It is undeniable that we are living in a very different world then the one we lived in prior to September 11th. Yes, civilization is still here, and its leaders are now tightening their reigns upon us all to further solidify their control. This has been made increasingly more visible after the recent attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as it is necessary for them to defend their vulnerable position and to maintain their unsustainable system of domination. They will inevitable associate participants of anti-state and anti-industrial movements with the types of activities that occurred on September 11th, in order to gain public support for repressive tactics used against the growing movements which reject and fight against their standardizing logic. This is evident with the new anti-terrorist/anti-subversion acts and laws, the new focus on law enforcement and security, and the labeling of anarchists as "hate groups" and "terrorists". This must be resisted and we must expose the system for what it is.

Our feelings on the September 11th attacks are mixed, due to the complexity of the situation and the lack of reliable information. We wish to avoid the trappings of the "black and white" or "good vs. evil" alternative of either being a patriotic pro-war american, on one hand, or supporting the murderously authoritarian attacks on New York and Washington D.C., on the other. Actions that hold individuals and institutions responsible for their politically oppressive and ecologically destructive practices need to be distinguished from the militaristic concept of "collateral damage", which the U.S. government employs when it works to its advantage. This is not to imply that all of the victims of the attacks were necessarily "innocent" - let us not forget that the Pentagon is the seat of U.S. military power and that the World Trade Center was the premiere hub for the major players of global economic domination. However, we must also acknowledge that many of the victims were just attempting to satisfy capitalism’s demands for survival by working, or trying to travel from point A to point B, who’s murders are undeserved and inexcusable. Needless to say, however, no tears will be shed for any CEO’s, investment bankers, or pigs who were crushed by falling concrete and steel, much less over the fact that two of the greatest monuments of U.S. power are no longer standing.

Rather than immediately calling for revenge against the suspected participants of these attacks, much less the entire population of the countries in which the suspects may have resided, it is important to reflect upon the reasons why the U.S. might be the target for these types of actions. There is an unending list of imperialistic foreign policies, enforced in a multitude of ways, which impoverish and enslave people around the world while reeking havoc on local ecosystems. Policies such as the financial and armed support of military coups for the sake of protecting landholdings and investments of U.S., European, and Japanese corporations from being re-appropriated by popular people’s movements, setting up puppet states and military dictatorships in politically "unstable" regions, and pressuring foreign leaders to accept loans and the subsequent debts which only increase dependency on industrialism and destroys sovereignty. Anti-U.S. sentiment is at an all-time high - this is not because people are envious of our "freedom" and "privilege", but because these so-called benefits are at their expense. None-the-less, we cannot add our support to the September 11th attacks, not only because they have led to the death of many undeserving and unknowing victims, but because the goals of the perpetrators, if they are indeed who the government and the media claim them to be, are no less authoritarian than the U.S.

In this light, it is vital that we oppose the war against Afghanistan, just as it is vital to oppose the other hideous and destructive manifestations of civilization. But, this must be done in a way which is anarchist in nature, and which acknowledges this complex situation. There has been a reactionary response by many "anti-war" liberals and "peace" activists to call for a "limited" bombing campaign to root out the terrorists and the implementation of a global government to ensure our physical safety, create a more "just" world, and protect our "natural resources". This must be rejected for the authoritarian-statism that it is. We are living in a time when it will become more clear then ever where people sit. Be warned, the new fence is equip with barbed-wire, so those who cannot decide will have their asses ripped apart. Around the world we are seeing militant responses to the U.S. bombing campaign, while in the U.S. the response has been either justification for the actions, or a passive plea to those in power to stop. We must develop a militant, anti-authoritarian opposition to the war which avoids the single-issue dead-ends of the "peace" movement, but instead, brings the deeper reasons and implications into the discussion, while offering more revolutionary alternatives of resistance than that of holding signs at the local federal building or petitions to local representatives.

It is also important to look at Afghanistan, and the political, social, and economic dynamics being played out there. We must remember that the U.S. has historically funded, armed, and trained repressive regimes, like the Taliban, for the sake of U.S. interests, and later discard or destroy them when they step out of line or are of no longer any use to them. That is what is currently happening, and it is nothing new. It is important to note what the U.S. has to gain by setting up another puppet regime, like the Northern Alliance, in order to "stabilize" the area and so that "resources" like natural gas, oil, and human labor can be exploited. Finally, we must remember that every bomb that falls on Afghanistan will inevitably effect those who have repeatedly suffered from the Taliban rule most - those in opposition to Islamic fundamentalism, the poor, children, and women. The Taliban has some of the most horrific policies and attitudes towards women in the modern world. In Afghanistan, women are not allowed to work, go to school, receive health care, travel, gather in public, leave their home without a male relation, and even show their face or expose their body. We must be fundamentally opposed to the Taliban and any group which is in opposition to freedom and autonomy.

This turn of events in the world has given those in power the opportunity to deepen their control, but it has also given us an opportunity and necessity to build a stronger and more serious movement in opposition to their power. We must create more outlets of independent media to counter-act the corporate/state propaganda. We must make a break from this system and create autonomous networks of mutual aid. We must work to create a broader and more diverse anti-authoritarian movement. We must support, now more then ever, the underground movements around the world, who fight the daily battle for liberation of the earth and for autonomy for its peoples. We must not back down out of fear, because if we slow down now, we are surely done for. We must rise-up together to finally stop the war-machine. We must fight the New World Order, which is just the current manifestation of the same old world order, built on patriarchy and domination. We must destroy civilization, before it finally destroys us! - Green Anarchy

 

Sorry for the lateness of issue #7. We had many personal and political factors to deal with, but linear time is a tool of the system and therefore it not very important to us. We respect a very organic and unpredictable process. We hope you enjoy this issue, and as always, feedback is much appreciated. Our deadline for the next issue is January 1st, 2002.

HOME