NATO and imperialism are the real culprits of this war
Down with Russian oligarchs and restorers of capitalism
Internationalist mobilization of the Working Class against NATO’s expansion – NATO will not be stopped by Putin, but by Revolution
War against NATO’s war – NO to Finland’s NATO membership!
Down with filo-fascist regime of Kiev – No weapons to Ukraine
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War was ignited in the heart of Europe on Thursday 24th February 2022. War, that can be escalated to the scale of the whole of Europe or even to a global war. Putin speaks about ”military operation” to ”defend and save” the Russian-speaking people of Donbass. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, US president Biden talks about an ”unprovoked attack against the sovereignty of Ukraine”. In Finland, we have seen an unprecedented attack of war propaganda. Months before Putin attacked Ukraine, NATO’s top representatives visited Finland and Sweden. Secret negotiations were had with political and military leadership. War drums have been heard in other western European countries as well. In the bigger picture, in the crosshairs of imperialism is also China. Bourgeoisie media ”deliberated” about whether it would be more beneficial to strike against Russia, China, or both simultaneously.
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The dissolution of the USSR and restoration of capitalism in Russia turned old Stalinist bureaucracy into oligarchs. Widespread privatization allowed these oligarchs to replace old limited power with accumulated wealth and thus more power. Reanimation of capitalism in Russia has been happening during this era of the deep systemic crisis of old historical capitalism, which thus was unable to act as a seedbed for this emerging societal system in Russia. On the other hand, the return of capitalist relations of production in Russia was not enough to save the West from its dead-end. Modern-day capitalism has gone through several economic collapses after that, the severest of them happened 2007-2008. By blowing up bubbles and inflating artificial values of finance capital, capitalism is yet again in a situation, where an implosion is looming on the horizon, and it seems to be way worse than the previous one. Imperialism has not given up the so-called Brzezinski doctrine, that Russia is to be divided into tens of parts that would then be easier to colonize than one big country. The West has repeatedly promised the Russian government, that NATO is not going to expand, at first not to Eastern Europe, later to republics of the former USSR. Despite all promises, the encirclement of NATO around Russia has been tightened. The incorporation of Ukraine into NATO would create a situation of imperialism building military bases stone’s throw away from Moscow. This was the last straw for Putin.
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Russian elite has been provoked to war since 2014. Maidan events and pro-West coups sow the seeds of civil war. Ukraine is a country and society very much divided by language, religion, politics, and economic structure. The troops of the Ukrainian army include militias of fascist- and nazi organizations and foreign volunteers of nazi organizations. Even Islamists of DAESH act there since Erdogan recruited to fight against Donbass republics. Demand for NATO membership of Ukraine presents the cul-de-sac of the crisis of capitalism and the insoluble nature of it that forces imperialism to seek absolution from it through war. Russia is however not a walk in a park. Conflict can get out of hand and develop into a nuclear war. Even if the situation would calm down with some compromise being reached between parties, it would only be temporary. The aim of imperialism is the creation of a new cold war against Russia and China. Severing relations between European countries and Russia is a prerequisite for that. Relations in question are associated mainly with energy. Organizing an alliance between the USA, Great Britain, and Australia anew (AUKUS) is also striving towards that. Putin cannot endure the economical isolation of this ‘cold war’, so he proceeded to ‘hot war’ to get quicker solutions. And rewriting the map of Europe is considered a solution.
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New geopolitical order can not come into being before either or the other side is militarily devastated. Jalta agreement came about after WW2, when nazis had been defeated, and Wien agreements after Napoleon was quashed. Now the world is again on a turning point after 30 years. There is a paradox: now the era of the new nomenclature cast that Putin represents is coming to an end at the time when western capitalism has its vitality and credibility drying up and it no longer provides the elite cliques with conditions for existence neither in Russia or in China. Putin’s attacks were blatantly provoked. Ukrainian army in collaboration with Right Sector and Svoboda fascists carrying the flag of Stepan Bandera, or with nazi battalion Azov, was attacking the Donbass area every day against the Minsk agreement before Russia recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk.
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A major beneficiary of this conflict is American imperialism. NATO appears as ”an angel” that sincerely arms Ukraine and member states bordering Russia, for example, Poland and Baltic countries, where it sends troops as well. Also, the USA benefits of that German hegemony in the EU has been subdued with the cancellation of NordStream 2. Turkey, with or without Erdogan, will have leverage in form of a favor if he agrees to not let Russian ships to the Gulf of Bosborous. If demand includes expansion of Turkish territory, it means expansion of the Ukrainian crisis to the Middle East. Therefore Russia has recently strengthened its airforce capacity in Syria.
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The reaction of both the Finnish and European Left has been reactionary and very dangerous to the interests of the working class. Some wish defeat to the Russian army, some position themselves equidistant to both imperialism and Russia. Some think of Russia as an imperialist country and say they have no standing in inter-imperialist war. In Helsinki, 10 000 people were demonstrating, and on social media, leftists decorate their avatars with Ukrainian flags. Anger towards Putin transforms to anger towards Russians and russophobia. Spokesman of Foreign Affairs’ Committee Jussi Halla-Aho (ex-leader of True Finns) proposed the Finnish Law to be changed to allow weapons exports to Ukraine (at the moment weapons trade to a country in war is illegal). Political parties that did not previously do so, one after another start supporting NATO membership. With anti-Russian spirits. Left Alliance demonstrates with far-right. As International Socialist Centre ”Christian Rakovski” (Rakovski-Centre) weighs on their declaration: ”Since the dissolution of Yugoslavia, goals of imperialism has included the incorporation of whole Eastern Europe to NATO, ” color revolutions”, and wars in Kaukasus, the chronic crisis in Ukraine, ex-Soviet space to be colonized and turned into puppets and re-establishing world hegemony of imperialism.”
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Marxist Workers’ league is a member organization of Rakovski-Centre and has signed the aforementioned declaration. Because of our internationalist attitude, we are not ”equidistant” from imperialism, Russia, China, etc. Imperialism, NATO, and elites that pursue Finland to join it are the main enemy. We declare war against the imperialist war. Our arsenal consists of an international working class and solidarity between the oppressed. The main cannon is Revolution, which will end imperialism, capitalism, exploitation, oppression, armies, and class society. These are tasks for International Working Class, and these tasks none other can not nor will not do! We will not sit idle waiting some Putin, Gaddafi, Chaves, or such to ”clear the world” we live in. Thus, we oppose Putin’s anticommunist clique and vow to work hand in hand with the Russian working class to overthrow capitalism and Bonapartist Putinism. We will not forget Putin’s rhetoric against Lenin, Trotski, and other bolsheviks as he praises Stalin and Stalinism. The new bourgeoisie nomenclature of Russia is an extension of Stalinism and its offspring. This explains Putin’s Great-Russian nationalist chauvinism. The attack against bolshevism points out his fear that the working class of Ukraine and Russia would become the main actors in writing history.
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To accomplish these tasks proletariat needs above all revolutionary strategy, program, and organization – the International revolutionary party. Foundation of new International is important. Capitalism is incompatible with life. Only united socialist soviet republics ensure peace, prosperity, and saving the environment.
NATO and imperialism are the real culprits of this war
Down with Russian oligarchs and restorers of capitalism
Internationalist mobilization of the Working Class against NATO’s expansion – NATO will not be stopped by Putin but by Revolution
War against NATO’s war – NO to Finland’s NATO membership!
Down with filo-fascist regime of Kiev – No weapons to Ukraine
Now more than ever, an international revolutionary party is needed
New Zimmerwald Conference is needed now
27.2.2022