by Jim H.
At the time of
writing, the US presidential election is drawing towards a close. In an
important sense it is a sideshow from the real day to day affairs that people
face.
It also has a certain importance in that two
contenders try to show the ruling class that they can serve them better than
their rival. The difference represents the division in the American ruling
class over tactics to ensure its dominance domestically and internationally.
The outcome of the election process was always going
to come down to which faction is dominant at the time. This is important,
because it can have a direct impact on the lives of billions.
Deepening economic
crisis and isolation
All occurs within the context of the deepening
economic crisis. The American debt has now passed … trillion dollars. The
monopolies that control the American economy seek all means to ensure their
profits by squeezing the American people, and even more importantly ensuring
American dominance over the global economy and the exploitation of other
nations. The deeper the economic crisis becomes, the more urgent it becomes to
protect the lifeblood of American capitalism.
Growing international isolation has been progressing
for some years. At the heart of this is that the US is a declining power, even
if it still remains dominant in the imperialist camp. Military intervention,
from the former Yugoslavia, to Iraq and Afghanistan, have all been far from
successes. Each has cost a price in terms of American legitimacy. Each has
encouraged resistance from below. The standing of US imperialism has been
weakened substantially.
Some governments are more prone to acting somewhat
independently. Much more importantly, there is greater awareness amongst
peoples of the need to fight against the common enemy. It is harder to hoodwink
with the false notion of American democracy than it used to be.
The Obama administration arrived in conditions when
the most reactionary wing of the American ruling class had been substantially
weakened. Since then, the expectations of the Obama promises have in essence not
been delivered, a failure that has exposed the bankruptcy of the relatively
moderate section of the ruling class.
In a nutshell, they could not overcome the deepening
crisis of US imperialism, its need to impose the burden on the people and
compete more aggressively for spheres of influence. Since it represents a
section of the imperialist ruling class, the Obama administration could do no
other than serve these needs.
The more reactionary section has been able to take
advantage of the dissatisfaction this caused to raise its own position with
false claims. It won a majority in the Mid-term congressional election two
years ago and took over a range of state administrations. It now seeks to
impose its control over the state.
Counter to this is the growing dissatisfaction amongst
Americans. Larger numbers seek something other than a choice between who will
misrepresent them. The rise of ultra-reaction is being fought on many fronts
and it is scoring victories.
Impact on Australia
Australia is thoroughly enmeshed in the grip of US
imperialism. Our politicians, by and large, serve this foreign master. They get
us involved in wars of aggression and utilise Australia as deputy sheriff in
the Asia-Pacific region. Australian parliamentary leaders play an ever more
prominent and sorry role in international forums as the ventriloquist’s dummy,
where the spokespeople of US imperialism must hide behind the scenes.
The outcome of the US election, in terms of which US
ruling class faction is dominant, will have a direct impact on economic policy
and on democratic rights in Australia. The importance of this cannot be denied.
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