unions and militas have been built from the top down, in an attempt to limit and control the initiative of the workers and peasants.

Activity If the revolution in Central America is to be successful, then the masses must rely on their own strengths ard activity, and not on Castro or the Sandinista leadership.

The workers and peasants must establish their own kind of revolution, based on collective control over the economy and society and real workers' democracy.

It is the duty of workers and youth throughout the world to rally to the defence of the people of Nicaragua in their struggle against imperialism. We can do this by blacking and strike action against the supply of arms to the US and the right wing forces in Central America, This activity needs to. be organised. That is why Class Fighter supports. the Labour Movement Conference on E Salvador on May 14. We think you should support it too.

The links have to be made with CND as well. It has to be pointed out that Death Squads in El Salvador and - Cruise missiles in Europe are just different aspects of the bosses' war machine.