First Published: The Forge, Vol. 4, No. 2, January 19, 1979
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Malcolm and Paul Saba
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The recent bloody Soviet-backed Vietnamese invasion of a free and independent socialist country, Democratic Kampuchea, confirms the fascist and aggressive nature of the Soviet Union in its drive to dominate the world.
The Soviet Union’s attempt to swallow Kampuchea has an important significance.
Firstly, the invasion shows the intensifying struggle between social-imperialism (socialism in words, imperialism in deeds) and true socialism, as found in China, Kampuchea and Korea. Kampuchea, as a socialist country, represents its main obstacle to Soviet plans to dominate Southeast Asia. The Soviet revisionists cannot stand the existence of a real socialist country, led by a true Marxist-Leninist party, which firmly opposes Soviet schemes, refuses to be a vassal of a foreign power, and has close links with socialist China.
The Soviet revisionists, who long ago betrayed the socialist revolution and Marxism-Leninism, have now moved from border skirmishes with socialist China to engineering the outright invasion of another socialist country. The invasion also serves to tighten the Soviet Union’s encirclement of socialist China, whose leadership role in mobilizing countries and people against social-imperialism’s projects makes the Soviets furious with rage.
Secondly, the occupation of Kampuchea is the first stop in the Soviet Union’s plane to use Vietnam to dominate the whole of Southeast Asia. Vietnamese troops now in Laos and Kampuchea, threaten Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and other surrounding countries. The Soviet Union would like nothing better than to seize this heavily populated region, rich in natural resources. The control of the Straits of Malacca, between Malaysia and Indonesia, Would allow the Soviets to block oil supplies to Japan and to control the bridge between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans.
Since the defeat of American imperialism, this region of the world has been one of the weakest links in the imperialist chain of domination. The Soviet imperialists see that here they have a chance of replacing the weakened US superpower.
It is in this area too, that true Marxist-Leninist parties are leading armed struggle and occupying important bases in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Burma and the Philippines. The success of these revolutions will present a direct challenge to the ambitions of the phoney Moscow communists.
Thirdly, the aggression against Kampuchea fits into the Soviet plan to dominate the flanks of Europe, control the vital oil routes. In the short two and a half years since Cuban mercenaries were used in Angola, the Soviet Union has succeeded in devouring Ethiopia, Yemen and Afghanistan, as well as fomenting trouble in Zaire and elsewhere around the world.
These aggressions are part of a well-planned world-wide offensive aimed at establishing bases and preparing the terrain for a new world war with the still-dangerous but declining US superpower, a war which has Europe as the key prize.
Soviet imperialism’s moves parallel events of the 1930s. At that time, fascist Nazi Germany was the rising imperialist power. While Hitler prepared his thrust into Europe, Mussolini took Ethiopia while Japan seized Manchuria and other large parts of China. German fascists themselves devoured Czechoslovakia and Austria; Italian and German fascists combined to topple Republican Spain. They did all this in preparation for a full-scale war.
Thus we can see why the peace-loving peoples of the world must unite to block every despicable act of Soviet aggression and to give their full support to all peoples and countries resisting attacks. In this way we can not only help halt Soviet aggression but we can also contribute to putting off the outbreak of a new world war.
This is why we must double our efforts to support the valiant Kampuchean people, their party and the legitimate government of Democratic Kampuchea, who are proving in their heroic armed resistance that the peoples of the world can fight back and win.
We must do all we can in our unions and mass organizations to pass support motions to condemn the aggression and to put pressure on the Canadian government to recognize Democratic Kampuchea and cut all aid to Vietnam. We must organize meetings, actions and demonstrations to show our anger and to inform the Canadian people about the true situation.
The barbarous Soviet-master-minded Vietnamese invasion of Kampuchea completely exposes all the revisionists who for years have tried to prove the friendly and peaceful nature of the Soviet Union, it shows up those like In Struggle for what they are – apologists for Soviet fascism. They don’t give the Kampuchean people one word of support but instead try to excuse the Vietnamese invasion.
The invasion of Kampuchea also gives the lie to all those forces who believe that we can satisfy Soviet ambitions by letting the Soviets have their way. These appeasers did all they could to spread lies and slanders about Democratic Kampuchea and to try to isolate it. They played right into the hands of the Soviet Union by preparing the terrain for the Vietnamese invasion.
The Soviet Union cannot be stopped by concessions or sweet talk. Hitler too was a big expansionist like Brezhnev, but faced with the resistance of the then-socialist Soviet Union and all the anti-fascist forces in the world, fascism was defeated. The final defeat of Soviet social-imperialism, which has today become the most dangerous enemy of the world’s people is equally certain.
Unite to fight hegemonism!
Support the heroic Kampuchean people!
Kampuchea will win!