Storymania - Afghan Revolution And Russian Imperialism by Alexander Gachikus

Afghan Revolution And Russian Imperialism
Alexander Gachikus

In order to understand the origins of Afghan revolution, it is necessary to consider Afghanistan’s history, the economic development, which preceded that revolution.
At the beginning of XX century Afghanistan was backward country, agriculture was the prevailing branch of economy. More than 75% of acres were owned by landlords, merchants and officials, who leased it to land-poor and landless peasants. The power belonged to emir.
Several times – in 1838, 1878 and 1919 – Afghanistan was assaulted by England, but Afghan people defended their independence every time. Stalin wrote in 1924, that the struggle of Afghan emir for the independence of Afghanistan from English imperialists was objectively revolutionary struggle in spite of monarchist views of emir, because that struggle undermined, weakened imperialism, its colonial domination.
But not only English imperialism aimed at colonial domination in Afghanistan. Germany and USA, which invested there (mainly in karakul production), aimed at domination in that country too.
After World War II the system of world imperialism underwent a change. If at earlier time investments oversea were made mainly by private corporations, further monopolization and amalgamation of monopolies with the state machinery resulted in the fact that investments oversea became to be performed mainly by the state. For example, USA invested in developing countries in the guise of “humanitarian aid”.
Soviet Union, which degenerated from the state of proletarian dictatorship into military-bureaucratic social-imperialism by the 50-60s of XX century [today I think that this degeneration occurred at 1920s, with Stalin’s coming to power and the foundation of USSR – A. G.], became to invest in developing countries in the guise of “friendly aid to brotherly peoples”. The enterprises were built in Iran, Egypt, Syria, Algeria, India, Afghanistan etc. USSR like other imperialist powers invested mainly in mining operations – extraction of oil and gas in the first place – in order to plunder natural resources of those countries. But the output of products, which were vital for the peoples of developing countries, was put the brakes.
Soviet Union has developed gas-extraction, built up gas pipeline to USSR, mined oil fields in Afghanistan. Afghanistan had to pay for this “friendly aid” by its gas, which flowed to USSR through the pipeline.
At the expense of such “friendly aid” (i.e. at the expense of plunder of colonies) Khrushchev-Brezhnev regime in USSR, which was the domination of opportunism, was held; at the expense of such “aid” military-police fascist regime in modern Russia is held (the plunder of Vietnam oil - $0,5 billions a year, the plunder of Turkmen gas - $2 billions a year, the plunder of Uzbek, Kazakh oil, Chechen oil, data about which are strictly secret).
But the world imperialism, which plundered Afghanistan, has developed the industry in this region (though imperialism has developed it unevenly, mainly extractive industry), has developed bourgeois relations, promoted the appearance of national bourgeoisie, intelligentsia and working class by that. Bourgeois revolution has brewing against padishah and landlords, who put the brakes on the development of productive forces.
That revolution, which burst out in April 1979, couldn’t but affect the interests of Russian capital in the region. Imperialist leadership of USSR feared, that young Afghan bourgeoisie, which came to power as a result of that revolution, would nationalize natural resources of its country, and Soviet Union wouldn’t be able to plunder easily that region. In this connection, Soviet troops were thrown into Afghanistan in December 1979 under the pretext of “internationalist duty” and of “the defense of achievements of April revolution”. But in fact it was the defense of Russian capital, the defense of imperialist plundering in that region as well as transformation Afghanistan into the military outpost of Russian imperialism in Central Asia.
Soviet troops have taken president’s palace by storm and killed the leader of Afghan revolution Amin, replacing him with Karmal, then with Najibulla. During that predatory war Soviet army lost 14,000 killed, and Afghan people lost 1 million killed. But in spite of suffering heavy casualty, Afghanistan has withstood and won, as won a victory over English imperialists. Soviet troops have left Afghanistan ingloriously.
Just as every war opens all old “abscesses”, war in Afghanistan has opened “abscesses” of Soviet military-bureaucratic social-imperialism. In 1985-90 ruling regime in USSR came to crisis. It was the consequence of the fact that the regime dominated at the world scene by means of the military force mainly and developed the military strength, nuclear potential first of all (which allow it to share the world through the military force with imperialists USA and other powers) and put the brakes on the development of commodity production, which was very less-developed as it was. That crisis has taken the form of confrontation between military-industrial complex (which was personified in GKChP – State Committee of the case of emergency) and arising bank capital (which was personified in Yeltsin and his crew), which was supported by international bank capital. Bank parasitic capital came out victor from that confrontation [today I think that it was bourgeois revolution, i.e. the revolution of petty bourgeoisie, of middle class, and Yeltsin was a leader of this class, against old Soviet parasitic elite; new power transforms into the power of new imperialist bourgeoisie later on, in 90’s – A. G.]. It made some concessions to foreign capital for the sake of holding the power, and at the expense of its credits (and at the expense of the impoverishment of the most population of Russia) has climbed out of the crisis, has developed the commodity production and the domestic trade.
But let’s return to Afghanistan. In 1993 national liberation movement “Taliban” emerged there. It proclaimed the revolution under the banner of Islam and declared Moscow (i.e. Russian imperialism) to be its main enemy. In that year talibs executed Gorbachov’s puppet Najibulla in public.
The movement “Taliban” impetuously began democratic transformations in the country. It proclaimed appointment of the state’s leader by election, council of people’s representatives – “shura” (parliament), and the shariah laws, which correspond to national conditions and customs, as its basic principles. In spite of the economic blockade and the very difficult situation, “Taliban” has provided large sum to poorest strata of population, which proved its people’s democratic essence.
The framework of the movement is composed of young Afghan intelligentsia, mainly peasants by origin.
Islamic revolution, which advances victoriously throughout the country, has engulfed 90% of the country’s territory at the early 2001. It naturally angered the world imperialism. UN refuses to recognize the new Afghanistan’s power and put under a ban any relation with it. The campaign of slander is engineered against talibs: they are represented as militant fanatical mullahs. But at the same time capitalists blab out: “how can anybody call them mullahs, if they haven’t the weight in religious world, they are impostors, ordinary Afghan peasants by origin, who have proclaimed themselves mullahs”. Moreover, imperialists always try to exaggerate the religiousness of national liberation movements in order to create hostility between peoples of different religions. Capitalists in their lie even came to the point of uttering that talibs forbid singing and dancing (like in the early XX century west bourgeoisie represented Bolsheviks as cannibals who eat little children).
Russian imperialism, which has recovered from the crisis and already begins to show its teeth, is especially anxious because of victorious advancement of talibs. It is understandable: in fact, Central Asia is the sphere of influence of Russian capital, and fascist Putin’s regime fears the fire of Islamic revolution would spread throughout Central Asian republics of SNG (Commonwealth of Independent States) and would deprive Russian oligarchs of super-profits in that region. Because of this fact Russian imperialism finances as well as provides with armament counter-revolutionary North Alliance, which fight against talibs in Afghanistan. North Alliance consists of Tajiks and Uzbeks mainly, who live at the north of Afghanistan. Russian imperialism stirs up them against Pushtoons (major population of Afghanistan), who are “Taliban” mainly consists of.
But Tajiks and Uzbeks don’t want to fight for super-profits of Russian magnates. They retreat to the territory of Tajikistan (which is the colony of Russian capital as yet). Russian troops, which stand at the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, shoot at them: return and fight for our predatory interests.
To the purpose, in Russian troops, which stand at the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, soldiers are Tajiks and officers are Russians. Tajiks served at the border only for money because of grinding poverty (the average monthly wage in Tajikistan only 100 rubles, but Russia continue to wring debts out of that poverty-stricken country). But Tajikistan’s Tajiks don’t want to shoot at their Afghanistan’s brothers, and Russian commanders call them “cowards” because of this. Thus, Putin’s regime defends its capitals in Central Asia by the blood of local population, stiring up Tajiks and Uzbeks of Afghanistan against Pushtoons, Tajiks of Tajikistan against their Afghanistan’s brothers. As we see, the old imperialist principle “Divide and rule” remains alive as before.
But the time of retribution is near. The movements allied with “Taliban” emerge both in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Oppressed peoples of Central Asia proclaimed the foundation of United Islamic State [Caliphate – A. G.] as their aim, which would allow them to break loose from the grip of Commonwealth of “Independent” States, to overcome feudal disunity and to proceed at full speed along the path of progress, throwing off the yoke of the world imperialism. Yes, exactly “the world”, because not only Russian capital plunders the peoples of Central Asia today, but also American, English, German ones etc. [Chinese, Indian and partly Iranian capitals too – A. G.] Representatives of these powers are drawn to Central Asia because of concern over “Islamic extremism” as they said, but in fact - because of concern over their super-profits.
American “human rights watchers” hypocritically accuse Russia; they say that Russia shouts about “the extremist threat” the most loudly, but at the same time it finances and provides with armament North Alliance, i.e. Russia itself unleashes the war there. These rascals pass over in silence that USA (as well as Iran) finances North Alliance too [There is minor harmless mistake. USA financed not North Alliance, but other anti-talib forces – A. G.]. Russian diplomats answer them not less hypocritically; they say: North Alliance as distinct from Taliban is legal government of Afghanistan, which recognized by UN (i.e. by international capital), and we have a right to finance and provide with armament North Alliance.
Thus, today revolutionary Afghanistan withstands the rush of world imperialism alone, like Soviet Russia did in the early XX century.
NTV (one of the official Russian TV-channels), which is bought by Gazprom lock, stock and barrel, represents talibs as fools, who naively believe, that fight against Russia, though Russia, NTV says, not fight with Afghanistan already 13 years (Gazprom is vitally interested in suppression of Afghan independence - recall, that already Brezhnev’s social-imperialism plundered gas from Afghanistan). But at the same time NTV shows that enemies of talibs - North Alliance – are armed with Russian defense technology: tanks, howitzers and even well-known trucks GAZ-66. So, talibs are not fools.
Peoples of Central Asia, impoverished through imperialist plunders, are forced to migrate to Russia in search of happy lot. In order to survive anyhow they are forced to bring heroin in Russia. Even Honored teachers from Central Asia bring heroin. Fascist authorities in Russia meet them with beating, imprison them for many years, although those authorities themselves have driven them to such situation. Refugees from Central Asia are treated in Russia like animals. Nobody accept them for employment, moreover, police chiefs instruct citizens within the framework of “anti-terrorist” campaign not to let them (as refugees from Caucasus too) in houses.
“How this concerns the struggle of Russian revolutionary proletariat?” – one can asks.
This concerns the struggle of Russian revolutionary proletariat immediately. Odious regime of police batons and lying clerical sermons, which rules over Russia today, is supported exactly by the plunder of colonies: by Chechen, Kazakh and Uzbek oil, Turkmen gas and Tajik blood. At the expense of colonial profits it builds new prisons and churches, provides police with armament, bribes communist leaders [not only communist leaders, but the broad stratum of Russian population too – A. G.]. Exactly in order to overthrow this hated regime, we must support hotly uprising peoples of colonies. We must advocate the extermination of Russian military bases in Central Asia and in Caucasus, the freedom of Chechnya. The enemy both of us and them is the same – it is fascist Putin’s regime.

September 5th, 2001