For Immediate Release
For More Information
Judith Le Blanc
(212) 989-4994 Ext. 251


War Will Not End Terrorism

October 8, 2001 New York City- The Bush
Administration's bombing of
Afghanistan Oct. 7 is not a solution to the terrible
events of
September
11th. Bush's action is driven more by revenge and
retaliation, and is
aimed
at gaining a geo-political advantage. It is not an
effective approach
to
ending terrorism and bringing those responsible to
justice.

The Communist Party USA strongly opposes this military
attack. The
bombing
has sharply escalated the tragic cycle of violence,
suffering and
death.
War will only compound the human crisis in Afghanistan
and the region.
In
the meantime, the roots of terrorism remain unchanged.

While the vast majority of the world opposes
terrorism, the Bush
administration chose a course of action that most
governments could not
endorse.  Besides Britain, no other country is fully
in agreement with
the
military action. The war policy of the Bush
Administration isolates the
U.S. and puts us at odds with most of the world's
peoples.

War has a momentum and a logic of its own that is not
easily contained
once
it is set in motion. Vietnam taught us that. Things
can spiral out of
control. Recent history proves that war does not bring
stability, nor
justice.

But many are asking: "If not by war, then how do we
fight terrorism?"
It is
a fair question with no easy answers.

However, there are political and diplomatic means that
could mobilize
world
opinion to isolate terrorists and bring them to
justice. Terrorism is
an
international crime, which must be addressed by
international bodies
like
the United Nations and the World Court. The U.S. could
take this case
to
these bodies.

Some may say that such an approach will take too long.
But Bush admits
that
his war strategy will take a long time, too.
Administration spokesman
Ari
Fleisher recently said that even if bin Laden were out
of the picture
today
there would still be a war.

Negotiated peace agreements for "hot spots" round the
world, such as
the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are real policy
alternatives that would
isolate terrorists and undermine terrorism's root
causes.

We believe the Bush Administration has a hidden agenda
for this war:
control of Middle Eastern and Central Asian oil. After
all, the
administration has close ties to the oil, gas and
energy industries.
And
the history of U.S. foreign policy is still steeped in
the Cold War
period
when, in the name of fighting communism, the CIA
destabilized and often
overthrew progressive, elected governments in over 50
countries,
including
Afghanistan. The aim was not peace and democracy but
making the world
"safe" for U.S. corporate interests.

War has economic and social consequences. Racial
profiling, attacks on
civil liberties and democratic rights and bailouts of
corporations are
the
Bush Administration's domestic program to "fight
terrorism."

We need an international effort, not unilateral
action, to end
terrorism.
And to end it, the root causes must be considered. We
would argue that
capitalist exploitation, gross inequality, poverty and
corporate
plunder of
the world's natural resources and labor provide the
soil for anger and
desperation. The struggle against terrorism is
inseparable from the
struggle for peace, justice and self-determination.

In the weeks ahead, we urge a national dialogue, a
"teach-in" if you
will,
on alternatives to war, racism, and repression. The
American people, as
do
all people, have a right to safety. The question is,
will war and its
consequences make the world safer?

After the September 11th tragedy, many of the family
members of the
victims
spoke out for peace. The commitment of these families
and millions more
to
finding peaceful political and diplomatic solutions to
terrorism is an
important expression of American patriotism, as is the
willingness to
speak
up and protect the Bill of Rights and the rights of
minorities.

We refuse to let the Bush Adminstration and the ultra
right define
patriotism as war.

The Communist Party USA believes that in this new
century, we must
forever
break the cycle of violence, so dominant in the last
century, that has
cost
humanity dearly.

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