MIM Notes 208 April 15, 2000 Letters RAIL France sends opinion on Austria Dear MIM: Joerg Haider, formerly head of the Austrian "Freedom" Party has resigned his post. This resignation does not change the fact that the Austrian government is a right wing coalition between overt fascists (the fpo) and covert fascists (the conservative party) nor that the FPO holds about half the ministerial positions in the coalition government. This resignation is a consequence of the international pressure of the European Union on Austria. The United Snakes, the power which emplaced Pinochet (recently freed: it seems he is incompetent and thus cannot be tried), Stroessner and tolerated Franco as long as he accepted US bases, has not suprisingly, been willing to sweep everything under the rug "A step in the right direction" was how WhiteWashington characterized the resignation of Mr. Hater. Switzerland, favored refuge of Nazi gold is also willing to 'forget the whole affair'. In contrast, the Israeli government remains intransigent in their opposition to Haider.(Liberation, 1 March p. 9; from AFP and Reuters). The question of whether Haider is more of a nazi than serial killer klandidat George Bush is at once irrelevant and the center of the drama occurring in East central Europe. It is irrelevant in the sense that both Bush and Haider are our opponents. Like bu$h, Haider is a multimillionaire heir (and unlike LePen to a large fortune built on the sweat--and blood- - of others). Unlike Bush, Haider has not authorized by silence the execution of 121 prisoners. So for this reason, this author believes that it is actually more accurate to characterize Bu$h, Clinton, and in fact most of the amerikan 'leadership' as fascists. Haider is of course an apologist for the waffen SS, which historically should be clearly distinguished from the einsatzkommando and sonderkommando, but which are of course obscured by bourgeois discourse into one monolithic entity which is then equated with communism. And this despite the fact that when Nazis undertook reprisals against resistants the victims of executions were communists (and to nazi ideology communist and jew are synonymous). Yet the question as to whether Haider is a Nazi or simply an apologist for brave young and mislead youth is the center of the question and thus less culpable Bu$h is in fact central to our inquiry. This is because the issue in Austria is an example of inter-imperialist rivalry. MIM has been saying -- as did Lenin, and Mao, that the imperialist camp is and must be plagued by internal divisions. The question of how to treat Haider is an example of how bourgeois "sharks" rip apart one of their own number in the interest of fooling the workers. If the imperialists simply destroy Haider, they hope that workers will ignore/forget or best of all contrast the murderer who is George Bu$h. Our strategy then must be to recognize that Bu$h and Haider are in fact not at all distinct. Haider would kill prisoners-- if he could get away with it. Fortunately, he can't. Bush would, like Reagan, who correctly recognized the difference between the waffen ss and the ss einsatzkommando and sonderkommando, apologise for the Nazis dupes. But, and fortunately, Bush and Haider would happily destroy each other in their lust for power. It is exactly this type of imperialist disunity which explains why despite any temporary setback we will in the end win. The question for Maoists then becomes one of practice: if we recognize the historical factors which led to the creation of Hitler and Haider, then we can, and should, explain these conditions to persons who might adopt our position. At the same time we should have no illusions as to whether the imperialist camp would fundamentally change "the rules of the game" which brought Haider and Bush to power. It will not because if you change the rules of the neo-imperialist game then you have to "get rid of" i.e. transform neo-imperialists by reeducation. Neo-imperialism will introduce no structural changes and thus will not change the conditions which make Haider and Bush reality. Even if the neo-imperial powers succeed in getting rid of Haider, or LePen or Zhirinovski, others will spring up in their place for this reason. If the game you're playing, neo imperialism, is unfair then you have to change the rules. MIM offers a serious alternative to a set of very unfair rules. In the example of inter- imperialist rivalry which is contemporary Austria international "pressure" on Haider will at best only result in a polarisation and isolation of Austria. At worst it will result in backlash. In either case MIM theory and practice are the same: demonstrate the historical realities, and engage those persons who might be able to adopt our position. A tactic of fanatic opposition through ineffective protests will only lead to the exhaustion of radical elements and thus ease the bourgeois 'normalisation' of neo-fascist regimes--and a distraction from the fact that the amerikan government is in fact a bunch of fascist pigs. --RAIL France member March, 2000 mim3@mim.org replies: MIM's position is that the U.$. government is not fascist, because fascism is open dictatorship. As of now the regime still pretends it has civil liberties and majority rule. Others like the RAIL France member say that the U.$. regime is a fascist one. Some would add that there is no point in a legal strategy within U.$. borders, because of its fascism and record prison population for instance. We also do not oppose putting international pressure on Austria for backing neo-Nazi parties. MIM does not include Austria as an oppressed nation and imperialist jockeying is secondary to what the Austrian people do themselves to relate to imperialism. Amerikkka makes me sick I just received my Feb issue of MIM Notes... After reading the paper one article caught my attention, and that was the article about what is happening in the Philippines. I have read several articles previous to this one so I'm somewhat familiar with the subject. The people should stand up against foreign interests controlling their country. Because the foreign interests (mainly the united snakes) don't give a phuck about the people or the negative aspects. All they care about is the money they will make. If the Filipino people don't stand up and fight then the united snakes will rape the islands for all their natural resources and whatever money that should be going to the Filipino people. Look at the history of the u.s. of amerikkka and you will find several examples of what I am talking about, mainly what was done to the native americans. The u.s. don't care about the people or the wild life of the Philippines. They only care about how much they can make raping the island! I am a 21 year old American and its to the point where I want nothing but to get the phuck out of this country. They say amerikkka is the land of opportunity, only if you got the money! ... This country makes me sick! -- A South Carolina prisoner March 7, 2000 MIM Responds: Right on! We agree -- except we're not looking to get out of Amerikkka, we're looking to bring it down! That is how we can best fulfill out internationalist duty to our bothers and sisters in the oppressed nations. (At the same time, the struggles of oppressed nations abroad against Amerikan imperialism create favorable conditions for the struggle of oppressed nations within Amerikan borders for self-determination and eventual socialist revolution.)