George Bush’s showdown with Iraq is increasingly becoming a showdown with the international working class. On February 15, over 11 million people demonstrated against the war in over 600 cities on every continent. On February 25, tens of thousands of students in Germany staged a student strike. In Italy and England, activists have blocked railroads to prevent the transportation of military hardware to U.S. bases. Hundreds of trade union locals in the U.S. have passed resolutions against the war. A city-wide student walkout is planned in Boston for the day after the war begins. As determined as George Bush and his right wing hawks are to go to war, they have been met with one hundred times the determination by an international movement.

The internationalism demonstrated bythe worldwide protests represents the emergence of a powerful consciousness of the need for working peoples of the world to unite and stand together. The struggle to defend the democratic rights of all oppressed peoples, to fight against imperialist wars and the capitalist system which gives rise to them must be international. The real international community is not to be found in the diplomatic chambers and conference centers of the United Nations. The UN has shown itself to be a gathering of the politicians and diplomats of the rich and powerful elites of the world. It is not the voice of the oppressed working people. Ultimately, it is powerless to challenge the power of U.S. imperialism and its members have no intention of doing so. Such an institution of world capitalism cannot be democratically reformed to reflect the needs of the working peoples of the world. As this crisis has demonstrated the major imperialist powers will ignore its decisions if they disagree with them.

It is necessary to build a mass international organization of all those exploited by imperialism, capitalism and landlordism. The Committee for Workers’ International (CWI) is fighting to build a mass international organization of working people and youth to fight against imperialism and capitalism and to replace them with a socialist society.

In this movement all of the discontent aboutother social and political issues is also being stirred. In particular, a deeply rooted opposition, mistrust and even hatred of the rulers is present in the outlook of those who have been aroused into struggle for the first time.

As the CWI has argued in previous statements, an unprecedented gulf has now opened up between the rulers and the ruled. The war preparations of Bush, Blair, Howard, etc., are eroding the authority and social basis of the capitalist politicians, political parties and institutions. However, despite the mass protests it seems that these leaders are arrogantly prepared to drive the preparations for war forward.

There is no doubt that the fates of Blair, Australian Prime Minister Aznar and even Bush are being decided in this struggle. The masses will not forgive Blair, Berlusconi and Aznar for a war in the face of mass opposition.

The CWI and its sections will be at the forefront of the struggle to prepare such mass strikes and strengthen the movement against the war. The arrogance of the world capitalist leaders and the horrors that will follow a military attack on Iraq illustrate the need to fight to defeat the capitalist politicians and build an alternative for all working people and youth.

CWI members at UMass Boston in the UMB Socialist Club have helped build for a city-wide student walkout on day X (the day after war is declared). Check out the Socialist Club meetings on Fridays at 2:30 in the Wheatley Cafeteria to help.

It is necessary to fight to unite the working peoples of the world to struggle for socialism as an alternative to the horrors of capitalism. We urge all workers and young people to join us in that struggle.

You can contact the CWI in Boston care of the UMB Socialist Club and Socialist Alternative, [email protected]