A Test For Peace

THE BOURGEOISIE’S claim to uphold “universal human values” and glibly talk about the concepts peace, freedom, social progress, equal rights and human dignity as if they had invented them. But when the interests of the ruling class are challenged they show their true face — which is duplicity, oppression and aggression.

Last November the bourgeois media were having a field day against Jeremy Corbyn over Trident. We were told that the billions to be spent on Trident renewal was essential for Britain’s defence. General Houghton, the head of the armed forces, claimed the Labour leader’s stance on Trident and nuclear weapons undermined the “credibility of deterrence” and the Prime Minister, David Cameron, told us that Corbyn was a “threat to national security” for daring to challenge Labour’s traditional support for the Trident nuclear weapons system.

Last week the very same people who extol the concept of “nuclear deterrence” and the virtues of nuclear weapons were heaping the same abuse against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) for daring to do what they’ve been doing for a very long time themselves.

The Cameron government “strongly condemned” the DPRK H-bomb test, claiming it was a “clear violation” of United Nations Security Council resolutions and all sorts of other nonsense that the imperialists churn out to justify their own double-standards.

What they don’t say is that the UN has been marginalised. Anglo—American imperialism only pays lip service to UN institutions when it suits their purposes. When the Americans can use it to rubber-stamp their aggression the world organisation is supported. When it is no longer of any further use to them it is ignored and discarded.

British and United States imperialism poses the greatest danger to world peace. The US National Missile Defence system has triggered another global arms race. The tearing up of the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty has undermined every other international agreement on nuclear weapons.

Even so, the imperialists are trying to use part of the non-proliferation agreement as an instrument to bully and threaten any country attempting to develop an independent nuclear industry. But because the non-proliferation treaty has still to be implemented by the imperialist camp, every sovereign state has the legitimate right to develop its nuclear industry.

What they don’t say is that the DPRK, People’s China and India, have all pledged never to be the first to use nuclear weapons.

None of the imperialist powers will give a similar guarantee. In March 2002 the British government stated that it was prepared to use nuclear weapons against “rogue states” such as Iraq if they ever used “weapons of mass destruction” against British troops in the field and the Americans have always reserved the right to use nuclear weapons first in the case of conflict.

The DPRK had no choice but to develop its nuclear energy programme and its own independent nuclear deterrent. Its enemies are close at hand. The DPRK threatens no one. But US imperialism wants to perpetuate the division of Korea and ultimately to extinguish socialism in the Korean peninsula. US nuclear-armed warships are stationed off the Korean coast and thousands of US troops are in the occupied south of Korea as well as in Japan.

The New Communist Party of Britain congratulates the DPRK on the successful test of an H-bomb last week. Strengthening the DPRK’s nuclear defence is an essential deterrent to US imperialism and its puppets. We salute the outstanding work of the DPRK scientists and workers who made this essential contribution to the DPRK’s defence possible.

New Worker editorial 
15th January 2016