Articles
With the onset of the war between Russia and Ukraine, a politics of “neutrality” has been commonly defended by the left, justified by a reference to Lenin and the politics of the Bolsheviks during the First World War. These references are mistaken. Russia cannot possibly be taken as an “imperialist” state on the basis of any Marxist framework and certainly not based on the perspective put forth by Lenin on imperialism. On the other hand, let us for a moment grant, for argument’s sake, that Russia is imperialist, the politics of “neutrality” would still be an erroneous course of action from the Leninist perspective. Revolutionary Marxism (a.k.a. Bolshevik-Leninism) analyzes each and every war by the principles based on the interests of the local and international working class, and not by abstract dogmatic criteria.
Last month, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UIUC started a divestment campaign for the corporations that are complicit in human rights violations and that contribute to the Israeli military, US prisons and US immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The divestment campaign asked to divest from companies such as Caterpillar Inc., Elbit systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Aramark, which directly contribute to the occupation of Palestinian lands, criminalization of immigrants and people of color, and illegal labor in US prisons.
نتایج انتخابات اخیر ریاست جمهوری فرانسه موید گرانش سیاسی و فضای سنگین انتخابات می باشد. تهدید فاشیستی به نمایندگی مارین لوپن ان که ما ازآن بعنوان "طاعون آبی" یاد می کنیم – بر اساس نتایج اولیه انتخابات سایه به سایه امانوئل ماکرون را دنبال می کند. البته این وضعیت در مقایسه با سال‌های 2002 و 2017 که FN (جبهه ملی، نام قدیمی RN، حزب مارین لوپن) به دور دوم رسیده بود کاملاْ متفاوت می باشد.دستگاه فاشیسیم و تفکر فاشیستی این بار با حمایت دو نامزد خود یعنی مارین لوپن و اریک زمور می خواهد به نیروی محرک خود در فرانسه استقرار ببخشد. طبق نظرنظرسنجی‌های انجام گرفته ماکرون و لوپن ازشانس برابری برای کسب آراء برخوردار هستند . از این رو باید واقع بین بود و پنهان کردن حقیقت بی فایده است: فاشیسم در آستانه رسیدن به قدرت است.
Prezident seçkilərinin nəticələrinin müəyyənləşməsi ilə vəziyyətin mürəkkəbliyi öz təsdiqini tapdı. Seçkilərin birinci turunun nəticələrinə görə, Marin Le Pen və onun təmsil etdiyi – “mavi vəba” adlandırdığımız – faşist təhlükəsi Emmanuel Makronu yaxından izləyir. Bununla belə, hazırkı vəziyyət (Le Penin partiyası Milli Birliyin sələfi olan) Milli Cəbhənin seçkilərin ikinci turuna qaldığı 2002-ci və 2017-ci illərdəkindən kəskin şəkildə fərqlidir. Hazırda Marin Le Pen və Erik Zemmur kimi iki namizədi ilə faşizm Fransanın başlıca siyasi qüvvəsinə çevrilib. Sorğu anketlərinə görə, ikinci turda Makron və Le Penə səs vermək niyyətində olanların sayı başabaş gedir. Həqiqəti gizlətmək əbəsdir: faşizm hakimiyyətin kandarındadır.
With the results of the presidential elections, the gravity of the moment is confirmed. Marine Le Pen and the fascist threat she represents – that we call the “blue plague” – is closely following Emmanuel Macron according to the initial results of the elections. However, the situation is profoundly altered compared to 2002 and 2017, when the FN (National Front, the old name of the RN, Marine Le Pen’s party) had reached the second round. This time, with its two candidates, Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, fascism establishes itself as the main political force in France. According to the polls, the voting intentions for Macron and Le Pen in the second tour are almost equal. It is useless to hide the truth: fascism is on the brink of power.
Cumhurbaşkanlığı seçimlerinin sonuçları ile birlikte içinde bulunduğumuz durumun vehameti de belirginleşmiş oldu. Seçimin ilk sonuçlarına göre Marine Le Pen ve onun temsil ettiği, bizim “mavi veba” dediğimiz faşist tehdit Emmanuel Macron’u çok yakından takip ediyor. Ancak bugünkü durum, 2002 ve 2017’de, Le Pen’in partisi RN’in öncülü olan Ulusal Cephe’nin (FN) seçimlerin ikinci turuna kalmasından oldukça farklı. Bugün Marine Le Pen ve Eric Zemmour gibi iki adayla birlikte faşizm Fransa’nın en büyük siyasi gücü haline gelmiş durumda. Anketlere göre ikinci turda Macron ve Le Pen’e oy vermeyi planlayanların sayısı başa baş gidiyor. Artık gerçeği saklamak anlamsız: faşizm iktidarın eşiğindedir.
Les résultats des présidentielles confirment la gravité de l’heure. Marine Le Pen, et la menace de peste bleu marine qu’elle représente vient juste après Emmanuel Macron selon les résultats initiaux. Cependant la situation est profondément altérée comparée à 2002 et à 2017, quand le FN (Front National, le nom ancien du RN) était présent au second tour. Cette fois-ci, avec ces deux candidats (Marine Le Pen et Eric Zemmour) apparaît comme le premier camp politique en France. Selon les sondages, les intentions de vote pour Macron et Le Pen sont presque à égalité. Il est inutile de cacher la vérité : le fascisme est aux portes du pouvoir.
En esquissant un bilan (incomplet, donc) du quinquennat Macron : (très bénéfique pour la bourgeoisie en générale et pour les plus riches en particulier, il est catastrophique pour la classe ouvrière et toutes les autres fractions de classes populaires), on ne peut que conclure que en 5 ans, Macron aura imposé les lois les plus réactionnaires, les plus anti-sociales, les plus anti-ouvrières que la France ait connue depuis 1940. Menteur, transgressif, pervers, illusionniste, Macron dresse lui-même un bilan très avantageux de son quinquennat. Lui (la bourgeoisie) et la population laborieuse de ce pays ne vivons pas sur la même planète.
We are proud to present to our readers Issue No. 1 (12) for 2022 of Советское Возрождение. Бюллетень Ассоциации «Советский Союз» or in English Soviet Renaissance. Bulletin of the Association “Soviet Union”.
We are publishing here issue No.1 for the year 2022 (Issue No. 145) of Communist of Leningrad, the bi-monthly publication of the Russian Party of Communists in Leningrad (St. Petersburg).
We are publishing below the statement of the revolutionary Marxist organization Opción Obrera of Venezuela on the Ukraine war. In its general approach to the war, this statement is in broad agreement with the statements put out earlier by the International Socialist Center Christian Rakovsky and, later, by several members of the Center (EEK, DIP, MTL, Association Soviet Union, and ROR), all published on our website. Since both the Rakovski Center and RedMed are primarily focused on the Mediterranean, Eurasia, and the Middle East, we generally publish statements and news from parties and organizations of this part of the world, in languages that are widely used in the region (English, Russian and French) as our pivot. But the war in Ukraine is so overwhelmingly important and the confusion on the left is so great that we wish to bring in all contributions from the world that resists the general drift on the left towards the various positions of pacifism, of "neither...nor..." or pure capitulation to imperialism, i.e. the US and NATO.
Για να καταλάβουμε μεταξύ ποιων είναι πραγματικά ο πόλεμος στην Ουκρανία, θα πρέπει να δούμε ποιοι διαπραγματεύονταν τους τελευταίους δύο μήνες. Οι διαπραγματεύσεις έλαβαν χώρα μεταξύ Πούτιν και Μπάιντεν, μεταξύ Πούτιν και ΝΑΤΟ ή μεταξύ Πούτιν και Μακρόν. Η Ουκρανία ήταν σιωπηλή όλο αυτό το διάστημα. Πριν από τον πόλεμο, η πολιτική διεξαγόταν μεταξύ των ΗΠΑ, της ΕΕ, του ΝΑΤΟ και της Ρωσίας. Δεδομένου ότι ο πόλεμος είναι η συνέχιση της πολιτικής με άλλα μέσα, αυτός ο πόλεμος δεν είναι μεταξύ Ουκρανίας και Ρωσίας. Σε αυτόν τον πόλεμο η Ουκρανία διεξάγει έναν πόλεμο ως αντιπρόσωπος.
The criminal and treacherous destruction of the Soviet Union is the main cause of the common tragedy of the peoples of Ukraine and Russia, of all the peoples of the former Soviet socialist republics, which has been in effect for 30 years.
The criminal and treacherous destruction of the Soviet Union is the main cause of the common tragedy of the peoples of Ukraine and Russia, of all the peoples of the former Soviet socialist republics, which has been in effect for 30 years.
The criminal and treacherous destruction of the Soviet Union is the main cause of the common tragedy of the peoples of Ukraine and Russia, of all the peoples of the former Soviet socialist republics, which has been in effect for 30 years.
We are publishing below the statement of the revolutionary Marxist organization Opción Obrera of Venezuela on the Ukraine war. In its general approach to the war, this statement is in broad agreement with the statements put out earlier by the International Socliaist Center Christian Rakovsky and, later, by several members of the Center (EEK, DIP, MTL, Association Soviet Union, and ROR), all published on our website. Since both the Rakovski Center and RedMed are primarily focused on the Mediterranean, Eurasia, and the Middle East, we generally publish statements and news from parties and organizations of this part of the world, in languages that are widely used in the region (English, Russian and French) as our pivot. But the war in Ukraine is so overwhelmingly important and the confusion on the left is so great that we wish to bring in all contributions from the world that resists the general drift on the left towards the various positions of pacifism, of "neither...nor..." or pure capitulation to imperialism, i.e. the US and NATO.
Hazırda Ukraynada baş verənlər Ukrayna və Rusiya xalqlarının, istismardan azad edilmiş ədalətli bir cəmiyyət və gələcəyin kommunist dünyasını qurmaq üçün birləşən keçmiş sovet sosialist respublikalarının bütün xalqlarının ümumi faciəsidir. Bu faciə Sovet İttifaqının xainliklə və amansız şəkildə məhv edilməsinin bilavasitə nəticəsidir. Buna görə SSRİ prezidenti və Sov.İKP baş katibi Mixail Qorbaçov, RSFSR prezidenti və Sov.İKP MK üzvü Boris Yeltsin, Ukrayna SSR prezidenti və Sov.İKP MK üzvü L. M. Kravçuk və Belarus Respublikası Ali Sovetinin sədri Stanislav S. Şuşkeviç məsuliyyət daşıyır.
Bugün Ukrayna’da yaşananlar Ukrayna ve Rusya halklarının, sömürünün olmadığı adil bir toplum ve geleceğin komünist dünyasını kurmak için bir araya gelen eski Sovyet sosyalist cumhuriyetlerin tüm halklarının ortak trajedisidir. Bu trajedi Sovyetler Birliğinin haince ve canice yok edilmesinin doğrudan sonucudur.
Faisant de nombreux morts, la guerre a commencé en l’Ukraine. Nous, militants ouvriers et révolutionnaires de ROR sommes opposé aux bains de sang.
Mais, en France, comme dans d’autres pays impérialistes, le « Camp du Bien », un large conglomérat d’intellectuels bourgeois, faussement pacifistes et vraiment belliciste a unanimement condamnée la seule Russie (le « Camp du Mal »). Ce conglomérat regroupe, en France, les Bernard-Henri Lévy, les Jadot, les Enthoven, et autres Le Maire, - mais également Edwy Plenel, et même Noam Chomsky aux USA – plus tous les autres politiciens pourris de la bourgeoisie réactionnaire, frange fascisante mêlée.
Our fifth annual English edition, Revolutionary Marxism 2021, is out, amidst the prolonged pandemic and the economic and social crisis deepened by the former. World capitalism has failed even to make vaccines accessible worldwide, let alone implementing measures to keep billions of workers safe, such as re-planning the production process in accordance with the pandemic-induced circumstances.
Yli kuukauden koko maailma on ollut järkyttynyt Venäjän ja Ukrainan välisen sodan mahdollisuudesta. Missä hysteriassa läntinen media elääkään! Skenaariot vaihtelevat, mutta kaikkia maustavat yhteydet tuomiopäivään: Venäjän aloittama täysi kybersota naapuriaan vastaan, tai Venäjän hyökkäys ja Ukrainan miehitys, ja jopa miehitys ja hallinnon vaihto Venäjän kätyreihin.
Jopa Ukrainan presidentti Volodymir Zelensky, Ukrainan ulkoministeri ja ukrainalainen media ihmettelevät länsimedian hysteriaa. Verrattaessa nykytilannetta näitten kahden maan väliseen kitkaan sitten Maidanin tapahtumien 2014, kaikki näistä toteavat selkeästi, ettei sodan riski ole nyt sen suurempi. Siksipä on sallittua kysyä lietsovatko NATO-liittolaiset sotaa Venäjän ja Ukrainan välillä, jotta voisivat ahdistaa Venäjän nurkkaan ja rangaista sitä lisää uusilla toimilla.
Ce qui se passe actuellement en Ukraine est une tragédie commune des peuples d’Ukraine et de Russie, de tous les peuples des anciennes républiques socialistes soviétiques, qui ont construit ensemble une société juste exempte d'exploitation, un nouveau monde communiste du futur. Cette tragédie est la conséquence directe de la trahison criminelle de la destruction de l'Union Soviétique, les responsables sont le président de l'URSS,, le Secrétaire Général du Parti Communiste de l'Union Soviétique (PCUS), Mikhaïl Gorbatchev, le Président de la RSFSR, membre du Comité Central du PCUS Boris Eltsine, le Président de la République socialiste soviétique d'Ukraine, membre du Comité Central du PCUS M. Kravtchouk, président du Conseil Suprême de la République du Biéloarussie, Stanislav S.A Shushkevich.
What is currently happening in Ukraine is a common tragedy of the peoples of Ukraine and Russia, of all the peoples of the former Soviet socialist republics, who jointly built a fair society free from exploitation, a new future communist world. This tragedy is a direct consequence of the treacherous and criminal destruction of the Soviet Union, the blame for which lies with the President of the USSR, General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail S. Gorbachev, President of the RSFSR, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU Boris N. Yeltsin, President of the Ukrainian SSR, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU L. M. Kravchuk, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus, Stanislav S. Shushkevich
Происходящее в настоящее время на Украине является общей трагедией народов Украины и России, всех народов бывших советских социалистических республик, совместно строивших свободное от эксплуатации справедливое общество, новый будущий, коммунистический мир. Эта трагедия является прямым следствием предательского и преступного разрушения Советского Союза, вина за которое лежит на Президенте СССР, Генсеке КПСС М.С. Горбачеве, Президенте РСФСР, члене ЦК КПСС Б.Н. Ельцине, Президенте УССР, члене ЦК КПСС Л. М. Кравчуке, председателе Верховного Совета Республики Беларусь, С. С. Шушкевиче. Эти люди и их прямые и косвенные подельники являются государственными преступниками, предавшими не только свою социалистическую Родину и советский народ, но и собственную партию.
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.
To understand who the war in Ukraine is really between, one should look at who was negotiating for the past two months. The negotiations took place between Putin and Biden, between Putin and NATO or between Putin and Macron. Ukraine was silent the whole time. Prior to the war, politics were conducted between the USA, the EU, NATO and Russia. Since war is the continuation of politics by other means, this war is not between Ukraine and Russia. In this war Ukraine is fighting a proxy war. This in itself should be an embarrassment for the Ukrainian people. What a shame to put your own people in harm’s way for the war of others! The Zelensky government, the proxy of NATO in Ukraine, has driven the neo-Nazi gangs – the murderers of the Ukrainian working people – to the front as so-called “volunteers”. This war is the expression, by other means, of the economic and political humiliation that America and Europe have inflicted on Ukraine.
From the early hours of February 24, 2022, for the first time since the end of the Second World War, the flames of war destruction flared up in Ukraine, threatening to spread to the whole of Europe and set the planet on fire.
The Kremlin, in a speech by Putin, spoke of a "special military operation against the military infrastructure of Ukraine" which, together with the "Western bloc", threatens the populations of Donbass and "the security of Russia". The thermometer of war fever has risen in the imperialist centers, in the USA, NATO and the EU. Biden, in an emergency address, escalated threats against Russia, which he accused of "unprovoked invasion of Ukraine".
Nous venons d’apprendre – avec colère, mais pas d’étonnement – l’attaque déclenché contre vous après les déclarations de Gérard Darmanin. Nous voudrions déclarer que nous considérons cette attaque menée par l'impérialisme français avec la provocation du sionisme comme une attaque contre tous ceux qui se battent pour la cause palestinienne partout dans le monde, et nous nous tenons à vos côtés dans votre lutte.
Fransız İçişleri Bakanı Gérard Darmanin’ın yaptığı açıklama ile birlikte size karşı başlatılan saldırıyı, şaşkınlıkla değil ama öfkeyle öğrenmiş bulunuyoruz. Siyonizmin kışkırtması ile Fransız emperyalizminin yürüttüğü bu saldırıyı, tüm dünyada Filistin davası için mücadele yürüten herkese yapılmış saydığımızı ve mücadelenizde yanınızda olduğumuzu belirtmek isteriz.
The immediate background to today's war was the change of regime Ukraine went through in the Maidan events of 2014. The importance, even the existence, of fascists and their presence both at Maidan and later in the setup of the new Ukrainian regime was almost denied by most left-wing international groups. Three months after the end of the Maidan events, a fascist band burned and killed dozens of trade unionists and leftists in the Union House of Odessa. The article below describes the events and reaches certain conclusions. Today also the fascists are very active in Ukraine. We are publishing the article below, originally published on RedMed on 9 May 2014, one more time in order to warn our readers on what kind of "revolution" Maidan was.
We have just published "In defence of Lenin: a reply to Putin on the collapse of the USSR", an article by our comrade Sungur Savran. This article we are now publishing by Savran explains the epoch-making character of Lenin's national policy in the context of the foundation of the USSR in 1922 in more general and theoretical terms. It was first published in the annual English language issue Revolutionary Marxism 2021 of the Turkish language journal of theory and politics Devrimci Marksizm.
An extremely important aspect of Vladimir Putin’s speech on the night of 21 February 2022, relayed by cable television and simultaneously translated into many languages, thus reaching a very wide array of audiences worldwide, was his long-drawn out narrative on the historical aspect of the question of relations between Russia and Ukraine.
February 18th of 1952 is the day Turkey decided to join NATO, voted in favor by both the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition Republican People’s Party in the parliament. This anniversary began with jubilant celebrations from the NATO and AKP government front. NATO celebrated the anniversary of the acceptance of Turkey and Greece on its social media accounts. The Turkish Ministry of National Defense had the propaganda videos prepared for NATO – all too fittingly, given the US Legion of Merit awarded to Hulusi Akar, the Turkish minister of defense.
Remembering the Black Panthers in the Black History Month: inspirations, lessons, prospects – Part 2
The BPP’s remarkable discipline under greatest distress should be praised for at least three reasons. First, as we have remarked below, the greatest of unflinching discipline and finesse are required to combat the repressive organs of the reactionary bourgeois state.
Second, most Left groupings today are in great disarray precisely due to lack of discipline, while a minority of sects understand from discipline an unquestioned ideological and strategic purism. The Panthers’ combination of discipline with tactical flexibility, however, was what allowed them to grow exponentially in a short period of time. We shall talk more about this point below.
Уже больше месяца весь мир сотрясают новости о перспективе российско-украинской войны. Какой истерией кишат западные СМИ! Сценарии разные, но все они окрашены ассоциациями конца света: Россия начинает полномасштабную кибервойну против своего соседа, или российское вторжение в Украину, или полномасштабная оккупация Россией этой страны, или даже эта оккупация сопровождается сменой власти. с русским Квислингом, доставленным к власти по воздуху.
Bir aydan uzun bir süredir tüm dünya olası bir Rusya-Ukrayna savaşı haberleriyle çalkalanıyor. Batı basınında konuyla ilgili hezeyanlardan geçilmiyor! Bin bir türlü senaryo basında dolaşsa da hepsinde bir mahşer günü edası var: Rusya ya komşusuna karşı topyekûn bir siber-savaş başlatmak üzere, ya Ukrayna’ya karadan asker soktu sokacak, ya da Ukrayna’yı hepten işgal edecek. Böylesi bir işgalin bir Rus işbirlikçisi kukla iktidara yol açması bile söylentiler arasında.
Εδώ και πάνω από ένα μήνα ολόκληρος ο κόσμος συγκλονίζεται από ειδήσεις σχετικά με την προοπτική ενός πολέμου Ρωσίας-Ουκρανίας. Η υστερία επικρατεί στα δυτικά μέσα ενημέρωσης! Τα σενάρια ποικίλλουν, αλλά όλα είναι χρωματισμένα με συνειρμούς καταστροφής: Η Ρωσία αρχίζει έναν κυβερνοπόλεμο πλήρους κλίμακας εναντίον του γείτονά της ή μια εισβολή στην Ουκρανία ή μια πλήρους κλίμακας κατοχή της χώρας από τη Ρωσία ή, ακόμη, αυτή η κατοχή φέρεται να συνοδεύεται από καθεστωτική αλλαγής με κάποιον Ρώσο Κουίσλινγκ να εγκαθίσταται από τα πάνω στην εξουσία
For longer than a month the entire world has been rocked with news about the prospect of a Russia-Ukraine war. What hysteria the Western media is alive with! The scenarios vary, but all are tinged with doomsday associations: Russia starting a full-scale cyberwar on its neighbour or a Russian incursion into Ukraine or a full-scale occupation by Russia of that country or even that occupation being accompanied by a change of government with a Russian Quisling airlifted to power.
Depuis plus d'un mois, le monde entier est secoué par des informations sur la perspective d'une guerre Russie-Ukraine. Quelle hystérie dans les médias occidentaux ! Les scénarios varient, mais tous sont teintés d'associations apocalyptiques : La Russie déclenche une cyberguerre à grande échelle contre son voisin, ou une incursion russe en Ukraine, ou une occupation à grande échelle de ce pays par la Russie, ou même une occupation accompagnée d'un changement de gouvernement avec un Quisling russe porté au pouvoir par avion.
Artıq bir aydan çoxdur ki, bütün dünya Rusiya-Ukrayna müharibəsi ehtimalı ilə bağlı xəbərlərlə silkələnir. Qərb mediası bu məsələ ilə bağlı isteriyadadır! Ssenarilər müxtəlifdir, lakin bunların hamısında müəyyən bir məhşər günü nəzərdə tutulur: Rusiya ya qonşusuna qarşı geniş miqyaslı bir kibermüharibəyə başlamaq üzrədir, ya da Ukraynaya qoşun yeridəcək və ya Ukraynanı bütünlüklə işğal edəcək. Söz-söhbətlər arasında o da var ki, belə bir işğalı Rusiyaya meyilli bir marianet rejimin qurulması müşayiət edəcək.