War means social regression.

Each year the media names “The Most Dangerous Man In The World.” Putin is currently cast as the nastiest despot.

Once again European cities are being bombed. Once again displaced persons are on the move. This has never ceased to be the lot of people in Africa and Asia but one of the claims of Western capitalism was that it had at least established peace and prosperity in Europe. Now full-scale war has returned to Europe. The illusion that permanent peace and prosperity are possible under capitalism has again been shattered. The Yugoslavian civil wars in the Balkans are long forgotten by the media.

Although we are not pacifists (we would countenance fighting should a pro-capitalist minority take up arms to try to prevent the democratic establishment of socialism) we say there is no such thing as a “just war”. Wars are fought over markets, raw material sources, trade routes and strategic spheres of influence. The present war in Ukraine is no different, conducted under the disguise of “national self-determination”. With NATO’s historic enemy Russia seen to be on its knees, it revived certain nations to seek eastwards economic expansion.

The result, however, has not been stability. Quite the reverse, but a miscalculation of Russia’s determination to defend its self-interests.

 Blinded by the hype on their TV screens, large numbers of decent people are weeping for the oppressed Ukrainians and cheering them on as Russia drops its bombs on towns and villages. Because most people are decent and hate to see injustice against the underdogs so they are sucked into the drama of war. But there are many other defenceless and vulnerable communities whose plight and suffering are not shown on the news.

There are numerous other refugees in addition to the Ukrainian exodus. Where are the calls from those  humanitarians to send aid to these refugees and to end the fighting? Conduct a simple experiment. Go on to the streets of New York or  London and ask people what they think about the slaughter of the people in the Sahel. Most will never have heard about the conflicts there.  The media have forgotten to tell them about that atrocities being carried out in the region. Reports of the massacres have not made it on to  CNN or Fox, perhaps because the reporters are too busy congratulating the West upon its campaign to assist Ukraine. . What a terrific diversion from thinking about the poverty of life under the profit system it is for wage slaves to be presented with 24-hour live coverage of Biden’s Heroes.

Faced with this latest manifestation of capitalist barbarity and cynicism we once again place on record our abhorrence of all war and call upon workers everywhere to unite to bring the war-prone capitalist system to a speedy end. Those  who own and control the world—the CEOs of USA Inc and UK Plc—are ruthless, exploitative thieves whose primary interest is in the fast buck and protecting what they imagine their interests to be. The capitalists have never gone to war to promote justice and they never will. Indeed, the notion that justice can be furthered by violence can only make sense when you have a social system that is rooted in violence and plunder. 

There is no glory in battle.