War With Iran

The day January 2, 2020, is a day which will ”live in infamy”, as far as Iran is concerned. It is the day the United States assassinated a top Iranian general, as well as nine other Iranian citizens. It is the day the United States provoked a war with Iran. Just as surely as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour was an act of war, so too the American killing of several top Iranian officials is an act of war. The question is not a matter of ”if” the Iranians will retaliate, but ”when” the Iranians will retaliate.

The Iranians have already announced that they plan to resume their production of nuclear weapons. They have also announced their plan to attack several American military targets. In response to this, Trump has announced that if that happens, the American military will strike fifty two Iranian targets, cultural as well as military. It should be noted that any attack on civilian targets is considered to be a war crime.

Now, more than ever, it is imperative for conscious people, Marxists, those who are aware of the existence of classes, to bring to the working class the awareness of themselves as a class. This act of aggression, if not outright war, is characteristic of the imperialists. Explain to working people that imperialism is monopoly capitalism, and that such people, the imperialists, the super rich, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, are completely reactionary. They will go to any length to preserve their wealth and power. This act of war against Iran is merely one example. The fact that countless people could end up dead is of no consequence, at least as far as the imperialists are concerned.

Trump has justified this act of mass murder, the killing of ten Iranian citizens, as a defence against an ”imminent threat” on the part of General Seleimani. Of course, Trump was careful not to go into any details. Perhaps Trump expects us to trust him, to take him at his word. Just how stupid does he think we are?

It is to the credit of the journalists that they have documented thousands of instances of Trump lying, and that in the mere three years that he has been president. The man lies constantly, for any reason and for no reason. Clearly the man is simply not capable of being honest. If I was the charitable sort – which I am not – I would say that the man is sick, in desperate need of professional help. But I maintain that Trump is not sick. He is merely a typical member of the class of monopoly capitalists, those who are technically referred to as the bourgeoisie, and all such people are bare faced liars. Trump is not a sick man. Trump is a lying man. Trump is a typical bourgeois.

There is a reason Trump ”allegedly” ordered the murder of those Iranian men. I use the word ”allegedly” out of respect for all courts of law. The fact of the matter is that he brags about ordering them killed, but that has yet to be proven in a court of law.

No doubt there are many readers who cannot imagine Trump being arrested and charged with any crime, much less murder. After all, he is a billionaire, and such people are immune from prosecution. ”Money talks”, as is the age old expression, and in fact it talks loud and clear. But now working people are also ”talking”, and if anything, the working people are talking even louder and more clearly, or at least more clearly than ever before. The days of the bourgeoisie getting away with any and all crimes, including murder and sexual assault, are a thing of the past.

As for those who are skeptical -and I welcome such a healthy attitude- may I point out to everyone the fact that recently a number of rich and famous people, including celebrities and billionaires, have been charged and convicted with various crimes. Perhaps the case of Jeffrey Epstein is the most revealing.

Epstein was a convicted sex offender, a pedophile, which is to say a child molester, commonly called a ”skinner”, who was charged with several very serious crimes. He was locked up awaiting trial when he allegedly committed suicide. At least, that is the official version. The unofficial version is that he was murdered. Either way, there are a great many very rich people, members of the bourgeoisie as well as members of the nobility, who are quite happy to hear that he is dead. One of those members of the nobility is a member of the British royalty, a son of the queen, no less. Numerous other billionaires are suspected to have paid Epstein a great fortune for the honour and privilege of raping underage girls. The death of Epstein may have gotten them ”off the hook”, but only temporarily. As the revolutionary motion gains strength, other victims, under age girls at the time of their rape, are sure to step forward.

As Trump is the head of state, he is no doubt aware that it is against international law to order the murder of others, whether military people or civilians. It is also against international law to target civilians, in case of war. It is not clear that all members of the American military are aware of this. The fact is that it is not just Trump who could be charged with the murder of those ten Iranian men. The military members who carried out that order can also be charged. The International Criminal Court, the I.O.C., has ruled, many years ago, that ”just following orders” is not a legal defence.

It is to be hoped that the pilots who are ordered to bomb civilian targets, as well as the operators of missile launchers who are faced with similar orders, will give this serious consideration. Better to face charges of failing to obey illegal orders, rather than face charges of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Worse still, such people could be sent to Iran to face charges. That is perhaps the worst night mare of every American military member.

The Iranian delegate to the United Nations, the U.N., has lodged an official complaint, properly so. As a result of this, the U.N. may intervene and request the I.O.C. issue a warrant for the arrest of Trump and all others responsible for the killing of those ten Iranian citizens.

As for those who consider this to be a joking matter, may I suggest all consider the fact that as long as Trump is president, the head of state, he probably cannot be arrested and charged in any court. As soon as he is out of office, ”all bets are off”, so to speak. Staying in his home country, in this case the United States, will likely prevent him form being arrested. On the other hand, as soon as he sets foot outside the protection of the country, he is likely to be arrested. That of course is assuming the I.O.C. issues a warrant for his arrest.

The same is true for the military personnel who carried out the illegal order and fired the missile that killed those ten men. The only difference is that they can be arrested at any time, if they leave the protection of the country, as they are not elected officials.

This is what we can expect under the current political climate. That could change, and change most dramatically, and much sooner than most people think.

Of course I am referring to the approaching revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. At that time, the capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, will be separated from their wealth and power. They will be crushed under the iron heel of the working class, the proletariat. We will first and foremost protect our women and children. Sex offenders and child molesters, skinners one and all, will not be tolerated. The same is true of thieves and killers. Trump and the members of the military would do well to bear this in mind. The threat of appearing before the I.O.C. may well be the least of their worries.

The ten Iranian citizens were killed within the borders of Iraq, and the government of Iraq has responded by ordering the expulsion of all American military personnel. No doubt the Iraqis want no part of a war with Iran. As this military presence is little more than an occupying force, it is very likely that this ”order” will simply be ignored by Trump.

Immediately before this killing of the Iranians, those same Iranians mounted that which I would refer to as a probing offensive. Within the capital of Iraq, there is located an American embassy, which is considered the most safe and secure of all American embassies. The walls and doors were thought to be safe from all assaults. In addition, there is a secure zone around the embassy, guarded by Iraqi troops, those who were trained and equipped by Americans. This zone is referred to as the ”Green Zone”, for some reason. This provides the embassy with an added level of security. Or so they thought.

The Iranians decided to determine the security of the embassy, and were no doubt pleasantly surprised. A rather small detachment of men, perhaps a couple hundred, unarmed, were sent to the Green Zone. The Iraqi troops guarding that zone could easily have driven those men away, but they did not. They allowed those Iranians to approach the embassy and attack it, with hand held weapons. Many of the Iraqis, those who were supposed to be guarding the embassy, joined in the assault. The steel doors were broken down and the embassy was penetrated, over a period of two days. The embassy personnel were forced to retreat to a more secure location within the compound. At that point, the Iranian commanders gave the order to pull back. To go any further would have invited American fire by machine guns, artillery and aircraft. As the troops were disciplined, they did as they were ordered.

The American military is claiming they repulsed an attack on their embassy by the Iranians. That is not saying much as those men were not armed. They are careful to ignore the fact that the Iranians broke into the American embassy and determined precisely the weakness of the American position. The American embassy is not at all secure. Further, at the time the war breaks out, they can expect the Iraqi forces, including those whom the Americans have trained and equipped, to join them in fighting those same Americans.

The reason for this impending war with Iran is that Trump has been impeached. He is facing a trial by the Senate, as is required by law, and must be worried. If convicted, he will be removed from office. Most people are of the opinion that is not about to happen, as the Senate is firmly controlled by the Republican Party, the GOP. I am not so sure of that, and apparently Trump is not so sure either. Hence, a war with Iran, as a means of forestalling any trial. Perhaps he is of the opinion that with a good war waging, people will lose interest in removing him from office.

As I write this, the Speaker of the House is still hanging on to the articles of impeachment, ”negotiating” with the Republican majority leader of the Senate, concerning the rules of the trial. As the last thing that majority leader wants is a trial, I doubt there is a great deal of negotiations taking place. He is very likely telling her what she can do with those articles of impeachment. That is not something which is mentioned in the press. But then, it is not fit to print.

No doubt there are a great many people, either current or former members of the middle class, who are well aware of this. To such people I can only say, pass it on. The working class has to be made aware of themselves as a class. That requires repetition and the explanation of the technical terms, as it is also necessary that working people be aware of those terms. It is only the working class, the proletariat, that can lead the revolution. The middle class, the petty bourgeois, can and must, bring this class awareness to the proletariat.

The middle class, the petty bourgeois, or at least the remnants of that class, are simply not capable of leading the revolution. They can and will take part in the revolution, assisting the working class, but their duty now is to raise the level of awareness of the proletariat, to prepare the working people for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

As for those who complain that the proletariat is not prepared to assume political power, I can only respond that you are right. That is a fact, just as it is a fact that in Russia, 1917, the proletariat was even less prepared to assume political power. The revolution was forced upon them, as Karensky was prepared to surrender Saint Petersburg, the capital of Russia, to the Germans, as a means of crushing the revolution.

The point is that if we wait until the proletariat is prepared to seize political power, completely trained, the revolution will never happen, as the bourgeoisie will make sure that preparation never happens. The best we can do is prepare them for their approaching dictatorship, as it is very likely that the bourgeoisie will soon force the issue.

For that reason, I am encouraging all Americans to become card carrying members of the two mainstream political parties, Democratic and Republican. As such, they will become ”party bosses”, in positions of leadership. It may help to think of this as training for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, because that is precisely what it is. Of course it is not reasonable to expect the majority of working class Americans to join the two parties. It is reasonable to expect the most advanced strata of the proletariat to do just that. They in turn will receive valuable training in leadership roles, which will prove to be most valuable after the revolution, when they are placed in positions of authority, crushing the bourgeoisie, under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.

Bear in mind that the most advanced workers are the leaders, while the less advanced workers pay strict attention to their advice.

In the interests of persuading as many American to join the parties as possible, I suggest the use of slogans. These should appeal to people from different age groups. This is just the beginning, and as people become active, they can also be encouraged to read Marxist literature. The experience they gain in the class struggle will soon persuade them of the correctness of our position.

These slogans are meant as suggestion only. For the younger generation, possibly:

Free Tuition!

Abolish All Student Loans!

For the older generation, the seniors:

Free Medical!

Increase the Pensions!

For the unions and all working people:

Increase the Minimum Wage!

For the sports people:

Defend Our Bill of Rights!

Hand Guns Yes! Hand Grenades No!

It is to be stressed that no one should be badgered to join the two parties. It must be strictly on a voluntary basis. Under no circumstances should this lead to confrontation. Those who are not familiar with computers, such as the seniors, should be offered assistance. Stress the fact that as party bosses, they get to decide the person to go to all state capitals, as well as to Washington. There is no need to tell them that they should nominate someone who is sure to fight for their interests, as common people are not entirely stupid. On the other hand, Washington is filled with bourgeois boot lickers who naturally assume we are just that. It is high time we showed them the error of their ways.

As usual, in the interests of international solidarity, and for the benefit of those who are more advanced, I can close with my usual favourite slogans:

Workers of the World, Unite!

Scientific Socialism!

Dictatorship Of the Proletariat!