The "victory to Argentina" argument

Submitted by Anon on 18 April, 2007 - 8:38

This is how the "victory to Argentina" section of the WSL argued their case, in their major initial statement (WSL Internal Bulletin 7, June 1982).

"The class camp into which Argentina fits in a war against imperialism cannot change... We have to determine our position according to the basic class camps...

The course of action followed by the proletariat in one country should be subordinated to international considerations. Difficult or not, we have to base our position on an assessment of the international meaning of the conflict. Whatever the implications of that for the Argentinian or British proletariat, we have to base our position on the implications for the international struggle against imperialism first.

This means that even if a successful defence against Thatcher did strengthen Galtieri, we would still have to call on the Argentinian workers to undertake that defence. In the event, however, we believe that a successful defence against imperialism (or victory for Galtieri, as the majority would put it) need in no way necessarily strengthen Galtieri. On the contrary [it] would open up new opportunities...

The international balance of forces... It is the balance of forces which gives the struggle its real importance. It is against the balance of forces that we must measure it - not according to our own scale of idealist morality...

The majority comrades in effect call for an immediate general strike and a revolution... Behind their ultimatism is a deep pessimism about the capacity to respond to any progressive leadershp of the Argentinian workers. We do not call for an immediate revolution. But where the majority can see only problems, weaknesses and backwardness, we see contradictins, the real progressive element of mass mobilised spontaneous anti-imperialist sentiments".

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