Afghanistan opportunity for spread of communist workers’ power fight here ♦ Women workers as fighters for our class here ♦ 
Taliban Take Over of Afghanistan: Opportunity to Spread the Fight for Communist Workers’ Power
INDIA, August 23—A young comrade from Delhi started the meeting when he was asked, “What is happening in Afghanistan?” After a long pause, he answered, “Everything has changed, nothing has changed.”
Comrades from the Chennai auto industry, garment workers in Bengaluru and several others in Delhi met to discuss the Taliban’s rapid advance to power and our communist response. Five comrades in Bangladesh joined us.
Until the 19th century, what is now Afghanistan was populated by feudal tribes with various religions and ethnicities. The region was influenced by Persia, Turkey, Russia from the north and the Mongols and Chinese from Central and East Asia. It was consolidated in 1880 as Afghanistan in response to the British effort to seize its natural resources. The British colonial power tried to divide and conquer the land. Eventually, Afghani resistance made the cost of keeping the British army there too high.
After the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, communists in British India sowed seeds of revolution that radicalized the emerging working class in Afghanistan.
However, the communist movement led by the Soviet Union relied on nationalism as a supposedly progressive force. A coup in 1973 abolished the monarchy and another coup brought a pro-Soviet regime to power in 1978.
The Soviet Union was, by then, an imperialist power. It aided Afghanistan with education and agrarian reforms. But Afghanistan remained a colony and the Soviets used it to stop the rise of US imperialism. Until 1989, Afghanistan was heavily influenced by the Soviet Union and eventually occupied.
Soviet imperialism in Afghanistan created the conditions for Maoist groups to fight back. But they never fought for communist revolution. Instead, they chose opportunist national liberation as a road to socialism. This weakness, along with declining Soviet imperialism, allowed the US to influence Pakistan in creating the so-called ‘Freedom Fighters’ who became the Taliban.
Taliban Take Over
China became Afghanistan’s number-one import/export market while the US was shoring up the corrupt Afghanistan regime and its army. The Taliban coming to power will drastically increase the influence of Pakistan and China. Afghanistan’s vast reserves of mineral and other natural resources will be integrated into the multi-billion-dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
India’s influence will decline, and, as many comrades pointed out, India’s fascist president Modi will use the example of the Taliban to increase anti-Muslim racism. He will consolidate xenophobic laws and more brutal repression in Kashmir, where more than 700,000 Indian troops are now stationed.
Garment workers were quick to point out that Modi and the Taliban share the same sexist, misogynist outlook.
Fight for a paycheck or fight for communist workers’ power
The young comrade from Delhi said that the US defeat in Afghanistan was like the battle of Waterloo which ended the era of French domination.
Another comrade quoted former US General Wesley Clark, who said that the Afghan army trained by the US collapsed quickly because “many of the foot soldiers that make up the military saw the job as a paycheck, not a cause.”
We, as communists, understand that soldiers in any capitalist and imperialist standing army in the world look at the military as a paycheck. The bosses try to win them ideologically to patriotism and nationalism. However, when communists organize, the bosses’ army can collapse quickly.
The Chinese Red Army won over many soldiers from the bosses’ army to their side. These soldiers saw the collectivity, sharing and commitment of the communist soldiers to fight for revolution to end exploitation.
US Imperialism is Going Downhill Fast
The rapid decline of the US will escalate with its defeat in Afghanistan. The Europeans under NATO have been left alone to cut their losses. Europe is more dependent on Russian and Chinese imperialism with the decline of US imperialist power in Europe, Central Asia, and the Caspian Sea.
Just days after the ignominious US defeat in Afghanistan, Russia and Germany are about to launch the Nord Steam 2 pipeline, which will bring gas directly from Russia to Germany.
Opportunity to Spread Communist Ideas
“Nothing has changed” as the comrade said. The main thing—wage slavery—has not changed. Sexism, xenophobia and racism are increasing. What has changed is a Waterloo-like decline of US imperialism and the consolidation of Chinese imperialism.
This gives us the opportunity to go to the working class with communist organizing. The heavily fortified “Green Zones” in Kabul or Baghdad, with US-educated power elite and politicians, can never win the hearts and minds of the working class.
After an intense discussion, we concluded that communists in the International Communist Workers’ Party have the tremendous responsibility and opportunity to advance communism as the true alternative. To build a mass ICWP where all comrades fight together to spread communism.
We are reaching out to our comrades in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh with Red Flag. We have some contacts in Afghanistan also and we will struggle and win them to one ICWP around the world.
Communist revolution will unite and inspire the masses, who hate imperialism and sexism to fight for and build a world where our one working class family produces only to meet the masses’ needs. Communism will abolish wage slavery, the material basis of sexism, racism and imperialism.
Women Workers Are Fighters for Our Class, Not Victims
During the pandemic I reconnected on Facebook with a former co-worker, also retired. We share similar tastes in music and enjoy expressing our views on political issues.
Last week my friend became very upset about the abrupt withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. She felt that “we” left allies there (especially women) in danger of being killed by the Taliban. She suggested we write and call our state senators and representatives.
I acknowledged that no one wanted these women to die or be tortured. But why would we expect the US Military to protect them when they don’t even protect women soldiers in their own ranks from constant harassment and sexual assault?
The discussion continued, with others joining in. I corrected someone who said “we” are all complicit and “we” needed to clean up our mess. I reminded them that US workers were never asked to vote on invading Iraq or Afghanistan. In fact, millions took to the streets chanting “NO MORE WAR!” The blood of the Afghan workers is on the hands of the US ruling class.
When the ruling class is exposed for crimes of poverty, hunger, torture and abuse (especially involving women and children) they create a smoke screen, flooding the media with personal stories and graphic photos. This is meant to bring about feelings of sympathy for the victims. It also diverts our anger away from the bosses and their warlords.
Communists must not let these crimes of capitalism make us feel helpless. We must understand that those Afghan women and children are the very ones who will lead our revolution! Capitalism cannot and will not ever bring them justice or equality.
In Red Flag we see photos of angry women from many countries marching with their fists in the air, holding rifles, and waving red flags. They refuse to be victims. These are the images we need to show our friends and families. The only solution is a communist revolution!
Comrade in Seattle (USA)
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