Britain Must
Dissociate Itself from the NMD System of the US and End its Big Power
Ambitions
When North and South Korea held their Summit in
Pyongyang and signed the Joint Declaration, Foreign Office Minister John Battle
spoke of the "Korean and international efforts to ease tension on the
Peninsula". He was being disingenuous about Britain’s role, not to
mention that of US imperialism. British governments, ever since the end of the
Korean War, have been the biggest champions of US policy in the Korean
Peninsula, which has been to stock south Korea with troops and armaments,
continually stage military exercises and do everything to increase tension on
the peninsula.
Britain is at one with US imperialism in its calculated
ravings about "rogue states", in which it is increasingly singling
out North Korea, the DPRK. According to US imperialism and the British
government, the danger to peace comes not from the strivings of imperialism and
the big powers to carve up the world anew in the interests of globalisation,
which is to say, the subjugation of all economies to the dictates of finance
capital, and the contention of the big power blocs. No, according to them
states which have been standing against this objective and dangerous
development and refusing to succumb to big power dictates, particularly that of
US imperialism, are the danger to world peace. In this connection, a great
commotion is made about their supposed ability to develop "weapons of mass
destruction", as though the US, Britain, the European Union and Japan were
not militarising their economies and developing their aggressive military
alliances. Although the countries of the European Union, when Bill Clinton
visited Lisbon and Berlin last month, stated their opposition to the National
Missile Defence (NMD) System of US imperialism, the so-called "son of Star
Wars" after the Strategic Defence Initiative initiated under Ronald
Reagan, they themselves are pursuing their own "strategic
initiative", and building up the military profile of the Western European
Union. A new arms race is accelerating.
Whoever dominates Europe may then move on to attempt the
domination of Asia. The US is pursuing the path of organising war in East Asia
to further its hegemonic plans, which if they unleash it will provide their
final undoing. Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State, stated US imperialist
strategy while in Seoul on June 23, 2000, after the Inter-Korean Summit.
"It is very clear that American forces on the peninsula have been and
continue to be important for two reasons. One is the reason of deterrence
because it is obvious that, while the summit is hopeful as I have said, not all
issues have been resolved. And the other is basically for stability in the
region. With the American forces that are also in Okinawa, there are forces
here in the region that help provide stability; and neither of those reasons
has changed. Therefore, any discussions of lowering numbers or withdrawal are
not appropriate and are premature. ... I think it is very clear that the United
States is a Pacific power as well as in an Atlantic power - that we have
interests in Europe as well as in Asia, that our forces, when they are
stationed somewhere, provide evidence of the American interest and, as the
Foreign Minister said, have a role in providing a balance of power. The
situation with North Korea, as we have said, while promising has not been
resolved. We have alliance structures with the Koreans and a relationship with
the Japanese, so it is essential that we fulfil our responsibilities. I think
that is the general reason, and I think we don't put a time limit on our
responsibilities or on pursuing our national interest," she said.
Within this scenario, the British government is pursuing its
own big power ambitions. Its position was stated by the Defence Minister, Geoff
Hoon, in the House of Commons on Monday. He said, referring to the NMD system
and its effects on Britain, that the government "recognises US concerns
about the threat [that supposedly motivates the US to pass the National Missile
Defence Act] – specifically that posed in the short term by North Korea.
That is why there is a differential reaction in Europe. Inevitably, North Korea
could not threaten Europe in the short term. Our current assessment is that
there is no significant threat to the UK from weapons of mass destruction.
However, I must emphasise that we continue to monitor developments closely.
Obviously, we must have regard to the protection of UK interests should such a
threat emerge." This is an extremely bankrupt attempt to use the issue of
North Korea to cover over the British government’s actual intentions and
motivations.
The British government must dissociate itself from the NMD
system of US imperialism, as well as from the militarisation of the European
Union. The working class and all democratic people must demand that Britain end
the militarisation of the economy and that the big power ambitions that the
government is pursuing must be put a stop to.
