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Cost of Internationalism Reviewed work(s): Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 3, No. 11 (Mar. 16, 1968), p.

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March 16, 1968

ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL WEEKLY West relations or create possibilities of war and conflagration. A short-sighted world does not fully realise the serious implications of what is now happening in Rhodesia for the future of peace and stability in international relations. The line that divides the rich and poor nations is also the line that divides the white and the coloured. The impotent rage of Black Africa may not create any great concern in the North today. But when the flames of a vast racial conflagration begin to engulf the African continent, the complacence of today will yield place to panic. tragicomic aspect of the Conference was best maniest in the fact that in this gathering of parties to think out ways and means of helping Vietnam, Ho Chi-minh was not represented. The Soviet victory at Budapest may still prove to be pyrrhic. It is not in Europe but in Asia, Africa and Latin America that the communist movement has prospects of success: it is in these three continents that the Soviet Union's position in the communist movement has become shaky. The Soviet Union indeed faces a situation where it has to keep these parties small to keep them on its side. This more than anything else illustrates the dubious quality of its Budapest victory. The inverse relationship between a party's inner strength and its loyalty to imposed internationalism will pose very embarrassing problems for the Soviet Union in the future.

Stoking the Flames

IT is a sad commentary oni the worlds progress towards some kind of a just and equitable order that the Ian Smith regime in Salisbury could muster the courage to execute three African freedom fighters. There is no doubt that Britain's attitude to Rhodesia has greatly helped the racists there. If Wilson had declared in 1965 that the ways and means of ending the Smith rebellion should be thougit of by the world as a whole, the UN migut not have been so inactive as it has been till now. Instead, he declared that it was a British problem and only wanted others Cost of Internationalism to impose sanctions against Salisbury. The Conservatives extracted from IT may be interesting to speculate how Wilson at an early stage the promise difficult the Budapest Conference would that force would not be used. Even if have been for the Soviet Union if the he himself has no sympathy for the Rumanians had not decided to walk Smith regime, Wilson's primary con- out of it. Whoever might have created cern as a politician has been to take the conditions for the Rumanians to the wind out of Tory sails and it is withdraw, Suslov must have heaved a not surprising that on many issues he sigh of relief when they left. After their has done exactly what Sandys, Powell exit things moved smoothly for him. and Heath would have done. Even the Italians kept quiet; the British The problem of Rhodesia has now party was in any case not important entered a phase when radical steps by enough to take up a position. The the UN alone can make the Smith Czechs and Hungarians could have regime surrender to pressure. Sanctions proved naughty; but neither of them have failed and they can never be felt that it was either possible or wise effective so long as Portugal and South for them to quarrel publicly with the Africa are determined to help Rhode- Soviet Union. The Czechs, at any rate, sia. Even British firms have traded with are yet to sort out their domestic Rhodesia and those firms which had problem of getting rid of Novotny and taken the sanctions seriously so far no stable international line can be now want them to be withdrawn. Unless worked out in Prague until he quits. sanctions are applied against the whole The Soviet Union can congratulate of Southern Africa and some good itself on achieving what has been its policing done, Rhodesia will not suc- major objective in inter-communist cumb to economic sanctions. politics for some time - the convening It may be asked how 200,000 white of a world communist summit in Mosmen should be able to stabilise their cow in order to proclaim that there racist rule over an overwhelming ma- still exists a mainstream of the movejority of Africans. Why, for example, mnent,that it is largely controlled and does not the ZAPU or ZANU under- guided by the Soviet Union and that take a Vietnam type struggle? Few the dissidents will either get back to powers in the world would in that event the mainstream or lose their significance dare come openly to Salisbury's help. as communists. But the answers are not difficult to find. Apparently, the Soviets are right in Neither the power equation in the assuming that even the half-unity region nor the state of the freedom achieved at Budapest will serve them movement in Rhodesia permits such a well. It is possible for others to point out that the 66 or 67 parties present movement. One of the misfortunes of the people at Budapest represent only a part of the of Zimbabwe is that Africa is not in international communist movement. At the centre of the world stage. By any rate, six of the major communist twenty years of habit the world today parties - those of Yugoslavia, Rumabothers only about those problems nia, Cuba, North Vietnam, North which have a direct bearing on East- Korea and China - were absent. The
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Realignments in Punjab
THE chances of the impasse created by the adjournment of the Punjab Assembly for two months by the Speaker being resolved through a political compromise have definitely receded. At one time it did appear possibie that a bargain might be struck between Chief Minister Gill and the Speaker with the latter agreeing to convene the Assembly in return for an undertaking that the move to remove him from the Speakership would be dropped for good. But now events seem to be moving towards intervention by the Governor. How the Governor might intervene was indicated by the Union Law Minister in New Delhi on Monday. The Governor is likely to first prorogue the Assembly so that he may reconvene it before March 31 in time to pass the State Budget. As the next step he would issue an ordinance under Article 209 of the Constitution laying down the procedure to be followed by the Assembly for approving the Budget. This might be backed up by a message under Article 175(2) from the Governor to the Assembly asking it to discuss the budget proposals as a matter of urgent priority. This procedure, the Law Minister apparently holds, will prevent the Speaker from adjourning the Assembly again, at least till the Budget is approved. While a way may thus be found out of the constitutional impasse, in the wider context the setting of a precedent making it possible for the Governor of

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