Baltic Platform
Dear comrades!
Our World Anti-Imperialist Platform has been in operation for two years now. This union of left and progressive forces was a response to the bloody war carefully planned and executed by the forces of world imperialism. The clash of two fraternal peoples who had been building and working together for decades as part of the USSR became a huge, but not the only tragedy on the European continent after World War II. A year ago, on May 8, 2022, O. Schulz spoke about the “gross force that once again tramples on the right in the center of Europe.” But wasn’t international law violated when NATO bombs rained down on sovereign Yugoslavia? Wasn’t the invasion of Iraq a violation of law? Just as missile and bomb strikes by the US and its allies, support for separatist and blatantly terrorist forces in the struggle against independent states that did not want to kneel before the world hegemon. Today, much has become evident to the working people, to the peoples of the world. Imperialism once again showed its savage grin.
A year ago, we revealed the causes and prerequisites for a major war. A war that almost 30 years ago was announced by the “hawk” Zbigniew Brzezinski: “Detach Ukraine from Russia and it will cease to be an empire” (“The Grand Chessboard”), he said. We see the embodiment of these intentions today. The statements of European leaders Merkel and Hollande, guarantors of the peaceful initiatives in Minsk, that “the Minsk agreements have become a delay in the military conflict” became a revelation. This only confirms the fact that the US and its vassals have been carefully preparing for another proxy war with the goal of destroying (at best) or at least significantly weakening their main military opponent, capable of disrupting Washington’s plans for world domination.
We see how the aggressive policy of the US, aimed at preserving its dominant position in the world, has brought a sad fate to the EU countries. If the Baltic states and some countries of the Visegrád Group were taken into the sphere of Washington’s interests immediately after the collapse of the socialist system, then the “old Europe” countries are now finally brought to their knees. This was done under the pretext of “fighting for peace and Western democratic values”.
The blowing up of the Russian pipelines of the “Nord Stream” was an open slap in the face of the EU founding countries. Thus, a strict demand was made to follow the insane sanction course, shifting the entire burden of the crisis onto the shoulders of the working people. The unanimous silence, or attempts to shield the true organizers of the act of state terrorism, look childishly funny. Even former US President Donald Trump had to admit the obvious when answering a question about the perpetrators of the explosions: “I don’t want to cause trouble for my country, so I won’t answer. I can say who didn’t do it – Russia.”
The economic decline of formerly the richest countries in Europe is vividly reflected in their share of global GDP. In 1992, the share of the leading Western countries forming the “Group of Seven” (the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan) was 45.78% of global GDP, but by 2022, it had decreased to 29.93%. The example of Germany is particularly striking, as in 1992, it was one of the world’s top three economies, accounting for 5.5%, but by 2022, it had completely lost its position, falling to 3.19%. It is quite obvious that the protracted economic crisis, the transfer of production from EU countries, the shutdown of nuclear power plants, the increase in the retirement age, and, as a result, the impoverishment of the working masses, have all been sacrificed to the interests of the overseas master. The only “source of pride” for the EU remains its support for the fire of the great war, continuing to prepare tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and exceeding the limit of ammunition supplies by 600 million units (statement by Borrell, April 2023). It is noteworthy that the economic dominance of the United States in the “Group of Seven” has not weakened but, on the contrary, has strengthened over three decades. In 1992, the United States accounted for 42.8% of the combined GDP of the “Group of Seven,” while by 2022, this share had exceeded half (50.9%).
Comrades! The events that began in February last year have become a catalyst for the strengthening of openly revanchist, national-bourgeois ruling forces in our country. Russophobia, anti-Sovietism, and a revanchist interpretation of the events of the Second World War have become dominant orientations for the ruling capitalist forces. Unconditional support for the US and NATO, demands for Ukraine’s compulsory military victory, supported by the forces of the North Atlantic Alliance – this is the basis for the foreign policy of our country today. The interests of the working people have been sacrificed to such a policy, the government ignores the catastrophic state of the healthcare system, ignores teacher strikes, the destitute situation of pensioners, and the continuing outflow of able-bodied population abroad. To contain the growing discontent of the population, the ruling class relies on the strengthening of the repressive apparatus. The revanchist interpretation of the history of the Second World War is used as a tried and tested way to divide Latvians and ethnic Russians, who make up one-third of the republic’s population.
Comrades! The events that began in February of last year became a catalyst for the strengthening of overtly revanchist, national-bourgeois ruling forces in our country. Russophobia, anti-Sovietism, and a revanchist interpretation of the events of World War II have become the dominant orientations for the ruling forces of capital. Unconditional support for the United States and NATO, the demand for Ukraine’s mandatory military victory, supported by the forces of the North Atlantic Alliance, is the foundation of our country’s foreign policy today. The interests of the working people have been sacrificed to such a policy, and the authorities are turning a blind eye to the catastrophic state of the healthcare system, ignoring the strikes of teachers, the destitute state of pensioners, and the continuing outflow of working-age population abroad. To contain the growing discontent of the population, the ruling class relies on the strengthening of the repressive apparatus. The revanchist interpretation of the history of World War II is used as a proven method for splitting Latvians and ethnic Russians, who make up 1/3 of the republic’s population.
If last year the apogee was the demolition of memorials and monuments to the soldiers of the Red Army, partisans, and underground fighters (mostly ethnic Latvians), then this year, the parliament passed a law prohibiting any celebrations and commemorative events in honor of Victory Day on May 9. Interestingly, the law was passed just a few days after the prime minister (who holds US citizenship) announced the need for another increase in the retirement age in the country.
Comrades! Despite the difficulties, we continue our struggle. We publish statements, organize protests, and support the actions of the working people.
We see that the position of the “World Anti-Imperialist Platform” is understood and supported by the majority of the people we address. It is impossible not to note that our interaction with comrades from Hungary, Greece, Italy, and Kazakhstan has significantly improved based on the platform. Thank you, comrades, for exchanging experiences and working together in Zoom conferences.
We continue to work within the “Coalition for the Prohibition of US Biolabs”. While just a few years ago, many Westerners perceived the idea of US biolabs as a fake, the covid-19 infection and later the revelation of the actual existence of biolabs in Ukraine exposed the truth. The country that owns these biolabs is using biological weapons to achieve its imperialistic goals.
Comrades! Over a hundred years ago, V.I. Lenin wrote: “Capitalism has grown into a world system of colonial oppression and financial strangulation of the overwhelming majority of the population of the globe by a handful of ‘advanced’ countries. And this ‘booty’ is shared between two or three powerful world plunderers armed to the teeth (America, England, Japan), who are drawing the whole world into their war over the division of their spoils.” Lenin’s words are more relevant than ever today. It is evident that the implementation of today’s proxy-polygon of war on the European continent is a key step towards strengthening AUCUS’s position in the Indo-Pacific region and striking a blow to the People’s Republic of China. The region, which produces 60% of the world’s GDP and will consume 70% of the world’s energy, cannot help but be a tempting morsel for the United States and their allies.
A series of extremely alarming steps indicate that the imperialists are preparing for another war. Statements by J. Borrell about the need to patrol the Taiwan Strait by the EU’s naval forces, the Philippines granting the US access to military facilities near the Taiwan Strait, large-scale military exercises by the US and South Korea, the Philippines, and the dispatch of US military instructors to Taiwan. It should be noted that vassal dependence on the US has spread throughout the world.
For the first time, Japan is beginning to procure offensive weapons, in particular American Tomahawk missiles with a range of 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers. It plans to increase its military spending to 2% of GDP by 2027. And this is happening against the backdrop of another statement by a US representative, calling the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki unprecedented in destruction and human suffering, but without apologies and without naming the perpetrators of this international crime.
In these circumstances, it is necessary to unite all anti-imperialist and progressive forces! Let us do everything possible to strengthen peace and oppose the US imperialists’ instigation of a new war!
Power to labor, not capital!
