climax.
began exactly a year ago on 9 January 1978.
Western
The same untortunately. majority of the left in Europe and North America.
exile'.
South Africa and Israel, explain its the West Western Europe. In general, the political grip politics. This delay may repercussions can revolutonary left throughout aevelooment.
move towards social-democracy by of Leninist political strategy.
and social-democratic reformism.
The explosions in Iran, the severest stresses where it is weakest.
CHOEmOUS automatically dispel all illusions in these institutions Spain in 1976.
fear. Once that disappears then everything is possible.
enormous political reserves at its disposal.
the year for them and for us.
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Socialist Challenge 4 January 1979 Page 2 THE STRUGGLE in Iran dominated world politics in 1978. The and abolish the monarchy. This now appears to be approaching a The first blows in the anti-Shah campaign were struck as long ago as October 1977, when tens of thousands of people started allending poetry reacings, Inese cultural galerings became a focus of political opposition. The first mass street demonstrations Neither repression nor limited concessions were able to contain press and media underplayed what was happening in Iran till the situation exploded with semi-uprisings and general strikes. It was only after a lapse of seve same us thatnally, cam ede said for the evening.
can be for the overwhelming Today it is perfectly obvious even to the most obsequious apologists tnat time has run out for the Pahlavi tamily. The bulk of it has already established its residence in the luxurious Beverly The overthrow of the Shah would destabilise one of the strongest pillars of the imperialist system in the Near East. Its oil supplies to coupled with its strategic vis-a-vis the USSK, south Asia, and tne on states in ine Gull, significance for imperialist military and political strategy. This has been further stressed by the despatch of American warships to the Gulf to prevent 'outside interference'.
However, while Iran has become the central focus of the world political struggle, it has been followed closely by Southern Africa and the Central American states. The events in these three continents have cast a long shadow over the successes of capital in The defeat of the Portuguese revolution in 1975 and the failure of the Union of the Left to win the French elections last year have been clear signs of a decline in the level of political struggles in ¡sterions so soner then twas in the period 1925 Thee economic struggle has yet to find a real expression in national only be temporary. but one already be seen in the stagnation of the Western Europe and America. Its failure to respond to Iran is only one index of this The development of 'Eurocommunism' has signified a further the Western European Communist parties. Ine turocommunist neorencians, nowever. have raised a number of important questions regarding the nature of bourgeois democracy. They have also challenged the very basis It would be futile to deny that the pessimistic analysis of the Eurocommunists has found a receptive audience amongst certain layers normally responsive to the far left. What is required is a creative but concrete political perspective which shows the very real possibilities of a revolutionary alternative to Eurocommunism Southern Africa America demonstrate once again that the imperialist chain suffers It is true that a successful revolution in the West would be of sia importance foothe future operative. pothe last year has ICCUUCTELIYC bourgeois-democratic institutions through which the ruling class mediates its rule in the West. To imagine that the mass struggle will disproved by France in May 1968, Portugal in Autumn 1975, and It is the lack of these mediations in the three continents, together with their dependent economic status, that makes them a source of constant worry for the United States and its junior partners in Western Europe. Thus at times of mass upsurges, dictators like the Shah or Somoza have only one means of quelling disturbances: naked coercion. This is only effective while the masses retain their To summarise: 1978 showed the inter-relationship of world politics and world economics in a very vivid fashion. It revealed the continuing vulnerability of the semi-colonial world. It showed that despite grave economic crises in the West, the bourgeoisie still had The year should be dedicated to the Iranian men and women who have fought for 12 months without respite and without aid trom anvone. It is they and their dead who are our neroines and heroes of 1978. The fall of the Shah in 1979 would be a good start to