"Whatever Workers Action might say, the truth of the matter is that it has backed down before the anti-Soviet hvsteria being Whipped ur This was the message Tony Roberts gave in a debate organised between Socialist Action and workers Achion last monin. d ansury douse. on ine cuesuon Roberts, of Socialist Action, went on to explain that, despite the bureaucratic nature of the Soviet leadership, the entry of the Red Army into Afghanistan is a " |hev did not go in • - as in to crush the workers and peasants but to defend their interests against the CIAinspired guerrillas our to overtur! the massive reform programme This reform programme, he pointed out, was a major step forward. The PDPA had launched a mass literacy drive, granted rights to women. recognised trade unions organised land retorm and giver aronomy to oppressed national Moreover, he pointed out, the soviet interventon was not all aul ol agression (as pointed in ine Western press). It was clearly designed to protect their borders trom what was seen as a direc threat if a Washington-backed regime managed to seize power toere It was because the Soviet army had destroyed the CIA-inspired guerrilla bands mascarading as 'freedom fighters' - that the western press had launched such a virulent campaign. They have since used this intervention scotched their manoeuvres in the area - to launch a mass outcry against the USSR and to justify their nuclear arms race.
"It is a primary task of socialists", he concluded, 'not to join in the hysteria against the USSR protecung workers night: against the West which is cynically using it as an excuse for rushing no a war orive Speaking for Workers Action, Sean Matgamna ridiculed the idea that the CIA was involved in promoting guerrilla resistence to the PDPA regime. He argued that the rea problem was that the Stalinist PDPA lacked any social base among the workers and peasants and that its reform programme was -- which in this instance is • OU The Soviet intervention was designed to prop up this minority regime which was losing contact win une mass or me poouanot Such an intervention, however. clearly helped the reactionary bands' bı alienating workers and peasants sulll lurinel In that sense, while calling for an exposure of the Western hypocrisy, It was also necessary lo demand the withdrawal of Soviet troops which have not defended our toreatened orogressive developments in Afghanistan.
DEBATE The debate that followed was both lively and informative. speakers from both sides putting forward leir wews in turn . A ker focus tot the debate that followed was the USSR's motivation in entering If, as Matgamna implied. the USSR moved into Aignanistan or an expansionist move. one socaner pointed out. tat would serious! undermine one's analysis of it as a parasitic bureaucracy of a workers state. Surel, the speake continued. socialists criticism of ine wook is inat .. as in Vietnam it has been prepared to sell out revolutions around the world in order to gain detente with ihe why on the earin would h jeopardise this 'detente' merei! ti invade a backward. poor country As Roberts summed up. suen. move just wouldn't make ions.
Socialist Action