Be a Northstar Compass Sustaining Member for 2003

Dear Northstar Compass readers and Friends:

We are in the month of the 85^th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution in Russia, an historic victory for the world’s proletarian and all peace and justice-loving people around the world. For at least several decades after this magnificent victory the dialectical relationship between consolidating socialism in one country and using it as a base to defeat imperialism in all countries was upheld. The culmination of this policy was the Soviet led victory over fascism in Word War II, which ushered in a period of unparalleled democratization and emancipation of the world’s oppressed.

However, the victorious wartime alliance between the USSR and its imperialist allies – especially the United States imperialism, was a breeding ground for bourgeois democratic illusions among the Soviet-led revolutionary forces whose heroic deeds had been the key to the defeat of fascism. Especially harmful were the illusions about the capacity of the monopoly capitalist and imperialist system and the US ruling class in particular, to peacefully co-exist with the USSR and the new Socialist camp as well as with dozens of newly politically independent peoples in Asia, Africa, and Latin America striving for economic independence from US imperialism as well.

In the past decade or more, with the dissolution of any remnants of a socialist camp or socialist Soviet Union, US imperialism has taken off its gloves and used its naked fist to try to maintain and further consolidate its hegemonic position as the world’s number one exploiter. It has tried to compel a "new word order" comparable to Hitlerian dream of world conquest. Today, the George W. Bush Regime, by unabashedly and unilaterally inflicting a worldwide war of terror against the peoples of the world, has stripped away all such bourgeois democratic illusions with regard to peaceful co-existence.

More clearly now than at any time in many years, the alternative is socialism or war. Which side are you on? Northstar Compass, as we begin our second decade of work and struggle, has established a clear record of being on the side of socialism. Today, as the official publication of the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People, the journal represents a united front of pro-socialist forces all over the world.

In its first ten years, Northstar Compass was a most important and consistent source of news about the struggles of pro-socialist forces in former USSR, performing an invaluable service to both the rising revolutionary forces within the former USSR and to aspiring revolutionaries around the world who had been confused, disoriented, and even demoralized by the liquidation of socialism in the USSR and the socialist camp. We begin our second decade committed to three areas of reporting… (1) Current news and views of emerging socialist forces from within the former USSR itself; (2) News and views from the struggles for justice and peace, national liberation and socialism from around the world; (3) News and views from the emerging Friendship Associations, including those now being established within the former USSR itself.

Now is a difficult time. Which side are you on---Socialism or War? In the number of those who selflessly sacrificed to build socialism in the USSR on the basis of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917 and, under the pressure of the Bush-led US imperialist-led war of terror against the peoples of the world, we respectfully request that you take up the challenge to fund the publication of Northstar Compass for the year 2003.

While expenses of the International Council are being borne through other means – we need approximately $25,000 to fund the publication for 2003. NSC is published by volunteer labour.

We are confident that you will help us meet this goal.

Ray O Light (USA)
Associate Editor of NSC

Click here to return to the November 2002 index.