Two years after the invasion of Iraq, the war on terror means war abroad and the dismantling of human rights at home. While Bush uses photogenic images of US-funded McDemos in Lebanon to spin the lie that democracy is on the march in the Middle East, Iraq remains occupied, new wars are threatened and the Palestinian people face continuing attacks.

Iraq was invaded to grab control of Iraqi oil and extend Washington’s influence throughout the region. An unsustainable capitalist system is bringing war and misery to millions as it attempts to keep profits up while the oil runs out. It is not democracy that is on the march in the Middle East – it is US military power.

The recent elections in Iraq were nothing to do with democracy. They were delayed again and again in the face of spontaneous local elections in the early months of the occupation. Fallujah had to be flattened tomake Iraq safe for democracy US-style.

Most Iraqis voted for the United Iraqi Alliance which called for “a timetable for the withdrawal of the multinational forces” and repudiated the free-market policies being imposed on their country. So is that what Iraqis will get? Yeah right. Four days after the election Bush told the Iraqi people “You don’t set timetables.” Blair agreed, despite a coalition poll showing 82% of Iraqis wanting coalition troops out by the time of the election.

All this is in clear breach of international law – it’s global piracy, 21st century style. In 2003 the Coalition Provisional Authority enacted Order 39 allowing foreigners to own up to 100% of all privatised industries. By the time elections were held, 200 state-owned enterprises had been privatised and unemployment had climbed to 70%. The oppression of Iraq is being embedded in a corporate-friendly restructuring of the economy. Only a defeat for US and British troops will allow Iraqis to run their own country.

If the US wins in Iraq it will not end there - Syria, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela will be next on the list for these invade-occupy-privatise pirate raids. But this is not inevitable. The Iraqi resistance has shaken the invaders, most acutely by forcing the US to deploy troops beyond what it is able to do. 1,600 US and British troops have been killed in Iraq and 5,500 US soldiers worldwide are said to have deserted since the war started.

Memories of the Unites States’ defeat in Vietnam are being reignited in Iraq by unrelenting popular resistance, frequent guerrilla ambushes, flag-draped coffins, US atrocities and troop disaffection. Bush has said that mentioning the Vietnam War in relation to Iraq is unpatriotic. Iraq, like Vietnam, could be a major defeat for the warmongers.

The WMD that Bush, Blair and the corporations really fear is a world of mass democracy. We need to build a movement in support of real democracy in Iraq and at home to make that world a reality. And real democracy isn’t about rigged elections and police state laws - it’s about grassroots organising to defend basic rights.

We can take a lead from Iraqi movements like the Basra Oil Union, a 23,000 strong federation of independent unions opposing the occupation and privatisation. They have organised strikes, thrown US corporation stooges out of their workplaces and won an important struggle for higher wages in 2004.

Some people argue that we should restrict our protests to police-controlled marches because direct actions are small and lack ‘visibility’. But direct action can be incredibly visible if lots of people get involved. History shows, and the peoples of the majority world know, that for protest to be effective it has to go beyond what those in power allow. If children can face tanks in Palestine we should be able to risk arrest occasionally for putting a spanner in the works of the war machine.

In Glasgow last December six protesters chained themselves to the factory gates at Weirs, a company working with Kellogg Brown Root, who make the cages at Guantanamo Bay. In Brighton a campaign of direct action against EDO, a local arms manufacturer, is gaining widespread support and winning court battles for the right to protest.

In London next month a week of action is planned against Windrush Communications, a British company that brings together politicians, capitalists and Iraqi elites to plunder Iraq’s assets. Windrush has already faced protests and court challenges to their illegal activities that have forced charges to be dropped to avoid having their activities challenged by international law.

These protests were small, but highly effective. If we’re going to win we need to build future protests into something that will show the warmonger-pirates that we’re serious about stopping them.

From 1st to 6th April there will be a week of action against the corporate plunder of Iraq including

* April Fools Day 11am, “Pro-Privatisation Party” with Rhythms of Resistance and Theatre of War at Windrush’s office, Mark Street, London EC2A

* Saturday 2nd April noon-5pm, non-violent direct action training workshop 12-5pm, RampArt Social Centre, 15-17 Rampart Street, London E1

* Monday 4th April 7.30pm, public meeting on corporate plunder in Iraq, London School of Economics, Room D202, Clement House, Aldwych, London W1

More info from  http://corporatepirates.gzzzt.net  stopthepillage@yahoo.co.uk or 07931 337890.