East Timor, 2006:Australian troops in action after the Australian government “took a stand for democracy” in East Timor by despatching its military to grab Timor as its own, exclusive neocolony.

Today in Iran there is a struggle for power between different forces. Amongst the Iranian masses there are many who are fed up with unemployment and poor wages and with the terribly oppressive restrictions on women’s rights. Unfortunately, at this time, much of the opposition to the current government is channeled into a rival faction of the theocratic regime – a faction that is just as committed to maintaining the current capitalist order as are its rivals. Moreover, while this opposition led by Mousavi promises modest liberal reforms on women’s rights and social questions it is softer on Western imperialism than the Ahmadinejad government. The fact that the pro-Mousavi forces accept and even solicit support from the imperialist powers guarantees that this opposition can in no way be progressive. It is the imperialists – that is the ruling classes of the rich capitalist powers like the U.S., Germany, Britain, Japan and Australia – who are the main oppressors of the world’s toiling peoples. They are the primary warmongers in the world. Furthermore, it is imperialist exploitation of poorer countries – whether through superexploitation of labour, plunder of natural resources or manipulation of markets – that reinforces poverty in those countries and creates the conditions for oppressive regimes that persecute leftists and trample on women’s and minority rights.

Unfortunately, some in the Australian left are now calling on imperialist countries to actually increase their intervention into events in Iran. These socialist groups demand that the Western capitalist powers become a force for bringing “democracy” to Iran. For example, a Socialist Alliance leaflet titled “Stand With Free Iran” that was distributed at the June 26 Canberra rally to support Iranian workers arrested on May Day concludes with the following call:

In addition, we want the Australian government to take a stand in support of democracy in Iran.

At a minimum the Rudd government must:

  • condemn the Iranian regime’s repression of the protests
  • demand the release of all political prisoners, including union leaders and activists
  • demand the regime sends the Iranian National Guard back to barracks and de-commissions the basji shock troops
  • demand that the regime hold fresh elections, with international observers

To call on the capitalist Australian government to “take a stand in support of democracy in Iran” is harmful to the interests of the Iranian masses and indeed to the toiling classes of the whole world. There are several reasons why:

Guantanamo Bay, U.S. torture camp. Capitalist rulers of the U.S., Australia, Britain, Germany etc are hardly a force for bringing “democracy” to Iran or anywhere else for that matter.