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Title: Endless war Author: Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group Date: 25 April 2020 Language: en Topics: Australia, World War I, Imperialism, war Source: Retrieved on 12th October 2021 from http://anarkismo.net/article/31857
Churchill had a bright idea in 1915 about helping Russia, Britain’s
World War I ally: to secure a passage through the Dardanelles and knock
the Ottoman Empire out of the war. A landing was staged at Gallipoli to
advance the plan. It was a disaster, conceived without reference to the
terrain and executed without regard to casualties. The British Empire
and French forces suffered over 300,000 dead and wounded before going
home with their tails between their legs. Ottoman casualties were
250,000. Overall, it was a sideshow in the great crime of World War I,
where two imperial alliances clashed over colonies, resources and
markets, killing millions in the process.
Australian troops were central to Churchill’s botched strike on the
Ottoman Empire. This is entirely in keeping with history, since they
have been used since before Federation to strengthen the world order of
the dominant imperialist power, in return for control in the South
Pacific. All six colonies on this continent sent troops to fight in the
Boer War. Australian troops fought on the side of imperialism, first
British and then American, in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan
and Iraq. In recent years, imperialist forces have massively out-gunned
their enemies, thus needing fewer Australian troops and making
Australian casualties rarer. The same cannot be said, though, for
casualties amongst the subject populations. Because these wars are
fought to defend a US empire that is no longer economically
self-sustaining, they are never-ending.
The usual Anzac Day marches are cancelled this year, as well as mass
participation in ceremonies across the country. The capitalist class in
Australia has therefore been trying to find ways to mobilise popular
participation in the annual wave of compulsory patriotism and
militarism. This year, they have asked everyone to stand outside their
home with a candle at dawn. It’s not yet possible to gauge what level of
participation this has had, but we can confidently state that it will be
enthusiastically boosted in mainstream media reports.
The US-dominated world order can only be maintained by endless war.
Australia, a junior partner, has signed up to this to maintain its
domination of the South Pacific and Timor L’Este. The situation would
not be improved by allying with China or any other would-be hegemon,
because that wouldn’t change the system. The working class needs to
unite internationally and abolish capitalism. Only this can build the
basis for a world of liberty, equality and solidarity, where war is no
more and the nation state has been abolished. We can have a new world of
libertarian communism.
END AUSTRALIAN MILITARISM
ABOLISH ANZAC DAY