Marxism, imperialism, globalisation and the "war against terrorism"

War and Terror

A special resources page for Marxists

The atrocity that started it all - a passenger plane is flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

The events of September 11th, 2001 have a global and historical significance. Together with the 'war against terrorism' unleashed by US president George W Bush, they represent a massive challenge to Marxists and socialists.

How do we evaluate the role of the terrorists in the modern world? How best can we fight imperialism? What do we say about the Taliban, and Islamic fundamentalism in general? What forces in society can we look to for solutions to the crisis? What programme do we advocate for the working class and the workers' movements in Afghanistan? in Pakistan? in the US and Britain?

This page will collate resources from around the Workers' Liberty website, and also provide you with relevant links to other websites.

We welcome suggestions for additional content / other sites to link to. Either email us at webadmin@workersliberty.org or submit suggestions for links to our links database.

WL Resources on the war and terrorism

After the fall of Kabul
Our statement on the collapse of the Afghan capital to the Northern Alliance
First published: November 15th, 2001
Category: Left column article from workersliberty.org.
Trade Unionists Against War and Terror
An appeal to trade unionists.
First published: September 22nd, 2001
Category: Trade unionists' appeal.
Questions and Answers on the war and terrorist-fundamentalism, by Colin Foster
Answers to questions we are most likely to encounter from both those who wish to support the war, and those who want to oppose the US.
First published: October 12th, 2001
Category: Special document produced for this section.
Leaflet: Basic arguments against the war
First published: October 2001
Category: Downloadable RTF file (readable by any wordprocessor).
Leaflet: What sort of anti-war movement?
How to build the kind of anti-war movement we need.
First published: October 2001
Category: Downloadable RTF file (readable by any wordprocessor).
An analysis of the rise of Islamism, by Clive Bradley
First published: October 2001
Category: Downloadable RTF file (readable by any wordprocessor).
A critique of Chris Harman's SWP pamphlet on Islamism, by Clive Bradley
First published: October 2001
Category: Downloadable RTF file (readable by any wordprocessor).
Marxism and imperialism, by Martin Thomas
An analysis of the theoretical trends in Marxists' understanding of imperialism, from Lenin and Kautsky to the 1990s.
First published: September, 1996
Category: Revised from an article which appeared in WL 28.
Poisoning the new anti-capitalist movement, by Martin Thomas
Review of the SWP's pamphlet, No to Bush's War
First published: October 12th, 2001
Category: Special document produced for this section.
Stop the war!
Our statement on the eve of the war
First published: September 28th, 2001
Category: Left column article from workersliberty.org.
Against the barbarism, we fight for socialism
The first statement from the AWL in the aftermath of the September 11th massacre.
First published: September 14th, 2001
Category: Left column article from workersliberty.org.
Discussion forum: war and terror
A new topic area in our discussion forum, for consideration of all the issues raised in these documents, and in the situation generally.
First published: October 12th, 2001
Category: Discussion forum.

Links to sites specifically dealing with this issue

www.rawa.org
The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
RAWA have been battling in obscurity for many years to promote the plight of women under the Islamic law in Afghanistan, but only recently have they received publicity. Now their site is promoted by the world's media - but it remains a hard-hitting review of life under the Taliban. Many articles dealing with the war and the prelude to it.
www.asrejadid.org
Asre Jadid (New Era)
Asre Jadid is a Marxist publication produced in Sweden by Afghanis in exile. Coverage of the massacre and the war.
www.wpibriefing.com
WPI Briefing is the weekly publication of the Worker-communist Party of Iran
The most recent two issues have dealt exclusively with the war on Afghanistan and the approach Marxists should take. <in pdf format>
www.hrw.org/campaigns/afghanistan/
Human Rights Watch
HRW has been running a campaign about Afghanistan for some time, but the current crisis is dealt with in depth.
www.socialistalliance.net/articles/index.html
The Socialist Alliance
The Socialist Alliance has collated statements on the war from many trade unions and labour movement bodies from around the world.
Labourstart's International Forum
Labourstart
A discussion forum devoted to the trade unions and labour movements of the world as they try to sort out their responses to the continuing crisis.
www.al-jazeera.net/
Al-Jazeera
The independent Arabic news service based in Syria which has been the earliest source of much news out of the region. <in Arabic only>