Once again, under the disguise of "humanitarian aid," the imperialist powers have carried out another military intervention in a sovereign country using the United Nations' (UN) Security Council as a "legal" cover. Who requested the dreadful "humanitarian aid?" What are the real reasons behind the military invasion?Sources:1. No committee of the rebellious people asked for any type of imperialist "aid" much less a foreign armed intervention, because under the Constitution no one has the authority to call foreign troops in Albania. On the contrary, most members and leaders of the committees who are leading the mass struggle in Albania, took a clear anti-imperialist stand. There is no doubt that such "aid" was requested by those who have caused the crisis, who are the ruling classes represented then by the crumbling Barisha-Fino regime of the reactionary Democratic Party . Why is the military intervention taking place?
- To support the discredited regime and the continuation of the unjust order. Berisha called for a military intervention because his security forces were in disarray and could not enforce order.
- The reorganization of the State apparatuses, especially the army and the security forces.
- To utilize the military and economic aid provided by foreign powers selectively, especially in areas under rebel control or influence, in order to weaken their popular support.
The real character of their "humanitarism" was manifested when an Italian Navy patrol blatantly sunk an Albanian vessel drowning more than 100 people. The message was clear: to stop the flood of immigrants from Albania to western Europe. Let us recall that a few years ago, and before the events took place in the "hungry Albania," United States troops also wearing the UN hats, slaughtered more than 10,000 Somalians in the "hungry Somalia," a butchery that came to an end, only when the Africans fought back, courageously inflicting heavy casualties on the imperialist forces.
2. Although the imperialists claim to be "neutral," they have been supporting the charade of "democracy" of the Barisha-Fino government with the purpose of containing the danger of Civil War. Even though Barisha was elected president in an election marred with counterrevolutionary violence and fraud, the same powers who are now intervening militarily in Albania have recognized him as a genuine democrat. The U.S. State Department called Sali Barisha a popular capitalist reformer. And as tool to confuse the people and undermine the rebellion, on July 24, they organized a shamed and rigged election, under state of emergency, curfews, press censorship, and foreign occupation, to elect Rexhep Mejdani and Fatos Nano as President and Primer Minister respectively. These are the leaders of the revisionist "Socialists Party," formerly called "Labor Party" who initiated the capitalist road and turn Albania into poverty and misery.
3. The Barisha-Fino government was the main target of the rebellion. It represented the continuation of four decades of revisionist dictatorship first under Enver Hoxa, and now led by capitalists, who have thrown the people into deeper poverty by the crumbling of a crony capitalist system, symbolized by the collapse of giant financial pyramid schemes, which have robbed the Albanian people of more than US$1.2 billion. Therefore, the people have the legitimate right to rebel, and this has occurred when guerrilla warfare first began in the countryside. In the cities, people gutted capitalist factories, burned banks and looted shops.
4. Criminality existed before the rebellion and continues today. It comes mainly from organized crime that was born along the social and economic bases of the current regime. The Barisha regime is a promoter of organized crime as Yeltsin is in Russia. The pyramid banks have been controlled jointly by organized crime and the regime. Hence, the military invasion will not contribute to the reduction of criminality, but rather, will worsen it.
5. The so-called multinational force to control the "refugee flow." Any country has the right to protect her borders, but in this case, we see an invading imperialist force trying to control by the force of arms the free traffic of the people even within their own country. The imperialist strategy is to do away with the right of self-determination and sovereignty of countries and impose multinational "flow control forces" in Eastern Europe (e.g., NATO expansion), the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
6. The security of the minorities living in Albania. This smokescreen was invoked mainly by the Greek regime on behalf of its imperialist masters. The minority population is part of the Albanian people and will solve their problems as part of the struggle of the Albanian people. The fact is that during the time of revolt until the present, the minority population has not faced any particular threat and danger. This claim is purely a pretext for the legalization of the Greek chauvinist ambitions on the Albanian territory call "Northern Hepirus." But at the same time, the Greek regime looks the other way around and said nothing in the face of the brutal Turkish military occupation of Cyprus.
From the above, the reasons invoked by the imperialist powers before the world public opinion to invade Albania have no legs to stand. The real reason for the invasion is to maintain the political, economic, and military interests of the big foreign powers (USA, Germany, Italy, France, etc.) Italy has been the traditional imperialist power in the country and always dreamed of turning Albania into a protectorate. Until the outbreak of the rebellion, Italian Mafias and corporations had more than 50% of the foreign capital investment in the country. Greece has also economic ambitions in the Balkans which are overshadowed by its chauvinist aspirations of "Northern Hepirus."
As in Somalia, the eventual outcome of the "humanitarian" operation will be armed clashes with the people who eventually will be labeled by the imperialist media as "armed gangs." The invaders talk about a three-month operation, but an indefinite extension is the most serious possibility. In Bosnia, the "humanitarian invasion" supposed to end by December 1996 is still there. Let us recall that the bloody hands of imperialism left Somalia, thanks to the armed resistance of the people, because they could no longer fool them with the masks of "humanitarian operation" and of a so-called "Albanian Marshall Plan." The military intervention in Albania is not the first and certainly will not be the last. In order to make the imperialists pay a heavy price cost for their crimes and make them think twice before they carry out the next military invasion somewhere in the third world, the hands of these "humanist" assassins in Albania and anywhere else must be cut. This is necessary.
The contention that the multinational troops are saving a starving country is a complete lie. Their presence does not serve the people of the invaded country nor the people of the same imperialist countries. The real interests they serve are those of the big bourgeoisies in power such as the Fino-Barisha regime in Albania, and the multinational corporations who are seeking profits at the expense of the blood and misery of the people. Tomorrow these "humanitarian forces" will be ordered to shoot at the crowds and fire rockets into hospitals killing hundreds, and wounding others just like they did in Somalia. Their press told us they shoot at "armed gangs."
The imperialist forces are hardly committed volunteer armies. They are mercenaries. They go for perks and money, no matter if later on they may become hired assassins. Just look at Timothy McVeigh, a U.S. medal-decorated soldier during the butchery of Iraq. Even when a soldier doesn't participate directly in action (carrying out crimes), his/her presence helps others do so. Those who cause unemployment in the imperialist countries are the same ones who send their youth (mostly the poor and minorities) to invade third world countries. Going to the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Peru, Albania, etc. is not like an acting career of a Yankee in Hollywood or like having a parasitic life in West Point, it is a matter of life and death. The imperialist forces become legitimate military targets of the people.