im?
At the time of writing tho oxagt terms of the agreement between the Fronch autnoritios and the jilgerians aro °known in | entirety. Even more uncertain is how the actual courses of events will go onco tho French authorities! try to implement the agrooment. Roports are divided as to the extent to which tho French force nder tho control of the DeGaulle rugimo. Incidents such as tha seizure of the Casbah and onsuing slaughter of l’oslems would indicate that such control is vory shaky. With tho overgrowing provocative campaign of the 0.A.5. it is extraordinarily difficult to predict how things will work out.
The concessions ziven by the Algerians do not in any way detract from the main feature of tho gituation, that is, that TH3 ALGERLAN REVOLUTION HAS Baw VICTORIOUS AND THE FORMATION OF THiS ALGGRIAN STAT! IS INSURED. The original objoctive of the Algorian revolution is won and now tho noxt stage is that of building up the economy and structure of the now ilgerian state, This, no doubt, was pa ramount in the minds of the leadors of the F.L.N.whon they pursued their path of ending the war by anazreement which involvod sonic concessions to imporialisn. Not to have done sc would have been to throw away tho opportunity of taking advant-— age of the conflict of interests within the French camp and sentenced the algerian poople to yoars of more slaughter ind destruction, Ths balance sheet between this and the concessions is a matter of opinion and assessment of the factors involved. From the outside it is oxtremely difficult to form such an opinion. This,howevor, has not stopped certain people from rushing into print and scroaminy about a soll-out. Tho Newsletter of 3/3/62 has a hystrical itom on these lines. We are obliged to answer this article and also to examine the rocord of the group around the Nuwslettor in rolation to Alveria, This will be done comprehensively in tho next one or two issucs of tho Bulletin but some things nosed to said immediately.
This is no#"B1a0ce to make a thooretical assossment of the F.L.N. or the Algerian Revolution, This has boen done very adequately in issues of the Fourth International, in particular comrades should road M,Pablo's articlo in the Zanes issue No.14, The attitvde of the Fourth Intornational thoughout has been & principled one and one complotely in line with the traditions and principl:s cf Bo marxist movement. This attitude has two aspects (1) unconditional support for any movement engaged in strugglo with imperialism (2) fraternal criticism of the policies pursued and the ideology of tho leadership o oMti-imperialist movement. The conditions of admission to the Comintern, adoptea™ its second congress and in tha main drafted by Lonin, said on this subject: (condition eight our emphasis)
" scoseceeuvory party which wishes to join the Comintern is obliged to expose the tricks and ddges of 'its! imperialists in the colonies, to support covery colonial liboration movement not morely in. words but in deeds, to demand the expulsion of their imporialists fromthem colonios.ceccoe"
The attitude of the group around the Newsletter was,instead,to back tho rival nationrlist organisation i!.N.A, against the F.L.N. although the latter was learly leading tho Algerian Revolution, Sven aftor the 11.N.A. had exposed itself by refusing to condemn its only maquisforec under Bellounis when tho latter signod an agreement with tho French forces in Algeria to fight against tho F.L i they continued supporting it. Not morely in words but by publishing tho i!.N.i. English language newspaper — Algerian Voice. Thess poople who attack: othorsfor creating ‘confusion! characterised tho l1.N.A. (aftur the Bollounis affair which is refexrel to in tho articlo in quostion) as "the procurscr of a revolutionary socialist party of the future." (original emphasis — Labour Review March-April 1958). Ir mor, rocent articles the M.N.A. has been 'forgotten' ,nover once has tne groun puoiicig disavowed the M.N.A.3 for them the 'precursor of the (Algerian) revoluticnary socialist party! has ceased to exist!
The Newslottor says, that the agrcoment loaves the positions of Frencl. capitalism intact in Algeria. This is not true, even if things work out as per Lm agreement, the continued exploitation of the resources of the Sahara, which S presumably what the Newsletter means,will be done within the confines of the Eseries state which will have its own armed forces and be determined by that stato. The U.S.S..., in tho time of Lenin, agreod to foreign concessions, providing they were under its vontrol. One has only to consider the Brost-Litovsk treaty, the oxistonce of the American base at Guatanamo in Cuba, etc. to seo tho nonsense of tho Nowslotter argument that any concession to imperialism is a sellout. The Newsletter is aware of this and in fact supported the li.N.A. when the latter's line was that of a 'Pranco-Maghrebin Commonwealth', the 'preservation of French interests in Algoria' and for a ‘round-table conference' before tho the recogwition of Algerian indezmdonce + a condition the tho F.L.N. would never concode.(see tho above mentioned article in Labour Review).
Tho development of the Algerian evolution will be Jetermined by many factors but principally the social content of the main force of the R volution - tho A.L.N. (liboration army). ‘Tho main forco of the leadership of tho F.L.N. has arisen from tho A.L.N. and has proved its anti-inporialist char .icter not by words |, ee a ee twee ee AS Den ea aS, a aero. a Do . ar | ———