We're Using All Available Lands to Deal with South Africa

Scan page 15

By W.I. MOHAREB Is the South African state militarily self-sufficient? For some years now, Pretoria and the big-business press have claimed it is.

But Marxists know that no national economy is selfsufficient-especially in the "high tech" military arena. Without such international support, the South African state would quickly fall.

The British newspaper, The Independent, disclosed in December that the United States arranged an airlift of some 60 tons of weapons-including machine guns and rocket launchers—to South African units in Namibia and near Pretoria.

The event has since been hushed up by the media. But other reports have leaked through. Last year, the American Friends Service Committee offered a report to the United Nations on two aspects of arms aid to South Africa-direct sales of military and police equipment and transfer of technology.

The report concluded that U.S. and other multinational corporations continue to give Pretoria access to "much of the equipment it needs to make arms—the high-tech building blocks of modern weaponry—which include computers, micro-processors, instrumentation equip -ment, electronic components, and sub-assemblies for use in larger systems."

The report also pointed out that at least 33 of the top 100 U.S. military contractors had operations in the South African state. They included nine of the 10 larges By SEAN Parliamentary elections took place in the 26 counties of the Southern Irish "Republic" on Feb. 17. A main issue before voters was the present economic crisis and government austerity measures. Unemployment stands at some 20 percent, compared with 10 percent five years ago. About 30,000 people a year are forced to emigrate.

For the first time in 65 years, Sinn Fein-commonly described as the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA)—sought direct parliamentary representation for its policy of "a 32-county Democratic Socialist state." Its candidates were instructed to take their seats in the Irish Dail (parliament) if elected to office.

Sinn Fein fielded 27 candidates under a broad program of social change that declared: " A united and independent Ireland is vital to the social, economic, and political development of the Irish people."

Unfortunately, Sinn Fein was banned from radio and television despite the fact it is a legally registered party. None of its candidates were elected to the Dail.

The former policy of refusing to sit in parliament was established in 1922, when the six Northern counties were detached from the Irish Free State and maintained under British control. In that year, when the new government in Dublin signed the example, U.S. industrial monopolies: Exxon, General Motors, Mobil, Ford, IBM, Texaco, Chevron, DuPont, and General Electric.

Although several of these corporations recently sold out their direct operations to local consortiums, most of them continue to trade with South Africa.

The report also documented several instances of imperialist sales of technology with military or police uses. Examples included sales of communications systems, integrated circuits, and technology necessary for assembly of semi-conductors.

The Israeli state, the world's ninth largest arms supplier, sells about 5 percent of its military exports to South Africa-at least $50 million worth per year. In addition to direct arms sales, Israel supplies technologydata packages containing the designs for missiles and other weapons systems—which are then assembled inside South Africa.

South Africa's new Cheetah reconnaissance jet was produced in collaboration with Israel Aircraft Industries. According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the aircraft uses avionics and communications equipment supplied by the Israelis.

The Israeli state also serves as a major conduit for arms transfers from other countries, as the recent revelations of U.S. arms sales to the Iranian regime confirm.

In recent necessary hardware and software for minute-to-minute access to at least some of its satellites.

The data is used to guide warplanes, ships, rockets, and artillery—as well as for communications. Pretoria's bombing raids on Zambia, Mozambique, and other African states would be impossible without this support. (The American Friends' report cited "navigation gear" as one category of known U.S. arms sales since 1981 to the South African state.)

Financial support Fear of revolution may have slowed the number of large, long-term loans to the apartheid state. But Pretoria's wide-ranging international military transactions are inconceivable without the cooperation of banks and other imperialist financial institutions.

This includes long-term loans, letters of credit, and other instruments facilitating sales and purchases. Almost all imperialist banks have either a direct presence in South Africa or correspondent relations with South African banks.

Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Shamir indicated his government would "phase-out" its arms sales to South Africa. But Shamir's promises should engender no confidence. The United States and Israel—as well as the Western European capitalist govern -ments—already ostensibly subscribe to the "mandatory" 1977 United Nations embargo on arms sales to Pretoria.

Recently, dockworkers in Southampton, England, refused to load a government-approved shipment to Southern Africa. Actions of this type, coordinated by the labor movement worldwide, can provide needed solidarity for the Black people of South Africa in their struggle for freedom.

Democracy (Irish section of the Fourth