This has been a war against the working class

There have been 11 weeks of bombing. Countless people have lost their lives. Many more have been made refugees. There is opposition to the war in all of the countries involved and on all levels, from the US to Serbia.

Now they are talking about peace. Our beloved leaders would like us to believe that this is a result of the combination of 'force and diplomacy', all put to humanitarian ends. The reality of the matter is very different.

As we said in Aurora no.1 "this is a war by a decaying rotten system against the working class everywhere". This has been part of the battle between the major powers set against the current situation of the world capitalist crisis. The US has hoped to physically emphasise once more its military might - particularly to the Russians. They have managed to establish Nato bases (US led) in Hungary, for example, and to use them for the purposes of bombing. With other bases in Albania and Macedonia the US has the capacity to influence the detail of events in the Balkans, as well as to threaten Russia

Possible peace

After a great deal of argument it seems that there has been agreement reached between Russia and the other major powers. Russia appears to have been cut in on the deal that will be called a peace settlement - Russian troops are likely to part of the UN occupying force. Milosevic, rather than face a land war, has stated that he is ready to accept the demands of the Nato powers. If troops were to be used to occupy Kosovo and remove Serbian forces, then Milosevic would have no further room to manoeuvre.

Anti-war demos in southern Serbia have been set off, partially, by Milosevic's attempts to recruit more troops. Already half a million Serbs have left to avoid fighting the regime's wars. The bombing, though, will continue until Nato chiefs are satisfied that all demands, including the withdrawal of Serb forces will be met. They are still mounting 300 missions a day. We will have to wait and see! Nato and Europe The fear for the US is that a land war would break up the already fragile alliance of US and European forces. This would hasten the weakening of Nato, which allows the US to coopt the Euroepean states as allies for the policing of its own imperialist interests.

Currently the Europeans are putting into place the European Defence Identity, an attempt to create a single military policy, to be discussed further at the Colgne summit. This will further strengthen the EU as a unifiable military force - something, which progresses Europe along the road to becoming a bloc separate from the US. Even the neutral states of Ireland, Finland, Sweden and Austria are co-operating. The next stage looks likely to be the incorporation of the Western European Union (a European forerunner of Nato set up in 1948) into the whole military structure. The communiqué read the EU "must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and the readiness to do so ... [which requires] strengthened armed forces that can react rapidly to the new risks" - for risks read 'threats to imperialism'. This also means a threat to increase arms spending in Europe as there is a clear recognition that the defence spending of the EU is not up to mounting anything like the recent bombing campaign.

Reconstruction

There has already been talk about the reconstruction of the Balkans - this would, of course, exclude Serbia while Milosevic is in power. The estimates touted around have been between $30 and $50 billion - the more realistic estimate by a major figure in finance capital is $100 billion.

Even the latter figure is less than what has been spent in the 11 weeks of bombing so far. Whatever amount is made available, this will give a chance for major firms to earn well from the contracts for rebuilding --as In Kuwait, most of which went to US firms. It will also mean more and more opportunities for the various major powers to implant themselves in the economies of the Balkans. Here competition is likely to grow between the US and the EU. The US has attempted to use the Nato banner to hold back the growth of European economic power and influence. The EU powers will attempt to use these imperialist opportunities to help stave off the further slowing of key economies. Both Britain and Germany are likely to have a lean time of it over the next year. Germany seems likely to suffer a further recession (OECD).

The internationalist position In both peace and war the class war goes on. There is nothing for the international working class to gain by following the prescriptions of the left - supporting one faction of the capitalist class or another. There is nothing to be gained by calls for some so-called national liberation or self-determination. Workers have no country. Workers have no business supporting any section of the ruling class. The victims in both war and possible peace are not only the workers of the Balkans - it is workers everywhere. As the capitalist class manoeuvres within itself, looking for an advantage here, a gain there, we pay the price.

The only question facing workers the world over is Socialism or Barbarism

The question becomes plainer by the day. In war or peace let us give the capitalist class this response - the socialist response - the class war - an international revolution putting paid to the plague of capitalism and imperialism.