Victory in Aleppo

      Victory in Aleppo: The Syrian Arab Army is on the Offensive



   The Syrian Arab Army Recently achieved a major victory in Aleppo, and is on the offense all over Syria liberating terrorist occupied territories and preparing for an even wider offensive. Meanwhile the empire of chaos (the US) and it's allies the axis of chaos ( the NATO-GCC-Israel forces) are so desperate they are threatening open war. We can only hope that they are bluffing and do not plan to destroy the world in a childish temper tantrum over their inability to destroy Syria. The Geneva peace talks collapsed to the surprise of no one as the so called "opposition" (front men for terrorists) seemed unable to adjust to the reality that they are loosing and continued to make demands. Obviously the longer diplomacy is delayed the better although Russia and Syria had no plans to interrupt their offensive even if Geneva III had not collapsed. The only way to restore peace to Syria is to drive the terrorists out of Syria once and for all, and to cut off all their routes into the country. Thanks to the bravery of the SAA (Syrian Arab Army)  this is exactly what is taking place. Aleppo which a year ago Erdogan bragged had become a new turkish province and which he looted whole factories from to enrich his gangster friends and family, Aleppo is on the verge of being liberated from the terrorists. Aleppo is not alone Latakia is almost completely liberated, the terrorist stronghold of Daraa is under assault, they are preparing an offensive in Idlib. Clearly the SAA's offensive is only expanding in strength and momentum.


    First I'll discuss the threat of expanded Imperialist intervention in Syria. Most Outrageously the US decided to illegally occupy Syrian territory and build a base against the wishes of the Syrian people and government on Syrian soil. They also announced plan to send an ever expanding force into Syria supposedly to fight ISIS but in reality to aid them and other terrorists. Their motives are so transparent the more victories Syria and Iraq win against their terrorist proxies the more desperate they are to intervene in both countries. Yet what are a few thousand troops going to accomplish when more then a hundred thousand proved unable to contain the Iraqi resistance. They will be used to advise and support the terrorists but they have been doing that all along. In response to the Russian intervention the Axis of Chaos began pouring weapons troops and advisers into but aside from achieving some temporary successes early on they now face utter defeat. Lets hope this new scheme proves equally futile. Ironically they are building the base in kurdish territory but the Syrian Kurds are moving closer and closer to Russia and Syria. Thus Russia was able to counter by building it's own base in Kurdish territory. Currently the YPG are on the offensive trying to seize the terrorist held area separating the two halves of their autonomous zone. This leads to the next danger Turkey is threatening to invade northern Syria. For Erdogan YPG control of his precious terrorist highway is a red line. Yet such an invasion would lead him into a confrontation with Russian and Syrian airpower. It would probably end in disaster for Turkey. In reality of course Turkey invaded long ago it's troops pretend to be rebels and fight shoulder to shoulder with the terrorists.


  The final threat is the most absurd of all the saudis are threatening to invade "to fight terrorism" fooling only the most ignorant. The saudis are the top ideological and financial source for terrorism in the world as even the New York Times admits. Of course they carry out all this out with the full cooperation of western intelligence. Saudi Arabia is nothing more then the islamic state in a more respectable (simply because it's older) form as everyone knows. But what makes it truly absurd is that it is a hollow threat. Saudi Arabia is already loosing in Yemen where despite overwhelming military superiority they have completely failed to reconquer the country to reinstall their ousted puppet al-Hadi. Despite starving the populace, destroying schools, hospitals, and Yemen's historical heritage they are loosing. Despite unleashing their terrorist proxies they are loosing. The Saudi Army reportedly doesn't even dare fight itself hiding in bases while foreign mercenaries especially veterans of Colombian death squads do the fighting and have suffered heavy losses. The Saudis can't even protect their own territories the Houthi's control parts of Saudi Arabia. In other words I almost hope they do invade Syria where they have funded so much mayhem and destruction. This would allow the SAA to take a terrible revenge on the notoriously soft saudis and would hopefully hasten the end of the treacherous Saudi Monarchy those puppets of the UK, the US, and Israel.


    Unfortunately the Saudis would invade with an entire alliance but they also invaded Yemen with an alliance. We will have to see how far the axis of chaos is willing to go, they risk plunging the world into nuclear war as the Russians have not so subtly threatened to protect their forces in Syria by any means necessary including nuclear. Unfortunately since the start of the war in Ukraine and the beginning of Cold War 2.0 the "new normal" apparently involves keeping the world permanently on the brink of Nuclear War. Such is the perpetual state of madness we live in under the Empire of Chaos. Syria has been surrounded by enemies and under constant threat since it gained it's independence. Whatever threats it faces it will remain defiantly ready to fight to retain that independence. As Walid al-Moallem Syria's Foreign minister said "Any aggressor will be sent back to their country in a wooden box."


    All these threats, diplomatic schemes, and of course a propaganda campaign absurd in it's selective outrage are motivated by the axis of chaos' current inability to do anything to stop the triumphant offensive of the Syrian Arab Army and it's allies as they reclaim town after town and city after city. The province of Lattakia is almost completely liberated. The SAA recently captured the terrorist stronghold Salma which they had spent 2 and a half years and lost many brave fighters trying to capture. Aleppo is on the verge of being the next liberated territory. The  terrorists forces there began to collapse a month ago and now the SAA have won a stunning strategic victory that will bring doom to all the various terrorist militias. By capturing Ratyan and Mayer the SAA have managed to cut off the Aleppo-Gaziantep Highway the main terrorist supply route into the province and beyond. Cut off from food and ammunition, surrounded by the SAA, and with nowhere to hide as everywhere the locals are hungry for revenge for the horrors they suffered under terrorist occupation they will be lucky if they escape alive and thousands are already fleeing. The SAA also broke the Siege of Nubbul and al-Zahran where the locals had been starved and terrorized for years they were greeted with tremendous joy it was one of the most uplifting moments since the lifting of the siege of Kuweires airbase last fall.


   Far to the east in Deir Ezzor the heroic defense continues with the SAA forces and the local civilians resisting the attempts by ISIS to destroy this loyalist foothold in the midst of their territory. Luckily the defense of Deir Ezzor is being lead by the legendary General Issaam Zahraadeen who fights on the front lones with his men manning a machine gun. ISIS has been desperately trying to seize Deir Ezzor and the americans even helped them at one point bombing the base then blaming the Russians. Yet Deir Ezzor is still standing and ISIS's many attacks have only lead to repeated defeats. Remember the heroes of Deir Ezzor their heroic resistance is symbolic of the whole Syrian war surrounded by enemies and under constant attack they have not only survived they have triumphed. Elsewhere the SAA seem to be advancing or preparing to advance on almost every front. Even in Raqqah the ISIS capital (or it was until the leaders fled due to Russian airstrikes) the Syrian forces delivered devastating strikes today.


    Thanks to their Russian allies the Syrian Arab army has been rearming and retraining. Russia has clearly been subtly increasing it's presence on the ground and the first Russian adviser recently lost his life. Unfortunately I can't record his name here as it is classified. He may have been from Chechnya and Russia in one of it's famous "non-denial" denials recently denied there were Chechen Special forces in Syria while basically just objecting to the term and pretty much admitting it. Of course Russia has always had advisers in Syria but clearly they are now openly waging a covert war in aid of their Syrian allies.In addition their artillery advisers and supplies or new artillery battery have helped the SAA offensive gain momentum and even western experts are using the word "cauldron" to describe what is about to happen to the terrorists. Whoever this unknown soldier was I salute their willingness to risk their lives in defense of Syria. I also hope that Russia will increase it's ground forces in Syria both to counter the American special forces and to guard against any reckless moves by the "Sultan of Chaos" as Pepe Escobar calls Erdogan. And I'm thankful Ramzan Kadyrov  has sent in his feared Chechens to battle ISIS.


   These are only some of the fronts in Syria's war yet on every front Syria is either making dramatic advances or laying the groundwork for future advances. They are on the offensive against the terrorist stronghold of Daara. They are preparing an attack on Idlib province. We can only hope that the coming months will bring further victories from the SAA and it's allies  Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq and the Russians. They are aided by masses of volunteers from the Syrians public who have joined the NDF militias and who have the important job of securing the recaptured territories so that the SAA can move on to further offensives. Victory to Syria!


    Before I end I'd also like to remember the heroic people of Yemen who are battling the Axis of Chaos and against all the odds managing not just to survive but to inflict terrible punishment on their invaders. And Sadly I must warn of a grave danger to Libya where western powers are planning to reinvade on the excuse of battling ISIS when they are the ones who installed ISIS to occupy the former green resistance stronghold of Sirte. We must oppose any second invasion of Libya under the phony excuse of battling the terrorists that NATO itself put in charge of the country. And of course we must keep a close eye on Venezuela where fascism threatens to seize control of the country and destroy the Bolivarian Socialist Revolution. Last month the Fascists murdered prominent loyalist journalist Ricardo Durant another in the seemingly endless list of victims of Operation Condor/ The Phoenix Program. In Argentina Fascism is already on the rampage. Amidst such grim news the continued victories of the SAA provide a beacon of hope for the world and an example of heroic struggle. No matter the odds against them they have refused to surrender and the people of the world must follow this example if we ever hope to end this empire of chaos before it decides to end the world.




Sources

 I Highly Recommend the book Asad the Struggle for the Middle East By Patrick Seale on Syria's heroic history. And Tim Anderson's definitive book on the topic "The Dirty War on Syria" is now available in E Format at Global Research.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-dirty-war-on-syria-new-e-book-by-prof-tim-anderson/5506819

Subscribe to Eric Draitser's You Tube Channel every Sunday he appears on Don Debar's CPR Sunday as a guest with Mark Sleboda for an hour long discussion and Syria is usually the main topic a must listen for those following the war. It usually appears a couple days later.

A Wonderful Site with news on Syria, Palestine and Yemen is Vanessa Beeley's The Wall Will Fall

https://thewallwillfall.wordpress.com

Eva Bartlett printed this great account from a Syrian on the Liberation of Salma

https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2016/01/13/selma-village-finally-after-so-many-years-and-so-many-martyred-syrian-arab-army-soldiers-and-civilians-we-have-victory/


 A must read Article on the strategic significance of the victory in Aleppo

 https://syria360.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/the-syria-war-will-not-be-a-quagmire-because-putin-and-assad-are-winning/


al-Moallem gives Syria's defiant response to anyone threatening to invade

https://syria360.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/al-moallem-any-intervention-is-an-act-of-aggression/

A mocking assessment of Saudi Arabia's Syrian invasion plans in the context of their failures in Yemen

https://syria360.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/saudis-poised-for-hazardous-intervention-in-syria/

Turkey's Fascist Gray Wolves are playing an increasing role in Syria

https://syria360.wordpress.com/2016/02/07/turkeys-gray-wolves-in-syria/

Capitalism & Slavery

          Capitalism & Slavery



Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.
-Honore De Balzac



   In his classic work "Capitalism and Slavery" Eric Williams exposed in vivid detail a fact that the west would like to forget. The west owes it's wealth in large part to slavery (and genocide of course). It was slavery that funded the industrial revolution. Not in some abstract way but quite literally the famous Watt engine (The first steam engine) was funded with money from the West Indian sugar plantations. Many of Europe's great fortunes owe themselves to slavery. Williams wrote his book long ago in 1942 but the facts he revealed have been intentionally ignored ever since. Thus only recently historians have rediscovered what Williams wrote about back then. Williams work is a classic of both Marxist analysis and black history. Actually Marx himself had noted the role of Slavery in fueling the rise of Capitalism. Williams focuses his work on the  relationship between British capitalism and slavery, but he also deals with the role slavery played in funding the rise of France and the US. Those interested in the role of slavery in fueling France should read C. L. R. James classic "Black Jacobins" which I discussed in my August 2015 article "Revolution in Haiti". Williams charts the economic history of slavery fueling the expansion of commercial capitalism, leading to the rise of Industrial Capitalism. Lavery Williams argues  was abolished in England not purely for the moral reasons cited at the time but simply as part of the triumph of free trade over mercantilism. Slavery was abolished in the British empire but ended up being "outsourced" to Latin America and the United States. Slave grown cotton would fuel the industrial revolution of the 19th century just as the profits from slave grown sugar had fueled the 18th century. Anti-Slavery would become a cover for British Imperialism as it expanded in India, and would serve as the excuse for the conquest of Africa later in the century. Actually I'm currently reading Gerald Horne's "Negro Comrades of The Crown" which deals with the great use England made of the slavery issue against it's american rivals mobilizing slaves to rise up against their masters during the war of 1812 or using black troops (former slaves) to defend Canada. It's another masterpiece but lets return to Eric Williams Classic work which has inspired (and doubtless been plagiarized by)  so many recent historians.


   I should mention that Eric Williams later became the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago an important biographical detail. "Capitalism and Slavery" begins by examining the origins of slavery. Slavery arose out of the economic necessity for labor. First to be enslaved were the Natives but they died quickly, or knowing the local territory often escaped. Ironically next it would be the turn of the whites who were forced into servitude. In a detail especially relevant today with the rise of mass incarceration state as Glen Ford calls it was the way the legal system was used to force the whites into servitude for a variety of petty crimes. They were given the choice of deportation and servitude or a hanging. However servitude was temporary not permanent. In addition the english poor mounted violent resistance against the "spirits" as they called those who kidnapped people into servitude anyone they suspected could easily be killed  by an angry mob. In the colonies it was much easier for a white in servitude to run away and pass for free. Williams offers a vivid picture of the terrible conditions faced by those in servitude who were also packed into ships in only slightly better conditions then the slaves, and reminds his readers that it was perfectly legal for masters to beat their white servants both in England and it's colonies.  Africa became the new source for forced labor and their slavery was usually permanent.



I should explain There were two types of colonies. First Those with poor soils and little resources like the northern US or Canada. Ironically this would later be to their advantage as they were forced to become diversified self sufficient economies. However the second type colonies with rich soils or natural resources could be used for quick and easy profits by producing a single crop. In the 17th and 18th centuries one extremely valuable cash crop was  sugar cane. Sugar was the Oil of it's day with the introduction of tea and coffee back in Europe there was ever growing demand for sugar.  The most efficient way to cultivate it was on large plantations. Since it was so valuable it was cheaper to just import food with the profits so as much land as possible could be dedicated to sugar cultivation. It was the islands of the west indies like Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and Barbados that were ideal for growing it. Sugar Cane exhausted the soil which would be an important factor in the future. The British West Indies were far more valuable then the mainland in the amount of profits it generated. The British West Indies were at one point 4 times as valuable as all the other British colonies combined. The Growth of the still colonial future northern united states was fueled by providing the food and supplies for these islands which generated enormous fortunes. Those plantation owners who got rich in the sugar  returned to England where they formed the powerful "West Indian Interest" as Williams called it which bought a number of famous english politicians like Gladstone and the famous conservative Burke. They used their political muscle to enforce a sugar monopoly forcing England to buy it's more expensive west indian sugar instead of the cheaper sugar from France's newer and hence more fertile Caribbean colonies. This would later be their downfall but for a time they would rule England and their enormous fortunes would fund the industrialization of England.


    But it was not merely the wealthy plantation owners of the colonies that made their fortunes off of slavery. The economic growth of the English cities was closely tied to slavery as Williams documents in extensive detail. Liverpool owed it's fortune in the slave trade. They supplied not just english colonies with slaves but their Spanish and French competitors.  It was well known at the time and once when a visiting (and intoxicated) actor was being heckled he shouted back that he refused to be insulted in a town built entirely on the blood of slaves. From it's humble beginnings with a single slave ship stetting sail in 1709 by 1795 Liverpool controlled 5/8 of the British Slave Trade and 3/7 of the whole european slave trade. Bristol had begun as the dominant slave trading city but was forced by Liverpool's competition into the equally slavery related sugar refining interest. The Growth of Manchester was driven by the cotton manufacturing Cotton supplied by slave labor in America's south. Birmingham sold Guns that were traded for African slaves (1 gun for 1 slave) fueling the massive but forgotten slave catching wars that would destabilize much of the continent spreading chaos, horror and murder across Africa. Incidentally as Gerald Horne points out once Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807 the United States would take over, Brazil for example owes it's massive black population to the energetic efforts of the american slave traders.


   In addition to fueling the growth of some of Britain's most important cities. Williams points out the many sectors of the english economy whose growth was fueled by the profits of slavery and slave trade. The growth of Iron industry was fueled by the demands for chains, swords, guns used in the slave trade. Slavery Financed the growth of the commercial Insurance industry a vital element in the growth of capitalism allowing for the "management of risk" the slave Trade was a risky business with the constant threat of shipwreck, disease, and of course uprisings among the captured slaves. Each slave, a valuable piece of merchandise was insured for the voyage. The Banking industry also owed it's growth to the massive profits generated by slavery. In fact many bankers began as slave traders. Captain on a slave ship was the first step on the ladder that lead ultimately to the Merchant-Banker as Williams points out. One famous bank that made it's fortune off slavery is Barclays for example. The rich West Indies Planters often became bankers on their return to England. Actually they were so rich that even the King was annoyed and envious of their opulence and they quickly married into the highest ranks of the nobility. Of course even the monarchs of Europe got rich off the slave trade. In fact one major reason for the "Glorious Revolution" as Williams points out was to destroy the lucrative royal monopoly on the slave trade opening the doors to the "Free Trade in Slaves" which would fuel England's economic growth during the 18th century. England and France fought wars over the "Asiento" the right to sell slaves to Spain's colonies. To return to the industries fueled by slavery and the slave trade, there was shipping. Slavery contributed to a huge growth in shipbuilding and paid for the construction of the ports and docks in Liverpool Bristol, and other cities. Textile manufacturing was fueled by the need to provide clothes for the millions of slaves. Wool for example was used to clothe the slaves even though it was completely inappropriate for the tropics. The raw materials for cotton came from slavery and the finished goods were traded in Africa for more slaves. The dye industry developed to provide colorful patterns to trade for slaves. There was a whole industry that produced useless trinkets to trade for slaves. The Iron industry itself produced bars of iron which were used as currency on the coast to pay for slaves. The wealthy west indian interests funded the invention of the steam engine as Williams describes in detail. They also invested heavily in building England's railroads the Industrial revolution was thus fueled by slavery. Cotton would drive the massive growth of industry in 19th century England. Cotton mills were the biggest factories in England and their raw material was grown by slaves in the US south, Latin America, and the supposedly "free" semi-slave labour of their Indian empire.

    Even England's great philanthropists had been enriched by the slave trade. The various  Churches were also involved. In America slave traders would found famous universities like Brown. Some of the most powerful politicians in England were in the west indian interests pockets. Slavery was perfectly respectable. As Williams points out it was only changing economic circumstances that forced a change in attitude although there were important geopolitical reasons as well. For example the victory of the Haitian revolution and the inability of the British to conquer the island where they suffered disastrous defeat at the hands of the former slaves who were masters of guerrilla and conventional war and beat the British, the Spanish and the French.


    Williams devotes the last two chapters of his book to examining the abolition of slavery. First he deals with the efforts of reformers who were backed by powerful new economic interests intent on destroying the west indian sugar monopoly. They wanted cheaper food so they could pay their workers less and so wanted to institute free trade in food. England had become the most powerful economy in the world and it was cheaper to rely on the slave labor of the United States and Latin America, as well as the cheap labor of feudal India. Free markets became the key to english economic dominance and the West Indian interest were standing in their way. The abolitionists were the tools of a new East India interest. These were the economic motives behind the abolition movement. Of course as the system of slavery was a nightmare of barbarous cruelty (again I recommend C. L. R. James who provides a full account of the horrors of slavery where a hundred different forms of torture and grisly murder became part of everyday slang) Thus it was easy to whip up a massive public relations campaign simply by describing the everyday conditions of slavery. A powerful mass movement against slavery was built up. To break the power of the west indian lobby democratic reforms were carried out to redistrict parliament. Politicians debated endlessly in parliament. However as Williams points out there was a certain unavoidable hypocrisy in all this as it was still to profitable  to trade with the slave societies like the US and Latin America for Capitalism to actually break it's ties with slavery. In fact until 1823 the english abolitionists didn't seek to end slavery which they claimed would die out naturally.  They were only trying to end the slave trade.

   Williams attributes the real cause of the abolition of Slavery to the resistance of the Slaves themselves. In the wake of the Haitian revolution the West Indies was rocked by waves of slave insurrections. British Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados all had nearly successful slave revolts. Upon learning of the outlawing of the slave trade in 1807 they misinterpreted it as being a Royal decree ending Slavery itself and began to refuse to work and to constantly petition the authorities. While the politicians debated back in London the Caribbean had become a powder keg and Britain was faced with the choice of either ending slavery or loosing control of their colonies altogether as France had lost control of Haiti. Finally in 1833 Slavery was abolished in the English empire although it secretly continued in India. Of course as Williams pointed out in 1942 this history of slave rebellion is constantly being suppressed just as more then 70 years later the same is equally true. This is of course no accident our present day masters want us to forget that we have the power not only to resist but to overturn their entire fragile system based on the exploitation of the many by the few. A friend in Academia tells me that research along these lines is actively discouraged. Thus we are continually forced to discover anew our history. Brilliant works like "Black Jacobins" and "Capitalism & Slavery" are suppressed forgotten and then rediscovered again and again.


   To conclude the wealth of the western powers like France, America, and Great Britain was based on slavery and genocide. Today this same process continues and Ironically as the UN revealed recently slavery is on the rise worldwide. Meanwhile with the end of the civil war in the United States they put an important loophole in the abolition of slavery allowing it for prisoners. Prison Labor is a massively growing sector of the american economy and just as the great fortunes of the 18th and 19th century were tied to slavery todays multinational corporations are deeply invested in the growth of the mass incarceration state. Of course it would take a whole new article to describe the companies involved big names like McDonalds and Goldman Sachs. Slavery didn't end like they told us in school. Slavery is on the rise! Latin American workers in the US have become major new victims.  There is no crime that capitalism will not commit if it creates a few percentage points of profit. Until Capitalism is abolished the world will never know an end to war, slavery, genocide, imperialism, exploitation and poverty.


Sources

A Special Thank You to @Zaganashikwe for suggesting I read this book.

    You should definitely read Eric Williams "Capitalism and Slavery" for yourself as I've only offered a brief outline. It is written with a delightful irony. I also recommend C. L. R. James "Black Jacobins" which does a great job of showing how slavery fueled french economic growth and unlike Williams who deliberately avoids the topic, gives a nightmarish picture of what life was like for the slaves on the sugar plantations. I've just begun reading Gerald Horne's "Negro Comrades of the Crown" and I highly recommend it as well. Horne is a master at bringing suppressed history vividly to life and I'll smile whenever I hear the year 1812 I'll imagine angry slaves burning the white house and stealing president Madison's silver ware.

Since it is Black History Month I direct you to Abayomi Azikwe's podcast where I have learned a great deal of black history from listening too. It was from Azikwe that I learned about Williams, James and Horne.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/panafricanjournal

And Check out The Black Agenda Report which created the term "mass incarceration state" and does a great job of exposing the crimes of capitalism.

    http://blackagendareport.com

And Check out my friend @arghshell who has a blog and a podcast that did a great expose of the US military role in Sex Trafficking another continuation of slavery


http://n0p3.net

Here is the third episode which describes the lives of enslaved women in the US

http://n0p3.net/2015/10/01/us-military-trade-in-trafficked-persons-and-sexual-servitude-part-3/



                                                   

Venezuela & Syria

Counter-Revolution Threatens Venezuela, Latin America and the World
Syrian Arab Army on the Move




    After a long vacation I am back. Actually I was tempted to return immediately as no sooner did i begin my vacation then first Turkey shot down a Russian jet over northern Syria, and then the disastrous Venezuelan election results were announced. The first event was merely a temporary outrage which of course could have sparked a nuclear war if Russia had responded in kind although I doubt the west would really have gone to war if a turkish jet had been shot down in revenge. However the Venezuelan elections results could have much more terrible and lasting results. Venezuela may become the site of a full blown civil war. Fascism looms again over the entire continent indeed much of the world. Venezuela is merely the most vital country under siege. Argentina has already been lost. Fascism has already begun it's rampage there with the election of Macri. In Brazil Dilma Roussef is under threat of impeachment. Ecuador is threatened by a color revolution. Even South Africa is under threat the west plots the overthrow of Jacob Zuma. Four out of the Five BRICS countries are under open siege. Russia is involved in two proxy wars with the west in Ukraine and Syria. Plus Russia like China is under economic war. In fact Venezuela was merely collateral damage in the economic war Wall Street and the Saudis are waging on Russia and Iran which sent oil prices plunging last year. China was also the victim of wall street swindlers last year who crashed the Chinese stock market. And of course the US and it's proxies are trying to encircle bully and provoke China in the South China Sea. The BRICS nations which were beginning to challenge the Washington consensus have clearly been targeted for destruction. Russia and China will prove very difficult to destabilize but Brazil and South Africa are more vulnerable especially Brazil where after loosing the elections the right are trying to topple Rousseff based on trumped up corruption charges. The empire of Chaos is trying to murder the future destroy any hope of an alternative to their system of greed and exploitation. Of course in launching this economic war they are going to bring untold misery to their own citizens as well Pepe Escobar warns that they plan to crash the Global economy as part of their plans to destabilize Russia, China and indeed the entire world. Venezuela because of the folly of it's voters has become the central front in this war for the future what I call World War 4. The only good news is that Syria that land of heroes has with Russian aid been making slow but steady progress in ejecting the terrorists. And in Yemen which is under a criminal siege meant to starve the entire country, which has been relentlessly bombed, the spirit of resistance refuses to die and the Saudi invasion has suffered humiliating defeats.


   Apart from the victories in Yemen and Syria there was more bad news for the rest of the world which I probably won't have time to deal with so I'll mention now. Well actually North Korea tested an H-Bomb which should give the empire of Chaos some bad dreams which is good news. Now for the bad news Hannibal Gaddafi was brutally kidnapped and tortured and interrogated over the mysterious disappearance of Amal movement founder Musa Sadr in Libya in 1978. It was a disgrace that this vendetta should be pursued by Hezbollah against someone who battled the exact same terrorist enemy in Libya that Hezbollah is fighting in Syria and Lebanon. The Gaddafi family has suffered more then enough already and in truth Libya was betrayed with no one coming to it's aid Including Iran, Hezbollah, or Syria, as well as Russia or China an ugly fact discussed in length by Gerald A Perreira. At least Syria is demanding his release from Lebanon since he was treacherously kidnapped while a guest of Syria. He remains imprisoned and in poor health we must demand his release. The Fascists in Ukraine cut off power to Crimea in the middle of winter. Terrorists attacked Chinese and Russian interests in Mali. Newly freed Burkina Faso which managed to overthrow the Blaise Compradore regime last year reawakening the great spirit of Thomas Sankara, was also hit with a terrorist attack. The Saudis bribed Nigerian military to carry out a massacre on the followers of Sheikh Zakzaky who had been inspired by the example of the Iranian Revolution to convert to Shia Islam. Zakzaky was arrested his followers massacred merely to send a message to Iran. The Saudis also executed Sheikh Nimr the respected leader of the Shiite opposition in Saudi Arabia to the insane Saudi Monarchs for advocating peaceful democratic reforms. In Iran the Saudi embassy was burned to the ground by angry crowds in revenge. The Saudis responded by bombing the Iranian embassy in Yemen. Thus as if their massive crimes in Syria and Yemen were not enough the Saudis have found new infamies to commit. Since Saudi Arabia's Monarchs are also partly responsible for the success of the counter-revolution in Venezuela they deserve the hatred of all progressive humanity for their actions. We can only hope that they bring disaster on themselves with their oil price games, and wars on Syria and Yemen. According to Pepe Escobar there is a strong possibility of a coup in Saudi Arabia in the coming year. Down with the Saudi Monarchy!


   First before I begin to discuss Venezuela I should mention the work of one my old favorites Eric Draitser of stopimperialism.org and one of new favorites Caleb Maupin of calebmaupin.info who along with Isolina De La Cruz went down to Venezuela to observe the election, the results of the economic war on Venezuela, as well as meeting with those still deeply committed to the Bolivarian Socialist Revolution. I highly recommend you check out their work on the Venezuela which provide a vivid picture of life there and the dangers which now face the Bolivarian Revolution. Of course the main english language source for news on Venezuela is  http://venezuelanalysis.com . I will be relying heavily on their work for my discussion of Venezuela.


   Venezuela has been a victim of a covert destabilization campaigns since Chavez first came to power in 1999. Economic warfare, sanctions, coup attempts, psychological operations, even armed incursions by Colombian death squads and drug gangs. Corrupt elements inside the Venezuelan government make a fortune sabotaging the economy as do the Venezuelan oligarchs. For example the government subsidizes food and gasoline so that the price is low enough for the poor majority. The corrupt elements buy up these products cheap then smuggle them across the Colombian border sell them for much more making huge profits and as an added bonus from the oligarchs perspective this also creates huge shortages in Venezuela. Currency scams are also a great way to make a fortune while also producing massive inflation. With the massive drop in oil prices government revenue has also dropped and it can no longer compensate for the effects of these schemes. Thus Venezuelans face long lines and scarcities as the rich hoard  goods intentionally shut down distribution and production of vital products. For example Eric Draitser was unable to find deodorant or sunscreen during his two weeks in the country despite a constant search. Of course no sooner did the opposition win the parliamentary elections then goods began to appear back on the shelves. Maduro was unable to find an effective solution to the economic war. As a result the PSUV received a massive punishment vote in the elections. This was a foolish and dangerous move Venezuela is not an ordinary country where the two sides in an election are only slightly different. While the PSUV the United Socialist Party of Venezuela isn't perfect and needs to get rid of some of the corrupt and opportunistic elements who always join any successful revolution it is trying to build a whole new society. The opposition on the other hand are merely Oligarchs and their hangers on willing tools of the CIA, the US State Department, the NED and other notorious criminal organizations who have spread war fascism and genocide all over the globe. Take Ukraine for a prime example my first article on recent news "Blood in the Streets" from February 2014 was actually about both countries both being targeted for destabilization. Venezuela survived and as a result only 43 people died  during the western back Guarimbas a fascist terror campaign of the rich against the poor a terrible tragedy but nothing compared to what Ukraine would suffer where thousands would die and over a million people would be turned into refugees. (In Mexico in 2014 43 also died at the hands of fascist gangsters at Ayotzinapa inspiring a nationwide struggle for justice but actually between 50,000-100,000 have died in the US backed war there in recent years) Syria is an even more horrifying example of  what the CIA is capable of. By Voting the opposition into power the people of Venezuela have unwittingly invited the CIA to come and destroy their country.  Venezuela suffered a much milder form of repression then much of Latin America during the cold war. It had the illusion of democracy instead of the ruthless open dictatorships of places like Argentina or Chile. However if the Opposition win this coming power struggle with the Maduro Government they will then move to crush the millions of loyal Chavistas It will be a bloodbath in Argentina things have already gone extremely ugly with police terrorizing protestors and suspected CIA agents being given important government posts.


    Thankfully the opposition have not won yet. Maduro still holds the presidency and has strong constituitional powers to resist the coming counter revolution. The Supreme court is on Maduro's side.  The army is loyal to the Bolivarian cause and is trained in Cuba. Above all there are millions of revolutionary minded Venezuelans who are willing to fight to defend the gains of the revolution. Even if Maduro should fall there is a strong chance that the people will one day reverse the counter-revolutionary changes. In Nicaragua for instance after heroically resisting a bloody covert war, they also succumbed to the economic war waged on the country and voted in the NED/CIA backed UNO destroying the Sandinista revolution. Yet today in Nicaragua  the Sandinistas are back in power. However as I said if the opposition ever come to power they will attempt to crush the chavistas in the bloodiest manner possible. That is how america wages it's dirty wars in fact next door in Colombia tens of thousands have died millions have been turned into refugees as part of "Plan Colombia." (See My October 2015 "Operation Condor" for a full description of how America wages it's dirty wars in Latin America) Maduro must use every means possible to prevent the opposition from seizing power. Venezuela is in danger of falling into civil war. Of course it is likely that Maduro plans to allow the opposition the opportunity to alienate the people before he decides to take decisive action. More then Venezuela is at stake all of Latin America is in danger of being drowned in this counter-revolutionary tidal wave. Venezuela is an inspiration to people around the world. When the Berlin wall fell and everyone was declaring capitalism triumphant it was in Venezuela that the people rose up February 27 1989 on the Caracazo the opening battle of World War 4. (World War 3 was "The Cold War" I call our current wars World War 4) Hundreds were slaughtered in order to put down this first uprising against the neo-liberal new world order. However this failure inspired Hugo Chavez to attempt to seize power in 1992 and while this also was a failure initially by catapulting Chavez into the public eye it allowed him to later run for president and win coming to power in 1999 and changing the course of history. Chavez would not only revolutionize Venezuela he would inspire most of Latin America to break free from US domination. Now all of that is under threat. Venezuela is the hope of the world and must be defended at all costs. The struggle in Venezuela has reached a new and dangerous and Venezuela has become the central front in World War 4 I'll be following events there closely.


    Meanwhile the situation in Syria has continued to improve despite some outrageous provocations from the Empire of Chaos and it's allies. There was of course the ambush and shoot down of the Russian Jet. Their followed the cowardly murder of the pilot Col. Oleg Peshkov as he parachuted but the heroic rescue of the navigator Constan Murakhtin in a joint operation of Russian air forces and Iranian, Hezbollah and SAA Special forces. Next the Americans bombed the Syrians at their Deir Ez-Zor Base which is deep in ISIS held territory the Americans bombed then ISIS attacked but the SAA heroically managed to repel them. Actually the city of  Deir Ez-zor is currently under constant attack as the empire of chaos seeks to destroy this important SAA foothold in ISIS controlled Eastern Syria. The Israelis also bombed Hezbollah killing a veteran resistance commander who spent years in an Israeli prison.


   However aside from these cowardly provocations, the war in Syria has been going well major gains have been made in Allepo and Latakia provinces, the city of Homs has been freed. City after city, village after village have been freed. It was announced a couple weeks ago that Since the start of the Russian air campaign the SAA have liberated 217 villages and regained control of 10,000 sq KM of territory. They have also been having a great deal of success in killing off important Terrorist commanders. Every week seems to bring new victories and more dead terrorist leaders. Latakia is now almost completely under government control. Meanwhile Yemen is turning into Saudi Arabia's Vietnam (Or Afghanistan) hopefully losing two wars plus waging self destructive economic war on the planet at wall streets bidding will begin to take it's toll on the Saudi's and the other gulf monarchs.

   I would go into a lot more detail but I am a bit exhausted at this point the transition from my long vacation to writing again was a little taxing although I am glad to be back.  So instead let me recommend some books I read over my "Winter Break." First anyone wishing to understand modern Syria should immediately go out and get a copy of "Asad: Struggle for the Middle East" By Patrick Seale. It traces the complex story of the rise of Hafez al-Assad to power and his struggle with Israel and America for control of the Middle East. For more on Syria Global Research has published a number of chapters from Prof. Tim Anderson's upcoming book the "Dirty War on Syria" which are a must read. For anyone seeking to understand the long history of America's covert wars and terrorist campaigns "Instruments of Statecraft US Guerrilla Warfare, Counter-Insurgency, Counter-Terrorism 1940-1990" By Michael McClintock is another must read. I also read "Changing Venezuela By Taking Power" By Gregory Wilpert provides good info on the first half of Hugo Chavez's leadership, although more radical readers will smile at some of his naiveté and either laugh out loud or throw down the book in disgust at other parts. On a more fun note I read the "Comte of Monte Cristo" by Alexander Dumas an under rated classic on the advice of a comrade. I hadn't read a french novel in two years because I'm usually doing research for this blog so it was a joy to savor this decadent novel of revenge.




Sources



The main English language source for news on Venezuela is

   http://venezuelanalysis.com

 Tortilla Con Sal did an important interview with Gerald A. Perreira last year on racism and the war on Libya that discussed the disappearance of Imam Musa Sadr as well as why Libya was betrayed by the axis of resistance

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/libya-racism-and-anti-imperialism-discussion-with-gerald-a-perreira/

Eric Draitser's site is Stop Imperialism I also advise you to subscribe to his Youtube channel

http://stopimperialism.org

Caleb Maupin's site he also has a great Youtube channel

http://calebmaupin.info

More on the Hannibal Gaddafi case

https://jamahiriyanewsagency.wordpress.com/?s=+++هانيبال+القذافي

And The Tim Anderson Archive at Global Research

http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/tim-anderson

Follow Pepe Escobar on Face Book he has done some great articles on the saudis like this one

http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20160121/1033486596/secret-behind-next-global-crash.html

Nil Nikandrov on Argentina

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/us-agents-are-filling-key-posts-in-argentina/

The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back: Wave of Terror Attacks around world, Terrorist Counter-Offensive Smashed in Syria


First a brief announcement I will be taking a break from writing this blog for a while. I will be back sometime in January.
   
     The pattern has become blatantly obvious. Whenever the empire suffers a setback, it lashes out with an attack meant to shift things back their way. In 2013 it was chemical weapons attacks in Syria by Al Nusra, falsely blamed on the Assad Government which nearly lead to an all out bombing campaign against Syria. Syria had been too successful in battling the armies of terrorists being funneled into the country. Last year when the fascist Ukrainians not only failed to crush the Novorossian forces who had risen up in rebellion but suffered a disastrous series of defeats there was the MH17 shoot-down which was falsely claimed to have been carried out by Russia and the NAF. (See my July 2014 article "MH17 FalseFlag in Ukraine ?") Now with Russia and Syria on the offensive in Syria a whole string of attacks have been carried out. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, were targets. A Russian civilian airliner was blown out of the sky in revenge for Russia's aid to Syria. 224 people died. Next a string of attacks struck Paris killing 129 people. Thankfully with Russia already actively defending Syria NATO will be prevented from attempting to destroy Syria in an all out air campaign as they planned back in 2013. However they will no doubt expand their treacherous efforts to divide Syria. The whole diplomatic situation has become murky with Russia attempting to draw France into their anti-terror alliance what Pepe Escobar calls the 4+1 (Russia Syria Iraq, Iran and Hezbollah) while at the same time knowing full well that France is one of the major terror backers. While this international terror wave was going on the Conspirators, (Syria's Term for the US, Israel, NATO, GCC and other terror backers) were busy funneling more weapons and fighters in Syria in a desperate counter-Offensive. Thankfully this counter-Offensive was smashed and with the lifting of the siege of Kuweires airbase, the SAA (Syrian Arab Army) and it's allies have been winning a string of victories in Alleppo. In addition the cowardly attack on Metrojet A321 has lead Russia to redouble it's efforts in Syria while sending a clear warning to the west that Russia is ready for war. Thus while we must be wary of whatever schemes "the conspirators" are currently hatching there is reason to hope that Syria will continue to recapture territory with the help of it's allies. Syria will triumph in the end. Of course World War 4 is far from over Colombia, Venezuela, Yemen, Afghanistan, DRCongo, Somalia, and Ukraine and many more countries remain under attack from the empire.


   I could of course write a whole article on the completely different coverage the string of terror attacks received. However since I began the year with an angry rant after the Charlie Hebdo incident on the topic of the unequal value placed on Syrian versus french life(See my January  2015 Cuba Chechnya Ukraine) I'll merely refer you to Sukant Chandan's great article on the topic. I'll briefly deal with this wave of terror which actually was a repeat of an earlier string of attacks last year that have already been all but forgotten. Iraq and Syria were almost completely ignored of course. Thanks to the empire of Chaos terror attacks are a frequent occurrence in both Iraq and Syria. So many horrifying attacks have taken place in Syria thanks to the proxy war that only the most grisly atrocities ever make the news the car bombs, mortar attacks, and hell cannons that kill dozens of civilians everyday are of course intentionally ignored lest the world be inspired to sympathize with the people of Syria. However shortly before the Beirut attack there was an attack in the province of Lattakia that claimed a similar amount of lives but was completely ignored. The  attack in Beirut on a civilian neighborhood Burj el Barajneh was presented as an attack on a "Hezbollah Stronghold." clearly the Empire of Chaos could barely keep from gloating in fact some western journalistic scum even openly cheered the attacks. Of course it was not Hezbollah which was targeted but innocent civilians. Hezbollah behaves with the restraint of a revolutionary guerrilla army it only targets soldiers not civilians. Thus even if the brave fighters of Hezbollah had been the targets we would mourn them. With their courage in defeating Israel twice and in courageously fighting to defend Syria, Hezbollah has earned the gratitude of the world. The next day the terrorists launched a terror attack at the funeral of a martyred member of an Iraqi Militia that was completely ignored by the press.



    Then the Russian plane Metrojet A321 was blown up with a bomb. By announcing ISIS did it before the investigation the US and UK were basically bragging as in the words of Sibel Edmonds "ISIS Is US."  Christoph Germann wrote a great article on it linking to an old Article by Sibel Edmonds on the scandalous career of  Mathew Bryza the diplomat who issued the statement's blaming ISIS. Not only is he Gladio operative who has he been involved in covert wars on Russia in Georgia and Chechnya, he also killed a Russian woman in car accident while rumored to be drunk and high on drugs. A fascinating story. Madman secretary of defense Ash Carter had bragged a month before the crash that Russia would pay a terrible price for aiding Syria. Thus while obviously the Saudi's and the GCC were involved they had received a green light from Washington to carry out this disgusting revenge attack. Of course the location and timing of the crash also implicated Israel. Zionism has only two commandments "Thou shalt  steal  land" and "Thou shalt never give it back" Menachem Begin broke this second commandment back in 1979 when he signed his deal with Egypt in exchange for Anwar Sadat's complete betrayal of the cause of arab nationalism. This freed Begin up to launch his later disastrous war on Lebanon. However Israel has never stopped scheming to get back the Sinai and consider it as belonging to them. Hence the funding of Al Qaeda separatist terrorists in Egypt's sinai peninsula. Russia was also bombing close to the area of the Israeli occupied Syrian Golan heights. Bringing the plane down in the Sinai may have been meant to send a message to Russia that this was also Israel's revenge for Russia interfering in the Syrian war. Of course the Saudi's and the GCC had already openly declared holy war on Russia. Thus the plane was brought down with the support of all of the conspirators. Our sympathies lie with the now dead adventurous Russian tourists who were the victims of this attack. Charlie Hebdo decided to mock their deaths.


    Despite France's role in funding the endless terror campaign against Syria the victims of the Paris attacks also deserve our sympathy. It's just unfortunate that we live in a world where their  deaths will be capitalized on to attempt to further  expand the war in Syria. Clearly Russia intervened just in time or NATO might have exploited this tragedy to launch a full scale war on Syria. We'll have to wait and see what treacherous plots the french are planning. Of course outwardly they have pretended that they are now serious about targeting ISIS but only a fool would trust them. France which regards Syria as it's rightful colony was instrumental in destroying Libya, in trying to destroy Syria, and has been ruthlessly exploiting Africa for centuries. Like their Frenemies the British they have a centuries long history of imperialist crimes but act the part of moralistic hypocrites pretending to be paragons of virtue and guardians of "Western Values". Thus I'm extremely wary of their attempts to expand their role in Syria. In fact while I'm no expert it is doubtful if these attacks could have been launched without french intelligence being involved. Fortunately Putin is no fool and Russia has it's own schemes to use the french. We'll just have to wait and see who manages to trick who in the end. For now matters will be decided in the murky world of diplomacy where nothing is ever as it seems. Unfortunately the incident is being used to fuel a racist campaign against muslims and will only accelerate Europe's slide towards fascism. No doubt there will be a great deal of research exposing what actually happened in the Paris Attacks which were clearly a classic GLADIO style false flag attack.


   Unfortunately for the Empire of Chaos the attack on the Russian jet was poorly timed for Russia used the event along with the recapture of Syrian airbases to double their air forces in Syria. They recently deployed their heavy bombers to Syria flying  circling around Western Europe and heading into the Mediterranean to bomb their targets. It was just a friendly warning that Russia will defend itself and Syria by any means even if it means leaving western Europe a pile of radioactive rubble. It also leaked photos of it's secret nuclear torpedoes capable of destroying both the coasts of the US even if the US ever got it's missile defense system working. Russia has also demonstrated it's Electronic Warfare capability as I discussed in my October 2015 Article "Russia and Syria on the Offensive" Russia has the ability to leave NATO forces blind and defenseless as it recently demonstrated. In other words Russia has clearly signaled that it is willing to go to war with NATO in order to protect Syria. We can only hope that the Empire of Chaos will see sense and resist the temptation to start a nuclear war for the sake of destroying Syria. For now I doubt that even the Empire of Chaos is that crazy and hopefully until the next war monger madman or madwoman is elected president the world can hopefully  avoid being blown to bits. Actually Obama has already backed down from his threat to openly send 50 american special forces. Of course US and many other countries special forces are already in Syria but this way their casualties will hopefully remain secret thus avoiding triggering an apocalyptic war with Russia. In addition to sending a message to the west Russia struck some devastating blows at the terrorists. ISIS has been looting Syria's oil allowing it and it's allies to get rich while funding the war on the Syrian people. Russia decided to eliminate their fleet of oil trucks. The pentagon was so envious that PBS showed the footage of the Russian attacks and pretended it was footage of an american attack that may or may not have even occurred. The Russians have been testing their lethal Fuel air bombs on the terrorists and also launched some more cruise missile strikes from both the air and the sea for good measure. Plus they used their heavy bombers to launch a devastating raid on ISIS headquarters in Raqqa. In revenge for the downing of A321 they have doubled the amount of their airstrikes. We can only hope that Russia has some more wicked surprises in store in Syria.

 
     Although the Empire of Chaos is not foolish enough yet for nuclear war they are foolish enough to expand their proxy war on Syria. They have been flooding the country with weapons like TOW anti-tank missiles and terrorist reinforcements. Their terrorist death squads have been busy. They made a huge attack on Damascus. They even launched a counteroffensive seizing a valuable supply route to Aleppo forcing the SAA to halt their advance towards Kuweires until they could regain control of the road. Fortunately the  SAA was eventually able to seize back control of the road inflicting heavy casualties on the terrorists. They then restarted their offensive with the help of the Russian airstrikes, and their allies in Hezbollah and the Iranian trained Iraqi militias. They managed to liberate Kuweires airbase a truly glorious moment in the war. For two and a half years the brave soldiers of Kuweires have been surrounded and under siege by ISIS terrorists. Most were cadets in training when the base came under siege now they are veterans. They fought off waves of attacks for years. They were cut off from supplies which had to be airlifted in and often went hungry having to rely on what they could grow themselves. Yet somehow despite all the odds they survived. They were rescued when after many months of slow fighting by the SAA and it's allies managed to cut a swath thru ISIS territory and reopen the supply route to the base. Syria and it's friends around the world rejoiced at the victory a good omen that one day the Siege on Syria itself will be lifted. Kuweires was only the beginning with this vital strategic area now under their control the SAA began to make much quicker progress in their battle for Aleppo as town  after town fell and the terrorists fled. The SAA have also been making steady progress in Latakia province another vital strategic area. They have recently gained control of the Al Ziwayqat Mountain range They have been recapturing airfields which the Russians will use to expand their air campaign. I have understated their victories a bit as they have been winning back control of so many territories that I've lost track. The terrorists hold over the Aleppo province is crumbling and everywhere the terrorists are in retreat. We can expect more slow but steady progress in the coming months, and it is my hope that when I return I will have more victories by Syria and her allies to report. Victory to Syria!


Now sadly I must bid you goodbye. Thank you to all my readers and for all the people who have helped spread the word. I wish everyone happy holidays. I'll continue my research during my vacation and will keep a close eye on events in Syria. I plan to spend much of next year studying the Russian Revolution and Soviet history and actively ignoring the presidential campaign circus. Keep an eye on Venezuela which is under threat. And remember the terrible war on Yemen. Things may also be heating up in Ukraine soon as I predicted check out slavyangrad.org for news on Ukraine and Novorossia. Follow events in Syria at Syria 360

https://syria360.wordpress.com





Sources

While I'm gone be sure and follow world news at Libya 360

https://libya360.wordpress.com

I stole the phrase Empire of Chaos from Pepe Escobar I recommend you follow him on Facebook if you want to keep up with his work.

For more recommended alt media sites check out my 2 alternative media spotlight articles

http://anti-imperialist-u.blogspot.com/2014/02/alternative-media-spotlight.html

http://anti-imperialist-u.blogspot.com/2014/06/alternative-media-spotlight-2.html

Pepe Escobar on the Paris Attacks

http://russia-insider.com/en/paris-terror-attacks-who-profits/ri11280

Sukant Chandan on the Racist Hierarchy of the worth of victims

 http://sonsofmalcolm.blogspot.com/2015/11/colonial-racialised-hierarchies-of.html

Christoph Germann on the Metrojet A321 bombing

http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2015/11/10/bfp-exclusive-russias-syria-intervention-enrages-us-led-coalition-isis-al-qaeda/

Sibel Edmonds on the Scandalous career of Mathew Bryza

http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2010/07/27/obama-appoints-a-not-too-long-ago-hatched-neocon-larva/

William Engdahl on Russia's Secret Weapons

http://journal-neo.org/2015/11/16/do-we-really-want-a-new-world-war-with-russia/

Christoph Germann on the Paris Attacks

http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2015/11/17/bfp-exclusive-paris-attacks-western-intelligences-vision-blinded-by-allah/

Black Bolshevik: Harry Haywood

      Black Bolshevik: The Life of Harry Haywood
    The Forgotten History of the Role of Communism in the Struggle for Black Liberation

  With Special Thanks to Siusaidh Chaimbeul (aka @Zaganashikwe on Twitter) who generously sent me her copy of "Black Bolshevik".

   As I have often remarked the world's revolutionary history is constantly being suppressed. Our rulers would rather we forgot the struggles of the past lest we be tempted into new struggles. For exactly the same reason one of my goals is to revive this history of struggle. Thus I am glad to reintroduce a revolutionary classic to you "Black Bolshevik: Autobiography of an Afro-American Communist" By Harry Haywood.. The Life of Harry Haywood reveals an entire forgotten era in world history and allows one to see America from a new and revolutionary perspective. It is horrifying how relevant this book which takes place nearly a hundred years ago still is today. 100 years later and blacks are still demanding an end to the endless string of murders by police. To anyone who truly want to change the world so that in another 100 years things may finally be different I urge them to read Haywood's book.

   From the moment I picked up the Haywood book I was hooked. It begins with Haywood newly returned from World War I only months before and now working on the dining car of a train heading for Chicago . Unfortunately for him he had merely moved from one war zone to another.             Chicago itself was on fire the cities blacks were under attack by mobs of whites. As Haywood neared the station he was warned he would have to sneak into the black part of town along the railroad tracks as a couple of black veterans had already been murdered along his usual route. As Haywood explained from the moment he stepped off the train he became involved in a new war that would last his whole life. This was the struggle to free his people from the racist oppression that had suffered since being kidnapped into slavery centuries before. As Haywood explains the summer of 1919 saw race riots sweep the country in 26 cities. People often wonder if America might someday become a fascist country however reading Haywood's book it is clear that America has always been a fascist country. A country that violently suppresses the masses in the service of capitalism. A country which had an openly racist white supremacist ideology it used to divide and rule the people. A country like todays fascist Ukraine where terrorist paramilitary groups like the KKK and the Black Legion worked hand in glove with the police to terrorize both blacks and radicals into submission. This is the country Haywood's book opens upon. Throughout the war despite false promises blacks would be granted equality afterwards in exchange for loyal service in this crusade for "freedom and democracy" the number of lynchings had been escalating. Now with the wars end a tide of race riots were sweeping the country the KKK had been reborn and was now expanding throughout the north. Just like today Hollywood did it's part to spread the hate Releasing "The Birth of a Nation" a film glorifying the Ku Klux Klan and personally endorsed by President Woodrow Wilson who lying american historians portray as a sweet idealist. However 1919 was not only a year of racial tensions but also of class struggle. This was also the famous summer of the Red Scare when American Capitalists terrified of the Russian October Revolution that brought Communists to power launched a major crackdown on all the radicals they could find and formed America's Secret Police the FBI to hunt down communists. Murders, beatings, arrests, frame ups, and deportations followed. Haywood had not yet realized the significance of the Russian Revolution. However his older brother was already becoming a communist and would help guide Haywood's political education. The two struggles for black liberation and for Communism would become inextricably linked in the coming years and Communists would play a major if now forgotten role in the struggle for civil rights in fact they would lay all the groundwork that would be later used in the 50's to wage the struggle to end America's form of apartheid then called "Jim Crow." However inspired by the radical genius of Lenin the Communists would go far beyond mere demands for civil rights. They believed that the only way blacks would be able to obtain equal rights was if they had the right of "Self Determination" they saw the struggle of blacks as a war of national liberation. Thus they also laid the ground work for the later more radical generation of Black Revolutionaries like the Black Panthers of the 60's and 70's. Black Power was actually a communist slogan from the 1920's as Hakim Adi explained. Communists would also be deeply involved in the Liberation of Africa from Colonial Domination and Communists organized a united international movement for black liberation that included north America, the Caribbean and Africa. In other words communists changed the world and their contribution has been completely erased from mainstream history. The advice of the Comintern, the Communist International would prove vital in ending both Jim Crow in America, and Apartheid in South Africa, as well as helping people across the world win independence from colonialism.

   To Return to Haywood marching towards his neighborhood in south side Chicago which was under siege he met up with other recently returned black veterans who mounted machine guns in order defend themselves from an impending white attack they had heard rumors of. The  whites in turn must have heard rumors of what awaited them because they never arrived. For Haywood however the struggle was only beginning. However he next goes back to the beginning of his life painting a vivid picture of life in turn of the century america which he doubtless could have expanded into a book in it's own right. He describes his colorful Grandparents and parents. He describes the rebellious folk songs  blacks sang. And he describes the vibrant culture the jazz, the blues the comedians. His mother was tough a fighter while his father was a mild mannered follower of Booker T. Washington. His Grandfather a former slave who achieved local political prominence during the Reconstruction had been forced to flee his home after he had killed a member of a local lynch mob out to hang him. Haywood would also be forced to flee his childhood home of Omaha, Nebraska  where racial tensions had formerly been comparatively mild when his father had been attacked by a gang of white street toughs who beat him and then demanded he leave town. Although America likes to pretend it makes slow but steady progress towards equality as Haywood's book reveals actually there were periods like post reconstruction and the early teens where whatever gains that had been made by blacks towards equality were violently rolled back. After seeing his meek father beaten and forced to flee his home and all he had worked for a Rebellious spark was lit in Haywood. Upon arriving at his new school he immediately dropped out when his class which was mockingly singing "a negro spiritual" directed their racist singing at him. Haywood had been a brilliant student and was a voracious reader but in those times there was little chance for him to do anything with his education as his brother had already discovered.

  Instead Haywood did a series of jobs often being fired or quitting because he demanded to be treated with respect. Eventually he would join the army and there is a brilliant chapter on his experiences in the army. Once armed and in uniform Haywood and his fellow soldiers decided to get a bit of revenge they went on a mini rampage in every southern town they passed through stealing provisions from the local shop owners and openly defying the racist local sheriffs.  They were headed to a base in Huston where there had been an all out insurrection after the cops murdered a black soldier the black soldiers took up arms launched a full scale attack on the police station killing a dozen cops. Their leader killed himself once they were surrounded and the rest surrendered but the locals learned their lesson and did their best to avoid provoking the black troops stationed there. This incident in Huston is just one of the great forgotten stories of resistance that Haywood includes in his book. Haywood and his fellow black troops were determined to use their new status to enforce equality. There were other exciting incidents during this period but as Haywood lived an extremely eventful life I'll skip ahead to his time in France which in comparison with the racist US seemed a paradise to Haywood. However Haywood's arrival was marred by an official lynching (military hanging) of a black soldier they falsely accused of rape then hung in order to attempt to divide the french locals from the black troops. They left the man's corpse hanging on public display for 24 hours which backfired as the french locals were not used to seeing such barbarism which was all too common in the US. Haywood produces a secret letter the american military sent to the french warning that segregation was vital to preserving america's white racial purity from inferior races and warned them not to treat the black soldiers as equals as it would give them ideas. As you can see I wasn't exaggerating when I called America a Fascist country a conclusion Haywood would also come to in the future. However despite the best efforts of the Americans Haywood would befriend the French and get his first taste of what it would be like to live in comparative equality. He would train with the french, then be stationed on the front line before falling ill.


  As mentioned he would return to the war to find another war back home. After the Chicago riot he would begin to search for answers and was determined to join the fight for black liberation. He began an intense period of study joining a study group of other likeminded black men also looking for answers. He studied african civilizations to disprove the then current lie that there had never been any black civilizations. He studied the history of the struggle at home. Increasingly thanks to his brother he began to study Marx, Engels, and Lenin. He began to see that racism was a tool of the capitalists used to create a class of super-exploited blacks, and use them  to keep down white wages. His brother Otto Hall (Harry Haywood was a revolutionary name adopted to confuse the authorities) was already a member of the communist party. Haywood asked to join but was told he should wait and join the African Blood Brotherhood (ABB) instead a revolutionary organization lead by black communists founded and lead by Cyril Briggs. Next Haywood would join the Young Communist League where he would so impress his comrades that they decided to smuggle him into the Soviet Union for a revolutionary education.

   Thus Haywood was smuggled into Canada passed along a network of Communist party members before being sent to Europe and eventually crossing into the Soviet Union. This is one of the most fascinating parts of the book as Haywood arrived in the late twenties a pivotal period in Soviet History. Since I recently spent several months studying the Russian Revolution and the construction of socialism under Stalin it was fascinating to read a first hand account by an american witness to these events. He witnessed Trotsky's attempt to stage counter revolutionary protests on the anniversary of the October revolution. He was also there for the fall of the rightist Bukharin. He was enrolled first at University of the Toilers of the East named for Stalin known by it's Russian acronym KUTVA. There he studied revolutionary theory with students from over 70 countries. I should mention that the famous Ho Chi Minh would later teach at this school training the Cadres that one day liberate Vietnam winning glorious victories over Japan, France, and the US. All students at KUTVA joined the soviet communist party the CPSU while at the school and so Haywood would attend the historic party congresses that would set the Soviet Union on the path to becoming a socialist super power. He would also be amazed at the progress the Soviet Union had gone towards fighting racism. It was illegal and the only time he suffered racist insults the crowd jumped to his defense. One of the more memorable examples of the Soviet commitment to abolish racism came years later when two white American  technical advisers beat up a black technical adviser for eating in the same hall as the whites. The incident took place at the famous tractor factory in Stalingrad the men were arrested for white chauvinism (racism in communist terminology) which was an even more serious crime then the beating itself. They became the subject of a massive protest campaign with thousands of soviets demanding that americans leave their racist ways behind them upon arriving in the USSR. They were sentenced to two years imprisonment but they were deported instead.  Many soviets had never seen a black man before but they were proud of their roles as allies in the liberation of the peoples of the world from imperialism. When he described what life was like for blacks in America they would compare it to life under the czars who used anti-jewish pogroms to misdirect the energies of the masses away from their real enemies and into senseless acts of racist violence. While in the Soviet Union Haywood learned to speak fluid Russian and also deepened his understanding of marxist-leninist theory. As Haywood explained at KUTVA theory was not a dogma but a guide to action. They studied and debated the issues facing the soviet union and the world. Since Haywood excelled at his studies they sent him to the Lenin school which was more advanced.


  It was in the Soviet Union that Haywood became an early convert the Lenin's theory that american blacks represented an oppressed nation and that in the south-east where they were the majority but were denied their rights they had the right if they choose to seize control. Lenin believed that american blacks were potentially the most revolutionary segment of the populace and so could be mobilized as a national liberation struggle in addition to a revolutionary struggle. Only by fighting at their side for their right to self determination could white workers overcome the mistrust of the blacks while at the same time it would help to eliminate their own racist tendencies. The soviets had also been impressed by the popularity of the Garvey movement. However the CPUSA (Communist party of America) did not yet share this view. Many saw it merely as a struggle for racial equality and denied the power of the black nationalist impulse. Lenin and later Stalin saw it differently. Given the enduring popularity of black nationalism they were no doubt correct as I mentioned earlier. Black revolutionaries in the 60's and 70's  would see their own struggle in parallel with the national liberation struggle of the Vietnamese, Cubans and of course in Africa itself.  Lenin the ultimate realist knew it would be impossible for blacks to achieve full equality so long as they lacked the power to enforce it. As Huey P. Newton would say "All Power to the People." Ferguson itself is quite similar to a mini colony although Baltimore with it's black mayor showed the same problems persist in a neo-colonial city and can only be solved by altering the system of capitalism and imperialism. Of course the soviets realized that there were differences between the position of blacks in the US and an overseas colony but they focused on the essential similarity. While in Moscow Haywood was assigned to study the question and help the soviets formulate their new policy. He came to see that the issue of self determination could be key in drawing blacks into the communist revolutionary movement. He would be chosen to help spread this view after he had helped developed it writing influential articles that converted many people to this view.

   He also became involved in the factional fighting of the CPUSA. This is a third major topic the book discusses providing his view of the factional fight within the CPUSA and later their massive expansion. I can't go into this aspect in depth but it was a bit surreal for me to read as one of the faction leaders Jay Lovestone is much more familiar to me in his later role as the CIA's link to Unions and organized crime on a world scale. He was in fact one of the most notorious drug smugglers of all time who had full diplomatic immunity thanks to his CIA connections as discussed in the works of Peter Dale Scott and Doug Valentine. He was an adept of Bukharin (who would later inspire Gorbachev's disastrous reforms.) However that lay in the future but obviously I was glad to see his fall from power as part of Stalin's campaign against the right deviation. Haywood would meet Stalin twice and would be a loyal supporter of Stalin all his life. Stalin had played a pivotal role in founding KUTVA and was very popular with the students. He was an expert on the national question and was committed to liberating the peoples of the world from imperialism. This included the blacks of the United States as we shall see the communist party would play a vital role in laying the groundwork for the later abolishment of Jim Crow. While in the Soviet Union Haywood would also travel widely throughout the country and provides many interesting tales of his experiences there.  While in the Soviet Union. Haywood married a Russian woman. He was especially interested in the treatment of minorities and was impressed at the efforts to grant them full equality for the first time they had schools in their own native languages, many minorities had their own socialist republics. Sometimes he would tell them about the situation of blacks in the US which would outrage them and remind them of life under the czars, they invariably advised revolution as the only solution. While studying in Russia he met revolutionaries from around the world and befriended revolutionaries from Ireland, England, Africa, India and Japan. Sen Katayama a Japanese communist who had lived in america became a mentor to the black students studying in Russia, and explained Lenin's views on the right of self determination for blacks to them. Nasanov a Russian would be another important mentor and together they helped shape the Comintern's new line on self determination for American blacks. There was a marvelous spirit of internationalism in the 20's and 30's to be a communist meant to have friends and comrades in every corner of the globe. Moscow especially was a 2nd home to revolutionaries from around the world. At KUTVA when Haywood had arrived there were students from 70 countries. He was being groomed to take a leading role in the attempt to organized for a revolution back in the US.


   Eventually Haywood would return to the US to begin actively working towards the dual goals of socialism and black liberation. Immediately upon returning to America he was shocked again by the level of racism as he had grown used to life in the soviet union where racism was illegal. First he and a white comrade were about to begin eating in a restaurant when he discovered that his food had been intentionally ruined with salt, while his comrades was fine. Next he was nearly murdered by the police for being in a white area. Both of these incidents happened in the supposedly non jim crow north in New York City.  In addition Haywood was unable to get a visa for his Russian wife to join him in the US they used the excuse that she was not allowed because she was a communist although she wasn't a party member. Eventually they were forced to give up and they both later married other people. However instead of being intimidated by these racist incidents  Haywood only became more determined and soon he began his work as an organizer for the party. Actually even before arriving Haywood had played an important role by arguing for the right of self determination for blacks in an influential article published in the parties paper. Once in the US he began the dangerous work of a communist organizer. He faced the constant, threat of arbitrary arrests, beatings, and possibly death at the hands of lynch mobs, fascists, and cops.  He helped organize a coal miners strike.

   Haywood became involved in one of the most famous cases of the era the Scottsboro boys case. Nine black youths had been arbitrarily arrested and put on trial for rape in the midst of a racist hysteria then sweeping the country. 7 of them were under 18 they had no chance of a fair trial and were quickly sentenced to death. It was to be a sort of Legal lynching meant to distract from the string of foreclosures sweeping the area as result of the great depression. Only the communist's dared to defend them (The NAACP claimed it was not their role to defend "criminals") and the Communists turned their case into an international cause. Not just in America but all over the world people rose up in protest to demand justice for the Scottsboro boys. To give only one touching example thousands marched in Soviet Russia in a spirit of solidarity demanding justice for the Scottsboro boys. Back in America the communist party used the case to expose the racist nature of american society. They had a wonderful slogan back then "Death to Lynchers!" Thousands of blacks were impressed by their fearless stance on the Scottsboro case and joined the party while it also gained them millions of sympathizers. Haywood would find the case useful in his other work. He would use the issue of Scottsboro to draw blacks into the communist labor unions. He was also deeply involved in the case himself risking death. Perhaps here is a good time to mention another little remembered black communist of the time William Patterson a lawyer who would work on many of the famous cases of this period and who would in the 50's charge the united states with genocide against blacks before the United Nations. Patterson was a leading member of the International Labour Defense or ILD which also defended labor leaders held trumped up charges. Haywood's book is full of accounts of these forgotten revolutionaries like Claudia Jones, Otto Huiswoud and Claude Mckay. It also reveals more well known figures like Langston Hughes (who spent a year in the USSR) in a far more radical light then many today think of them. I'll include Hughes' Poem since it's short
 
Put one More "s" in the USA
To Make it Soviet;
Put one more "s" in the USA
Oh! We'll live to see it yet!

When the Land Belongs to the farmers
And the Factories to the working men,
The USA when we get control
Will be the USSA then!

   During the early thirties the Communist Party was so connected to the struggle for black liberation that people called it the Negro party. When the Communist party ran for the presidency the vice presidential candidate three times in a row was the black man James Ford. Although the CPUSA had a somewhat dubious history during this period with a tendency to a belief in American exceptionalism (communists invented this term as an insult back in the 20's and 30's but the phrase  was later stolen by republican speechwriters who openly advocated it) In communist terminology American exceptionalism was the belief that american capitalism was somehow more stable, and further that american imperialism was somehow more benign then other countries. There was also the tendency to believe that a peaceful transition to socialism was possible through purely democratic means. Haywood was to constantly battle these tendencies he was committed to the vision of a marxist-leninist party. The further major problem was the ruthless factional fights that constantly went on. These intrigues are a major part of Haywoods book that I don't have time to discuss. I mention it partly to contrast these failings with the important role the party would play in the struggle for civil right and black liberation. The communist role in the civil rights struggle during this period was definitely one of the main high points in it's history. I also mention it because Haywood would later fall prey to these factional forces and he would become increasingly marginalized as the Party would later take an increasingly "right opportunist" direction however this would come later. Right Opportunist basically means a "sellout" Right Opportunists were those Lenin saw as abandoning essential marxist principles in order to make short term political gains. Later it was applied to those like Bukharin who wanted to slow or even reverse the transition to socialism during Stalin's time.

    For now lets return to the early thirties and discuss some of Haywood and the parties other important work. First there is the story of the communist Angelo Herndon at only 19 years  he managed to unite thousands of poor blacks and whites in Jim Crow Atlanta Georgia in a demand for immediate hunger relief. The terrified local government immediately found $6000 for hunger relief. However the next week Herndon was arrested charged under an obsolete law from the time slavery for "inciting insurrection." They thought they could end the threat of Angelo Herndon by locking him up and that he would be forgotten. Instead the communists turned his case into another major campaign and Herndon became famous nationwide. Communists played a major role in organizing the unemployed and it was thanks to communist organized pressure that the government was forced to provide some relief during the great depression. This is an idea that should be brought back as our society has condemned millions to permanent unemployment in fact this is a global problem. Communist's were also instrumental in the founding of the CIO a major union that unlike the AFL was integrated allowing black workers to join. They also began an international organization of black workers that was to play a vital role in the birth of the pan-african movement called The International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers. I should mention in passing the international  League Against Imperialism the LAI. One of it's major causes was support for Sandino the Nicaraguan freedom fighter against American imperialism battling the US marines. Sandino would later serve as an inspiration for the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua decades later.

  One of the most fascinating chapters in this forgotten history is the sharecroppers union. The attempt to organize the black sharecroppers in the face of the most brutal repression was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous tasks the party undertook. The local oligarchs regarded any attempt to organize the sharecroppers as an act of war and they responded with shocking brutality massacring dozens. The now forgotten "Camp Hill" Massacre was only the beginning in a series of massacres. Yet despite the dangers the black sharecroppers refused to give in and the sharecroppers union continued to grow. It was a sort of guerrilla war or low intensity conflict with the sharecroppers union organizing sporadic armed resistance in self defense. A forgotten little war was waged on american soil for years as the sharecroppers mounted armed resistance to the attempts to crush their movement. I was strongly reminded of the dirty wars in Guatemala and El Salvador in the 70's and 80's while reading Haywood's account. He was involved in organizing them and even to enter the area meant risking his life as he would have been killed upon being discovered. For Haywood the success of the sharecroppers union was further evidence that the struggle for self determination was a vital part of the struggle for black liberation. It was here in America's south east what was known as the "Black Belt" that blacks both made up a majority of the population and were most oppressed. By uniting them in a struggle for self determination, land re-distribution, and political control they could be mobilized for revolution. The sharecroppers union proved that they were willing to fight and die for a better world.


   Haywood was also involved in organizing in Chicago a fascist stronghold. Immediately upon entering the city Haywood was arrested beaten and paraded in front of the whole department who were told to arrest him on sight for being a black communist. However despite the danger Haywood continued his work in Chicago where in addition to police brutality local communists also had to deal with a bunch of fascist goon squads funded by the Chicago industrial magnates. Organizing against the rise of fascism was another major activity the communists were involved with and they were alone in battling the danger while the "democratic" west did all they could to aid in it's growth. One major anti-fascist campaign was in protest of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia a country of enormous symbolic value to blacks worldwide because of it's biblical associations, place in Garvey's thought, and because it was the last "independent" african country(Actually it was secretly  dominated by France and England) However in Chicago the Mayor had recently received an award from Mussolini himself and to avoid offending his dictator friend he banned all protests against the Italian invasion in Chicago. The communists mounted a series of clever illegal protests culminating in a dramatic day when the police. would be forced to cordon a whole section of the town. Haywood and his comrades had cleverly planted themselves around the area and each would give speeches from the windows and rooftops every time one was arrested another would begin to speak. Haywood and the other were arrested and badly beaten but they had brought the city to a standstill and had Succeeded in exposing the fascist war on Ethiopia.


  Haywood ended up going to Spain to join the international brigades. The Spanish republic was trying to resist an armed takeover by the fascists under Franco. The west refused to send aid to the tiny republic as they hated it's progressive character and saw Fascism as the best defense  against Communism. The USSR alone was willing to send aid. In addition to military aid and advisers they organized an international campaign calling for volunteers to fight on the side of the republic. Communists from all over the world went to fight there along with some who were simply opposed to fascism. One was Oliver Law one of Haywood's black comrades from Chicago who had been mercilessly beaten by police. He was the first black american officer to command white american troops. Paul Robeson wanted to make a movie about him but discovered the same powerful forces behind Jim Crow were also backing the fascists in Spain and was unable to raise the money. I mention him to rescue the name of yet another black revolutionary from obscurity. Oliver Law would die heroically in Spain. For Haywood his time in Spain seemed to mark the beginning of a downturn in his life. He made a powerful enemy in a local commander by demanding better treatment for his men. This was a mistake since the commander started spreading rumors and turning people against Haywood. Eventually Haywood a political commissar would be forced to resign after getting in an argument with a fellow officer. Then upon returning to America he was the victim of a rumor campaign that accused him of being a deserter. Haywood's importance would begin to wane within the party as it moved increasingly to the right.


   During the Second World War Haywood would serve in the merchant marines and work in the legendary NMU union. It had been among the first unions to be integrated and communists were extremely influential in it. By a stroke of luck I happened to listen to an interview with Historian Gerald Horne on His book on Ferdinand Smith and the NMU called "Red Seas" a couple weeks before reading this chapter So I was familiar with the NMU. For one thing it was used to smuggle the communist press all across the world. During the war Haywood traveled around the world and he always stopped by to visit the local communist party branches in each country often meeting old friends and comrades from his days in Moscow. He visited India where he met many of his fellow students from KUTVA now leading India's communist party. He visited Apartheid South Africa which he found to be even worse then the Jim Crow South, but here he also met with the South African Communists working for an end to Apartheid and the creation of a Black Republic. Nelson Mandela himself later joined the South African Communist Party a fact only revealed after his death.He visited Cuba then under a popular front government where he also met with the cuban communists. Towards the end of the War he decided to take the dangerous supply run to Murmansk in the Soviet Union. There he was happy to be back briefly in a Socialist Country where racism had been abolished but was sad to discover so many of his Russian friends had been killed during the war.

  After the World War 2 came the "Cold War" a wave of McCarthyite hysteria was spread throughout the country and it became illegal to be a communist. The entire Leadership of the CPUSA would be arrested. Haywood would be constantly hounded by the FBI and found it hard to get work anywhere as he was on an anti-communist blacklist. However he briefly rose to prominence again in the party writing the book "Negro Liberation" with help from the courageous Paul Robeson who agreed to pay his expenses for a few months so he could write the book. However as the party began again to swing to the right he became marginalized again. The Party foolishly decided to abandon it's advocacy of the idea of national liberation for blacks instead choosing to work with the reformist NAACP. However Haywood ends his book written in the late 70's with a description of the massive upsurge in activity towards black liberation. First there was the civil rights movement, then the rise of the black power movement with people like Malcolm X, and later the Black Panther Party. The groundwork of the civil rights movement had been laid in the campaigns of the thirties. Martin Luther King was actually selected as a leader because he was young enough not to have ever been a communist during this period unlike the other older civil rights leaders. After the war the Communists had given the civil rights movement another boost in their failed progressive party campaign when Henry Wallace and Paul Robeson used the campaign as a way to resist segregation in the south. The black power movement with it's demands for self determination had also been partly inspired by the parties demands for self determination For Huey P. Newton Blacks were a colonized people fighting a revolutionary war of national liberation that could only be won with the destruction of capitalism. Angela Davis was a communist party member. Unfortunately this new wave of revolutionary action would be stamped out through murder, frame ups, psychological operations.


Today we may see a new wave of revolutionary spirit spread across the world. There have been two black uprisings in the past year first in Ferguson then in Baltimore. However this movement will go nowhere if it has purely reformist goals. If it makes the mistake of believing that the bloodthirsty american empire will ever change because of a few mild reforms, or a few promises from politicians it will fail to produce lasting change. Only by radically changing the nature of this system will these problems ever be solved. Until then capitalism will always stir up racist tensions to turn the people against each other. Until then a brutal militarized police will be used to keep the masses in line. Austerity economics and the police state go hand in hand. We need a truly revolutionary movement if we want to change the world. Thus it is important that we revive the memories of people like Harry Haywood. It is important that we remember the struggles of the past. Almost a Hundred years ago the Russian Revolution inspired people around the world with the vision of a new society. It was the first of many revolutions that would change the world. Korea, China, Vietnam, Ghana, Cuba. It would also play a crucial role in ending both Jim Crow and Apartheid. This proud history must be revived. I'll end with a qoute from Siusaidh Chaimbeul about the significance of the communist efforts for the later civil rights movement

Without the efforts of thousands of people who fought evictions, protested lynching, defended the Scottsboro boys, and spoke up against racism whenever and wherever they encountered it, it is difficult to imagine what - Decades Later - our "dream" could have been.

Sources
My main source was of Course Harry Haywood's book "Black Bolshevik: Autobiography of an Afro-American Communist" Luckily someone scanned the book into PDF format and you can find it free online here.

http://ouleft.org/wp-content/uploads/Harry-Haywood-Black-Bolshevik.pdf
I first heard of the book "Black Bolshevik" during a lecture by Ranjeet Brar on Paul Robeson, Stalin and the USSR during which the cover of the book was briefly shown on screen piquing my interest. But it was while watching a fascinating lecture hosted by Sukant Chandan with Hakim Adi on his book "Pan Africanism and Communism" that on a whim I sent it to @Zaganashikwe who I knew specialized in the Caribbean we fell into conversation I mentioned Haywoods book in passing and to my surprise she offered to mail me a copy of the book along with some of her work on Communism and Black Liberation as well as the haunting story of the forgotten Irish revolutionary Kay Donnellan imprisoned for organizing black workers in Trinidad and possibly murdered by the British the day after the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union. It opened up a whole little known area of history for me.


The two articles by @Zaganashikwe which will be available online soon thanks to @grphlegmblip who is going to scan them. I'll post info on where to find them in the comments section when they become available. check out @grphlegmblip's aka Kariflack's great podcast and blog here She's done great shows on the US Military involvement Sex Trafficking and on Low Intensity warfare.


https://kariflack.wordpress.com

I also relied on some great lectures on youtube first Sukant Chandan interviewing Hakim Adi on Pan Africanism and Communism

http://youtu.be/r3aG4dCAhLY

And Caleb Maupin released a lecture on the history of the communist party USA that provides useful background

http://youtu.be/zuXe_rbSgt4


Check out the 10,000 League channel on You Tube for Some great short episodes on other important black communists like Paul Robeson, Robert F. Williams, Huey P. Newton, and Claudia Jones. Sukant Chandan's You Tube channel SonsofMalcom TV did a series on female revolutionaries called hidden herstories that you should also check out. He also has with a ton of other  great anti-imperialist content. Also search for more great Hakim Adi Lectures on You Tube. Professor Gerald Horne has done great work on reviving some of the history of this period.