One Common Trench or Two Opposite Ones?
Part 6
By Saddam Hussein
How do we protect the Revolution?
Comrades: “Thieves can only break in when the guards are asleep” In this case you are the guards . I shall not speak here of the Right wing and the reactionary forces, or even of the events in Lebanon or the Arab area. All these are important matters, but what is more important is that you should not become lax and provide the thieves with a chance to break in. If you are immune to the dangers surrounding us, the reactionary forces will be defeated. Reaction is historically doomed. No sound and mature revolutionary experiment in the world has ever been known to be defeated.
All the defeated experiments were either non-revolutionary, or lacking the elements of a mature revolutionary experiment.
In 1973, one of our comrades commented pessimistically on the fate of Allende, saying Beware lest this experiment extends to you.” We told him that while we benefit from other experiences, we should understand the Allende experiment for what it really was. Whereas Chile did enjoy a democratic atmosphere and a number of progressive measures and reforms, it lacked revolutionary leadership and the mainstays of revolutionary organization. Consequently it was overcome by the reaction.
Have imperialism and reaction been able to defeat Cuba, which is building socialism in the vicinity of the largest capitalist country? The answer is no.
What accounts for this is the existence of a revolutionary state, a revolutionary regime, a revolutionary party, and a revolutionary people. We believe, and I do not say this out vanity, that there is no force on earth capable of defeating our great Revolution. We neither seek problems, nor are we afraid of them—even if they lead to war.
Our people have met the test of wars and ordeals whenever compelled to do so. Our people, also the owners of major financial •resources, need to be exposed continuously to danger. Otherwise they might become anesthetized by financial comfort, and grow too fat and flabby to make any leaps forward.
This is how we view our surroundings, by analyzing them in order to enhance our general knowledge. But we have never feared the advance of reactionary forces. Reaction might affect the pseudo-progressive regimes whose foundations are corrupt. Despite all the resources of imperialism, however, it cannot overcome our regime, whose foundation is the people. We believe in them, in their role, and in the Front. We believe in the necessary role of the patriotic forces, and continually deepen and enhance our principles, defenses and positions. Neither the reaction nor its imperialist masters are capable of overcoming us.
We want you all to hold your breath, to be patient in your dealings with others. 1 will repeat what I said fourteen months ago I namely, that you should humble yourselves in order to provide opportunities for others. This is not just a metaphor, but also a specific concept with its principled and political consequences. You should heed it and seek to put it into practice.
The comrades in the party leadership still recall that after both the signing of the March agreement of 1975 and the end of the renegade faction’s rebellion, we heard some other brothers in the other parties whispering among themselves: “Perhaps the Baathists will say: Why do we need the Front and the alliance?” Of course, they were wrong. They did not understand the ABSP. Such attitudes bother us, since they reflect an ideological back-ground which attempts to place artificial limits on the Party’s practices and objectives, and which sees the Front’s work as ended.
Those who understand and believe that the ABSP is resolute in its implementation of socialism, however, those aware of our Party’s resoluteness in combating the intrigues of imperialism and reaction in both the area and the entire world, are well assured that the Front will not come to an end, that it will have an even wider scope of development and achievement.
Perhaps there were some shortsighted people,
1Comrade Saddam Hussein is referring to a previous speech given at an enlarged meeting of the PPNF on June 3,1975.