Bulletin N°28 octobre 2022 What is Fratelli d'Italia for!, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, Iran, Hunger riots in Haiti
What is Fratelli d'Italia for!
Elections for Italy's two chambers, the assembly and the senate, took place on Sunday. The results did not contradict the polls which gave the coalition of Fratelli d'Italia of G. Meloni, Forza Italia of S. Berlusconi and the League of M. Salvini as winners of this election.
Fratelli d'Italia is estimated to get 26% of the vote, 9% for the League and 8% for Forza Italia. In the seat, this corresponds to a large majority for this coalition. The results of the other political forces, often described as centre-left, do not allow it to compete with the so-called centre-right coalition. With 19% the Democratic Party, if it saves appearances, nevertheless suffers a failure, which is also the case with the 5 Star Movement with 15%, while the party of former Prime Minister Mr. Renzi, which was a leader of the Democratic Party, with 8% doing well.
Commentators are at pains to highlight the success of Fratelli d'Italia, a party which, when it was created, was part of the Mussolinian heritage of fascism and which has now wrapped itself in a certain respectability, cultivating real social discontent and the rejection of the European Union by part of the population. At the same time, it gave important pledges on Italy's place in NATO and in the European Union. However, they quickly pass over the fact that despite the obligation to vote, turnout with 64.6% was low and down 10% compared to the 2018 elections. This significant drop reflects in its own way the evolution of the political crisis that Italy is going through. If Fratelli d'
The results of these elections are the demonstration of the deep social malaise which reigns in the country, where all the social conquests of the workers are called into question one by one. This insecurity, the root causes of which, as in all the countries of the European Union, are to be found in the very movement of a capitalism of monopolies which has an imperative need to bring down the price of labor power in order to register in fierce global capitalist competition where profits and capital accumulation are the universal compass.
In Italy, as in many EU countries, the ruling classes need to base their anti-social policy on a minimum of consensus. They seek it in class collaboration by liquidating the revolutionary forces, but at the same time they must find receptacles for discontent and control its eventual explosion. This is what the parties qualified as far-right are for when the traditional political forces (1) are worn to the bone because of their role in social setbacks.
This brings us back to the fundamental question: how to reconstruct, in the reality of the social relations of capitalist exploitation, such as they are today in their advancement to the imperialist stage that we know, a revolutionary political force capable of carrying out the political struggle of class for the necessary change of society. It is to this task that our revolutionary party, COMMUNISTS, has embarked.
(1) Italy: Draghi throws in the towel!
Iran
In the theocratic state of Iran, it was enough for her veil to slip over her head for Masha Amini, a young woman of 22, to be arrested for "inappropriate wearing of clothing" , fell into a coma, she died three days later. The Iranian authorities deny any responsibility for this death. In this country where "removing the hijab is violating the constitution" , tens of thousands of Iranian men and women took to the streets defying the security forces who fired on demonstrators. About fifty were killed, 700 arrested. Declarations and demonstrations of support are being organized around the world.
In Iran, the demonstrations mark, especially in the youth, the rejection of this regime which uses religion as a means of social control and catalyze the exasperation of the Iranians. In addition to the repression, there are serious economic difficulties, partly due to the embargo imposed on the country, which the people live with on a daily basis. Our party stands with the people of Iran in their courageous struggle for the emancipation of women and for building a common future of democratic progress.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit
The 22nd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held on September 15 and 16 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It was marked by the presence and meetings of three important leaders of this organization: V. Putin (Russian Federation), Xi Jinping (People's Republic of China) and N. Modi (Republic of India). In the context of the war in Ukraine, world leaders and commentators have been particularly attentive to the holding of this summit.
To situate the importance of the OCS, it is necessary to make a brief reminder of its nature. This organization was founded in 2001 by China, Russia and four Central Asian states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It expanded to include India and Pakistan in 2016. In 2017, it had eight members to which four countries with observer status should be added: Mongolia, Afghanistan, Iran and Belarus. Six had partner status: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. This enlargement continued during this last summit, with the Islamic Republic of Iran becoming an official member of the organization, while the procedure for Belarus' membership was recorded.
In its current configuration, the SCO represents 50% of the world's population. Formed by developing countries, its GDP represented in 2019, 22% of the world total. The members of the SCO group together 20% of the world's oil resources, 38% of the natural gas, 40% of the coal, and 30% of the uranium. This shows the human and economic importance of this set.
If the SCO presents itself as a space of cooperation respectful of States and their policies, it is no less active in the security field and particularly in the fight against terrorism. The final declaration of Samarkand devotes a large place to it (1). The SCO affirms its desire for a multilateral world, clearly opposed to a concept of alliance around a leader playing a leading role, like the USA and its allies. In the economic field, the SCO in its final declaration recalls its attachment to free trade by condemning attempts to restrict it:“Member States reaffirm the importance of continuing to improve the architecture of global economic governance and that they will systematically uphold and strengthen an open, transparent, equitable, inclusive and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system based on the principles and rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), promote the development of an open world economy, oppose protectionist actions and trade restrictions that run counter to the principles of the WTO, undermine the multilateral trading system and threaten the global economy". This declaration of principle emphasizes that the SCO places itself in the perspective of capitalist globalization and that from this point of view, the multilateralism claimed is that of the right to open global capitalist competition.
If the Russian and Chinese press are particularly demonstrative on the solidity of the Russian-Chinese friendship, the facts temper these speeches a little. Indeed, Xi Jinping while welcoming cooperation between Russia and China and especially in the field of energy, vital for China, he remained very cautious about all exchanges that could violate Western sanctions in the field. weapons and electronic components. The President of the United States has not failed to put pressure on China, threatening it again if it bites the line. Remember that China does almost ten times more trade with the United States than with Russia. Chinese caution is therefore that of their interests, those of their companies and their trade. If the Chinese President is still attached to the alliance with Russia, India has a much more ambivalent position. N. Modi did not fail to recall the condemnation of the Russian company in Ukraine while rejecting the sanctions.
This situation reflects a situation of deep crisis within the imperialist system at a time when competition is exacerbated and leads to open conflicts. The architecture based on the domination of a single imperialist pole, that of the United States, is called into question, without for the moment a more powerful pole being able to replace it. The peoples are the first victims of these confrontations, the origin of which has its source in the development of capitalism itself. It is therefore urgent to put the fight against capitalism at the center of political activity because there can be no peaceful outcome without its overthrow. This implies developing the class struggle in each country and strengthening internationalist solidarity in the struggle against imperialism.
Hunger riots in Haiti
New episode of food riots (see weekly no. 86): Haiti, the former French colony, has been plagued by violent demonstrations and looting since September 15 since the government's announcement of an increase in the price of fuel that causes all food prices to cascade. After the application of these new tariffs, the monster demonstrations on Wednesday turned into a riot in Port-au-Prince, with roads blocked by barricades and numerous scenes of looting. A warehouse housing food was stormed by protesters. This food was part of a stock managed by the WFP (World Food Programme) and intended for distribution to the population. Plagued by corruption and the violence of rival gangs, the government is calling on the population to arm to face the demonstrators. As for Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, he calls for calm and the greatest restraint, urging "all parties involved to take immediate measures to deescalate the situation, avoid violence and allow the national police to 'Haiti to fulfill its mandate to protect the population' in other words repression is the only response to the people who are crying out their misery and hunger. The United States is proposing elections… We must save capital, even if it is starving! avoid violence and allow the National Police of Haiti to fulfill its mandate to protect the population” in other words repression is the only answer to the people who are crying out their misery and hunger. The United States is proposing elections… We must save capital, even if it is starving! avoid violence and allow the National Police of Haiti to fulfill its mandate to protect the population” in other words repression is the only answer to the people who are crying out their misery and hunger. The United States is proposing elections… We must save capital, even if it is starving!
Our support goes to the Haitian people and to the communists of the country forced into hiding. Only the struggle of the workers and the youth opens up a prospect of change.