The imperialist rulers of the countries belonging to the European Union - including Greek capitalists - have embarked on a massive austerity drive to force down wages and slash social entitlements of working people. Social programs won through bloody battles are on the chopping block, under the guise of meeting the criteria for joining the European Monetary Union by cutting budget deficits. The various capitalist classes in Europe must carry out such a perspective in order to best compete with Washington - the number one European power economically and militarily - and also among themselves.

Athens has set itself a particularly formidable, and most likely unrealizable, task: bringing its budget deficit down from 7.6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 3 percent by the year 2000, and slashing inflation now at 8.5 percent - three times higher than the EU average.

Greek imperialism made its appearance relatively late in history. Thus it was relegated to a role as a smaller and weaker junior imperialist power. Despite its voracious appetite, it faces greater pressures due to its weakness.

In order to overcome an almost two-decade long decline in their profit rates, the capitalist rulers in Greece seek to expand their reach into the Balkans and the Middle East region. Their aggressive policies against the Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, Albania, Cyprus, and Turkey since the opening of this decade are part of this expansionism. Athens has allied itself with Belgrade and Moscow in the hopes of gaining enough of a piece of the Balkan pie to reverse its declining fortunes.

Greek imperialism faces formidable obstacles in this endeavor. First, its bigger imperialist competitors - like Washington, Paris, Bonn, London, and Rome - also are seeking a piece of the same pie and enjoy economic and military superiority. Second, the recent strikes and demonstrations throughout workers states in Balkans do not bode well for the growing Greek investments there and underscore how little imperialism has accomplished in the region. Third, the toilers in Greece itself are not willing to be shafted as a meek herd of sheep.

Athens has embarked on a more than $10 billion program in new armaments to confront Ankara and boost its military might in the Balkans. Greece is one of NATO countries with troops in Yugoslavia. Recent events in Bulgaria and Albania give Greek capitalists nightmares. Greece is the fifth largest foreign investor in Bulgaria.

Greek imperialism's crumbling illusions in the Balkans force the employers and the government there to go after working people in that country harder and faster in order to shore up sagging profit rates. The PASOK government's austerity program seeks to accomplish just that. Targeted for cuts are social security pensions, national health system, public education, financial benefits for families with many children, subsidies for farmers which help make up for some of the imbalance between prices and the cost of production, and wages and benefits such as extra pay for Sunday and night work.

Workers and exploited farmers are not taking these attacks lying down, though. Farmers in Thessaly have taken the lead through a series of mass protests. Sailors pensioners, and teachers have also taken to the streets.

Working people world wide have everything to gain in a victory for the embattled working farmers and striking workers in Greece. The farmers' demands to guarantee a living income and for a moratorium on debt payments are just. The teachers' demands for higher spending on education and cost-of-living raises should be supported. Greek workers have joined millions of their brothers and sisters in France, Germany, and elsewhere who have been battling cuts in the social wage. Demands for equal rights for immigrants can also help build working-class solidarity.

The workings of capitalism are bringing ruination and war for working people of the region. Through the battles unfolding in Greece today, a fighting alliance of workers and farmers can begin to be cemented and revolutionary leadership can emerge, which can be tested in battle and eventually lead the toilers to take political power out of the hands of capitalist exploiters. Such a workers' and farmers government would extend its hand of solidarity to working people throughout the Balkans and end the expansionist plans of Greek imperialism and its more powerful allies in the region once and for all.  
 
 
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