Aysun Sadıkoğlu
12.8.2023, sayı 265
Followers of the magazine “Kaldıraç” or those who have ties with the Kaldıraç Movement know that we particularly emphasize the issue of the “war economy”. As it is known, we find it inadequate and even erroneous to specify it the economy of “loot and plunder”. It is understood as if looting and corruption is the main problem, which is very, very deficient.
For this reason, we find it accurate to call it “the economy of loot, plunder and war”. We say that this is the basis of the economic policies of the Palace Regime. Thus, for instance, when a liberal intellectual steps forth and says “they are increasing taxes because they have increased salaries and they need to pay them” or “they are increasing taxes and fees because they need to cover the costs incurred by the earthquake”, we enounce that no matter who this is, if not blind and stupid, he/she is definitely an indirect collaborator of the system.
Even when someone says, “Taxes, tributes and increases are being made in order to loot more”, we say that they are wrong.
Because they ignore the problem of war.
As if they have given the earthquake money they have collected so far to the earthquake zone, to the earthquake victims? Indeed, where do you live? Don’t you have any connection with a real human being, not even one little bit? None of the earthquake victims have received a share of the billions of liras collected. Where is the 140 billion they said they have collected on TV channels? Did the CB make a donation, where is this money?
In order to pay salaries, the Turkish state first increases salaries, and then taxes and fees? Such easy comments are actually great support for the Palace Regime.
There is the issue of war.
Just as they were avoiding the war issue when they were discussing the elections, now they continue to walk on the same path.
Every state is the dictatorship of the sovereign, of the ruling class. In the capitalist world we live in, all states are the states of monopolies, of monopoly capital. All of them have internalised the gears of fascism and are nowadays lifting the shawl over them.
This means that when we are talking about the state, it is not enough to think of individuals. The state is the state of the sovereign and today’s sovereign is monopoly capital. And this also applies to the state in our country, and in our country, unlike the imperialist states, international capital is the boss of capital in the country. If what is called colonisation is well understood, it will become clear that there is no need to prolong this subject.
Now, while all over the world, capital is shouting war cries, it is not comprehensible to continue talking as if there is no such thing as war in our country. Not talking about war and war economy is actually a way of taking a mystical attitude by declaring the Palace Regime as a kind of centre of evil. However, concretely, the Palace Regime is both the war trigger on behalf of the US and acts with the increasing burden of the war economy.
Moreover, the Turkish state is at war in Syria, is an occupant in part of Syrian territory, is plunged into the war in Libya and is still performing actions on behalf of the US there. It is eager for a war in the Caucasus and it must have the idea that this war is an indirect way to a war with Iran.
After all, the Turkish state is like a NATO headquarters. It was established as an outpost against the USSR and after the Second World War it became a base for NATO’s war manoeuvres. It has done this both because its imperialist masters told it to do so and voluntarily as well. Today, on behalf of the US, it acts as a triggerman in the entire region.
This war, and the related war economy, is not an issue or a process that belongs only to Turkey.
NATO is a war machine. It is the common war machine of the imperialist masters, the West. This war machine has been continuously controlled by the US since the Cold War, and for this reason NATO is also a structure that becomes very active in wars which the US “does not want to wage alone”.
The sentence “NATO is a response to the Warsaw Pact”, as we are told, is not true. On the contrary, NATO is a thoroughly militarist organisation established by the imperialist masters to prevent the world revolution, to stop and destroy the Soviets and to prepare for civil war in their own countries.
The international monopolies did not disband NATO because the Warsaw Pact do not exist anymore. To think this, while stepping back from the struggle for socialism, is to behave like a complete blockhead and to follow the imperialist masters’ wake.
It is now known that the Warsaw Pact has long since ceased to exist and that NATO is not and will not act to put an end to its existence. However, NATO could disintegrate in a conflict within the imperialist West. Although there are grounds for this, the West’s united stance against Russia and China and their united war policies make this ground very weak and conceal it.
NATO continues to expand continuously.
Turkey supposedly opposed the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. But what an opposition! The more Erdoğan raged severely, the sooner he approved their membership. And the “sound minds of our country” (present company excepted) defines this as Erdoğan’s 180-degree turn. In my opinion, saying that Erdoğan has made a U-turn in order to criticise this policy, which is presented by the Palace media as “masterful manoeuvres”, is acting frivolously, is being “a little frog in a big pond”.
This same “being the little frog” also does not hesitate to claim that Erdoğan is siding with Russia. Because they do not want this to happen and they look at everything from a Western perspective. However, neither Putin nor Erdoğan trust each other. We have seen this many times. We have seen that Erdoğan runs to Putin and then to Biden.
This is a mandatory occurrence in the current war processes.
But the Turkish state is a member of NATO and Erdoğan is part of a US project, as is often said. The Palace press, which suppose that foreign policy is a dance of statements, and considers this a masterstroke, is at least clearer on this point. Yes, each statement of Erdoğan denies the previous one. Under these circumstances, the Palace media, on the other hand, has to look for ways to praise the latest statement without thinking about the next one, forgetting the two previous ones.
NATO was established after the Second World War. NATO is one of the organisations of the new world order of that period, headed by the USA, just like the IMF, just like the World Bank. Only, unlike the others, it is a military organisation.
Today, after the dissolution of the USSR and the subsequent war of partition between the imperialist Western countries, it has continued to act as an organisation of war in the full sense of the word, and in this respect the US has never relinquished control of NATO.
With the coup d’état in Ukraine (2014), the increasing Nazi attacks, the beginning of the process that Russia calls a military operation, the USA “persuaded” all EU countries to take a position against Russia. This process of “persuasion” is both in the interests of the monopolies of the EU countries and was realised due to the fear of the US threat rising against it.
While “NATO was brain dead”, suddenly the “brain” came back and NATO was resurrected. It is important to understand this resurrected NATO correctly.
NATO is both a civil war organisation for the member states and the entire capitalist world (the paramilitary structures organised under the names of Gladio etc. are both within the state and are civil war organisations affiliated to NATO) and also a war machine.
The war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan took place under the NATO umbrella, with NATO’s involvement at one stage or another. In the Iraq war, NATO forces were at the back, in Afghanistan they were at the front. Then came the war in Libya. NATO was involved in the dissolution of Yugoslavia and in every war in the Balkans. And NATO is involved in every conflict in the Caucasus.
In other words, the words of our professors, who are devotees of the West, that “we should favour democracy at the cost of remaining a member of NATO, rather than opening up to the East” are, if not childish, a clear defence of the war organisation.
From the very beginning, NATO was directed by the US. During the Cold War, the US was the dominant, hegemonic power within NATO. Today, it has regained this position under the pretext of the Ukraine issue.
It is known that China, starting from the beginning of 2000, started to enter the international market with its own brands.
Monopoly capital also means market domination.
In other words, controlling the market, no matter who produces, actually means grabbing the lion’s share. It means not only taking the lion’s share, but also taking complete control of the market. It also means great opportunities in price policies and additional methods of monopolistic profit. This includes loot and plunder.
Let’s say a Chinese company enters the market with state support behind it, such as Huawei, it would not only threaten Apple. It also removes Apple’s market control. Let’s say it threatens the ability to sell the iPhone, which is produced for $ 12.5 each, for $ 1000. Samsung was just taking a piece of the pie. But Huawei has also begun to take control of inspection of market distribution channels. Because it offers a better, more advanced technology at one-fourth the price, and moreover, if no legal restrictions are imposed, if state forces are not mobilised against Huawei, it is impossible to prevent it.
This situation is being experienced in many sectors with very striking examples. Yesterday, German machinery faced the threat of being replaced by “low quality” Chinese machinery, but today, the threat has grown. In accordance with the rules of free market economy, China has started to sell much more advanced machines at one third the price of its European competitors.
It would be flawed if the issue is addressed only in terms of market share. From now on, under normal conditions and normal free market functioning, the leadership and control is being passed to China. This is how the Western monopolies started to put their own states in charge, to throw the free market out of the window. There are more striking examples on the subject, but I think we had the chance to make our point by this much.
This is also an important reason for all Western monopolies to say yes to the aggressive policy of the US. It is not only the threat of the US to the EU that gives results, this must be added.
It is under these conditions that war policies and war economy envelop the entire capitalist world. The war organisation of the imperialist powers, with the USA at its helm, is NATO, and for this reason, NATO’s attitudes in recent periods have become much more important.
It is hypocrisy to say that you are against war and then talk about NATO as the guarantor of democracy. When Kılıçdaroğlu does this, there is no problem, he is already a NATO soldier. But when this is done by professors who appear to be neutral and pro-peace, this is a serious problem.
On 11 July the NATO summit convened and on 12 July the summit final declaration was published. It would be goog to look at some headings from this final declaration. Maybe if we have “leftists” who do not understand NATO, it will be good for them. For us, it will constitute an opportunity to see once again in which situation the war policies are.
- Ukraine’s invitation to NATO is not being rejected, Ukraine’s NATO membership will be considered, subject to the agreement of the allies and the fulfilment of the conditions. Zelensky, the puppet of the theatre, is like a pet that is both patted on the head and pushed around at meetings. Ukraine will do its homework, but the prospect of NATO membership is not ruled out.
If Ukraine is recognised as a NATO member and the war continues, the official war will have begun, considering that the NATO-Russia war has already become de facto. The US is not stepping on the accelerator in this regard, but it is not lifting its foot either.
- NATO is warning countries which support Russia about cutting off their support. China has already been warned in this regard. The current warning is not limited to China. This means that two war fronts are being formed, NATO and others.
- İn the declaration it is stated that the strategic partnership between China and Russia is a threat. The further development of this situation, the deepening of the strategic partnership between Russia and China, is “contrary to NATO’s values and interests”.
Our “impartial” intellectuals, who are very, very professorial, will like the word “values” the most. These values, as is well known, have been crowned with wars and massacres all over the world since 1945.
- Special emphasis is placed on Russia’s “military integration” with Belarus. This is regarded as affecting the stability in the region. Ukraine, Yugoslavia, etc. do not affect stability, but Belarus does.
- NATO is talking about keeping the communication channels open with Moscow. Can this be considered a “step back”? In our opinion, no. It could simply mean that today’s war policy is based on more escalation, and that it is being tested more violently in Ukraine. The decision to ship long-range missiles and banned bombs such as cluster bombs to Ukraine is clear evidence of this. It is as if to say that Ukraine is a battlefield and everything is permissible there.
- NATO declares that it does not seek conflict with Russia, but that it does not see it as a partner either. These statements could be evidence that new areas will be added to the war. Cases such as Iran and Taiwan are already known.
- It is stated that: “China’s ambitions challenge NATO’s interests, security and values.” This emphasis is proof that a more aggressive attitude towards China will be adopted and that the EU recognises this. Indeed, it is not for nothing that it also talks about enhancing co-operation with partners in the Asia-Pacific region.
- NATO also emphasises that its members “agree to accelerate the integration of space into collective security”.
This is also evidence that the war will proceed with more thorough preparation.
- A sharp emphasis has been added that NATO will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It is understood that the project of spreading the war and turning new areas into battlefields is in operation.
In this respect, it is proposed to strengthen ties with Serbia. This is to prevent the war from shifting further into the centre of Europe for the foreseeable future.
All this can be found in RT and Sputnik.
When we look at the whole picture, it is clear that the decision has been taken to continue the war policies, which is not unknown already. The exclusion of Ukraine from NATO membership shows that the war will continue in the same form as it has been going on so far, but it will be intensified. The decision to deliver cluster munitions, the decision to deliver long-range missiles, the decision to provide F-16 training to Ukrainian pilots indicate the nature of this.
The fact that Ukraine’s two-month-long counter-attack has not yielded any desired success, and that they are continuing the war in a destructive manner, actually shows the choice of the West. Although the West has realised that Russia cannot be defeated in this way, it is possible to comprehend that the strategy is to continue the war, to intensify it, to launch disturbing and provocative attacks, and in the meantime, to foment war in other regions, such as Iran or Taiwan.
It is precisely set forth in this sense that NATO has shown that it tends to direct companies, let alone states, in the development of the war industry, in increasing the production of the means of war.
The deepening economic crisis that has engulfed the entire capitalist world is sought to be overcome by war policies. The imperialist masters declare that they will resort to any means to colonise Russia and China and that the rules of war have changed.
Accordingly, we are facing a period in which the front lines will become clearer, countries will take clearer positions, and the possibility of turning every part of the world into a battlefield is increasing.
The crisis of the capitalist system is wanted to be overcome through war. And if this process is not reversed by a wave of revolution, by successive socialist revolutions, the years ahead are likely to be years of great destruction.
The world proletariat, all over the capitalist world, must take a clear position against the politics of war. This position ultimately means that workers and labourers, women and youth will turn their weapons against their own rulers, against their own bourgeoisie. The betrayal line of the Second International or the revolutionary line of the Third International; this is the choice before the working class, before the revolutionaries.
To speak of revolution and socialism is to say yes to the line of the Third International on war, to the line of turning war into civil war. In any other way there can be no mention of revolution, of the liberation of mankind, of socialism and peace.
NATO is a war organisation. It is a military organisation which the imperialist masters keep alive by force. The resurrection of this organisation brings with it the open alignment of the states in all capitalist countries of the world with all their gears. The re-emergence of neo-Nazi groups by the state itself is precisely for this purpose.
Standing against war and in favour of peace now requires being serious. Under these conditions, standing against war and being in favour of peace is only possible by correctly recognising NATO, the war organisation of imperialism. It is only possible to take sides and take part in the front of revolution and socialism.
Now is the time to put aside prejudices about NATO, there is no point in speaking of “Western democracy” like a fairy-tale nanny. The values of humanity are not and cannot be the values and interests of the West and its imperialist masters.
Standing against the rotten capitalist domination has become a criterion of being human in this respect. This means standing on the side of the working class. It means taking sides in favour of socialism. It means clinging more strongly to the dream of a classless world without war and exploitation. It means joining the united labour front in every country of the world. Today, this task is an urgent one. Remaining inactive, remaining a spectator, will not make anyone sinless, on the contrary, watching means getting dirtier and dirtier.
This is the tough but only realistic way.
Once again it is time to say “socialism or death”.
