Global Roundup: Venezuelans support Bolivarian revolution

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), formerly a part of Yugoslavia, has seen massive anti-government workers' protests. They started in the town of Tuzla as a protest by unemployed workers against privatisation of local factories, and ended up with the town's government building on fire and police using water cannon against protestors in Sarajevo, B&H's capital. Workers in Tuzla also demanded defence of their pensions, and arrests of those who have corruptly benefited from privatisation.

Since the end of the Yugoslavian wars in 1995, B&H has been split into two ethnically based states (one Serb, one Croat/Muslim) who share the national government between them. Their squabbling means this government is almost always deadlocked, leaving real power in the United Nations High Representative, who acts as a tool of NATO, the European Union and the IMF.

The uprising in Tuzla raised slogans not only against privatisation, but against “nationalism” - which, in B&H, means the two ethnic states stirring up hatred against each other while neglecting the real problems of working people. One miner in Tuzla told the crowd: “The only identity we have is as miners”. “We are hungry in three languages” explained one banner on a demonstration in the town of Zenica.

It's worth remembering that this region has a history of workers' protests leading to regime change – for example, the 2000 uprising against the Serbian nationalist warmonger Slobodan Milosevic was sparked by a coal miners' uprising.

Venezuela has also seen violent protests, this time by the right-wing opposition against the socialist government of President Nicolás Maduro. Two deaths were reported after a commemorative demonstration turned into attacks on government buildings, police cars and pro-government TV stations.

The opposition blames Maduro and his United Socialist Party (PSUV), founded by the late president Hugo Chavéz, for rising crime and high inflation. The government, in turn, blames price rises on business deliberately hoarding food to sabotage the economy and increase opposition support.

It’s thought that the violent protests may indicate a split in the opposition, between moderate forces who wish to fight the PSUV within the current constitution, and a far-right or even fascist tendency who want to provoke a coup. PSUV leaders have called on workers and students not to fall for right-wing provocations.

France sent troops into its former colony, the Central African Republic (CAR)in January to reinforce its government. The CAR is one of the world’s poorest countries, even though it sits on large reserves of diamonds, oil and uranium. It has been ruled by a series of military dictators since 1966, all of which have been supported by France, whose main interest is protecting French commercial interests exploiting the country.

French troops were already involved in the neighbouring country of Mali, fighting an Islamic separatist movement in the north of that country. In the background of all of this is China’s increasing economic influence in Africa, negotiating trade and resources deals with many countries which were previously reliable clients of the USA or European powers. France is clearly determined to maintain dominance and “stability” in what used to be its African Empire.

The CAR’s crisis is breaking out into ethnic-religious warfare, spilling over from anti-Islamist conflicts in neighbouring Mali and Nigeria. The mainly Muslim Seleka movement was the main force behind a coup last March. After the coup leader resigned this month to allow a new French-baked interim president to take over, Christian militias have led a murderous revenge campaign, which the new régime seems powerless to stop. It’s not surprising that French Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on February 15 that the French intervention in the CAR will last “longer than expected”.

Tensions are clearly growing between the USA and Israel, with US Secretary of State John Kerry attempting to negotiate some kind of freeze to continued Israeli settlement in Occupied Palestine. The Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has flatly rejected US proposals for even the most minor concessions to the very weak Palestinian Authority. Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon described Kerry’s peace plan as “not worth the paper it was written on”.

The USA and Israel have been the closest of allies over the last 40 years, with US aid to Israel projected to reach more than $US3 billion dollars in the coming year. This is mostly military aid, which frees the Israeli government to spend large amounts on its core supporters.

But Netanyahu and his allies are determined to destroy the growing power of Iran, if necessary by direct military action. On the other hand, the mess left by the 2003 invasion of Iraq has led to an Iran-friendly government in that country, which US forces must prop up to prevent a new outbreak of war. Netanyahu slammed the recent US-brokered deal for Iran to dismantle its nuclear weapons capability as "an historic mistake."

ENDS

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