The responsibility for the large number of refugees and migrants coming to Europe, fleeing climate change, poverty, war and violence, must be laid squarely at the feet of the imperialist system. Britain, one of the world’s major imperialist powers, has meddled in the affairs of these regions for centuries – plundering, exploiting and massacring millions to bolster the profits of imperialism. In FRFI 220 we pointed out that the campaign against Libya was the 46th British military intervention in the Middle East and North Africa since the end of the Second World War. Since then, Britain has launched new airstrikes on Iraq, and has begun covert airstrikes on Syria. Britain is the world’s sixth-largest arms exporter. British imperialism is culpable in the causes of each flow of refugees and migrants. Any movement which fights in solidarity with refugees, must fight British imperialism. Toby Harbertson reports.
Libya
Libya’s coast is now one of the main staging points for refugees seeking to enter Europe. With no functioning state in Libya since the barbaric NATO intervention in 2011, the border is largely uncontrolled. Before 2011, Libya was a major destination for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. 2.5 million foreign nationals were living in Libya before the NATO onslaught. Libya had the highest
UN Human Development Index score, highest life expectancy, and lowest infant mortality, in Africa. This was smashed under NATO bombs, with Britain among those leading the way.
In FRFI 224 (2011) we said: ‘NATO said it was going to stop a massacre and then committed one. It flew approximately 28,000 sorties or an average of almost 133 a day for nearly eight months and killed between 50,000 and 70,000 people.’ We said ‘the people have not won in Libya; any victory will be that of NATO, the oil companies and imperialism.’ Now there are two rival governments – one in Tripoli and one in Tobruk. The Islamic State group (IS) and a range of other gangs fight for power elsewhere. Human trafficking and the smuggling of drugs and arms are rife.
Official documents reveal that Britain spent £320m on bombing Libya in 2011, with unofficial estimates reaching £1bn. Only £40m was spent on ‘stabilisation projects’ and aid following the massacre. Now, Britain plans to intervene in Libya again. David Cameron announced on 1 August that hundreds of British soldiers could form part of a ‘stabilisation force’ which would support the establishment of a ‘unity’ government.
Iraq
Iraq was occupied by Britain until 1947. Since then, British imperialism has made five separate military interventions in the country – 1958, 1991, 1991-2003, 2003-2011, and 2014-onwards. In the 1980s, the government of Saddam Hussein led an authoritarian, secular state which provided a high standard of living. The imperialist assault on the country destroyed this, leaving sectarian warfare, jihadist reaction, and a fragmented nation.
Britain supported both sides in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. In 1990, the UN Security Council imposed an economic blockade on the country – described by UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Baghdad, Denis Halliday, as ‘genocidal’. Britain participated in the First Gulf War in 1991 which left Iraq struggling to function. UN figures suggest that Iraqi fatalities of the period 1990-2003 amount to 1.7 million, including at least 500,000 children.
In 2003 Britain was a major sponsor of the invasion and eight-year occupation of Iraq. Britain committed the second largest troop contingent to the war and occupied part of southern Iraq. This war is estimated to have killed 1 million people. The rule of the brutal Islamic State group across much of Iraq is a direct consequence of this war. The country is ranked the second most dangerous country in the world.
Britain is currently conducting airstrikes on Iraq, carrying out more than any other participating country excluding the US. Up to 1,600 civilians have been reported killed by the operation as a whole (Airwars.org).
Syria
The huge numbers of people fleeing Syria have attracted international media attention and sympathy. Since the war against Bashar Assad’s government began in 2011, at least four million people have fled the country, seven million have been internally displaced, and 250,000 have been killed. 95% of these refugees are living in neighbouring countries. Britain is one of a handful of countries which are to blame for this massive humanitarian catastrophe. Along with the US, France, Turkey and the Gulf States, Britain has waged a long war to destroy the Syrian government as they see it as an obstacle to their strategic and economic objectives.
Before 2011, Syria was known for its stability and relatively high standard of living. The government maintained a secular state in which the dominant religions could co-exist peacefully. 1.3 million refugees, mostly from Iraq and Palestine, were living in the country – three times the number currently hosted in Europe.
Britain has consistently supported schemes to strengthen the opposition in Syria giving millions of pounds of support, sending Special Forces to train and equip ‘rebels’, and providing intelligence. IS, now the main opposition to the government and the key driver of emigration, was a creation of the anti-Assad alliance. It was the beneficiary of the massive flow of money and weapons from NATO, Turkey and the Gulf States, and the vacuum caused by the weakening of the states in Iraq and Syria. Public sympathy for Syrian refugees is now being used to again raise the possibility of further British military intervention. In FRFI 225 (2012) we made our position clear: ‘The mass of the Syrian people have nothing to gain from imperialist attacks on their country. Hands off Syria!’
Afghanistan
From 1984 to 2014 the world’s largest refugee population was Afghan. Afghanistan has among the highest rates of depression, disability, and infant and maternal mortality in the world. The roots of this situation lie in imperialist intervention to prevent the country taking a path of independent development. In 1978 a socialist government took power in Afghanistan. It introduced free medical care for the poorest, extended the rights of women and guaranteed freedom of religion. It abolished feudalism and carried out a land reform programme.
From 1979, Britain participated in an operation to support jihadist Mujahideen fighters, plunging Afghanistan into decades of war. $6bn of support was provided to the Mujahideen by the US and Saudi Arabia. Britain provided 600 Blowpipe surface-to-air missiles. Ex-SAS soldiers were used to train fighters, including some at camps in Scotland. Osama Bin Laden was among those who came to prominence in the anti-socialist forces.
In FRFI 164 (2001) we said: ‘Since 1979, when the US and Britain backed the counter-revolutionary war against the Afghan government, 2.5 million Afghans, 10% of the population, have been killed. 6.3 million Afghans, 30% of the people, are refugees.’ This was before Britain engaged in 13 years of war in Afghanistan following the World Trade Centre attacks. During the war, up to 170,000 civilians were killed. The country is now fragmented between warlords, presiding over a booming heroin trade. It is now ranked the world’s third most dangerous country.
FRFI 247 October/November 2015
