From South Africa to Yemen. British imperialism & the revenge of history
Those many of us who campaigned to end apartheid in South Africa will have noted some rather too rare signs of progress in history on Thursday as South Africa took Israel to the ICJ in the Hague accused of genocide and war crimes.
Of course while solidarity helped to bring down apartheid it was the ANC and South African workers that did the actual job. The post-apartheid State has had its issues (as does any Government) but in bringing the case to the IJC it has provided a reminder that the Global South organised in BRICS does not sign up to the imperialist warmongering agendas of the US, UK and EU. Indeed it is these countries who are now isolated globally, although you might miss this from reading UK media.
Meanwhile, coincidentally or not the US and UK were planning military action against Yemen because the Houthi Government has been disrupting shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians.
From 1839 to 1967 Britain was the colonial power in the area, specifically in the imperial base of Aden. Britain left Aden in a hurry in late 1967 in the wake of increasing attacks and protests by anti-imperialist groups.
Since then Britain has armed Saudi Arabia to police Yemen which it has been doing until recently. Its not now because the situation in Gaza makes it too politically difficult. So the UK and US return to the Middle East twenty years after Iraq.
The Tories backed apartheid South Africa and have consistently backed Israel (in the main, there are Tory Arabists). Labour (in the main again) opposed apartheid and sections of the Party and the wider labour movement have become increasingly pro-Palestinian as the true nature of the Israeli State has increasingly revealed itself.
Starmer who is (rightly) keen to win an Election might have a word with Blair about the electoral impact of supporting military adventures in the Middle East.
The way out of this as with South Africa is opposition on the streets, in workplaces and colleges. 15th February 2003 when well over a million marched in London did not stop the Iraq War but it laid down a template for future warmongers, that warmongering would have political consequences.
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