On the importance of an unwavering struggle for Swedish neutrality and the need for a broad alliance against US imperialism.
The great leader Kim Il Sung developed the Juche idea based on the specific conditions that the struggle against Japanese colonialism meant to the Korean people. Starting from the actual reality and listening to the people, the great leader succeeded in unifying the Korean people in the struggle against the Japanese imperialists. In his work, the great leader Kim Il Sung emphasized that it is only the people's own efforts and active armed struggle that can defeat Japanese imperialism.
By unifying the national resistance and giving it a correct political leadership, the power of the masses of the people was enabled, which led to the struggle for national independence winning the country's liberation in August 1945.
The victory over Japanese imperialism was a great victory for the Juche idea and it started a new era of independence for the Korean people. Through the victory, national independence was realized and the work on building a flourishing socialist state of Juche began. By developing independent politics and emphasizing its own economic development, the great leader Kim Il Sung laid out the way for the Korean people and the historical development that the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea has undergone.
The Juche idea came to be further developed by dear leader Kim Jong Il. Dear leader Kim Jong Il developed the Juche idea by further emphasizing the role of the military in the defense and building of the revolution, thus formulating the Songun policy. Through the Songun policy, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was transformed into an impregnable bastion of Juche, thus securing peace on the Korean Peninsula. When other countries abandoned socialism, the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea could continue to evolve despite the imperialists' aggression and provocations. Through the development of a deterrent nuclear weapon, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea secured peace and destroyed the US imperialists' dreams of a new war on the Korean Peninsula. Songun politics has thus been extremely successful in its goal of defending national independence, sovereignty and peace.
Marshal Kim Jong Un has successfully built on the work of great leader Kim Il Sung
and dear leader Kim Jong Il.
On the basis of the Kimilssungsim-Kimjongilism, Marshal Kim Jong Un has developed and successfully implemented the strategic byungjin-line. Through the Byungjin line, the deterrent nuclear weapon has evolved into perfection and today represents an effective deterrent against imperialist aggression. At the same time, the socialist economy has been developed to raise the people's standard of living.
Today we see a positive development in the economy. Examples of this are the major infrastructure projects that have been constructed in recent years, such as the Masik Pass Ski Resort, the Ryomyong area, the new research center in Pyongyang and the Koam-Tapchon Railway to name but a few.
By developing the economy and the nuclear deterrent, Marshal Kim Jong Un has both secured peace and independence, and undermined the US imperialists' attempt to punish the Democratic People's Republic of Korea through sanctions.
Despite the economic warfare of US imperialism, the country is developing and a new era of struggle for reunification of its own power has begun.
The fact that the strategic line Marshal Kim Jong Un has designed is correct can be seen in the great progress made in these areas.
Through this development, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shows that an independent and self-reliant line in relation to the great powers is possible and compatible with economic development, and even a small country can thus be a major model and inspiration. This is a development we need to support and which is of great importance also for Sweden and other Nordic countries today.
I will now turn over to briefly account for Sweden's relation to US imperialism, and then put this in relation to the Korean experience based on the Juche idea.
Sweden and NATO - a Juche perspective
In Sweden, there is pride in that the country had been in peace for more than 200 years, and that Sweden has avoid being pulled into the two world wars through an official policy of being alliance-free. Internationally, Sweden is perceived as a peaceful country who stands for those on the weak side of international conflicts.
This image is largely based on the symbolic support that Sweden has expressed for countries and movements throughout history.
The most famous example would be the prime minister of Olof Palme’s Christmas speech in 1972 where the United States bombings of Hanoi were compared with other historical war crimes. The speech led to strained relations between Sweden and the United States, and also showed that there was possibility for maneuvers in Swedish policy in relation to the United States. However, this condemnation of US imperialism by Olof Palme was not a result of Sweden's official policy in relation to the United States, but had been forced by a strong movement in support of the
Vietnamese people.
Following the military coup in Chile in September 1973, Sweden became one of the countries that received the most Chilean refugees, of which a large part belonged to socialist and communist organizations in their homeland. In 1975, Sweden was the first country outside the real-socialist sphere to establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The policy that Sweden took during the 70's and 80's was a result of a neutrality politics and being free of any alliance which allowed Sweden to take a relatively independent position in relation to the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. Through popular movements, such as the support of the people fighting in the Vietnam War or for the recognition of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea, leading politicians were forced to stand for justice, independence and self-reliance.
This policy has been beneficial for Sweden and has broad public support. At the same time, it is hated by the reactionary forces that want to earn money from war and new markets. For these forces, Swedish neutrality and being alliance-free constitute an obstacle for increasing arms exports and establishing new trade agreements in the wake of the war and robbery of the US imperialists. Therefore, in pursuit of profit, these forces are prepared to sacrifice not only human life but also
Swedish national independence and sovereignty. In this way, the Swedish capitalists act on the basis of their own interests and imperialist aspirations in symbiosis with US imperialism.
There is much evidence which points out that these reactionary forces were behind the murder of Olof Palme 1986 and in recent decades they have strengthened their influence over Swedish defense policy.
I will now turn to what this has meant for Sweden and Sweden's opportunities for independent and self-reliance policies.
NATO is a threat to Swedish independence
After the Soviet Union's disintegration in 1991, Sweden has become increasingly clear in standing behind US imperialism. By joining the NATO Partnership for Peace, Sweden has taken a big step towards full NATO membership. At the same time, Sweden's membership in the EU has meant that Sweden has lost control of large parts of their economic and foreign policy as it must be coordinated
with that of the EU.
The Swedish approach towards NATO has led to increased military rearmament on Swedish soil and joint military exercises. In 2017, the Aurora 17 military exercise was held, where thousands of US and other NATO troops participated in combat scenarios around Sweden. By allowing NATO countries to practice for future war on Swedish soil, Sweden moves farther from being a neutral and alliance free country to becoming a transit country or a possible frontline in the confrontation between US imperialism and Russia. By abandoning the policy of being alliance-free,
Sweden is likely to be drawn into conflict and be reduced to the role of a pawn sacrifice in the US imperialists war. It is obvious that Sweden has everything to lose with this kind of development.
The granting of Swedish land for NATO troops and military agreements with NATO makes Sweden a target for countermeasures from the Russian side. These Russian countermeasures are then used as an excuse for deepening the ties with NATO.
Sweden is going from a peaceful, neutral and alliance-free passage area to becoming part of the direct encirclement of Russia. This development is also seen in Finland, and on May 8, Sweden, Finland and the United States signed an agreement on deepening military cooperation.
This alliance makes Sweden a pawn in the United States superpower game and poses a threat to Swedish self-determination. An alliance with the US imperialists will never be beneficial to Sweden but is unilaterally dictated one the United States premises and interests.
But Sweden does not only give up its land and sign agreements with the US imperialists.
In order to adapt the Swedish defense to NATO's demands, Sweden is buying an increasingly large share of military equipment from the United States and other NATO countries. Two notable deals are "helicopter 14" and the anti-aircraft robot system "Patriot". These billion dollar deals involve huge investments in military equipment produced in NATO countries, and in practice mean that Sweden loses control of their domestic military production and maintenance of critical defense systems which is very worrying. This also includes an adaptation towards NATO's offensive military. Instead of strengthening a people-based defense of its own power, Sweden is dependent on expensive foreign weapon systems that are not designed for Swedish needs. At the same time Sweden is missing out on research expertise and military technology development that could be used in defense based
on general and equal military service and self-reliance in the defense.
These agreements do not aim at meeting the Swedish defense needs but should be seen as a tribute to US imperialism, an expression of and proof of Swedish loyalty and submission. The fact that this is true is apparent if one considers that the Swedish national defense required an increase in defense expenditure to 2% of the GDP in order to cover the cost of this systems. This also happens to be the level set by US President Donald Trump as a minimum limit for defense spending in NATO
countries.
Another example of Sweden becoming more and more a vassal state under the United States is Sweden's actions in connection with the UN Convention on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Sweden has long been in favor of such a convention and Sweden participated actively during the process. Despite this, and despite the fact that 86% of Sweden's population supported the convention,
Sweden chose not to sign the convention. The reason was because of direct pressure from the United States. The United States threatened to leave Sweden outside of the United States’ sphere of protection if Sweden did not refrained from supporting the convention. Thus Sweden's alliance with the United States does not only cost money but also national self-determination politically and independence.
To become dependent on the United States imperialists for protection is in
practice becoming a subject to US imperialism.
Sweden also actively participates in the war of US imperialism by having troops in Afghanistan since 2002. In 2011, Sweden participated in the NATO attack on Libya by conducting signals efforts in "Operation Karakal". Sweden currently has troops in Iraq and the connection to US operations in Syria is suspiciously unclear.
In May 2018, it was reported that Sweden moved one of its reconnaissance flights to the Mediterranean and the border with Syria. At the same time, Sweden is at the forefront of international pressure against Russia and uses alleged aggression from the country as a reason to further approach NATO. But the threat to Swedish independence is not coming from Russia.
It is instead support for US imperialism which now represents a direct and urgent threat to Swedish sovereignty and independence. Today, Sweden's foreign policy is dictated by central parts in Washington instead of Stockholm. This development is likely to be strengthened further by the agreement concluded on May 8 between Sweden, Finland and the United States, as I mentioned earlier. This agreement was secretly dealt with and was presented the same day as the United States withdraw from the Iran Agreement.
It is ironic that Sweden is writing an agreement to deepen military cooperation with the United States, thus making us even more dependent on US patronage, the same day as the United States so clearly shows that their word is worth so little. In this way, the Swedish politicians, supported by the reactionaries in Sweden, are selling the independence and self-reliance to the US imperialists for a vague promise of protection in the future. The Swedish people, however, have nothing
to gain from such an alliance, the imperialists have no eternal friends, only eternal interests.
What is to be done?
I will now analyze the current situation in Sweden based on the Korean experience and the great leader Kim Il Sung’s Juche idea. I will also point out some of the issues that the Juche idea emphasizes as crucial to the development of Sweden. I want to start with a quote from one of Kim Il Sung's works "Let's crush the imperialists aggression and war maneuvers and ensure peace and independence": "The world situation is now more complicated and tense than ever before. Because of the aggression and wargames of the imperialists, peace is threatened in many parts of the world, the danger of a new war has increased and the sovereignty of countries and nations is violated. The United States imperialists, who are pursuing world domination, openly resort to a "strength policy"; they increase armament and, on a widespread scale, reinforce their armed aggression forces, while intriguing to strengthen NATO, an aggressive military block, deploying new types of nuclear weapons in Europe and increase the number of offensive military bases in many parts of the world "
- Kim Il Sung
These words by Kim Il Sung, unfortunately, could as well be written today. They show that US imperialism is the same now as it always has been. Through its intrigues and secret agreements, the US imperialists have drawn Sweden into the aggressive NATO block and work to make Sweden a base for US imperialism. The US imperialists receive support from the reactionary forces in Sweden that oppose popular influence and peace for their own personal gain.
The politicians involved in these agreements claim that a NATO membership would increase Sweden's security, but this security is a false security. By becoming dependent on the protection of superpowers, Sweden instead becomes more vulnerable.
Kim Il Sung once was in a meeting with Khrushchev. Khrushchev suggested that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea should build a power line to the Soviet Union and buy the electricity from them. Kim Il Sung pointed out that this money could instead be used to build their own power stations. Furthermore, Kim Il Sung pointed out that if the electricity was produced in the Soviet Union, the shutdown button would also be there. Kim Il Sung understood what many in Sweden seems to have forgotten, namely, that whoever becomes dependent to the great powers also becomes vulnerable. This is evident in Sweden's relation to US imperialism and NATO. By adjusting its
military to NATO and purchasing military equipment from the United States and other NATO countries, Sweden has effectively handed over the shutdown button to the United States. Sweden has also handed over control of its economic policy through membership in the EU. Thus, the reactionary forces in Sweden have sold Sweden on both the economic and military levels. The United States is already using this by exercising political pressure and utilizing Sweden as an obedient tool
in the UN.
Kim Il Sung: Talk to the vice-director of the us center for strategic and international studies 1 and his party”, 1992 In line with the Juche idea, Sweden should instead aim, like the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, to develop its own military strategy and technology based on the needs of Sweden. In this, Sweden should rely on the masses of the people and establish a defense based on the people’s participation.
There are forces that support the Swedish approach to NATO as they see no alternative to an alliance with the United States in order to ”defend peace”. But this is incorrect, a peace that implies submission to the great powers is a slave peace. Kim Il Sung described this attitude in his work "Let us intensify the anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. Struggle ” from 1967:
"”It is wrong to try to shun the struggle against imperialism, alleging that independence is good and revolution is also good, but peace is more precious. Is it not quite true that the line of seeking unprincipled compromise with imperialism only encourages its aggressive actions and increases the danger of war? Peace secured through slavish submission is not peace. Genuine peace will not come unless a struggle is waged against the beakers of peace, unless the slave ́s peace is rejected and the rule of the oppressors overthrown” 2
- Kim Il Sung
Sweden has not only lost control of the production and maintenance of important military infrastructure but also our national self-determination. By siding with the US imperialists, Sweden has been reduced to a obedient lackey of US imperialism.
The fact that the United States imperialists and their paid flunkeys in Sweden used this to force Sweden to adopt a policy that lacks support from the Swedish people through pressure, as in the case of the Nuclear Prohibition Convention, is obvious. It also makes Sweden and the Nordic region a focal point for a conflict that is not ours, between an increasingly aggressive US imperialism and Russia.
For the people of Sweden it is crucial that the influence of the US imperialists on Swedish defense and politics ceases. Therefore, the Swedish people must rally around a movement against US imperialism and NATO. This struggle will also be a Kim Il Sung: ”Let us intensify the anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. struggle” 1967 2 battle against the reactionary capitalist lackeys in Sweden that serve in collaboration with US imperialism. Kim Il Sung wrote:
” In order to fight against U.S. imperialism and defend world peace, it is imperative to fight against the lackeys of U.S. imperialism and its allies. It holds an important place in the U. S. imperialist strategy to induce all forces of reaction to oppose socialism and the national-liberation movement. In executing their policies of aggression and war, the U.S. imperialists count on the reactionary forces in many countries that serve U.S. imperialism as a guide for aggression. "
For us who live in the capitalist world and in countries that are dependent upon, and thus being part of US imperialism, it is necessary to intensify the struggle for the restoration of national independence and sovereignty for all countries. For some, US imperialism may appear as invincible. But Kim Il Sung warned us both not to underestimate and overestimate imperialism. The aggressiveness of US imperialism is an expression of its decay, and the greater its
aggressiveness, the greater the resistance they will face. Kim il Sung wrote:
"We should neither underestimate nor overestimate the strength of U.S. imperialism. Like any other imperialism on the globe, U.S. imperialism, too, is on continuous decline and becoming more moribund. The intensified aggressive maneuvers of the U.S. imperialists are no signs of their mightiness but, on the contrary, prove their vulnerability. The more outrageously the U.S. imperialists act, the more difficult their position becomes. "
- Kim Il Sung
The destructive influence of US imperialism is everywhere on earth, and the
struggle against US imperialism must be carried on all fronts and in all
countries.
Kim Il Sung: ”The democratic people ́s republic of korea is the banner of freedom and independence for our people and the powerful weapon of building socialism and communism”, 1968 Kim Il Sung: ”Let us intensify the anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. struggle” 1967 The struggle for peace and independence in Sweden and the Nordic region is part of the greater struggle for peace and freedom on earth. By creating a popular movement, based on the people's own powers and interests, Sweden can regain its independence and cut the ties to the US imperialists and its main organization,
NATO. This will be in support of all peace-loving people. Kim Il Sung stressed that:
”In whatever part of the world the U.S imperialist forces of aggression may be wiped out, it will be a very good thing for all peoples of the world. It is necessary, therefore, to form a broadest possible anti-U.S. united front to isolate U.S imperialism thoroughly, and administer blows to it by united efforts wherever U.S. imperialism is engaged in aggression. Only by so doing, is it possible to disperse and weaken the force of U.S imperialism to the last degree and lead the people on every front to beat U.S imperialism with an overwhelming power. "
- Kim Il Sung
Our task is thus to support all those people who fight US imperialism while at the same time fight in our own countries to achieve the widest possible alliance in the fight against imperialism, for all people's independence and self-determination. This work includes strengthening solidarity with all people attacked by and fight against imperialism with or without weapons in hand. Only then can US imperialism be broken down and defeated once and for all.
Crush US imperialism!
Long live international solidarity!
Kim Il Sung: ”Let us intensify the anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. struggle” 1967 5
No comments:
Post a Comment