Aleksandar Ðenic | New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (Serbia)
Dear Comrades,
Since the previous conference held in Caracas, the world has changed dramatically. It could be said that we are living through an acceleration of history, as events that have unfolded during this period seem as though they happened decades ago rather than just a few months ago. There is no need to list those events, as they are well known to everyone, and our party, as well as numerous other organizations, has already presented its positions on them. What is clear, however, is that imperialism, led by the United States and the European Union, has become even more belligerent and aggressive.
Following its triumphant aggression against Venezuela, the United States embarked on a self-confident aggression against Iran. In its confrontation with Iran, the United States suffered a military defeat for the first time since Vietnam. After the shock experienced by the entire freedom-loving and progressive world when Nicolás Maduro and his wife were kidnapped, the blow that Iran dealt to the United States demonstrated that the strongest imperialist country is not invincible. It also became evident that the United States is unable to protect its pawns in the Arab countries and that Israel is the most important aircraft carrier of the United States in West Asia. At the same time, Ukraine, which is under the control of the United States, NATO countries, and the European Union, continues its struggle against Russia. In recent months, the military-fascist junta in Kyiv has radicalized its activities, directing most of its attacks against civilians.
If we pause for a moment to look at Europe, it is clear that the militaristic spirit is returning across the continent. This is particularly evident in Germany, but France and other EU countries are also increasing their military budgets. The revival of militarism is best reflected in Germany’s determination to build the strongest army in Europe in the coming years. History teaches us that when Germany rearms, it means that it is preparing for war.
Likewise, there is less and less democracy even in the bourgeois sense of the term within EU countries. The treatment of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and the bans on displaying communist symbols in Berlin during Victory Day celebrations clearly demonstrate these tendencies. Rising prices, increasing living costs, violations of labor rights, and the declining standard of living for the majority of citizens all point to the systemic crisis in which the United States and EU countries find themselves.
For this reason, communist and anti-imperialist organizations in those countries will face particular attacks. At a time when European countries are militarizing and preparing for war, they will not want organizations operating in their rear that speak about the true nature of imperialism. They will do everything possible to silence genuine communist and anti-imperialist voices. Therefore, we should expect not only attempts to ban such organizations but also efforts to split and fragment them, pressure their prominent activists, and employ all other forms of intimidation—methods that our enemies have long practiced through their agents.
Our party comes from a country that was bombed by NATO. The experience of Yugoslavia served as an experiment in how an independent country could be destroyed. The imperialists even gave the process of breaking up Yugoslavia a name—“Balkanization”—which represents their “divide and rule” method of destroying a country and then controlling it afterward. We can say that we were their experiment and laboratory, and that they later applied the same methods throughout the world, including in Libya and Syria.
The bombing of Yugoslavia was the only open war on European territory in which NATO directly participated. The irony and hypocrisy of bourgeois parties are reflected in the fact that during the bombing of Yugoslavia, Germany’s Foreign Minister was Joschka Fischer of the Green Party, one of the strongest advocates of the NATO campaign. Yugoslavia was bombed for 78 days with depleted uranium and cluster bombs. Germany violated its own constitution and participated in a war outside its territory for the first time since the Second World War. The consequences of that bombing for the environment and public health, particularly the increase in cancer cases, have proven even more devastating than the bombing itself. Nevertheless, a small country in the heart of Europe dared to resist NATO on its own. That bombing was merely a prelude to what is happening today. Yugoslavia was dismantled to enable NATO’s expansion toward Russia and to facilitate control over routes leading to West Asia.
Unfortunately, following the counterrevolution of 2000, all governments in Serbia have pursued a policy of closer integration with the European Union. Particularly shameful is Serbia’s close cooperation with Israel, while the Russian Federation itself has accused Serbia of selling weapons to Ukraine. Military exercises conducted jointly with NATO are especially insulting to the citizens of Serbia. It is also disgraceful that Serbia condemned Iran’s defensive actions as aggression against neighboring Arab countries while failing to condemn the actual aggressors—Iran’s attackers, the United States and Israel. Ironically, Spain, despite being a member of NATO and the EU, demonstrated greater courage—and even a degree of anti-imperialism—by refusing to participate in aggression against Iran than Serbia did, despite Serbia not being a member of either NATO or the EU. Of course, none of us harbor illusions about the character of the Spanish government, but Spain’s decision revealed contradictions that have emerged among the imperialist countries themselves. At the same time, Serbia remains the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia and maintains good relations with the People’s Republic of China. Because of this, Serbia faces constant pressure from the United States and the European Union to sever those ties. Furthermore, the protests taking place in Serbia under the banner of the so-called student movement contain nothing progressive; their goal is to promote a servile policy toward the EU and NATO and to advance anti-popular policies in all spheres of life.
What is particularly important to emphasize today is that we must stand in solidarity with the peoples of Palestine and Lebanon, who are suffering genocide. We must stand in solidarity with all communists and progressive people living under the control of the military-fascist junta in Kyiv. We must also stand in solidarity with our African comrades who are victims of dictatorships in their countries. Likewise, we must support the people of Bolivia and other peoples of Latin America who are leading popular uprisings against governments controlled by the United States. Above all, we must stand in solidarity with the people of Cuba, a socialist country whose people face genocidal sanctions and the constant threat of aggression from the United States.
Dear Comrades, we must intensify our agitation and propaganda in our respective countries. We must spread the truth and explain the true nature of imperialism. We must avoid any adventurist activities and focus our work in accordance with a scientific worldview, based on an analysis of the objective material conditions in which our organizations operate. Our task is to unite all progressive forces in our countries around us and to wage a determined struggle against opportunism, as well as against sectarian and dogmatic worldviews that fail to understand the dialectical moment.
Therefore, as a party from a country that experienced NATO aggression, we emphasize the importance of declaring that NATO is an enemy of freedom, and that it is the duty of all progressive forces throughout the world to struggle against NATO, the spearhead of imperialism.