British imperialism announces: there is no peace, only war
Clausewitzs’ famous aphorism, that war is a continuation of politics, by
other means has been given a 21st century update by General Sir Mark
Carleton-Smith, the British Chief of the General Staff.
Speaking to a conference of defence chiefs Sir Mark explained that there
was now no war and peace, only permanent war which he described as a bit of
a grey area. In a very modern nod to the latest philosophical fashions Sir
Mark bemoaned the ‘binary’ concepts of peace and war, stating that they
were, “artificial and binary characterisations of a strategic contest”.
“The rules of warfare are changing and need updating”, he said.
The speech came as the BBC’s Newsnight programme broke the story that
British special forces are hoping to be given a new remit to counter Russia
and China, as they shift their focus from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.
The proposal is to be put before ministers and involve a new role for the
SAS and other parts of the special forces, the most secretive parts of the
British military.
The director of special forces has reportedly drawn up a plan which, if
approved, will involve a restructuring of the relevant units.
Underlying the plan is a belief that the nature of modern warfare is
changing, with less emphasis on conventional military action and instead a
shift towards conflict with imperialism’s biggest rivals (see Dan Sabbagh,
‘British special forces to get new mission to counter state actors’, The
Guardian, 13 June 2019).
Speaking at the conference Sir Mark said:
“Some authoritarian regimes, aspiring to their own separate spheres of
influence,…have sought to neutralise the Western advantage in the
industrial age of warfare.
“The main threat is not missiles and tanks, it is the weaponisation of
globalisation, and those elements of globalisation that have hitherto made
us prosperous and secure: the mobility of goods, people, data and ideas.
“Secure borders, or living on an island, are no guarantees against the
corrosive and intrusive effect of disinformation, subversion…”
In the age of imperialist war and proletarian revolution, Sir Mark does us
a service in his candid depiction of the reality of modern life: a state of
permanent war, economic and militaristic. With all the attention of
imperialism firmly focused upon its big rivals, i.e., its most effective
competitors, Sir Mark makes it clear that, despite the peaceful aspirations
of the peoples of the developing world, British imperialism considers such
economic development an act of ‘weaponisation’. Such are the values of the
modern bourgeoisie, the champions of free movement of capital and labour.
The Russian Embassy in London remarked “Of course, it’s hard for us to say
how reliable this information is and how it corresponds with the real tasks
of the UK armed forces. However, if it is true, this decision appears to
be, firstly, erroneous and, secondly, questionable as far as London’s
compliance with its international obligations is concerned…
“In fact, this would mean that UK defence agencies are paving the way for
removing the existing restrictions imposed by the international law and to
claim the right to carry out military operations beyond the limits of
self-defence, which constitutes a direct breach of the UN Charter,” the
embassy said.
“This would not just become yet another step towards deliberately
destroying the world order based on the international law, but also create
major risks of those ‘hybrid’ operations evolving into full-fledged armed
conflicts as a result of various coincidences and misunderstandings”
(quoted by Executive Intelligence Review, ‘Britain to aim its Special
Forces at Russia’, 15 June 2019).
The diplomacy of the Russian state is admirable, but Communists must be
under no illusions that there are no ‘existing restrictions’ upon the
marauding designs of British and US imperialism other than those which
arise as a consequence of picking a fight with somebody who can defend
themselves. Recent years teach us the value of ‘international law’ and the
so-called ‘restrictions’ of Security Council resolutions. Imperialism
recognises only the jungle law; that the strong take from the weak.