AND: Editorial – The fire spreads through the backyard

We publish an unofficial translation of the last Editorial of A Nova Democracia.

The popular masses must persist in their mobilizations – and, in particular in Education, it is necessary to give new and powerful impulses in the mobilization of the student masses, the main force in the struggle against the scrapping and privatization process underway by the current government.

Despite the fierce struggle between Evo Morales and the country’s president, Luis Arce, for the control of the ruling party, the attempted military coup d’état in Bolivia, on June 26, failed. And it was mainly because it did not have the approval of Yankee imperialism. The commander of the Armed Forces, José Zúñiga – who has direct links with the same right-wing extremists who attempted an institutional rupture in 2019, Luis Camacho and Jeanine Añez – was isolated, even within the barracks.

There was no direct intervention by Yankee imperialism as an imperialist State: if there were, the coup movement would have a greater scope – that’s what the “experts” say. This coup articulation has its main reason in the contradictions between the local ruling classes, “tempered” with pressure, blackmail and bribes from certain imperialist corporations. All the Yankee establishment wants the most is to prevent the fire from spreading in its backyard – even more so when, in Asia, a priority area, it finds itself embarrassed by maintaining its positions in Taiwan, as well as in the Middle East, harassed by the actions of the Palestinian National Resistance. But, of course, had it been successful, the Yankees would have applauded – all the more so when the organizers are notorious for being country-sellers in a Country which has one of the three largest lithium reserves in the world, coveted by the largest imperialist corporations in the world, including Elon Musk, who probably had relations with this conspiracy, just as they did with the failed one in 2019.

In a way, the events in Bolivia show two things: first, once again, the historical period in which we are living is heading towards social upheavals, popular revolts, attempts to establish more reactionary regimes and, even, wars of all types; second, that a coup conspiracy, aborted or thwarted, does not disappear if there is no effective combat through the mobilization of the broad masses to sweep away the reaction and defeat the conditions on which it is based. That means the general crisis of decomposition of bureaucratic capitalism and the old bureaucratic-big landlord State system of which it is the guardian, as well as its rotten and corrupt political system, in which the local ruling classes are divided. Without this, any other measure only renews the forces of reaction for a new attack. This is a warning for our Country.

Speaking of the crisis of Yankee imperialism, perhaps the most faithful mirror of it today is the electoral debate between Trump and Biden. Both decrepit, less due to age and more due to shameless, reaction and inability to respond to the demands of the proletariat and local popular classes. Trump came out better in the dispute – which shows, once again, the extent of the crisis of the imperialist system and its advanced process of reactionarization.

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The fire is also spreading across Brazil – not just figuratively. The Pantanal is on fire: more than 3,500 fires were recorded, which exceeds the hitherto record fire in 2020, when a third of the biome was affected. Of the fire outbreaks, 95% are in a private area – which, due to the volume of the fires, shows that it is the action of latifundium, in a region highly influenced by bolsonarism. With such criminal attacks, the big landlords achieve two objectives: they expand the areas of land grabbing and even “burn” the government on the international scene – since Luiz Inácio likes to boast of being the most ecologically correct, and he gives great weight to this agenda, to escape from the class issues. Even though, the lack of preparation, funds and political determination to face the big landlords’ action, the reactionary coalition government is already the target of criticism from “environmentalists”.

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Speaking of “burning”, after disregarding the Education strike and unmasking itself before federal public teachers to give priority to the “spending ceiling”, the government sent to Congress, with pomp and circumstance, the new National Education Plan (PNE ) 2024-2034. The set of goals, objectives and the entire litany estimates improvements in quality standards in early childhood, professional and technical education, higher education and teacher training, promising high standards and an investment of 10% of GDP in ten years… But it was neither moving nor excited no one, except the sect of hardest opportunist union bureaucrats. It is noted that the last PNE, approved by the PT government, did not achieved even 10% of its objectives, targets, etc. For workers, it is even instinctive to think that the more pompous the promises are, the more miserable the results will be. And experience confirms this, even the experience of opportunist governments. Well, everyone knows it.

The popular masses must persist in their mobilizations – and, in particular in Education, it is necessary to give new and powerful impulses in the mobilization of the student masses, the main force in the struggle against the scrapping and privatization process underway by the current government. Defend free public education tooth and nail!