The CIIT: an imperialist scrapyard
We publish an unofficial translation of an article by the Mexican newspaper Periódico Mural.
Recently the old British trains that will be used in the Interoceanic Corridor of Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) arrived in Mexico. They are 3 HST class 43 diesel locomotives (“High Speed Train Class 43”) and 11 HST carts. These trains were constructed in England between 1976 and 1982 and ended their service in that country just a few years ago. Before their arrival, some trains arrived from the United States (also old), and other veteran British trains are being prepared.
Contrary to AMLO’s “developmentalist” discourse, the old State is using old trains for the CIIT which are no longer useful for the imperialists who once produced them; the objective of these Overground trains is second and third class tourism that will travel through a non-tourist zone, where another freight train will transport goods from the Port of Salina Cruz to Coatzacoalcos and vice versa. That explains the reason for this decision. However, it is important for the reader to know that British and U.S. imperialism are known for their infrastructure problems in the railroad industry and transportation. The United States has for decades reduced public investment in this sector and this has resulted in several train collapses at the beginning of the year, while the UK rail system has been described as “bankrupt” by monopoly media such as “The Guardian” especially since the privatization of the rail industry in the 90s. It’s like selling an old car to a naive person, if it’s more expensive to repair and maintain you just give it a face-lift and its ready.
Old, disused and “patched” trains is the quality of the machines that are part of the CIIT megaproject that will be interconnected with the misnamed “Mayan Train” which, unlike the first one, did have a greater investment than that projected to build new trains, especially destined for international tourism. The new and prestigious trains were destined for wealthy tourism, leaving huge profits for French imperialism. The project anticipates that its cost will be more than three times what was initially projected at 150 billion pesos. This money first of all goes to “Alstom Société Anonyme, … the real beneficiary of the development of the railroad industry in Mexico“, as we have explained in another article.
The inter-imperialist contradiction: collusion and struggle.
All of the above should be interpreted in the light of the semi-colonial condition of our country, subject to the dictates of imperialism, mainly Yankee. In this sense it is important to underline: the last word is not given by the old Mexican State, but by its gringo masters. It should also be noted that between the different imperialists that act in our country subjugating it, contradiction also develops, expressing itself in collusion and struggle, according to the case.
Particularly in the relationship Yankee imperialism-French imperialism, the contradiction is expressed at this moment with the collusion of their interests. The interconnection of the mega-project prioritizing the intervention of French imperialism reflects this by leaving the “Mayan Train” business deal to the latter, in addition to other business such as the Metro public transportation systems in Mexico City, Monterrey, Jalisco and other railroad stretches in the country. Clearly, the gringos do not stop winning.
Now, the existing contradiction between Yankee-British and Yankee-Chinese imperialism expresses the aspect of the struggle (especially with the Chinese) and can be seen in the limitations that the former places on these two. Great Britain can only import old trains, reflecting the current situation of the defeat of British imperialism, while the general investment of Chinese social-imperialism in the “Mayan Train” was limited to its participation in aspects such as mainly the construction of railway sleepers.
Thus Yankee imperialism, which mainly exploits and oppresses our country, is the one who authorizes who will and who will not intervene in the mega-projects. Authorizing French imperialism to set them selves up in Mexico, and limiting British imperialism and Chinese social-imperialism expresses who is in charge in this country, and that is not AMLO.
Among imperialists you see yourself.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the failure of social-imperialism, especially in Eastern Europe, Yankee imperialism set itself up as the sole hegemonic superpower, enemy of the peoples and world gendarme. With this, the Yankee imperialist beast intensified its economic, political and military intervention against the peoples of our America and against our country in particular. All the mega-projects of the federal government are part of the agenda of Yankee imperialism against Mexico!
French imperialism is one of the two main heads within the European Union, and at this moment it functions as the main ally of U.S. imperialism within it. Now French imperialism is facing a delicate crisis in its semi-colonies and colonies in Africa, where coups are being reproduced one after the other, rejecting its domination and applauding the intervention of Russian imperialism (atomic super power). It seems no coincidence that Yankee imperialism is providing it with oxygen at the cost of our sweat and blood!
British imperialism is in such a grave crisis. It has lost a many positions after its conflict within the European Union – which is under control of German and French imperialism that are disputing its hegemony. The British crisis aggravated more after “Brexit”, which was its exit from the EU, in a fruitless plan of a faction of the British oligarchy. An outlet does not hurt the coffers of the oligarchy and the head of the Commonwealth!
Chinese social-imperialism wants to extend its reals in Our America and exploit the railway megaproject that will move through Mexico and Central-America to sneak in; and although for the moment it must endure the last role in business, it does not stop accumulating capital and holds hope of disputing new zones of influence. A subtle formula “made in China”!
And the development?
All of these imperialist mega-projects represent plunder and death for the agrarian communities and the indigenous peoples of our country, in addition to the more fierce super-exploitation of the labor force of an unqualified proletariat, precarization and pauperization. As we have already said, the imperialist capital does not generate economic or industrial development for the people of Mexico, but only for imperialism and their transnational enterprises. Facilities and the railway industry in general, the so-called “poles of development” around the CIIT, gas pipelines, super-highways, wind farms, the AIFA and all those new infrastructures under control of the military and the navy, does not serve the internal market, but to move faster and at lower cost the goods of the foreign companies that will dispossess and exploit us at the point of the bayonet.
By disposing old technology at high prices, the national sovereignty is hit again, because once again public money is used for the benefit of imperialism and not of the people, limiting once again the technical and industrial capacities of our country, reinforcing the rivets of bureaucratic capitalism.
Gringo imperialism have always wanted to appropriate the national territory and has in fact already deprived us if more than half of our territory with the Guadalupe-Hidalgo treaty. It has never given up its plans of creating new industrial zones and cheaper transportation channels for its products. There were already plans to use the Isthmus of Tehuantepec for that purpose during the first half of the 19th century. That is what the Mac Lane-Ocampo treaty is talking about!
The reader must assume the truth: there will be no development, at least not under this scheme of domination that has been imposed on us. The only alternative left to the people of Mexico is to rise up against their oppressors, both outside and inside. A great national liberation struggle is needed to develop the agrarian and anti-imperialist New Democratic Revolution!
