Stalinists trample national rights

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A great responsibility now rests with the union bureaucrats of West Germany.

Every capitalist is now The ancient empire of Ethiopia is n DW being forged anew by the forces of the deformed workers' states.

Without troops, equipment and 'advice from Cuba and the Soviet Union, the repressive military dictatorship of the Derg could never have hoped to succeed in its wars in the Ogaden and Now the massive counter-offensive in the east is steadily restoring the territorial losses inflicted by the Western Somali Liberation Front and by forces from the republic of Somalia itself.

Under seige

But this front is far less significant than the to subjugate Eritrea.

Assurances from assorted Stalinists that they will not intervene in this internal dispute' are believed by nobody.

The present phase of the Eritreans' struggles for independence has lasted 17 years, and now the liberation armies control almost the whole country, except the major garrison towns, which they have laid under siege.

Talks toward fusion are once again taking place between the two nationalist parties.

Capitulation

Agreement could only be achieved by a capitulation of the left-wing Popular Liberation Front (EPLF) to the petit-bourgeois nationalists of the Front for the Liberation of Ethiopia.

In the liberated areas, the EPLF has introduced land reform, universal education and other progressive measures.

It is scarecely surprising that a leadership which has accomplished such gains should enjoy overwhelming popular support.

Consternation It is clear that the battles to destroy this revolutionary movement will be far fiercer, and far more protracted than those against the Somalis.

This prospect, and a recognition of the consternation such actions would cause amongst its allies and dependents, may well persuade the Soviet bureaucracy to stay its hand.

But these pressures must be gauged against the necessity which first drove the Stalinists to structure this black fiasco of diplomacy.

To preserve their own privileged position, the Kremlin bureaucrats need to safeguard the gains of the October revolution and preserve a balance of global power with the international bourgeoisie-a balance that at once prevents major aggression from imperialism and restrains the development of independent proletarian Naval bases Part of this strategy is the search for secure naval b ases to ensure Russian contro I of the southern access to the Red Sea.

The main candidates for this role lie in Somalia and But a series of tactical blunders now makes it inevitable that the Cuban and Russian forces must either use the threat of their military power to extort such a concession from Somalia, or move on in a vicous counterrevolutionary campaign to crush the independence of the Eritreans.