A Ukrainian revolution in favor of European Imperialism?

For many months there are huge protests in Ukraine against the conservative government of Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych. This pro-Russian conservative became president, after the pro-European president of Ukraine lost the elections. Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko was the pro-European president who became leader of Ukraine after the Orange Revolution. But his regime was just as capitalist as other post-Stalinist governments, the people saw no genuine changes. So they voted for Yanukovych, who like Yushchenko ruled not for the people, but for the capitalists. Politics of Ukraine are mostly divided between western Ukrainians and eastern Ukrainians. The westerners are pro-European Union, while the east is supportive of the Russian Federation. Most ethnic Russians live in the eastern parts of Ukraine. Since the collapse of stalinism they face intimidation's and harassment by nationalist Ukrainians, who's hated of Russians can be traced back to the days of the Russian Empire!

Today's protests are led by a mixture of pro-European political parties and radical right-wing nationalists. The pro-Russian government is made up of the conservative; Party of Region's, the Stalinist; Communist Party of Ukraine and other forces who oppose the western world. A famous face of the pro-European opposition is Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko, she was prime minister of Ukraine under former president Yushchenko until 2010. Tymoshenko was arrested and jailed for seven years because of her actions as prime minister, during a gas conflict with Russia. Some say this was a political move by the now pro-Russian government to silence her. But the Ukrainian Courts said she made a very bad economic deal with Russia and forged documents to keep this a secret!

Tymoshenko became the face of the pro-European Ukrainians, but her political program remains pro-capitalist. Her cult of personality has grown since she became the leader of the opposition against Yanukovych. Her own political movement is called the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and her face is used on many posters against the government. But she is no defender of workers and poor people. This we known because Yulia Tymoshenko showed this in the 1990's. After the collapse of stalinism, she made her move and entered big business. As president of the Ukrainian Petrol Corporation, Tymoshenko became known as the ''gas princes''. While many Ukrainians faced poverty, she became part of the new bourgeoisie!

However Tymoshenko disliked the corruption and tried to fight it. It was then that she faced political and economic opposition from the other members of the new bourgeoisie. People who made their fortune ( like she did ) by exploiting workers. Also Tymoshenko was pro-European and disliked the Russians, while the Party of Region's supported Russia. The conservatives of Ukraine created the Party of Region's in 1997, to unite the pro-Russian conservative movement. Yanukovych was a member of this conservative party from 1997 till 2010, today he is not a member of a political party!

The political left-wing of Ukraine is ( unfortunate ) led by the Stalinist; Communist Party of Ukraine. Genuine revolutionary we cannot call them. Because the communist party has proven to be conservative, just like the Party of Region's. Joining the capitalist government in 2010, opposing LGBT rights and supporting the criminals in the Kremlin as if Moscow was still under Stalinist control. Like most post-Stalinist communist parties, the Communist Party of Ukraine is made up of old people, former members of the Soviet bureaucracy who loved their way of life under stalinism!

Other political leftists parties were created after 1990, but only the moderate socialists of the SPU were able to compete with the communist party for a few years. The Socialist Party of Ukraine ( SPU ) began as a Stalinist party in 1991. It was founded by old communists after the collapse of the USSR. But in 1993 other communists recreated the Communist Party of Ukraine, so many old communists moved to the new party. The Socialist Party of Ukraine then moved away from dogmatic marxism-leninism ( stalinism ) and became moderate socialist. Slowly they abandoned Marxist socialism for European social democracy. It would do them no good, they lost all of their parliamentary seats after the 2007 elections. Today the SPU is small and meaningless!

Since the pro-European parties lost the elections, they try to fight back. Staging demonstrations and street protests against the pro-Russian government. Far right Ukrainian nationalists attack Russian Ukrainians, this became clear when a monument to Stalin was destroyed. This monument was created by the Communist Party of Ukraine and many Russian Ukrainians still see Stalin as a Soviet hero. But the far-right nationalists hate Stalin and they decided to destroy the monument with explosives. Another Soviet monument was destroyed in December 2013 in Kiev. The last Lenin statue was toppled by Ukrainian nationalists shouting anti-Russian slogans. They did this because they knew that the Stalinist icon; Lenin, is a ''saint'' for the members of the Communist Party of Ukraine!

In late 2013, the pro-European opposition started with major protests against the government. The demonstrations began when Ukraine refused to side with Europe, instead it signed a treaty with Russia. Anger rose among the western Ukrainians and they choose to demonstrate. Soon they were supported by far right forces of the All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda" who hate Russians. Svoboda is created in 1991 and registered as a political party in 1995. The movement is right-wing nationalist and very anticommunist and anti-Russian. From 1991 until 2003 it used an emblem that was inspired by the Nazi Wolfsangel, a symbol used by many European neo-Nazi's. Their base of support is located in the most western provinces of Ukraine. It also gets support from young workers who blame the ''Russian-Communist-Jews'' for the capitalist counter-revolution in 1990. Today Svoboda tries to portray itself as a ''good'' nationalist movement. But we revolutionary socialists have seen their hatred of leftists, LGBT people and Jews!

While the demonstrations against Yanukovych were pro-EU around December 2013, this soon changed. Now in January 2014, the demonstrations have turned out to become revolutionary as many more workers and poor people join in. People demand that president Yanukovych resigned and that new elections are drafted. We revolutionary socialists support these demands, because the government does not serve the will of the people. But the Ukrainian workers must understand that with anti-Russian propaganda, they will alienate those workers who are ethnic Russian. These ethnic Russians still support the government out of fear that a nationalist government would limit their freedoms. This is why we say all must unite, both ethnic Ukrainian and Russian workers must join forces and build a workers party on a Marxist socialist program. All political parties in the nations do not serve the needs of workers and poor people. Both the pro-European parties as the pro-Russian parties are in league with major imperialist powers!

At this moment the opposition is supported by 42% to 50% of the Ukrainain population, most support comes from the western provinces. The government is supported too by 42% to 50% and their support comes from ethnic Russians and anti-western Ukrainians. Many anti-imperialists and revolutionary leftists have joined the side of the Ukrainian government. Classic stalinists call the protesters ''imperialist'' and ''tools of NATO'' they support Yanukovych which is totally wrong to do. Yet this is how some revolutionary leftists justify their support, by saying ''the enemy of my enemy is my friend''. We know however that Yanukovych is no friend of workers and poor people. He is a supporter of Ukrainian capitalism and Russian imperialism, while Yulia Tymoshenko is a supporter of European imperialism!

Revolutionary socialists in Ukraine must fight for a workers party on a socialist program. Such a party is needed to lead the masses towards a socialist revolution. Win out a workers party the pro-capitalist forces will win any new election. Workers and poor people must realize that Yulia Tymoshenko and her bourgeois bloc is not in favor of fighting capitalism. This system of greed and exploitation made her wealthy and although she opposes corruption, she is no enemy of the market dictatorship!

Ukrainian, European and far-right nationalist banners. The opposition

is made up of many ideologies, but all oppose the pro-Russian government 

Research as cloak for mass-murder

There has been many killings in human history, some under the cloak of research. The Nazi's, used prisoners of their concentration-camps for research. Thousands of Jews, Gypsies and others died by the hands of Nazi researchers. In 2014, another group of living beings are targeted under the cloak of research. Whales, protected by international law, yet hunted by criminal Japanese whalers on order of the Institute of Cetacean Research ( ICR ). They claim they only hunt because of scientific research, this is allowed under the laws of the International Whaling Commission ( IWC ). Because the laws on whaling allows nations to set their own quota, Japanese whalers have decided to hunt for 1000 whales each year. They mask their ships with IWC emblems and paint the word ''Research'' on the sides of their vessels. Their fleet is created not for research, but for commercial whaling!

The Institute of Cetacean Research (日本鯨類研究所 ) is founded in 1947, as a non-profit research organisation specializing in the ''biological and social sciences'' related to whales. Their parent agency is the Japan Fisheries Agency, who represent the fish capitalists of Japan. After the International Whaling Commission ( IWC ) banned commercial whaling in 1986, the ICR was giving the task of hunting whales for the Japanese fish capitalists. Their fleet is made up of six ships. Two harpoon-ships who hunt for whales, one factory ship ( mother-ship ), two spotter ships and one tanker for refuelling!

Every year the fleet of the ICR is leaving Japan to hunt for whales in Antarctica. Their goal is to capture and murder 1000 of them. Although commercial whaling is banned, the weakness in the rules has allowed the ICR to continue whaling under the cloak to research. For almost 20 years, the Japanese were able to get their quota and leave the whale sanctuary with 1000 murdered whales. Greenpeace has protested against this, but the IWC has done nothing to stop the ICR. Although many nations say that Japan is violating the law, nobody took up arms for the whales, not Greenpeace and not the nation of Australia who declared parts of southern Antarctica a sanctuary for whales!

In 2003 the ICR would face its biggest enemy. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, led by Paul Watson decided to disrupt Japanese operations. It began with the Taiji-area dolphin hunts, in which the Japanese would brutally hunt and murder dolphins. Sea Shepherd documented the method used to kill dolphins in the Japanese historic whaling town of Taiji. They say that Japanese fishermen use unnecessarily brutal methods to hunt dolphins. Two years later the crew of the RV Farley Mowat tried to stop the ICR fleet in the Southern Ocean for the first time. During this first battle the Sea Shepherds ''sideswiped'' a Japanese ship called the Oriental Bluebird. No damage or injuries were reported. The government of New Zealand were not happy with Paul Watson's attack and called him a ''rouge pirate''. Watson said he would stop harassing the Japanese, if New Zealand and Australia would enforce the ban of whaling!

Watson founded the Sea Shepherds in 1977 after he was expelled from Greenpeace. He used to be a founding member of that organisation. Unlike Greenpeace, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is an organisation of direct action. It will not watch while groups like the ICR violate he banning on commercial whaling. Their tactics are controversial, but Paul Watson said; "I did not establish the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as a protest organization,” “I have not gone to sea over all these years to simply bear witness to the atrocities that whalers continue to inflict upon the most gentle and intelligent beings in the seas. We are sea cops — operating legally under the guidelines of the United Nation's World Charter for Nature, which allow for the enforcement of international conservation law by non-governmental organizations in international jurisdictions."

In February 2007, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the the Institute of Cetacean Research fought another battle. Two Sea Shepherd ships attacked one ICR ship as it pursued a group of minke whales. The RV Farley Mowat and MV Robert Hunter ( now called MV Steve Irwin ) threw smoke bombs on the deck of the ICR vessel as it tried to murder whales. The Japanese fought back and tried to push the MV Robert Hunter into the ice. According to Paul Watson the ICR ship then collided deliberately into the port stern section of the MV Robert Hunter, causing damage to the hull!

A year later the Canadian government was able to capture the RV Farley Mowat, when it tried to film the murder of seals. Canada banned the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society from entering the area were the hunters were killing seals. Although the Canadians banned the Sea Shepherds from entering Canadian waters, the RV Farley Mowat did entered and was captured by the Royal Canadian Navy. The ship was impounded and kept by Canada for five years. At the time of its capture the RV Farley Mowat was registered in the Netherlands, so it was a Dutch ship!

Operation Migaloo was the code name for the 2007/2008 operation of the Sea Shepherds to stop the ICR fleet. Captain Paul Watson was in command of the MV Steve Irwin the former MV Robert Hunter, renamed after the death of Steve Irwin an Australian wildlife expert, television personality and conservationist. The MV Steve Irwin was made up of volunteers who supported the direct action methods of Paul Watson. Their main enemy was the mother-ship of the ICR fleet the MV Nisshin Maru. This huge vessel is able to process 10 whales a day and turn them into products of the Japanese fish markets. It was this ship the MV Steve Irwin targeted. 

While the crew of the RV Steve Irwin was fighting the Japanese, their actions were filmed by Animal Planet for the series; Whale Wars. This show made Paul Watson and his organisation famous. Although governments and Greenpeace criticized the series, Watson used it to further his goals. During Operation Musashi the next year, the Sea Shepherds were unable to prevent the Japanese fleet from killing whales right before their eyes. Learning from the previous year, the ICR prepared their fleet to defend themselves against the Shea Shepherds. A new weapon of the ICR during the 2008/2009 season was a Long Range Acoustic Device or LRAD, a sonic weapon that caused pain to hearing. With their ships covert in nets and armed with sonic weapons, the Japanese were able to withstand the attacks of the Sea Shepherds!

The 2008/2009 season also showed that the ICR was getting more aggressive against the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. While passive the first years, the Harpoon ships of the whaling fleet were used to prevent the RV Steve Irwin from attacking the mother-ship. After a long battle with the vessels of the ICR, the Sea Shepherds returned to Australia, were the police seized film material and the ships logs. The Japanese government called upon the government of Australia to prevent what they considered violations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea!

Revolutionary socialists see the battles of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Institute of Cetacean Research as a classic fight between people and capital. The capitalists of the Japanese fish industry use the ICR to murder whales under their cloak of ''scientific research''. Paul Watson and his direct action organisation represent the willingness to fight this injustice, against the might of Japan and the capitalist system and his right-wing politicians. Few people in Japan eat whale meat. Only 5% of the Japanese people are reported to buy products made from whales. Yet these 5% are still a market and many millions are made each year. In 2002 you paid almost 57 dollars for one kilogram of whale meat. We know that in 1997 more then 20 million dollars in profits were made by killing 1000 whales, this was before the Sea Shepherds intervened. Now the profits are much lower, thanks to the heroic actions of Paul Watson and his crew! 

Sea Shepherd started its battle against the Japanese in 2003

They documented the brutal killings of innocent dolphins!

Karimov, dictator for 24 years

Islam Abdug‘aniyevich Karimov, age 75 is the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan and a friend of both American and Russian imperialism. This former Stalinist turned nationalist-capitalist after 1991. Like many dictators in Central Asia, Karimov began his career in the bureaucracy of the Soviet-Union. By June 1989 he was the leader of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan. When the USSR collapsed he made himself first president of the Republic of Uzbekistan and has remained president ever since. The Karimov regime is responsible for the 2005 Andijan massacre, when 800 demonstrators were murdered by the Uzbek Security Forces! 

Karimov was placed in an orphanage in Samarkand at birth, grew up to study economics and engineering at school. Like many youth he joined the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League and in the 60's, he became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet-Union. Because of his party membership, he obtained privileges and was able to rise in the Stalinist bureaucracy. Like the other dictators of Central Asia, he had to fight brutal wars within the communist party against other power-hungry bureaucrats. Karimov was able to become general secretary because he predecessor was unable to stop the violent ethnic conflicts in the Fergana region. As stalinism collapsed, ethnic violence erupted the Central Asian Soviet republics. Radical nationalists took advantaged of the economic stagnation and eventual collapse of Stalinist rule!

On 24 March 1990, Karimov made himself president of the Uzbek Socialist Soviet Republic. In December 1991, he changed the name and flag of his nation. The Uzbek Socialist Soviet Republic became the Republic of Uzbekistan. Although he claimed to be democratic, he did not tolerant political opposition to his regime. Karimov's Communist Party of Uzbekistan cut ties with the Communist Party of the Soviet-Union and changed its name to Uzbekistan People's Democratic Party. Karimov was its chairman and de facto leader until 2007, when he decided to become a member of the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party ( ULDP ). Because the president choose a new political party, the ULDP is now the biggest party in Uzbekistan. Since only political parties with presidential support can participate in elections, the ULDP has become the largest party in the Uzbek parliament!

But the Republic of Uzbekistan is no democracy.  Uzbekistan is a authoritarian state dominated by the supporters of the president. No true opposition parties are allowed, every registered political party supports president Islam Karimov. Islamic fundamentalists make up a part of the opposition. These fundamentalists hate the secular nature of the Karimov regime and its corruption. Secular opposition is led by the banned Unity People's Movement. Founded in September 1989, the Unity People's Movement was soon banned by the authoritarian president, because they refused to follow him. Another banned political party is the Erk/Liberty Democratic Party. This party was the first opposition party that was registered in Uzbekistan, Certificate of registration dated September 3, 1991, № 039!

Dictator Islam Karimov made sure that his Uzbekistan People's Democratic Party remained in power after 1991. This was made easy because the media and government are all controlled by members of the former Communist Party of Uzbekistan. Although some opposition parties were created after 1991, most turned out to be bourgeois democratic. No genuine leftist parties have been created and no exist in Uzbekistan. As Karimov established his personal dictatorship, he used the state bureaucracy to hinder the opposition, critical journalists got arrested and jailed easily. The first general elections were a fraud. The state made sure the the president and the UPDP won every election. By 2007 all opposition parties to Karimov were banned, only political parties who support the president are permitted. In a way, the Republic of Uzbekistan is like the Republic of Belarus. Alexander Lukashenko followed the same path!

After 2001, Uzbekistan became an ally in the War against Terrorism. Like many Central Asian nations, Karimov's dictatorship faces opposition from Islamic fundamentalists. To invade Afghanistan and to remove the Taliban, the US Air Force needed an air base to launch its bombers. President Karimov gave the Americans permission to use the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base. Between 2001 and 2005, US bombers used this airfield to bomb Al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan. The Americans called the air base "Stronghold Freedom", how ironic consider the fact the there is no political freedom in Uzbekistan, yet the Americans called their air force base "Stronghold Freedom"!

Uzbek workers grew frustrated with the corrupt regime. In May 2005 they choose to show the world they had enough of their dictator. When the government jailed 23 innocent businessmen for supporting ''extremism, fundamentalism and separatism'' many people choose to demonstrate. The protesters demanded the release of these men, their numbers soon reached 4.000. The Uzbek government at first said the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan organized the demonstration and that the protesters were members of Hizb ut-Tahrir ( Party of Liberation ). But critics argued that the government uses the ''Islamic label'' as a pretext for maintaining a repressive state!

On the night of 13 May, armed men attacked the prison and freed those 23 businessmen from their cells. They also liberated other prisoners who were held by the government.  The armed men, including the 23 defendants, also took over the regional administration building in Andijan and took at least twenty law enforcement and government officials hostage, including the Head of the Prosecutors Office and the Chief of the Tax Inspection Authority. Dictator Karimov feared a popular revolution and spread the lie that the militants used woman and children as human shields. The state media portrayed the uprising as militant Islamic. 

Around six in the morning, the Uzbek Security Police launched an counter-attack. They sealed off the occupied buildings and started to shoot at them. After a brutal battle more then 500 people were murdered, although the Uzbek government claimed only 187 died. Others say that 1.500 people were killed when the Security Police opened fire on the demonstrators. The banned opposition claimed that many victims were buried in mass graves. This is why it is unknown how many died. When the workers realized the mass murder, their angry was huge. They again took the streets and shouted; ''murderers'' to police forces. They attacked the offices of the Security Police and burned their police cars. Again the government troops opened fire, killing another 200!

Foreign media claimed that between 400 and 600 people were killed, most were civilians. Human Rights Watch said the killing of unarmed protesters by the Uzbek government on 13 May was so extensive and unjustified that it amounted to a massacre. Because of the killings and the criticism from western nations, the US Air Force was told to leave the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base. The Americans relocated their air force to bases in other parts of Central Asia!

After the massacre in Andijan, the Karimov banned the opposition from participating in elections. But in order to show the world that he was a ''fair liberal democratic'' leader. He choose to become a member of the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party in 2007. Because the president choose to become a ''liberal democrat'', this party was catapulted into becoming the biggest party!

All four political parties are loyal to Islam Karimov, so there is no genuine democratic process in Uzbekistan. Yet western imperialism needs the authoritarian state in order to fight Islamic fundamentalists. This is why there is little attention in the western media about the dictatorships in Central Asia. We saw the same thing with the Arab dictators, who were supported by western imperialism because of their opposition to Islamic fundamentalism. Dictators like Ben Ali of Tunisia, Mubarak of Egypt, even Gaddafi in Libya were seen as allies in the struggle against Islamic terrorism in the eyes of western capitalist nations! 

Karimov and Kazakh dictator Nazarbayev are among the oldest leaders of Central Asian. Both are now old men way into their 70's. Since their regimes are build around themselves, it remains to be seen what will happen when they die. Uzbekistan and Kazakstan never had a period of genuine political freedom. The nations were created by the Soviet-Union and ruled by criminals ever since. Revolutionary socialists call for the removal of Karimov and all who support his personal dictatorship. His 25 year old regime must be destroyed, through a popular revolution that will bring power to the working class of Uzbekistan!

Like most Central Asian dictators, Islam Karimov

was an ally of George W. Bush in the War against Terroism   

Nazarbayev, dictator for 25 years

Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbayev, age 73. Former general secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan and second chairman of the National Democratic Party "Nur Otan" since 2007. Also president/dictator of Kazakhstan since 1989. Nazarbayev is a typical post-Stalinist leader. Born in the former USSR, he took power in Kazakhstan in the last years of Stalinist rule. Nazarbayev established a corrupt capitalist regime, that made him very rich. By faking-elections and using the state media against his opponents, Nazarbayev was able to win every elections with ease. The family of the dictator is very wealthy, owning more then 1 billion US dollars in private bank accounts around the world!

Nazarbayev was born in Chemolgan, a rural town near Almaty, when Kazakhstan was one of the republics of the Soviet Union. At the age of 20, he earned a good wage while doing dangerous work in a steel factory. He joined the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1962. Like many bureaucrats he cared little for the ideology, but was a loyal party member who worked his way up. In 1984, Nazarbayev then age 44, became prime minister of the Kazakh Socialist Soviet Republic. As prime minister he was however not the true leader of Kazakhstan. Because in the USSR, the leaders of the communist party were more powerful then state leaders. Nursultan Nazarbayev and his supporters fought against other power hungry bureaucrats in classic Stalinist wars. These wars were fought by using deception, lies and personal greed. Nazarbayev was able to use the reforms of Micheal Gorbachev to remove his opponents. On June 22 1989, he was made general secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, his rise to power was complete!

As stalinism collapsed, Nursultan Nazarbayev supported Boris Yeltsin against the hard-liners inside the Communist Party of the Soviet-Union. When these hard-liners tried a coup in August 1991, the chairman of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan supported Yeltsin and his pro-capitalist democrats. Five months later, Nazarbayev made himself first president of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Finally dropping his ''communist'' mask and reviled his true character. The new president claimed his nation would be a ''democracy''. Because of this he was supported by western nations. But his ''democratic'' talk was one big lie. In reality he and his family remained in control of Kazakhstan!

Nazarbayev showed his dictatorial power, when he ordered the Kazakh Security Forces to break up a demonstration led by the opposition to his regime. Between June 10-14 of 1992, the opposition tried peaceful demonstrations, but they were violently attacked by members of the Security Police. In 1994 Nazarbayev suggested the move of the capital from Almaty to Astana and the official shift of the capital happened on December 10, 1997. Two years later, the president created a political party to support his regime. The National Democratic Party called "Nur Otan" is the party of people who support the president. Being a member of this party has its advantages. Like the old caste of the communist party, "Nur Otan" members enjoy privileges because of their party membership. The party is able to win every election, because the family of Nursultan Nazarbayev controls the media and the means of production, like the mighty oil industry!

During the Stalinist era, Nursultan Nazarbayev was a Atheist and opposed religion. But after 1991, he became a Muslim and supports Sunni-Islam. Like most capitalist oligarchs, he made his fortune by taking over parts of the national economy. This is how the family Nazarbayev made their fortune, by stealing millions from the Kazakh workers. Even his three daughters are very rich, although woman in Kazakhstan are not treated as equals. The collapse of the Soviet-Union caused a sharp decline in Kazakhstan's GDP. But thanks to oil profits the economy recovered very fast and by 2000 its was back on its pre-1991 level. Today more the 56% of all exports in Kazakhstan are based on the selling of oil!

Internationally, the Nazarbayev regime choose to support all major powers. Both Russia and the United States were allies of the corrupt dictator. Kazakhstan was an ally of George W Bush and Nazarbayev visited the White House to meet with the US president. Vice president Dick Cheney even visited Kazakhstan himself and laughing with Nazarbayev, the man who uses torture methods on prisoners and who's human rights record is very poor. Yet this did not matters to the Bush regime. They supported Nazarbayev, because they needed his oil.  This is why we see George W Bush and Dick Cheney laughing with Nazarbayev in front of the camera's. America is quick to judge nations who oppose US imperialism. But dictatorships who were supportive of the USA remain praised!

In 2011, oil workers rose up against the capitalist dictator and his oligarchy. These workers were soon confronted by bullets from the Kazakh Security Police. They killed 14 workers and wounded more then 100. Still the capitalist world did noting to aid the workers who rose up. Former leader of the British Labour Party; Tony Blair became an advisor of Nursultan Nazarbayev for 13 million dollars, Blair sold himself to the dictator. But it became clear that Nazarbayev did not listen to his new advisor. Because he kept his dictatorship running, jailing members of Socialist Resistance Kazakhstan, a new revolutionary party founded by oil workers and revolutionary socialists!

Prominent members of Socialist Resistance Kazakhstan include Ainur Kurmanov and Esenbek Ukteshbayev, leaders of the independent Kazakh trade union 'Zhanartu', currently in exile. Along with other members of Socialist Resistance Kazakhstan, both have been subject to arbitrary imprisonment and attempts on their lives when within Kazakhstan. This is how Nazarbayev's dictatorship works. The Security Police will arrest people and keep they in jail for a long time, win out formal charges or a court hearing. If victims go to court, they are called ''dangerous to the state'' and jailed for years. This happend to Vadim Kuramshin, a human rights activist. Kuramshin is a well-known lawyer and prisoner's rights defender, who has worked to publicise the ill-treatment of prisoners in Kazakhstan, including in prison colony EC 164/4 where he is currently detained. He was arrested by the corrupt Nazarbayev regime for supporting workers and jailed for 12 years!

Together with Uzbek dictator Islom Abdug‘aniyevich Karimov, Nursultan Nazarbayev is among the oldest leaders of the former Soviet-Union. He is longer in power then ''Czar'' Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. Karimov and Nazarbayev were both Stalinist leaders when they made a turn towards nationalism and capitalism. Both claim to be democratic and freely elected as presidents. But reality is different, both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are dictatorial nations, yet few people in the western know this. The western media keeps silent about the dictatorships that were created after the collapse of stalinism. We are told of the ''democratic'' success stories in the Baltic states, were the collapse of ''communism'' led to democracy and ''freedom''. But the capitalist media does not tell us the story of Nazarbayev and his oligarchs. Because that would destroy the western illusion that capitalism brought democracy in Central Asia! 

George W. Bush would never laugh with Fidel Castro,

but he had no problems with Nursultan Nazarbayev!

Typical American hypocrites!

Nigeria is jailing homosexuals

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is banning homosexuality. Already 40 men have been arrested only because they are gay. President Goodluck Jonathan is a intolerant Christian, who does not tolerant gay's in his nation. Christian conservatives in the USA would love to have the power, president Jonathan has. With police torture, the names of 170 gay males have been obtained. Now Nigeria is ready for a massive witch-hunt to arrest and jail its homosexual population. Revolutionary socialists oppose this criminalisation and calls on the Nigerian working class to oppose it. Unfortunate most workers are brainwashed with anti-gay propaganda, spread by the Christians and Muslims. Nigeria is split into two parts, one Christian part in the south and a Islamic part in the north. Both religious groups hate each other and sectarian violence is common. But one thing both Christians and Muslims share; their intolerance and hated for homosexuals!

Nigeria is led by the right-wing; People's Democratic Party. This party is founded in 1998 after the end of the military junta that ruled Nigeria since 1993. The PDP is a neoliberal party that supports the rule of the capitalists and the Nigerian rich. Also it is conservative and opposes liberal freedoms. We see this in their anti-homosexuality. Elections have never been free, as political violence is as common as sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims. Revolutionary socialists have also fallen under attack by the corrupt police. Members of the Democratic Socialist Movement faced arrests and jail time for their opposition to the Nigerian government and its conservative president!

The northern Islamic states of Nigeria already criminalized homosexuality. Now the Christian southern states make their move to ban it. Africa is notorious for its religious fundamentalism and intolerance of LGBT people. Unlike the criminal theocratic governments in the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the ''US puppet state'' of Afghanistan, most African nations do not execute gay's. They send them to prison for the rest of their lives. Lesbian relationships are banned as well in Africa. But unlike their male counterparts, the African lesbians do not face life imprisonment. Lesbian sex is not punished as hard as gay sex!

Goodluck Jonathan became president in 2011. He was vice-president under Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, but kept a low profile. Thanks to the People's Democratic Party and its control over the media, he won the elections. Easy when you consider his personal wealth. Goodluck Jonathan is a millionaire who owns more then 8.000.000 US dollars. Like many capitalist presidents, Jonathan serves the needs of the ruling class. In 2012, the president wanted to remove the fuel subsidies. Many poor Nigerians get their fuel cheap because of these subsidies. But Jonathan wanted to cut this as part of his austerity plans. After massive protests by the working class and parts of the establishment, he kept fuel prices affordable!

Since 2001, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is at war with Islamic militants of the group; Boko Haram. The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad, Boko Haram in the Hausa language. Between 2001 and 2013 more then 10.000 Nigerians were killed in conflicts between the corrupt police and the Islamic fundamentalists. The goal of Boko Haram is clear, they want to establish a Islamic Emirate in Nigeria and enforce the dogma's of the Koran. They are opposed by the Christians who have dominated Nigerian politics for years. Many young Muslims have deep hatred for the Christians who they see as dictatorial, corrupt and cruel. They are partly right, because the Nigerian military has murdered more then 1000 members of  Boko Haram in prison. But this does not mean that the Islamic rebels are saints. They too use brutal and criminal methods, like child soldiers and murdering innocent Christians!

The banning of homosexuality in the southern Christian states of Nigeria, may give the president much needed support from Christians. Since Nigeria has oil it is unlikely the international community will do something to help homosexuals. With their oil, the Nigerians are a big player in the market for petroleum. Because of this, no government would dare to stand and demand radical action againt Goodluck Jonathan. The criminalisation of homosexuality is a fundamental attack on human-rights. We know why they ban it, because president Goodluck Jonathan wants to please his Christian electorate. He and his criminal; People's Democratic Party are guided by backward religious dogma's and it is up to the brave revolutionary socialists and secular democratic Nigerians to stand up for gay/lesbian rights!

Gay's and Lesbians are hated and jailed

in both the Islamic north and the Christian south

of Nigeria!

Boeing workers forced to accept deal

Boeing workers in the State of Washington USA were told to accept a deal by their trade union leaders and Washington State law makers. The workers of the Boeing construction plant for the new 777 went to strike to oppose numerous concessions to their jobs, including a pension freeze and a modest raise. Boeing made more then 3,90 billion dollars in profits in 2012, yet they choose to attack workers. It is therefore good that the workers choose to strike against this injustice. The Boeing capitalists however started to use a familiar tactic; extortion. They threaten to move the production of the Boeing 777 to another US state, that would leave more then 10.000 people unemployed. Fearful of this more then 51% of the workers choose to support the deal offered by Boeing. 49% refused to support the deal and made a heroic stand!

The capitalist media is very happy with the vote. They called it a victory for ''common sense'' and the US economy, as the management use extortion to win. Pro-capitalist newspapers and networks like Fox News, say the workers of Boeing who voted against the deal, are ''harming'' the economy of the State of Washington. Their cruel logic dictates that when a major capitalist enterprises threatens to move production away, you capitulate before their demands. This we saw in Europa, were trade unions and social democratic parties capitulated before the demands of the capitalists. Lowering wages, freezing pensions and privatizations of public owned enterprises. This is what the owners of the world economy demanded after the collapse of the USSR! 

Using extortion methods and threatening to move jobs to China, many politicians and trade union leaders agreed to their demands. Workers in Europe soon saw how the capitalists were making billions of profits. Seeing the wealth of the ruling class increase with 400% between 1990 and 2010. Since the economic crisis began in 2008, the ruling class have start to use extortion against workers and the trade unions. Many trade unionist leaders were so afraid of losing jobs, that they capitulated before most demands of the ruling class. Although many workers were eager to fight, their trade unions were not!

This is why relative few workers are members of trade unions. Today less then 6% of the American working class is unionized. Another reason maybe is because union leaders have a elitist way of life. Earning nice money and salaries up to 100.000 dollars a year. Even in hard times such as today, many union leaders are still living on a salary that is much higher then that of a average paid worker. Revolutionary socialists demand therefore that trade union leaders are paid, an average salary. If a workers salary is 40.000 dollars, then a leader of the workers should not get a salary above this income. This is also why we say that politicians should be paid a workers salary. Members of the US Congress are paid 175.000 dollars a year. No wonder many are right-wing and pro-capitalist. They don't feel the effects of their politics.

Forced into accepting this deal with Boeing, the workers must now watch how their pensions are frozen. Wage increase will be moderate and strikes banned until 2024, all because of fear. Fear of losing jobs, this is why capitalism is evil and cruel. This system of greed is keeping us in a tight grip. Therefore we revolutionary socialists call for the nationalization of major enterprises, so their profits can be used for society and not for the needs of shareholders. Boeing workers are not the only ones who are affected by corporate extortion methods. More capitalists will use this method if they see it is very effective in fighting strikes! 

More on the website of Popular Resistance  

Thanks to extortion methods, fear among workers 

and weak trade union leadership; Boeing won this

battle!

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People

Documentary about American movies

vilifying the Arab people as ''evil'' 

Attacks on workers and elderly in the Netherlands

The Netherlands used to be a social democratic nation until 1990. Before that year, the super rich were forced to pay an income tax of 72% and the state took care of the elderly. But the collapse of stalinism and betrayal of social democracy, caused a massive shift to the right in Dutch politics. Social democrats, progressive liberals and liberal conservatives introduced neo-liberalism, the absolute rule of the market. In 1990, the highest tax rate was reduced to 60% and 11 years later the highest income tax became 51%. The elderly in the Netherlands are used to be cared by society in retirement homes. But now the capitalist government wants to close 800 out of 2000 homes for elderly people. The government says that old people must take care of themselves. Only elderly with serious disabilities are to receive help and care from the state. Family and friends must takeover the tasks now carried out by retirement homes. This attack on old people is a disaster. Many fear isolation and serious problems, as many elderly cannot take care of themselves!

The current government is made up of liberal conservatives and right-wing social democrats. It is ironic that the Party of Labour, who was a champion for social security and progressive politics in the 50 and 60's, is now working with the liberal conservatives to destroy the system they build up. Dutch prime minister; Mark Rutte is a typical right-wing liberal. He believes in strict budget cuts and austerity programs. At the same time, Rutte tells the Dutch people to spend more money to help the economy. But how can Dutch workers spend more money if the cost of living is increasing. Many are saving money instead of spending it, fear is dominating the minds of many. Fear of losing their  jobs, fear of entering the ''Bijstand'' were the state forces you to work for your social security benefits. ''Bijstand'' is a system were the state pays unemployed workers, money so they can live until they get a new job. In 2014 however, people who are forced into the ''Bijstand'' are treated as ''lazy'' by the right-wing media. Because of austerity, the government now forces people in the ''Bijstand'' to work for their social security benefits. Many are forced to work 20 to 30 hours a week, doing meaningless jobs. Should they refuse to work, then the state cuts their ''Bijstand'' benefits and this most unemployed cannot afford. 

Soon 1.000.000 workers in the Netherlands get unemployed and forced to live on social benefits of the ''Bijstand''. When entering the ''Bijstand'' you are not only forced to do work for the government, you are also forced to apply for jobs, ten times a month. If you are not actively searching for work, then the government can cut your social benefits. The government decides whether you are searching hard enough for work. This is why many workers ( who still have work ) live in fear. Because the capitalists are firing workers by the hundreds, all in the name of budget cuts and reorganizations. Living in the ''Bijstand'' means also a social stigma, right-wing newspapers and populists on TV, call you ''lazy'' and ''unwilling to find work'' as an unemployed person. This is why few unemployed will ever say they are living on social benefits from the state.   

Elderly people are also a victims of the governments austerity plans. The Netherlands has over 2000 retirement homes for elderly people. These homes were build in the 60's and 70's in order to give old people, a nice place to live in their last years. In these homes they were supported by healthcare workers, who took care of them until they died. Now the government of liberal conservatives and social democrats want to close these elderly homes, because they want to cut spending. Elderly people must live outside the care of the state and if they cannot afford to pay for help in their houses, then the family must take care of them. It is like returning to the 1940's, when old people were living with their children. Only a capitalist government forces old people out of their retirement homes and back into the care of family and friends. Also who says that a family is able to support a old person. Many working class families are struggling, they do not have the financial means to support the elderly. Yet Mark Rutte and his traitorous social democratic allies, don't care. 800 out of 2000 retirement homes must close, because they are victims of austerity!

We saw this in the former USSR. Stalinism may have been brutal, but it did not abandon elderly people. The Stalinist government created retirement homes for the old and many lived happy there. This changed after 1991. Most Soviet retirement homes closed, because the corrupt capitalist governments in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet republics, did no longer care about the elderly. Now many of them are living in isolation in old flats with very little money. Family is not always there to help them, since most Russian working class families are not able to take care of their old parents. Those win out family, are left to die in isolation. A society that does not take care of its elderly is cruel and can only be based on the greedy capitalistic system!

The Dutch austerity plans are bad for all workers. But there is not yet massive resistance. This is because many Dutch are pragmatic and few have a genuine class consciousness. The capitalist media also plays a dirty role here. Both the public broadcasting networks and the private networks, all claim that austerity is ''necessary'' and  that ''we all must feel the pain''. Problem only is that the rich feel absolutely nothing of this pain. They can pay a few hundred euros extra each month, but workers with an average income of €30.000 ( 41.000 U.S. dollars ) cannot. Also at least one million Dutch are living on an income that is lower then €20.000 ( 27.000 U.S. dollars ). These people are hard extra hard because of their low income!

In many European countries, social democracy is working against the interests of the working class. Social democrats in Greece are part of the government, who's austerity programs has caused a sharp rise in unemployment. 27% of all Greek workers are not employed and forced to live on 600 euro's a month. Many cannot pay the bills for electricity, house rent or food. Children of unemployed parents face genuine poverty, as they have no money for toys, movies or teenage stuff. All this because the capitalist European Union forced Greece to cut spending and privatize many parts of its economy. The EU works on the criminal capitalist system and has not interests in the suffering of millions, who struggle each day to meet ends. 

Workers in Europe are very angry. But because there is a lack of workers parties, many turn towards leftist social democrats or old stalinists. In Greece, the new leftist party Syriza ( former Coalition of the Radical Left ) is not so radical left as its old name said. The new party Syriza is divided between social democrats and genuine socialists. Right-wing members oppose genuine socialism and class struggle against the capitalist system. Another question is what do with the key political issues of this period: Will the debt be repudiated or not? Will the banks and strategic businesses be nationalized or will big private capital, local and multinational, remain dominant in the economy? Is Syriza ready for a frontal conflict with the euro-zone? 

Meanwhile in the Netherlands such debates are not happening inside the Socialist Party. The SP is the only leftist party that stands against the neo-liberal government of Mark Rutte. But its leadership is social democratic and has no desire to challenge the capitalist system nor the might of the euro-zone. Emile Roemer is leader of the Socialist Party since 2010. A nice man and a school teacher, but also a politician who is not a fighter against capitalism. Unlike the Irish socialists; Joe Higgins and Paul Murphy, Roemer is pragmatic and ready to make compromises. The SP also tries to turn the Party of Labour back to its social democratic roots, the root they betrayed almost 23 years ago. Trying to turn social democrats back into the leftist camp is not working, since the PvdA ( Party of Labour ) is a party of class traitors, who's only job is to keep the Netherlands in line with EU plans!

Another problem of the SP is its use of old Stalinist methods. The Socialist Party was founded as a revolutionary, yet dogmatic Maoist party in 1972. It renounced stalinism in 1990, but it also moved away from revolutionary socialism. Although no longer a revolutionary party, the SP kept some Stalinist elements like a top-down bureaucratic leadership. The International Socialists of the International Socialist Tendency were told to leave the SP in 2005. The party leadership did not liked them inside their ranks. In 2008, the socialist group; Offensive linked to the Committee for a Workers International, was told to quite the SP. 
This is the problem of the Socialist Party, they have little tolerance for revolutionary socialists who have organized themselves in groups that are working outside the SP. Because these groups are not under control of the party leadership. Most SP leaders like Emile Roemer, entered the party during the 70's and 80's. They entered a party that was very dogmatic about its believes. Although the SP has abandoned the totalitarian ideals of Stalin and Mao, its leaders have not fully abandoned their methods of running a political party!

Dutch workers need to build a new workers party for themselves. Only a party build on a democratic socialist program, can win many votes during the elections. At least 24% of all voters do not vote during the last elections, because they have no trust in the political parties of the Netherlands. More then 3.000.000 Dutch choose not to vote in 2012. If these voters would have voted for a genuine workers party, it would strengthen the workers movement inside the parliament!

Revolutionary socialists in the Netherlands oppose the criminal austerity attacks of the liberals and social democrats. We also oppose the European Union who forces right-wing capitalist politics down on its members. In order to fight the political parties of capitalism, workers in the Netherlands need to fight for a genuine workers party based on a socialist program. We say:

- Fight all the cuts and privatizations
- Stop the pension cuts and raising of the retirement age
- Compensate for the price increases in wages, benefits and pensions
- No degradation of unemployment benefits
- Share out all work; for a 32-hour work week with no loss of pay
- No to the Joint Strike Fighter
- No to wage freezes in the public sector
- For permanent jobs in the home-care sector
- An union campaign for action and a 24-hour general strike; mobilize the massive potential of the trade union movement against all cuts
- The Dutch Socialist Party should represent workers and people who suffer from the cuts and form a combative political alternative to the austerity parties
- For a socialist alternative to cuts and capitalism, with a democratic socialist plan of production based on the interests of the overwhelming majority of the people and not those of a small super rich elite!

As a result of austerity, more workers will need to use the

food banks. These banks give free food to working class

families who cannot afford to buy it in supermarkets!

Rich Catholics against the Pope

The Roman Catholic Church has been a conservative institution for almost 2000 years. Since they took command over the Roman Empire, they enforced their dogmatic theocracy on the people of Europe and the Middle East. By 1500, they ordered their missionaries to conquer the American lands. Only three hundred years later, all of Spanish speaking America was Roman Catholic. All other religions were destroyed, ancient culture violently suppressed by the imperialists of the Spanish Catholic Empire. Although the Catholic Church lost much power in Northern Europe to Protestantism, it remains the dominate Christian Church in Southern and Central Europe. Most Popes remained conservative, few were genuine progressive. Yet now the Church is led by a man who is challenging the market economy. Rich Catholics do not like the Pope talking about the evil of capitalism. They are warning him not to continue his criticism!

New York has many Catholics. They are the biggest religious group in the state with 40% of all New Yorkers belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. Among them are many rich millionaires who grew rich thanks to the capitalist system. Now Pope Francis has said that capitalism causes inequality and is an unfair system. No Pope has ever said something like this for a long time. Francis is praised by many progressive Catholics and the Christian left-wing, who see in him a true representative of Jesus Christ. But the rich Catholics don't like the way Pope Francis talks about capitalism!

Ken Langone is a capitalist Catholic and co-founder of a major enterprise called the Home Depot. His worth is about 2,1 billion dollars. Like many rich Catholics he is a major fundraiser for the Republican Party. But now the Pope has turned against the system that made him rich. Langone said he was ''worried'' about the remarks of the Pope regarding rich people. Because Ken Langone and his rich Catholics are raising money to renovate St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. The remarks of Pope Francis were not well received by the millionaires of New York and Langone said some might not support the fundraising for the renovation of St. Patrick's Cathedral. As he spoke with the cardinal, Langone said; "I've told the cardinal, 'Your Eminence, this is one more hurdle I hope we don't have to deal with. You want to be careful about generalities. Rich people in one country don't act the same as rich people in another country!''

So mr. billionaire says that American capitalists are not like other capitalists? Or is he saying that he and his rich friends might no longer donate money to the Roman Catholic Church, because they don't like the way Pope Francis talks about capitalism? But Ken Langone is not the only rich Catholic who has turned against the Pope. Fox News Catholics are also very critical about the anti-capitalist remarks of Francis. Famous right-wing news commentators like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly said that that Pope should limit himself to religious matters and not intervene in politics. Easy for them to say, they make millions with their right-wing, anti-worker, pro-capitalist propaganda!

A great thing for the Pope to do would be excommunication of all rich Catholics who refuse to donate most of their money to the poor. We revolutionary socialists think that no person should own more then 687.000 dollars ( 500.000 euro ). Because it is unfair that some get rich while the majority of people never will. The capitalists say they work harder then workers or have greater ''responsibility''. Bullshit, workers are the force that keeps capitalism running. Win out workers no capitalism, but workers can work win out dictatorial bosses and greedy capitalists. Alternative economic systems can be build to meet the needs of all people, not just a tiny minority who can buy all kind of things. Luxurious houses, boats and private jets, these things should belong to us all and not to a very little group of people. 

Pope Francis would do good in reforming the Roman Catholic Church, who has lost a lot of credibility in the western world. A reformed progressive Church can support a world free from capitalist exploitation. But in order for this to work, the capitalists must be removed from power. Their control over big businesses must end. It remains to be seen if the Pope is willing to go down future to limit the power of rich capitalists like Ken Langone. We revolutionary socialists do not think that the Roman Catholic Church will ever lead a socialist revolution. Until now the Catholics have been counter-revolutionary, supportive of capitalism and western imperialism. They are not our allies!

Ken Langone, rich capitalist Catholic and critical of his own Pope!