THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE UPROOTED

Millions are angry, bitter, resentful and bewildered because of the United States' foreign policy which has resulted in numerous wars. They feel themselves double-crossed and betrayed by politicians promises to promote peace. This has been shown by the many anti-war protest movements. These movements are an expression of social unrest. They are born of the insecurity and frustration that permeate our entire society. The participants in these movements are for the most part no doubt sincere and deeply concerned about their own futures, as well as the future of society generally. 

Regrettfully, the demonstrators lack an understanding of the true nature of the problems confronting them. They completely ignore the basic cause of war. In fact, many disdainfully reject every effort made to call it to their attention as dogma or sectarianism. The result is that there are dozens of factions and since none of them is based on a correct theory, they cannot establish any unifying princlple other than being anti-war. This in turn makes it impossible for them to seek a workable attainable goal. All of them vociferously proclaim their desire to eliminate an evil, but not one of them attacks the cause of that evil. What peace marchers need more than anything else is a sound knowledge and understanding of the nature of the capitalist system and its inherent compulsions to war. They have to learn that chants of "no more war" and "love and peace," no matter how loud, or how frequently voiced, cannot halt or eliminate war. 

They must learn that they are wasting their time and efforts in hacking at the branches of evil and leaving the roots intact. And they must learn what must be done to replace the war-breeding capitalist system with the sane socialist society. he repeated crises to which the world is being continuously subjected are not caused by men. There is a more basic cause, one that explains why as one crisis subsides another flares up, and one that also explains why all these crises follow a pattern that has become almost monotonous. This is not to say that men do not play their part, sometimes hastening, sometimes slowing the pace of events and their immediate consequences. The really determining factors, however, are social forces that exert an irresistible pressure on both men and events. 

The World Socialist Party of the United States, does not question the sincerity of many of the protesters. But it is duty bound to point out that sincerity is not the issue. Sincerity is like the good intentions that pave the road to hell. Undirected by sound knowledge, sentiment commits tragic errors. When the looked-for result is not soon achieved the "movement" based on sentiment alone -- sincere or otherwise – deflates like a burst balloon.

Wars are not fought to protect democracy. They are not fought to allow peoples to determine their own destinies. They have nothing to do with freedom. Such claims are a smokescreen used to hide the real cause -- the conflicting material interests of the ruling classes involved.

1. What is the basic cause of war? 2. How can the cause of war be removed?

The World Socialist Party's answer is that the cause of war in the modern world is to be found in the inevitable economic rivalries among dominant, competitive capitalist groups in capitalist society. What is it that brings on these economic rivalries? Capitalist nations will do anything, even to the point of waging war, to preserve and extend their foreign markets and spheres of influence, and to obtain sources of raw materials. The media make no effort to make this basic cause of war known to the people. On the contrary, they treat the cause of war with such intellectual dishonesty or rank stupidity that the end result is total confusion on the part of those who depend on them for knowledge and guidance. This is not to say that the cause of war is not known to capitalist promoters. But they don't tell their people. It would not be safe for their respective robber systems.

Lust for profits and power is one of the propellants behind capitalist expansionism. The capitalist economy couldn't function without vast foreign markets and huge imports of raw materials. The US must control a lion's share of the earth's resources to strengthen its industrial-military muscle needed to maintain a global economic empire. Otherwise, U.S. capitalism faces decline. America's capitalists confront commercial rival traders. American capitalist interests encircle the globe. A threat to these interests in any of several vital areas sucks it into armed conflicts, directly or by proxies, which always hold the potential of transforming into a global war. Where does all this leave the majority and their desire for early and lasting peace? Are these Americans to conclude that peace is unattainable? Of course not. But they should conclude that it is unattainable as long as capitalism (or class rule in any form) remains. For not only does capitalism inevitably breed war, it needs war to keep production going. Without the enormous business provided by armament orders, military industries would have shut down long ago

The truth is that the only hope for peace in the world today lies in the words and deeds of those who are striving to abolish existing systems of class rule and to reconstruct society on sane and sensible socialist lines. Only when private ownership of the economy is replaced by social ownership, and production for sale and profit by production for use, can we end war-breeding competition and enthrone the peace-preserving principles of cooperation. Only one thing can prevent the catastrophe toward which the world is heading. That is the establishment of genuine world socialism. This is the only way we can end the economic ruling-class rivalries that lead to war and the recurring economic crises that increase the compulsions to war.

The World Socialist Party's answer is that we can uproot the cause of war by organizing to uproot the capitalist system. Workers have more than the necessary numbers to vote capitalism out and socialism in, as proposed by the Socialist Party. This new social system the workers alone can bring into being, thus forever putting an end to wars, and establishing the society of human brotherhood based on freedom, peace and abundance. To conclude: Sentiment and emotion for a fine causes are laudable. But without a sound premise and defined goal, they can only end in failure and despair. The crying need of our time is not marches and demonstrations for limited and impossible to attain objectives, but determined, unrelenting action to awaken the working class to the imperative need for a socialist reconstruction of society, and to enlighten them on the principles and program for accomplishing that social change in a peaceful, civilized manner. All else is futile and hopeless.

 In the mean-time, the slaughter continues...on...and on...and on...