MIM Notes 189 July 1 1999

LETTERS

FASCISM NEED NOT BE IMPERIALIST

Dear MIM,

In several articles in MIM Notes 186, when debating NATO's war in 
Yugoslavia, MIM suggested that imperialism was a necessary 
ingredient of fascism, I disagree that fascism has to develop to 
the point of (imperialism) enforcing its will on foreign countries 
in order to be considered fascism. For example, Uganda under Iddie 
Amin Dada was considered fascist even though it was not able to 
impose its will on other countries -- although other countries did 
see the need to crush fascism in Uganda -- indeed fascism can 
exist even without the control of state power. However, I do agree 
with MIM that imperialism is more of a concern to the 
international proletariat than domestic fascism. So our efforts 
should go to opposing Amerikkkan imperialism in Yugoslavia, but 
once fascism develops into imperialism (as in the case of Nazi 
Germany) we should unite to oppose fascism in its imperialist 
form.

Pamoja Tutashinde!

-- a prisoner in Ohio, 8 May 1999.


MIM responds: We have unity with this writer on imperialism being 
the principal enemy in the world today. However, it is possible 
that fascism could become the principal enemy at some point in the 
future and so we must always be on our toes examining the world 
situation. Domestic fascism could develop into international 
fascism very quickly as with a Hitler with expansionist 
aspirations.

This writer is also correct that fascism can exist without control 
of state power. But we seek to make a distinction between fascism 
as opposed to bourgeois democracy as the ruling system in a 
country, which really couldn't exist without fascists holding 
state power, and fascist movements which do not hold state power 
but seek to attain it in order to institute fascism, and also 
fascism as an ideology characterizing these movements. The 
distinctions will help us pick out the bigger and more dangerous 
enemies.

We agree with this letter writer that there can be fascism without 
imperialism. Imperialism is not a matter of expansion of fascism, 
but rather is something distinct which can come with a bourgeois 
democratic government like in the u.s. today or with a fascist 
government like in Germany under Hitler. We described fascism as 
coinciding with expansionism because a fascist imperialist state 
can very quickly become the principal enemy of the world's people. 
A fascist country that does not have the power to threaten the 
people of the world on the scale of the imperialists today is not 
going to displace imperialism as the main enemy. 



BRUTUS ON JUBILEE 2000

MIM Notes,

Thanks for informative material on Jubilee 2000. More material is 
available from: Jubilee 2000 Afrika (USA), 1247 E. Street SE, 
Washington DC 20004.

Dennis Brutus,
Co-President Jubilee 2000 Afrika
Patron, Jubilee 2000 South Africa

MIM responds: We invite our readers to check out this source of 
information on the Jubilee 2000 movement to relieve the Third 
World of all debt and also to be sure to check out the article in 
MIM Notes 186 (May 15) on this topic. Look for articles in future 
issues of MIM Notes covering the protests and organizing around 
this struggle as the year 2000 approaches.