The competing imperialist powers took a step closer to war this week with the launch of AUKUS, a strategic partnership between US and British Imperialism and Australia, aimed at asserting western imperialism in the South Asian Sea, and specifically targeted at fighting against the dominance of Chinese Social Imperialism in the area.
While there is no doubt that the main aim of AUKUS is to strengthen Anglo- American Imperialism’s hand to compete against Chinese Social Imperialism in South Asia, the launch of the new strategic alliance has resulted in a major flashpoint between US and British Imperialism and EU Imperialism, chiefly French Imperialism, with major points of division opening up between the NATO allies.
The flashpoint between the would-be NATO allies has arisen because the new AUKUS alliance means the cancellation of a €40 billion agreement for France to provide nuclear submarines to Australia. The EU was not informed of the moves in advance. Under the new alliance, Australia will be provided with the technology to develop nuclear submarines by US and British Imperialism. The move comes as British Imperialism, in the wake of Brexit, continues to move further and further away from EU Imperialism, with a rise in jingoism and warmongering from London. These moves have led to a series of contradictions developing between the supposed allied blocs.
One of the chief contradictions that is developing is the contradiction between NATO, led by Anglo-American Imperialism and EU imperialism, chiefly Germany and France. As a direct fall-out from the launch of AUKUS, at which the EU is furious for not being informed advance, France has recalled French imperialisms ambassadors to the US Australia. Added to this and in the wake of the humiliating defeat for western imperialism in Afghanistan, and in a further sign of the deteriorating relations between western imperialists, the EU has begun to re-examine its relationship with NATO, with Germany and France leading the charge for the militarization of the EU and for EU Imperialism to take Military Action independently of NATO, to protect and advance its own Imperialist interests.
This week saw a rallying call from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen a former German Defence minister, for a “European Defence Union”. Von der Leyen said that the EU needed the “political will” to build up its own military force to deploy independently. The imperialist war-monger continued, ‘In the last weeks, there have been many discussions on expeditionary forces. On what type and how many we need: battlegroups or EU entry forces. This is no doubt part of the debate – and I believe it will be part of the solution.” Germany was quick to support the latest calls for EU Militarisation, with German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, commenting Ursula @vonderleyen is right: the #EU needs a big leap forward on defense. The proposed EU Defense Summit in 2022 will be highly important. Real EU defense depends on the political will of member states. That’s why Germany and France must lead. Whether the contradictions between the western imperialist blocs will continue to sharpen, or can be resolved diplomatically will have a significant impact on the USA’s much sought after united front against Chinese Social Imperialism.
Anglo- American Imperialism has been unapologetic for the consequences of the AUKUS deal for French and EU Imperialism, stating that the strategic alliance is an important one for protecting the interests of western imperialism in South Asia. The conditions, as they are at the minute, resemble a new cold war between a divided western Imperialist bloc on the one hand and Chinese Social Imperialism and its allies on the other. Whether this remains a cold war, or if the contradictions sharpen enough to become a military conflict remains to be seen.
Australia has given the strongest signal yet of a move to war with China, with the Australian Defence minister Peter Dutton stating that a war cannot now be ruled out, and that a likely flashpoint will be any move by the Chinese Social-Imperialists to take control of Taiwan. Dutton also announced that Australia and the US would be “significantly enhancing our force posture cooperation”, including “greater air cooperation through rotational deployments of all types of US military aircraft to Australia” including bombers. He continued that he would like to see an increase in the number of US troops coming on rotation through Darwin and said there would be more military exercises with the US, and greater combined exercises with other partners in the region. Boris Johnson outlined a similar stance when asked what a British standpoint would be if China moved to take back control of Taiwan. Johnson stated that British Imperialism ‘remains determined to defend international law and that is the strong advice we would give to our friends across the world, and the strong advice that we would give to the government in Beijing.” War, then, is clearly being considered by the Western Imperialists.
In response to the AUKUS deal, Chinese Social Imperialism has been quick to rattle its own sabers. The leader of the Chinese Social Imperialists, Xi Jinping, has vowed to resist “interference from external forces”. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the alliance risked “severely damaging regional peace… and intensifying the arms race”. He criticised what he called “the obsolete Cold War… mentality” and warned the three countries were “hurting their own interests”. Chinese state media has gone further, with the Global Times newspaper stating that Australia had now “turned itself into an adversary of China”.
The tensions between the imperialist camps must be welcomed by all Revolutionaries. These tensions give rise to contradictions that can be exploited by Revolutionary Forces to strengthen the World Proletarian Revolution. The divisions opening up between the western imperialists are particularly important. Chairman Mao has said that ‘Imperialists and all reactionaries are paper tigers’. This remains the case today. It is the role then of the Revolutionary Forces around the world to be preparing to meet any coming inter-imperialist war with Anti Imperialist war. In the Imperialist Countries, this will mean taking up Lenin’s teaching to turn Imperialist War into Civil War. Outside the Imperialist centers of power it means that Revolutionaries should be working to strengthen the wars for National Liberation by the oppressed peoples of the world and in both arenas, moving to the waging of People’s Wars for the final defeat of Imperialism, sweeping reaction from our world. If the imperialists are on the march to war, the Revolutionary Forces of the world must not be found wanting.