3-13-08, 10:17 am

Original source: The Guardian (Australia)

Discussions have been going on inside NATO about intervention in Latin America and in every other corner of the world, even without a UN mandate. This discussion has come about because the conservative and imperialist political forces in Europe and the United States are faced with the sweeping changes that have taken place in many countries in the recent period.

They are most pronounced in Latin America where many countries are in the process of throwing off the economic, political and military domination exercised by the United States for more than 100 years. Just recently the lackey government of Colombia staged a provocation by violating the sovereignty of Ecuador and killed about twenty members of the national liberation movement FARC who were visiting Ecuador in connection with the release of some prisoners of war that they have been holding.

This provocation, which aimed to start a military conflict in the region, has failed because of the condemnation of the Colombian government by many other Latin American governments. The Colombian government has been forced to back off!

However, the incident highlights a growing trend being pursued by a number of reactionary governments who flagrantly violate international law and disregard the United Nations.

The Israeli government regularly violates the sovereignty of Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip. Turkey has more than once invaded the territory of Iraq claiming that it is attempting to wipe out the Kurdish independence movement.

US forces frequently undertake military operations in a number of countries with the objective of foisting on countries governments acceptable to the US. One such example is military operations in Somalia over a period of years. Another is the illegal sponsorship of Kosovo 'independence' where a fascist-like government has been installed by the NATO countries.

Of course, the wars going on in Afghanistan and Iraq are classic examples of the attempt of NATO to install governments to their liking, seize their land and resources and establish military bases. In all these cases the UN has been ignored or its Charter violated.

Other NATO operations include the French interventions in several countries in North Africa. Chad is the most recent example.

These operations are all designed to stem the rapid progressive changes that are taking place across the world. But the changes keep coming.

None the less, the imperialist powers, who yearn for the return of a colonialist world dominated by North America and the major European countries, will continue their desperate attempts to stop the march of history by saying 'So far, no further!'. They will become more stubborn and lawless in their actions. Their answer to the changes taking place is to brand governments that do not comply as terrorist states, to demonise others and, in the final analysis, resort to war.

However, a new world based on entirely different principles is slowly but steadily emerging from the power politics, economic control and military force which has dominated the world for thousands of years.

Even the character of the United Nations has changed as a result of the establishment of new progressive, anti-imperialist governments. For some time the NATO countries could not get majority support in the UN General Assembly. Recently they could not get majorities in the Security Council either as evidenced by their inability to obtain support in their push to endorse the 'independence' of Kosovo.

A new type civilisation which renounces war, recognises the equality of nations and their right to exist without interference in their domestic affairs and to establish relations of mutual benefit with each other irrespective of their size, is being formed. These new policies are emerging from Asia and from Latin America. They are incorporated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the principles of the ASEAN countries, in the Asian Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, in the new relations of peace and cooperation being built by Latin American countries and in the principles of the United Nations Charter which was adopted following the defeat of fascism in World War 2.

It is in this direction that a world without war is becoming possible.

From The Guardian (Australia)