Volume 2, No. 2, February 2001

After proclaiming that "communism is dead" we heard western scholars saying, "the cold war is over too." That was after the collapse of the Eastern Revisionist Empire. George Bush the senior declared, "a New World Order based on peace, progress and prosperity" will be built on this earth. He gave the world the first glimpse of things to come by launching a high tech war on Iraq in the name of defending the "sovereignty" of Kuwait. Iraq tasted peace through pulverisation, progress through devastation and prosperity through strangulating sanctions that killed more than a million people, mostly children, in a span of ten years. Thus was ushered in the New World Order!

The replacing of cold war by a hot war saw US imperialism heading a combined interventionist force of 43 countries. The US and NATO alliance showed the world that nations and peoples can no longer act of their own unless the "international community" gives its assent. With the rivals shattered and no one to challenge US hegemony the US led capitalist globalisation of the world gained momentum. Most of the countries succumbed to the pressures of the World Bank, IMF and WTO trio under the threat of isolation, sanctions, financial crunch and denial of trade facilities. They opened up their economies to the rabid forces of the market and their natural resources to the unsatiable appetite of the all-devouring imperialist monsters. In essence, the world has been pushed back into a situation that was at the beginning of the Twentieth century where imperialist forces competed with each other to grab up colonies. Now it is to capture markets worldwide and these juggernaut forces cannot remain peaceful as the very edifice they stand on is made of unbridled exploitation and limitless hunger for profits. Under the promises of peace and prosperity lurks the violent beast of prey that is fearful of not only the people it attacks but also of its own breed—the rival imperialist powers.

Hence, the need for newer weapons; for offence and defence. The era of détente is cracking up and newer poles of alliances are going to take shape in the coming years. The get-together of G-7 (or G-8) imperialist top sharks is not going to change the inner dynamics of imperialism. The dissension among them is increasing on various issues like trade, ‘disarmament’, spheres of influence, sanctions against various countries and primarily on Europe as to which direction it should take. Every one of them is trying to consolidate its own foothold in other’s markets. Though the Western camp is yet to break up into irreconcilable groupings yet we see increasing feuds between the US and EU, between the EU and Japan and within the EU itself. Russia, though on the defensive, but still a military force to reckon with, is seeking allies within the EU. It is building bridges with capitalist China and is feverishly seeking ways to recapture its erstwhile Central Asian backyard. Unitedly, the imperialists seek to impose their will on the oppressed countries through various international agencies and organisations. Individually, they try to assert themselves, so that in future, they are able to out do each other. On the whole, the US is continuing its supremacy in world affairs and is still able to dictate to the world. This may not continue for a long time to come, as the US is apprehensive that with the passage of time the rivals will emerge. Nevertheless, it will frenziedly act to stay at the top to be able to run the world in accordance with its needs and capriciousness.

The "Cold War" period has neither been cold nor without wars. Revolutionary wars and proxy wars have been raging throughout this period, yet a direct war between the big powers did not happen. Now with the proclamation that "the cold war is over" the champions of capitalism try to convince the peoples of the world that the age of big wars (world wars) is over. They argue that now the world will see a ‘peaceful’ exploitation of the natural resources, including the labour of the people, and the benefits of "development" will trickle down to the poor worldwide. But at the same time, the US imperialists, who declared that "the era of peace has begun", are frantically tying to update their arsenals in the name of "defending the US national interests" and the US people from outside attacks. The National Missile Defence (NMD) programme of the US is meant to defend its ‘national’ interests, which in fact have long transcended its national boundaries. Now the US see their ‘nation’ threatened everywhere in the world whereby it recognises no other nation’s national interests. The NMD, as we shall see, is a programme to subject its adversaries and opponents to nuclear blackmail and threat.

At a cursory glance it would seem naïve to suspect US intentions. It says that it needs to defend the families in the US from the attacks of the "rogue states" that have acquired, or can acquire, the technology to develop missiles and nuclear bombs. Not going into the argument that who are the rouge and villain states in today’s world, the claptrap about defending the families by an arch terrorist state in the world is a ruse to prepare itself for decimating and destroying its rivals and opponents. The US death machine has already the maximum number of missiles and nuclear bombs and it can hit at will all the corners of this planet. It can do this from land, sea and air, yet it says, those (like North Korea, Iraq and Iran) who have neither such powerful missiles nor nuclear bombs, threaten it. The US arguments are based on "probabilities" and "possibilities" and not on reality. The real threat lies somewhere else.

The world is being managed by a system where unending greed for profits and riches determine the behaviour of nations and most powerful nations compete with each other that invariably leads to conflicts and confrontations. With the "Spectre of Communism" dead in the eyes of the advocates of capitalism the Eastern block collapsed, a new situation has arisen where the US leadership of the Western block is no longer a necessity. The countries of the Western block and Russia are beginning to assert themselves in various ways. The US rulers both liberals and democrats have realised that, sooner or later, they are going to be challenged by other imperialist powers and there is a need to boost up its defences to ward off any potential dangers. To mask its fears of the potential rivals it has created the hoax of ‘rogue states’.

The NMD programme consists of building an anti nuclear missile cap around the US, and later Britain, whereby its radar stations would detect the incoming "enemy" missiles, trigger interceptors to meet the incoming objects in the sky and destroy them before they are able to reach their targeted places. A 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty between the USA and the USSR prohibits both America and Russia to build such an umbrella around any one of them. The reason given at that time was to limit an arms race between the two, leaving both vulnerable to the attack of each other. Hence, the fear of this mutually assured destruction (MAD) was to act as a deterrent. With this both feared to launch a war against each other. Both the countries had their own limits at that time to enter into this balance of terror agreement. Both feared each other’s potential to build such a protective shield. Besides, the erstwhile revisionist USSR could ill afford this costly build up due to resource constraints, nor did the US have the means to embark upon such a project to match the Russians if the latter were to succeed in it. Both tried to buy time.

As all the agreements and treaties among the exploiters are only relative and are concluded to be broken by any one of them at the next opportune moment the ABM treaty too was to conceal their real intentions and intensify preparations for a future showdown. Meanwhile, both continued their research and efforts to build such defences against the other. The US tried the Star Wars Project in the eighties but failed to make any breakthrough, while the USSR collapsed at the end of that decade and had to abandon its research into most of the defence projects. The East-West equation collapsed with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The US emerged stronger and as an unchallenged leader of the world, as the sole super power.

The US imperialists have never stopped indulging in research for more offensive armaments and flawless defensive programmes that could always outdo its rivals. During the Gulf War in 1991 the US, while raining hundreds of missiles over Iraq, experimented with stopping the Iraqi Scud missiles. The US had some success in stopping a few of the Scuds Iraq could launch against the US forces and Israel. Although the Star Wars project had been shelved the US continued with the experiments associated with it. The NMD project is a further extension of the missile interception experiments. It is a violation of the ABM treaty. The US, under Clinton, drew a plan to intercept 20 "incoming" missiles fired by its own launch pads over a span of five years with every test costing $100 millions. The Pentagon drew up a plan to develop an NMD station at an island off Alaska by 2005, another in Dakota by 2010 and still another for the UK by 2015. The UK is the only other imperialist country that is actively associated with the NMD project of the US. All the three stations are to cost $180 billion.

Although the US says that it has not formally decided upon the NMD programme yet it has continued with testing. The first test conducted in Oct. 1999 was successful, but the later two failed. While continuing with the tests, it asked Russia to amend the 1972 ABM Treaty and threatened to go ahead with the NMD by "violating" the ABM if the latter refuses the US demand. The US imperialist mouthpiece, The Economist, writes in its June 3rd, 2000, issue "if subsequent talks with Russia produced no agreement both countries would have the right they have always had to withdraw from the ABM treaty and defend themselves as they see fit." The imperialists make an agreement to break it whenever it suits them. They only deceive and cannot be relied upon.

The US says that the ABM treaty is outdated because it "guarantees" mutually assured destruction between Russia and America but does not take into consideration the "rogue states" like North Korea, Iran and Iraq, and with the NMD it wants to ‘guard’ against these states. This logic of the US is as farcical as it can be. Weaker and poor states like North Korea or Iran or Iraq are no match for the "mightiest power of the world," which has thousands of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in its arsenals. Is it really afraid of these states or does it have other things in mind? The answer is both yes and no. Like a paper tiger it is afraid of other nations while, at the same time, wants to intimidate and destroy them.

For the poor and weaker nations, the missile and nuclear technology, is the question of defence from the formidable and vicious states. It is only a deterrent for them and not a weapon of offense. But the US almost daily clamour about nuclear and missile blackmail from the weaker nations to justify its offensive policies. Like a culprit accusing the victim of committing the crime and passing itself as the sufferer it tends to justify its own aggressiveness. When North Korea launched its first three-stage rocket in August 1998 the US said, "the world is shocked." And when it herself conducted the new missile tests, it termed these as "national achievements" and a thing of pride for the American people. After the first test of interceptor missiles in October 1999, Clinton’s Defence Secretary, William Cohen said, "this test is certainly a positive development for us and is testimony to the type of technology we are capable of developing and I think it is an important step in that sector." What is positive from the US point of view is dangerous from the point of view of the world people. When North Korea says, "missile launch is an issue wholly pertaining to our sovereignty," the US objects and howls vehemently calling it "shocking" and declares North Korea a "rogue state". But the people sift truth from facts and find the truth is definitely not on the side of the US imperialists.

Another truth is that the Russians are no longer capable of continuing an arms race with the US and the US wants to take advantage of this situation. The Pentagon had asked Clinton to take a formal decision on NMD by the autumn of 2000. Although a formal decision did not come but the tests were taken up. The second and third tests failed, and Clinton postponed the formal decision-taking till the new president arrives in the White House.

The president elect (by the time this article appears the new president would take office) Bush speaks, "if Russia refuses the changes we propose to the 1972 ABM treaty, we will give prompt notice…that we can no longer be party to it. I have a solemn obligation to protect the American people and our allies, not to protect arms control agreements." It is an open threat to Russia to come to the American terms, or else, the US would move out of the agreement. The US tough talk indicates it damn cares for the agreements when an opportunity comes to enhance its own vested interests. The Bush statement smacks of imperialist criminality, deception and opportunism. Then you cannot expect honesty from the exploiters and enemies of the people. And the US has beaten all records in the history of modern imperialism to violate all sorts of agreements and commitments it pledged to abide by. We shall see a few of more such commitments it put to the boot.

The Russian president Putin and his men in high offices have panicked at the US designs. They have issued a few threats to the US by saying, "no modern technology can assure the US of fool proof defence" yet if the US pursues its NMD programme "then we can adopt reciprocal measures" of "increasing the warheads on our missiles." Russia is frantically trying to convince the US that it can persuade the ‘rogue state’ of North Korea to cap its missile programme. It is just an attempt by the Russians to pull the ground from under the feet of US arguments about the so-called North Korean ‘threat’. While going to Okinawa for the G-8 summit of July 2000, Putin stopped in Pyongyang and talked to the North Korean leaders on the missile issue. The newspapers reported that, "he [Putin] convinced Kim Jong Il to drop his missile programme in exchange for access to global space technology." Putin informed the Okinawa conclave that rather than to embark on the NMD the best way to make the ‘rogue states’ abide by the dictates of the big powers is: "the good diplomacy is the best way out". Putin suggested compensating the ‘rogue states’ economically if they abandon their missile and nuclear programmes. But the US rejects this "buying off" though it has struck many deals with the North Koreans on this score saying, the "rogue states" will make enormous demands first by developing the missiles and then by "promising" to stop their production. The US does not want any other country than the Nuclear-5 club to acquire these capabilities lest they should threaten the big powers in case their reins fall into the hands of anti-imperialist forces or enemies of the West. At the same time it wants to beat its adversaries in the high-tech arms race and has decided to go ahead with its NMD shield project under various pretexts.

Not that the Russians don’t want to have their own version of the NMD built as soon as possible. They want it. But cannot afford it in the present circumstances. Their opposition to the US position is due to their weaker position and not from some respect for the ABM treaty. Despite Putin’s efforts on convincing the North Koreans to exercise restraint and cap their programme the US has not budged from its ambitious plans. The US stands exposed and the Russians feel helpless. Now, after the Korean Summit and the acquiescing in of the North Korean revisionists to the US, the latter no longer calls North Korea a rogue state. The North has opened its gates to the caprices of US and Japanese capital. Still the US is bent upon carrying on with the NMD. The real US intentions are to break the earlier parity between herself and Russia, to stay at the top of the imperialist world and consolidate its domination.

The world can conclude that the ABM treaty of 1972 between the most powerful brigands of those times is now dead. Mr. Bush has already announced that he would "deploy anti-missile defences as soon as possible". The new Defence Secretary, General Collin Powell (of 1991 Gulf War notoriety) has expressed a similar opinion.

Breach of treaties or the breach of faith does not bother the imperialist masters who never tire of talking about "human values", "humanitarianism", the "civil society" and so on. They always cook up new phrases to suit newer situations as a mask to conceal their evil designs. They remain ever ready to trample upon any norms under any pretext and concoct all kinds of false arguments to justify their aggressiveness and crimes. The NMD is a strategy to make the US safe from a counter attack while leaving the options open. It is a strategy to attack others at will. The NMD is not the only project that is quickly building up its arsenals. There are many others being worked out to hold the world to ransom. One such project is Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) which it contemplates to build in the Far East for its forces in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the North Pacific Ocean.

China feels threatened by this TMD project as the latter will make its nuclear heads superfluous once the TMD is built. The TMD will seriously curtail its aspirations in the region. The US arguments to build the TMD are again the same: Threat from North Korea. Like Russia, China too went on to advise North Korea to stop its missile programme to counter the US arguments. China says that its Dong Feng- 31 intercontinental ballistic missiles, which have a range of 8000 kilometers, are the best in world and no weapon can intercept it. Obviously, a hint to America that its NMD or TMD will not be able to protect itself from the Chinese missiles. Then why all the fuss for? And why pressurise the North Koreans to abandon their missile programme? To appease the US? The Chinese and Russians are alarmed at US designs. They have chosen the path of appeasing the US, but the US is not ready to give them an ear. The US has been able to pressurise N. Korea from all quarters forcing it to comply with the US, though not without a price. The N. Korean leadership expects huge US assistance in the form of hundreds of millions of dollars. But the Russian and Chinese efforts to restrain America from the NMD have not succeeded. The US policy makers see China as a potential danger in the region despite the fact that the latter has fast returned into the world capitalist fold. Peter Brookes, advisor to the US Congressional Committee on Asian Affairs says, "Washington must acknowledge the possibility of conflict with China… and plan accordingly to preserve and protect US national security interests and those of our friends and allies," and "parity or near nuclear parity with China is not in the US interests." For the US, the breaking of the nuclear parity is the primary concern. At its root lies the preparation for war.

Both Russia and China are aware that for a long time to come they wont be able to build their own versions of the NMD. The main alternative left for them is diplomacy.

Along with the NMD and TMD the US is also working on a Navy Theatre Wide (NTW) system. It is a sea based shield system which is designed to kill the "enemy" missiles in the boost phase before it converts itself into multiple warheads, decoys or the real ones. The NTW system is more effective than the NMD as far as the killing of the enemy missiles is concerned. All the three systems are, in fact, component parts of a comprehensive planning which is being taken up as a preparation for a future world war wherein the US and its allies can ensure an upper hand and be able to inflict enormous destruction on its adversaries. The "new world order" is going to be far from "peace and prosperity" for the common people throughout the world. On the contrary, it will be full of terror calling for more determined and vigorous resistance on the part of the people throwing up great opportunities for revolutionaries in all the lands.

The Russian and Chinese reaction to the TMD, NMD and NTW has been panicky and hysterical. Both claim that they are capable of penetrating the NMD system and the US wont be able to achieve what it wants. They threaten to equip their missiles with multiple warheads. They say, "The American plan is a source of enormous concern" and they are fully opposed to such a system. In a joint communiqué both argued that "it is of vital importance to maintain and strictly observe the ABM treaty." But for the US it is no longer "vitally important" and is ready to kick it into the dustbin. The joint call given by the Sino-Russian Summit of July 18, 2000, warns to, "heed continuously to the activities of a certain country to develop missile defence systems, which is detrimental to global strategic balance", has generated only a little flutter among other imperialist governments of the world.

Some imperialist countries like Canada and France have asked the US to take into consideration the implications of the NMD project because it entails the danger of a renewed arms race and a renewed threat of proliferation of nuclear and missile technology. But the US is prepared to face proliferation than to abandon the NMD. On July 18, 2000, Jiang Zemin, the Chinese president said, "China and Russia have entered a new stage of development and this meeting [the Sino-Russian Summit] will completely fulfil our future prospects." At the Summit both agreed to set up cooperation in the energy sector and on joint construction of a fast neutron experimental reactor. But in the eyes of the US policy makers the US can demolish these "future prospects" with a bribe of some billions of Dollars either to the Russian bosses or to the corrupt Chinese leaders.

The US has been offering Russia big money and assistance to make it renegotiate the 1972 ABM treaty. In October 1999, the US offered to the Russian leaders to build the uncompleted Russian radar installation at Irkutsk, Siberia in the name of keeping a watchful eye on North Korea and other nations. It also offered to upgrade the Russian controlled radar base at Lyaki in Azerbaijan and proposed that Russian and US personnel jointly staff it. Killing of two birds with one stone. Securing control over the Russian installation and getting her to acquiesce into agreeing to modify the ABM treaty! The offer was to convince the world that the US never intended to breach the ABM treaty. At the same time, the US pressurised Russia to dismantle an intelligence gathering facility in Cuba. The US House decided in July 2000 that if Russia refuses to dismantle the installation in Cuba the US should not write off the debts it is contemplating. The US wants to enhance its own war capabilities while forcing others to abandon theirs.

The European allies of the US fear a "destabilising arms race leading to general proliferation" if the US goes for the NMD without taking Russia into confidence. A French analyst on military affairs, Francois Heisbourg says "quitting of the ABM treaty would send an unfortunate signal" that the US does not abide by the agreed rules. Why should the US care? It is time for consolidating their No.1 position in the world. The Russians are bogged down in an economic mess and there is no one else to challenge US supremacy militarily. The monster is out to rampage the world.

Another fear of the European states is that, with NMD, the US would decouple its security from that of its allies. Only Britain is slated to be brought under the NMD shield. The US also wants, nearby Canada to join in the venture, but Canada has refused to be dragged into such a costly and "dangerous" project as it fears no threat from the ‘rogue states’. The states of Iraq, Iran and North Korea neither possess nor are likely to possess such a high level of technology as the US and big powers of the world have. Although the US says that the ‘rogue states’ are cooperating "deeper and wider all the time", nobody believes it. Moreover, North Korea has already acquiesced in, Iran is seeking channels to open to the West and Iraq is no match for the US. No state of the said category is anywhere near the US might in military, economic or technological terms. The Top Dog is out to intimidate and pounce upon all others. The US, in fact, foresees major cracks in the NATO alliance and a new set of rivals emerging with EU, Japan and Russia being potential dangers to its future hegemonistic plans. Things are not yet clear now. The situation is very much in a flux, nevertheless, it is heading towards a new set of alliances and counter alliances. The dynamics of imperialism includes both collusion and collision. Though, presently, collusion is the main thing, yet it is giving way to contention, which is bound to develop as the years advance. The EU has raised its own armed force to intervene independently in the areas of its interests. Russia has started asserting itself again, though it is restricted to its own backyard, as of now. The NMD of the US is designed to meet potentially dangerous situations, otherwise, there should not have been fears of attacks in the "New World Order" of "peace and progress" for all.

Many a bourgeois expert and media analyst have branded the US attempts at NMD as "Nothing short of disaster for the mankind." Yet the arms race, contrary to the wishes of the pacifists, is on, and intensifying. Inspite of the numerous pledges for destroying the weapons of mass destruction by the nuclear states nothing has come up, nor will it ever, to a time bound plan for the destruction of nuclear armaments.

When on May 22,2000, the UN General Assembly discussed the issue of destroying the WMDs the nuclear states pledged "to accomplish the total elimination of their formidable nuclear arsenals" but REFUSED to accept a time table to achieve this. In 1959 the General Assembly had adopted a similar resolution. It did no harm to the nuclear states. The year 2000 resolution too was a harmless resolution. Then, you cannot expect death wielding profit hungry imperialists to say a farewell to arms. The resolutions only extract solemn pledges that are generously given. The situation remains the same.

A bourgeois newspaper rightly commented upon the Assembly declaration as "long on platitudes, short on promises." It is always like that when imperialists indulge in such extravagant solemnities. All rhetoric, nothing concrete. The only thing concrete is the arms race continues. Here we have the death of the ABM treaty and grand projects for NMD, TMD, NTW, Multiwarheads and increasing preparations for a future world war. The New World Order strives to keep "peace" by creating terror in the minds of the people and opponents. The "balance of terror" is sought to be replaced by the unilateral terror of US imperialism to maintain its top dog position in the community of oppressors.

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