KIM IL
SUNG
LET US INTENSIFY THE
ANTI-IMPERIALIST, ANTI-US STRUGGLE
Article
Published in the Inaugural Issue of the
Theoretical Magazine Tricontinental,
Organ
of the Organization of Solidarity of the
Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America
August 12, 1967
Two years ago the
Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of
Asia, Africa and Latin America was inaugurated
in Havana, the
capital of Cuba.
It was an event of
enormous importance. The aims and ideas of
this organization have aroused the sympathy of
hundreds of millions of Asians, Africans and
Latin Americans and are exerting a profound
influence on the great changes taking place in
the world today.
The peoples of Asia,
Africa and Latin America,
who had been oppressed and plundered by
Western capitalism and imperialism for
centuries, have risen courageously and taken
their place on the stage of history. The
strong tide of national liberation is rising
with an irresistible force. Hundreds of
millions of people on the three continents are
fighting for their freedom and are struggling
to defend the revolutionary achievements they
have already won. The colonial system of
imperialism is rapidly disintegrating.
Imperialism is making
desperate attempts to retain its former
positions and regain its lost ground. As the
dying hour of imperialism draws closer, the
struggle is intensifying further. Thus, the
peoples cannot but continue their struggle,
holding high the banner of anti-imperialism,
until imperialism is totally wiped off the
face of the earth.
The newly independent
countries which have thrown off the yoke of
imperialism are confronted with the very
difficult and important tasks of defending
their national independence, carrying forward
the revolution and aiding the liberation
struggle of the peoples still chained by
imperialism. The peoples who have won their
independence must fight to crush the
subversive activities of foreign imperialism
and the domestic forces of reaction, tear down
their economic strongholds, strengthen the
revolutionary forces, set up a progressive
social system and build an independent
national economy and national culture. Only in
this way can they protect the gains of the
revolution, achieve the prosperity of their
countries and nations and contribute to the
common struggle of the peoples of the whole
world to bury imperialism.
Asia, Africa and Latin America comprise
71 percent of the world’s land surface. These
continents are inhabited by more than
two-thirds of the world’s population and are
blessed with inexhaustible natural resources.
Imperialism has grown and become fat by
grinding these peoples down and robbing them
of their riches. Even today imperialism is
squeezing tens of billions of dollars in
profits from these areas every year. Once
Asia, Africa and Latin America are completely
freed from old and new colonialism, there will
not be an imperialist Western Europe and an
imperialist North
America.
The struggle of the
peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America against
imperialism and colonialism is a sacred
liberation struggle for hundreds of millions
of oppressed and humiliated people; it is also
a great battle to cut the life line of world
imperialism. This struggle and the
revolutionary struggle of the international
working class for socialism are the two major
revolutionary forces of our times, and they
join into one stream which will carry
imperialism to its grave.
The imperialists cannot
bestow independence upon the colonial peoples.
Is there any need to prove the falsity of the
imperialists’ declaration that the Western
world can help the peoples of the three
continents to achieve independence and
progress and can coexist with a free and
independent Asia, Africa and Latin America? The
imperialist leopard cannot change his
imperialist spots, and he never will.
Imperialism will exploit, oppress and plunder
the people until it meets its doom.
The oppressed peoples
can liberate themselves only through struggle.
This is a simple and clear truth confirmed by
history. It is necessary to expose the false
propaganda of the imperialists and thoroughly
dispel the illusion that they will give up
their positions in the colonies and dependent
countries with a good will. Where there is
oppression, there is bound to be resistance.
It is inevitable that the oppressed peoples
should fight for their emancipation. As long
as imperialism plunders and oppresses small
and weak nations by force, it remains an
inalienable right of the oppressed nations to
rise up in arms and fight against the
aggressors.
It is wrong to try to
avoid the struggle against imperialism under
the pretext that independence and revolution
are important, but that peace is still more
precious. Is it not true that the line of
seeking unprincipled compromise with
imperialism only tends to encourage its
aggressive actions and increase the danger of
war? Peace secured by slavish submission is
not peace. Genuine peace cannot be achieved
unless a struggle is waged against those who
break the peace, unless the slave’s peace is
rejected and the oppressors’ rule overthrown.
We are opposed to the line of compromise with
imperialism. At the same time, we cannot
tolerate the practice of only denouncing
imperialism but, in actual fact, being afraid
to fight it. This is a line of compromise in
an inverted form. Both have nothing to do with
a genuine anti-imperialist struggle and only
help the imperialist policy of aggression and
war.
It is most important,
when fighting against imperialism, to
concentrate the attack on US
imperialism, the ringleader of world
imperialism.
By stretching out its
aggressive tentacles all over the world, US
imperialism has become the common enemy of all
peoples of the world. There is no country on
earth whose sovereignty is not violated by US
imperialism; there is no country which is free
from the menace of US imperialist aggression.
The US
imperialists are brutally suppressing the
liberation struggle of the peoples of Asia,
Africa and Latin America
and constantly perpetrating acts of aggression
and subversion to re-enslave the newly
independent countries. Bluntly revealing their
true colours as gangsters, the US
imperialists are waging a war of aggression
against a socialist country and interfering in
the domestic affairs of other countries by
force of arms. Over the past 20-odd years
since the end of World War II, not a day has
gone by which has not witnessed the flames of
aggression and war kindled by US imperialism.
US
imperialism is, indeed, the most heinous and
shameless plunderer known to history. It is
the US
imperialists themselves who are causing
peoples all over the world calling for peace,
independence and progress, to unite in a
common front against US
imperialism.
The peoples of Asia,
Africa and Latin America
have common interests and are in a position to
support each other in their anti-imperialist,
anti-US struggle. As long as Africa and Latin
America are not free, Asia cannot be free;
driving the US
imperialists out of Asia
will benefit the liberation struggle of the
African and Latin-American peoples. Victory
over US
imperialism on one front will sap its strength
and facilitate victory on other fronts by that
much. If the US
imperialist forces of aggression are defeated
in any part of the world, it will be a very
good thing for all the peoples of the world.
It is necessary, therefore, to form the
broadest possible anti-US united front to
isolate US imperialism completely, and strike
it in unison wherever it extends its talons of
aggression, This alone will make it possible
to disperse and weaken the force of US
imperialism to the maximum and to lead the
people with their unquestionably superior
power to defeat US imperialism on all fronts.
For more than 20 years
the US
imperialists have been occupying the southern
half of our country. They have enforced
colonial rule in south Korea
and turned it into a military base for their
aggression against the whole of Korea and Asia. In spite of
their ignominious defeat in the aggressive war
against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the US
imperialists have not yet given up their
aggressive design to conquer the whole of Korea and are
unceasingly planning to unleash another war in
Korea.
The supreme task of the Korean people at this
time is to liquidate the colonial system of US
imperialism in south Korea,
accomplish the national-liberation revolution
and reunite the country. For the Korean people
to achieve the cause of national liberation,
forces must be prepared along three fronts:
strengthen the socialist forces in north Korea;
increase and augment the revolutionary forces
in south Korea;
and develop the international revolutionary
movement and strengthen solidarity with it. North
Korea is
the base of the Korean revolution. The
successes of socialist construction there
encourage the south Korean people in their
anti-US, national-salvation struggle and
stimulate the preparation of revolutionary
forces in south Korea.
We are striving to strengthen and develop the
revolutionary forces in north and south
Korea
and, at the same time, to cement solidarity
with the international revolutionary forces.
The Korean people support the struggle of the
peoples of all countries against US
imperialism, and regard it as support for
their own cause of liberation. We maintain
that all the anti-imperialist forces of the
world should unite in a joint struggle against
US
imperialism, and we have been working
consistently to achieve this goal.
The US
imperialists are more afraid of the united
strength of the revolutionary peoples of the
world than of anything else. That is why they
are resorting to all kinds of tricks to
obstruct the formation of an anti-US united
front and are using the strategy of conquering
small, weak countries one by one. This
strategy of US
imperialism must be thoroughly frustrated. The
Asian, African and Latin-American countries
have differing social systems, and there are
many parties and groupings with divergent
political views there. But all these
countries, parties and groupings—except the
stooges of imperialism—have a common interest
in opposing the imperialist forces of
aggression headed by US
imperialism. The difference in social systems
and political ideas can never be an obstacle
to united struggle and concerted action
against US
imperialism. No one must be allowed to divide
the anti-US united front or refuse joint
action, claiming primary importance for his
own specific national or partisan interests.
Such an act will only benefit imperialism led
by US imperialism and harm the revolutionary
peoples.
It is very important in
the joint struggle against imperialism to
defend the revolution which has already
triumphed.
It is an
internationalist duty of all the revolutionary
peoples to fight to defend the gains of the
Cuban revolution. Revolutionary Cuba
represents the future of Latin
America, and its very existence
encourages the peoples of that continent in
their liberation movement. The triumph of the
Cuban revolution is striking evidence that
imperialism is doomed and that the
national-liberation revolution and people’s
revolution will assuredly triumph in our
times. It is for this very reason that the US
imperialists hate and fear this small island
country so much. They are trying to strangle
the Republic of Cuba.
The peoples of Latin America and the
progressive peoples of the whole world must do
everything in their power to foil the US
imperialists’ blockade policy against the Republic of Cuba and frustrate
their preparations for a military invasion of
Cuba.
Today the Vietnamese
people’s war of resistance for national
salvation against the US
expeditionary forces has become the focal
point of the anti-imperialist struggle. The US
imperialist forces of aggression and the
anti-imperialist, peace-loving forces of the
world are having a showdown in Vietnam.
The US
troops are suffering one defeat after another
in face of the heroic resistance of the
Vietnamese people and are being driven into a
corner. Contrary to the expectations of the US
imperialists, the Vietnam
war has become a grave for the aggressors. The
Vietnamese people’s war of resistance for
national salvation is another graphic example
that a people who are determined to defend
their independence and freedom at any cost,
and who have the support of the peoples of the
whole world, cannot be defeated.
At present, the US
imperialists are escalating the war,
continuously reinforcing their own military
strength in South Vietnam,
bringing in more troops from their satellite
countries, and perpetrating the extensive
aerial and artillery bombardment of the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
The Vietnamese people,
through their heroic struggle, are shouldering
the enormous burden of resisting the
aggression of the most barbarous and most
heinous imperialism of modern times. They are
fighting not only to defend their independence
and freedom, but also to safeguard world peace
and security. Once US imperialist aggression
against Vietnam
is checked and frustrated, US
imperialism will sink like the setting sun and
the situation will be more favourable for the
peoples of all countries fighting for peace,
independence and progress. The peace-loving
peoples of the whole world have a duty to give
all forms of aid to the Vietnamese people, and
the Vietnamese people are entitled to receive
it. The peoples of the socialist and the newly
independent states and the peoples of all
countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and
the rest of the world should make the greatest
efforts to broaden the anti-US united front,
to aid the Vietnamese people in their war of
resistance for national salvation and, through
concerted action, check US imperialist
aggression. No one has the right to force a
solution of their internal affairs on the
Vietnamese people. The US armed
forces of aggression must withdraw from Vietnam
and the Vietnamese question must be settled by
the Vietnamese people themselves.
We must neither
underestimate nor overestimate the strength of
US
imperialism. US
imperialism can still commit many crimes. But
it is on the decline. Today when US
imperialism is behaving most outrageously, its
vulnerability is more evident than ever
before. The Korean people know what US
imperialism is. Our people have fought US
imperialism, and defended their country
against its aggression. The Korean war showed
that US
imperialism is by no means invincible, and
that it is quite possible to fight it and
defeat it. The triumph of the Cuban revolution
again proved this truth under conditions which
were different from ours. The Vietnamese
people’s war of resistance for national
salvation also clearly confirms this truth.
US imperialism is doomed
to complete destruction. Through a unified
struggle against imperialism headed by US
imperialism, the peoples of Asia, Africa and
Latin America will build a new, independent
and prosperous Asia, Africa and Latin America, and
will make a great contribution to world peace
and to the liberation of mankind.