this is unofficial english traslation of a document of PCm Italy about last NATO SUMMIT in Poland - this is the fifth and last part
Italian Imperialism at the NATO Summit
Italy was represented by Renzi and his
unpresentable ministers, Gentiloni and Pinotti. At certain degree they
reflected almost physically the actual weight of Italy
on NATO: fleas on elephant backs, characters who pretend to have influence
while their only prospect is to be aligned and serve the general interests of
imperialism, first and foremost the US, playing their role as junior
partner of the EU.
But the situation
in the world and in the sensitive regions for NATO leads also supporting actors
to be assigned an important role, certainly not for their abilities or influence
but because their position in the world contest and their location in the hottest
scenarios in the world.
So, they are fleas
but somehow indispensable, servants, yes, but necessary for a good performance
and the efficiency of the 'common home'.
Reviewing the
decisions of the NATO Summit, we see that the Italian imperialism, through
Renzi and his Ministers, have adopted very binding and, to some extent,
strategic decisions for our country and, which mortgage the present and the
future of our country in military and strategic terms.
No need to say
that no one has given consent to such decisions, not the parliament, that has
been reduced to a sounding board of the government decisions and the plots of
its ministers and parties or the depressing show of the 5 stars PMs, pathetic
neophytes of the bourgeois democracy, who scream, expose, but on the major
economic, political and strategic interests of imperialism do not count at all
nor they will count if they go to the government.
Of course, it can
be said: “Not in our name”, a slogan of the pacifist movement in the world and
in Italy.
But it is a slogan that does not save the soul. Unfortunately, the alternative
to the imperialist wars and the increasing involvement in it of Italian
imperialism is not peace, because without justice there is no peace, and
without overthrowing by arms the governments of the armies and war, no
aspiration to peace is achievable.
Has the
experience in all these years, from 2001 G8 on, taught us something? How many
decisions of Italian imperialism have not been implemented thanks the
opposition of the pacifist movement, even when it was able to involve several
tens of thousands people? Almost no one. What now, “When the going gets tough”?
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” has never been a reality for
the opposition movement to the imperialist war in Italy. But now, “the tough must get
going” if we really want that the decisions of Italian imperialism at NATO Summit will not only be
said “not in our name” but seriously opposed.
We just list some
facts.
Italy contributes with 150 soldiers to the rotation
assault troops deployed by NATO in Poland,
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Italy is part of
the so-called "quintet", along with US, Germany, France and Britain,
now including the pro Nazi Ukraine, to put pressure on Russia (in fact, Renzi
and especially the Italian bourgeoisie are not so happy of the “no business as
usual” with Moscow declared by Obama. It costs a lot. As Dinucci writes: “the
abandonment of the South stream gas pipeline Russia-Italy and sanctions on Russia have already made Italy lose
billions of euro”.
Italy actively
participates in the so-called “war on terrorism” against ISIS with planes and
troops in Iraq and Syria, and the “Sea Guardian Mission” in the Mediterranean,
that in turn is linked to the Operation “Sophia” of the EU to deal with
‘immigration and terrorism’.
Finally, Italy took up the role of ‘leading country’ (?)
along with Germany and Turkey, in the extension of the mission in Afghanistan, with thousand soldier deployed
between Herat and Kabul.
Once Renzi said
yes to all that, he can also say “Italy is no longer a sick to care
for, but an important point of reference.”
However, as
regards the new mission in the Libyan sea, Italy is really important, crucial
for the mission itself. The drones “Global Hawks” of NATO, produced by Northrop
Grumman, are deployed in the base in Sigonella,
Sicily, and will take off on
2017.
The Ministry of
Defence, led by the maid of the military and the defense industry, Pinotti,
insists that the military drones should be armed and that the weapons must be
produced in Italy.
But Italy can only buy and
implement the US
technology.
As for Afghanistan,
the Italian military are happy. Camporini, former chief of staff, said: “Italy has seen
confirmed a leadership role that has been able to achieve with his work on the
ground, both in terms of military actions and assistance.”
All these “paper”
leadership and medals claimed by Italy serve to justify a new
dramatic growth of the military expenditure. At the NATO summit Obama has made
clear that: we make plans and decisions but you will give men and the money,
since we have already given.
Dinucci, on il
Manifesto, wrote: “The official figures published by NATO during the summit
reported that military expenditure of Italy was 17 billion and 642 million euro
in 2015 and that it is estimated at 19 billion 980 million euro in 2016, i.e.
increased by 2.3 billion. Taking into account the extra-budget military
spending for International missions, warships, etc, the overall expenditure is
actually much higher. According to the NATO stats only, Italy spends an
average of 55 million euro per day in 2016.”
The NATO summit
has confirmed the ongoing mission at the Mosul
dam, Iraq,
that is passed as an operation of supervision / protection, when it is a
support on the ground to the massive bombings of US and its coalition. But Italy does even
more. As minister Pinotti pointed out, 3,000 Iraqi policemen have been trained
by about 90 Italian Carabinieri from June 2015. Obviously, they will be used in
the military operations to recover the control in the areas occupied by ISIS.
About other
missions abroad, it is good to note that what we had said about the parliament
and the military actions camouflaged as peace missions, did find a confirmation
in recent days. The law on peacekeeping missions has been adopted by parliament
with only one ‘NO’ (we do not know by whom); ‘Yes’ were 284, by government, Forza Italia, Fratelli d’Italia
etc.; 94 abstentions, by 5 Stelle, Sinistra Italiana and Lega Nord. It meant
Yes to the missions, Yes to the expenditure for the missions and Yes to the an
automatic mechanism for their approval.
Add to this
another very serious fact, that is the use of the Military Penal Code for these
missions. It means green light to war atrocities by our soldiers, with a
substantial impunity.
There was also a
measure ad hoc for the Italian marines detained in India, that establishes that
if a soldier kills civilians and for his misfortune is captured or dispersed,
the bonuses and money due while he was operating are still up to him.
There are other norms
that would merit discussion, later.
Italy is still a giant military platform for
the global action of NATO-US, and this aspect has been strengthened by the
decisions of the NATO Summit. It is not a coincidence that the Chief of Staff
of the Joint Force Command in Naples
is an Italian. And it is this command that plans the support by NATO to
countries, i.e. governments, such as Egypt,
Tunisia and Jordan.
This review of
the Italian commitments could continue, based on further details contained in
the final document of the Warsaw Summit. But it is good to wait for the results
of the action of imperialism.
What we cannot
postpone is the construction of a broad anti-NATO and anti-imperialist front,
centered on the struggle against Italian imperialism, which will connect all
the active movements, such as No Muos, and what remains of the opposition to
the US bases of Dal Molin or
Camp Darby.
More than pompous
declarations Renzi or the propaganda spread by the maid of generals Pinotti, an
acrimonious general, Marco Bertolini, until very recently Chief of Staff for
the missions abroad, helps us understand the renewed importance of these
battles.
Interviewed by La
Stampa, he openly said: “Get ready for war. Do not deceive yourself, the truth
is not that of the talk shows, the history has set in motion again. Someone
thinks that our armed forces are a useless tool, but we need to invest more if
we want to govern a difficult and dramatic future.” Speaking about what occurs
in the theaters where Italian soldiers operate, from Afghanistan
to Iraq, the Balkans, the
Mediterranean Sea, he concludes: “In Italy we persist to believe that we
live in the best of all possible worlds. It is not so.”
According to La
Stampa, a crowd of generals, admirals, colonels applauded wildly his
declarations.
Bertolini reminds
his men, but should to remind us too, that imperialism is war, that Italian
imperialism is in war in the various theaters and prepares the Italian
participation in the broader war outlined by NATO Summit in Warsaw.
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