v:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
Normal
0
false
false
false
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
A New Danger
Whilst the
influence of the old European powers has sharply declined and whilst the
anti-imperialist forces are winning striking victories all over the world, a
new danger has arisen and threatens to destroy the newly won independence of
the people of Asia and Africa. It is American imperialism, which must be fought
and decisively beaten down if the people of Asia and Africa are to preserve the
vital gains they have won in their struggle against subjugation. The First and
Second World Wars brought untold economic havoc especially in Europe, where
both wars were mainly fought. Millions of people perished whilst their
countries were ravaged and ruined by the war. The two conflicts resulted, on
the one hand, in the decline of the old imperial powers.
On the
other hand, the U.S.A. emerged from them as the richest and most powerful state
in the West, firstly, because both wars were fought thousands of miles away
from her mainland and she had fewer casualties. Whereas the British Empire lost
1,089,900 men, only 115,660 American soldiers died during the First World War.
No damage whatsoever was suffered by her cities and industries. Secondly, she
made fabulous profits from her allies out of war contracts. Due to these
factors the U.S.A. grew to become the most powerful country in the West.
Paradoxically,
the two world wars, which weakened the old powers and which contributed to the
growth of the political and economic influence of the U.S.A., also resulted in
the growth of the anti-imperialist forces all over the world and in the
intensification of the struggle for national independence. The old powers,
finding themselves unable to resist the demand by their former colonies for
independence and still clinging desperately to their waning empires, were
compelled to lean very heavily on American aid. The U.S.A., taking advantage of
the plight of its former allies, adopted the policy of deliberately ousting them
from their spheres of influence and grabbing these spheres for herself. An
instance that is still fresh in our minds is that of the Middle East, where the
U.S.A. assisted in the eviction of Britain from that area in order that she
might gain control of the oil industry, which prior to that time was in the
control of Britain.
Through
the Marshall Plan the U.S.A. succeeded in gaining control of the economies of
European countries and reducing them to a position analogous to that of
dependencies. By establishing aggressive military blocs in Europe, the Middle
East and Asia, the U.S.A. has been able to post her armies in important
strategic points and is preparing for armed intervention in the domestic
affairs of sovereign nations. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in Europe,
the Baghdad Pact in the Middle East, and the South East Asian Treaty
Organisation are military blocs which constitute a direct threat not only to
world peace but also to the independence of the member states.
The policy
of placing reliance on American economic and military aid is extremely
dangerous to the “assisted” states themselves and has aggravated
their positions. Since the Second World War, Britain, France and Holland have
closely associated themselves with American plans for world conquest, and yet
within that period they have lost empires in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa,
and they are fighting rear-guard actions in their remaining colonial
possessions. Their salvation and future prosperity lie not in pinning their
faith on American aid and aggressive military blocs but in breaking away from
her, in repudiating her foreign policy which threatens to drag them into
another war, and in proclaiming a policy of peace and friendship with other
nations.
U.S. Offensive in Africa
American
interest in Africa has in recent years grown rapidly. This continent is rich in
raw minerals. It produces almost all the world’s diamonds, 78 percent of its
palm oil, 68 percent of its cocoa, half of its gold, and 22 percent of its
copper. It is rich in manganese, chrome, in uranium, radium, in citrus fruits,
coffee, sugar, cotton, and rubber. It is regarded by the U.S.A. as one of the
most important fields of investment. According to the “Report of the
Special Study Mission to Africa, South and East of the Sahara,” by the
Honourable Frances P. Bolton which was published in 1956 for the use of the
United States Congress Committee on Foreign Affairs, by the end of World War II
United States private investments in Africa amounted to scarcely £150 million.
At the end of 1954 the total book value of U.S. investments in Africa stood at
£664 million.
Since then
the American government has mounted a terrific diplomatic and economic
offensive in almost every part of Africa. A new organisation for the conduct of
African Affairs has come into existence. The Department of State has
established a new position of deputy assistant secretary for African Affairs.
The Bureau of African Affairs has been split into two new offices, the office
of Northern African Affairs and that of Southern African Affairs. This
reorganisation illustrates the increasing economic importance of Africa to the
U.S.A. and the recognition by the governing circles of that state of the vital
necessity for the creation and strengthening of diplomatic relations with the
independent states of Africa. The U.S.A. has sent into this continent numerous
“study” and “goodwill” missions, and scores of its leading
industrialists and statesmen to survey the natural wealth of the new independent
states and to establish diplomatic relations with the present regimes.
Vice-President Nixon, Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic party candidate for the
American presidency in the last elections, and scores of other leading
Americans, have visited various parts of the continent to study political
trends and market conditions. Today, American imperialism is a serious danger
to the independent states in Africa, and its people must unite before it is too
late and fight it out to the bitter end.
Imperialism in Disguise
American
imperialism is all the more dangerous because, having witnessed the resurgence
of the people of Asia and Africa against imperialism and having seen the
decline and fall of once powerful empires, it comes to Africa elaborately
disguised. It has discarded most of the conventional weapons of the old type of
imperialism. It does not openly advocate armed invasion and conquest. It
purports to repudiate force and violence. It masquerades as the leader of the
so-called free world in the campaign against communism. It claims that the
cornerstone of its foreign policy is to assist other countries in resisting
domination by others. It maintains that the huge sums of dollars invested in
Africa are not for the exploitation of the people of Africa but for the purpose
of developing their countries and in order to raise their living standards.
Now it is
true that the new self-governing territories in Africa require capital to
develop their countries. They require capital for economic development and technical
training programmes, they require it to develop agriculture, fisheries,
veterinary services, health, medical services, education, and communications.
To this extent, overseas capital invested in Africa could play a useful role in
the development of the self-governing territories in the continent. But the
idea of making quick and high profits, which underlies all the developmental
plans launched in Africa by the U.S.A., completely effaces the value of such
plans in so far as the masses of the people are concerned. The big and powerful
American trade monopolies that are springing up in various parts of the
continent and which are destroying the small trader, the low wages paid the
ordinary man, the resulting poverty and misery, his illiteracy and the squalid
tenements in which he dwells are the simplest and most eloquent exposition of
the falsity of the argument that American investments in Africa will raise the
living standards of the people of this continent.
The
American brand of imperialism is imperialism all the same in spite of the
modern clothing in which it is dressed and in spite of the sweet language
spoken by its advocates and agents. The U.S.A. is mounting an unprecedented
diplomatic offensive to win the support of the governments of the self-governing
territories in the continent. It has established a network of military bases
all over the continent for armed intervention in the domestic affairs of
independent states should the people in these states elect to replace American
satellite regimes with those who are against American imperialism. American
capital has been sunk into Africa not for the purpose of raising the material
standards of its people but in order to exploit them as well as the natural
wealth of their continent. This is imperialism in the true sense of the word.
The
Americans are forever warning the people of this continent against communism
which, as they allege, seeks to enslave them and to interfere with their
peaceful development. But what facts justify this warning? Unlike the U.S.A.,
neither the Soviet Union, the Chinese People’s Republic nor any other Socialist
state has aggressive military blocs in any part of the world. None of the
Socialist countries has military bases anywhere in Africa, whereas the U.S.~.
has built landing fields, ports, and other types of strategic bases all over
North Africa. In particular it has jet fields in Morocco, Libya and Liberia.
Unlike the U.S.A., none of the Socialist states has invested capital in any
part of Africa for the exploitation of its people. At the United Nations
Organisation, the Soviet Union, India, and several other nations have
consistently identified themselves unconditionally with the struggle of the
oppressed people for freedom, whereas the U.S.A. has very often allied itself
with those who stand for the enslavement of others. It was not Soviet but
American planes which the French used to bomb the peaceful village of Sakiet in
Tunisia. The presence of a delegation from the Chinese People’s Republic at the
1955 Afro-Asian conference as well as the presence of a delegation from that
country and the Soviet Union at the 1957 Cairo Afro-Asian conference show that
the people of Asia and Africa have seen through the slanderous campaign
conducted by the U.S.A. against the Socialist countries. They know that their
independence is threatened not by any of the countries in the Socialist camp,
but by the U.S.A., who has surrounded their continent with military bases. She
communist bogey is an American stunt to distract the attention of the people of
Africa from the real issue facing them, namely, American imperialism.
The
peoples of resurgent Africa are perfectly capable of deciding upon their own
future form of government and discovering and themselves dealing with any
dangers which may arise. They do not require any schooling from the U.S.A.,
which – to judge from such events as the Little Rock outrage and the activities
of the un-American Witch-hunting Committee – should learn to put its own house
in order before trying to teach everyone else.
The people
of Africa are astir. In conjunction with the people of Asia, and with
freedom-loving people all over the world, they have declared a full-scale war
against all forms of imperialism. The future of this continent lies not in the
hands of the discredited regimes that have allied themselves with American
imperialism. It is in the hands of the common people of Africa functioning in
their mass movements.
Tuesday 14 June 2011 11:17
The policy of placing reliance on American economic and military aid is extremely dangerous to the “assisted” states themselves and has aggravated their positions.
U.S. Offensive in Africa
American
interest in Africa has in recent years grown rapidly. This continent is rich in
raw minerals. It produces almost all the world’s diamonds, 78 percent of its
palm oil, 68 percent of its cocoa, half of its gold, and 22 percent of its
copper. It is rich in manganese, chrome, in uranium, radium, in citrus fruits,
coffee, sugar, cotton, and rubber. It is regarded by the U.S.A. as one of the
most important fields of investment. According to the “Report of the
Special Study Mission to Africa, South and East of the Sahara,” by the
Honourable Frances P. Bolton which was published in 1956 for the use of the
United States Congress Committee on Foreign Affairs, by the end of World War II
United States private investments in Africa amounted to scarcely £150 million.
At the end of 1954 the total book value of U.S. investments in Africa stood at
£664 million.
Since then
the American government has mounted a terrific diplomatic and economic
offensive in almost every part of Africa. A new organisation for the conduct of
African Affairs has come into existence. The Department of State has
established a new position of deputy assistant secretary for African Affairs.
The Bureau of African Affairs has been split into two new offices, the office
of Northern African Affairs and that of Southern African Affairs. This
reorganisation illustrates the increasing economic importance of Africa to the
U.S.A. and the recognition by the governing circles of that state of the vital
necessity for the creation and strengthening of diplomatic relations with the
independent states of Africa. The U.S.A. has sent into this continent numerous
“study” and “goodwill” missions, and scores of its leading
industrialists and statesmen to survey the natural wealth of the new independent
states and to establish diplomatic relations with the present regimes.
Vice-President Nixon, Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic party candidate for the
American presidency in the last elections, and scores of other leading
Americans, have visited various parts of the continent to study political
trends and market conditions. Today, American imperialism is a serious danger
to the independent states in Africa, and its people must unite before it is too
late and fight it out to the bitter end.
Imperialism in Disguise
American
imperialism is all the more dangerous because, having witnessed the resurgence
of the people of Asia and Africa against imperialism and having seen the
decline and fall of once powerful empires, it comes to Africa elaborately
disguised. It has discarded most of the conventional weapons of the old type of
imperialism. It does not openly advocate armed invasion and conquest. It
purports to repudiate force and violence. It masquerades as the leader of the
so-called free world in the campaign against communism. It claims that the
cornerstone of its foreign policy is to assist other countries in resisting
domination by others. It maintains that the huge sums of dollars invested in
Africa are not for the exploitation of the people of Africa but for the purpose
of developing their countries and in order to raise their living standards.
Now it is
true that the new self-governing territories in Africa require capital to
develop their countries. They require capital for economic development and technical
training programmes, they require it to develop agriculture, fisheries,
veterinary services, health, medical services, education, and communications.
To this extent, overseas capital invested in Africa could play a useful role in
the development of the self-governing territories in the continent. But the
idea of making quick and high profits, which underlies all the developmental
plans launched in Africa by the U.S.A., completely effaces the value of such
plans in so far as the masses of the people are concerned. The big and powerful
American trade monopolies that are springing up in various parts of the
continent and which are destroying the small trader, the low wages paid the
ordinary man, the resulting poverty and misery, his illiteracy and the squalid
tenements in which he dwells are the simplest and most eloquent exposition of
the falsity of the argument that American investments in Africa will raise the
living standards of the people of this continent.
The
American brand of imperialism is imperialism all the same in spite of the
modern clothing in which it is dressed and in spite of the sweet language
spoken by its advocates and agents. The U.S.A. is mounting an unprecedented
diplomatic offensive to win the support of the governments of the self-governing
territories in the continent. It has established a network of military bases
all over the continent for armed intervention in the domestic affairs of
independent states should the people in these states elect to replace American
satellite regimes with those who are against American imperialism. American
capital has been sunk into Africa not for the purpose of raising the material
standards of its people but in order to exploit them as well as the natural
wealth of their continent. This is imperialism in the true sense of the word.
The
Americans are forever warning the people of this continent against communism
which, as they allege, seeks to enslave them and to interfere with their
peaceful development. But what facts justify this warning? Unlike the U.S.A.,
neither the Soviet Union, the Chinese People’s Republic nor any other Socialist
state has aggressive military blocs in any part of the world. None of the
Socialist countries has military bases anywhere in Africa, whereas the U.S.~.
has built landing fields, ports, and other types of strategic bases all over
North Africa. In particular it has jet fields in Morocco, Libya and Liberia.
Unlike the U.S.A., none of the Socialist states has invested capital in any
part of Africa for the exploitation of its people. At the United Nations
Organisation, the Soviet Union, India, and several other nations have
consistently identified themselves unconditionally with the struggle of the
oppressed people for freedom, whereas the U.S.A. has very often allied itself
with those who stand for the enslavement of others. It was not Soviet but
American planes which the French used to bomb the peaceful village of Sakiet in
Tunisia. The presence of a delegation from the Chinese People’s Republic at the
1955 Afro-Asian conference as well as the presence of a delegation from that
country and the Soviet Union at the 1957 Cairo Afro-Asian conference show that
the people of Asia and Africa have seen through the slanderous campaign
conducted by the U.S.A. against the Socialist countries. They know that their
independence is threatened not by any of the countries in the Socialist camp,
but by the U.S.A., who has surrounded their continent with military bases. She
communist bogey is an American stunt to distract the attention of the people of
Africa from the real issue facing them, namely, American imperialism.
The
peoples of resurgent Africa are perfectly capable of deciding upon their own
future form of government and discovering and themselves dealing with any
dangers which may arise. They do not require any schooling from the U.S.A.,
which – to judge from such events as the Little Rock outrage and the activities
of the un-American Witch-hunting Committee – should learn to put its own house
in order before trying to teach everyone else.
The people
of Africa are astir. In conjunction with the people of Asia, and with
freedom-loving people all over the world, they have declared a full-scale war
against all forms of imperialism. The future of this continent lies not in the
hands of the discredited regimes that have allied themselves with American
imperialism. It is in the hands of the common people of Africa functioning in
their mass movements.
