[SOCIALIST ACTION MARCH 1991 5 NEW YORK-The 26th…]

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SOCIALIST ACTION MARCH 1991 5 NEW YORK-The 26th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, on Feb. 21, was marked by many rallies and marches throughout the country.

In New York, the major uptown rally and march was held in Harlem, where Malcolm X taught and worked for many years. This event was coordinated by the Black December 12 Movement and its youth wing, the Black Consciousness Movement.

Around 1000 people joined the rally. At the end, about 300 youthful members of the crowd took the initiative of marching through the streets of Harlem to spread their message of "Stop the war abroad and at for Were (continued from page 1: “U.S. defeat of Iraq is no victory for working people”) people, the capitalist class also wanted to humiliate the American antiwar movement. But the Vietnam Syndrome "thing" wasn't "licked." On the contrary, it was only avoided-and perhaps based on events now taking place in Iraq—only temporarily.

The ruling class couldn't help but take notice of the gigantic antiwar mobilizations of Jan. 19 and 26. Literally one million people demonstrated and demanded "Bring the Troops Home Now!" before the ground war even got underway!

This demand still remains valid today. The administration has made it clear that it will "take longer to bring the troops home than it did to deploy them." Furthermore, it was announced that a permanent force of at least 20,000 troops will be kept in the area. If the revolutionary conflagration now sweeping Iraq gets out of hand, American troops will undoubtedly be used to suppress the Iraqi people. The war is far from over.

The American antiwar movement, which demonstrated its ability to mobilize hundreds of thousands on short notice, would have grown by leaps and bounds had the ground war become protracted. And as long as American troops are in the area, the potential for them to be used in a bloody and costly counter-revolutionary war against the insurgent Arab masses can be assured. The Vietnam Syndrome is far from being "licked."

Behind the U.S. "victory"

There were three main reasons why the U.S. was able to not only win this war, but also, to fight it in the first place.

First, was the complete capitulation of the Stalinist bureaucracy in the Soviet Union. Their active collaboration with the aims and goals of U.S. imperialism ensured the isolation of Iraq and gave the U.S. warmakers a free hand in the area. Ironically, the military strategy and tactics used by the U.S.-led "coalition" forces was originally designed for use against the Red Army on the plains of Europe.

"I spent most of my life preparing to fight this battle, although in a different place," a senior general admitted. "The difference is the terrain has changed a bit from the battle we expected to fight in Europe."

Second, was the betrayal of the neocolonial Arab regimes, like Egypt and Syria. Their participation in the war allowed the United States to camouflage its aggression with Arab window dressing. The masses of these countries won't soon forget the strikebreaking role of their "leaders."

Third, was the virtually unanimous support given to the Gulf War by both capitalist parties in this country—the Democrats and Republicans. Even those handful of "liberals" who expressed reservations about the war are now beating a hasty retreat so they, too, can bask in the warm glow of "victory."

But the U.S. victory over Iraq was no victory for working people. The Iraqis who were killed were workers and peasants. The American troops who were killed were workers. American working people gained absolutely nothing-except for higher oil prices and higher taxes to pay for the war.

The "patriotic pride" now being encouraged by the bosses of this country will soon give way to the realization that U.S. troops will be used to play "cop" in the region for years to come. The U.S. ruling class, by sowing the wind of "Desert Storm," may now reap the whirlwind of social revolution.

It will be the sons and daughters of American working people who will have to pay the price. Bring the Troops Home Now!

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Turkish shops in Hackney [a London

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Marching for Malcolm X

MAICOLM Fighte