A debate was held on 2 July at Queen Mary University London on the Ukrainian war between Alex Callinicos and Gilbert Achaar, two communist writers, as part of the 2022 Marxism programme organised by the Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP).
To stop the Ukraine war and prevent weapons from being sent, as Alex said? or to send weapons to Ukraine because Russian imperialism would not give up war and occupation without weapons, as Gilbert said?
After the debate, I told Gilbert that this situation was more complicated than the two slogans.
It is possible to talk about the attitude of the communists and the right interpretations, but what I felt in this global situation is that the workers’ and communist movements do not have a practical force that affects attitudes and interpretations in this field. As our movement’s stance influenced World War I at the beginning of the twentieth century, either with the participation of the social democratic reformist wing in the war or the work against that war by the left wing of the movement.
This is a matter that is at the centre of the current fateful events. After a long time in this war, the slogans have not been able to affect the state of war.
The current world is more prepared for the war of the powerful capitalist states and Ukraine is part of this preparation. Therefore, neither will sending weapons to Zelenskyy pro-NATO will resolve the fate of this war, nor can the slogan of non-war save the Ukrainians from Russian occupation and murder.
The military budget of most imperialist countries and their local allies, the development of NATO and the invasion of Ukraine, the danger to Taiwan and the instability of the oil, gas and food market, show a round of military conflict and global militarisation after the failure of the new US empire.
Against these policies and wars, protests must be expressed to the capitalist governments, whether with slogans against war and further militarisation that NATO is pursuing or against the Russian imperialist invasion and war in Ukraine, But the global movement of the workers and the subordinate classes needs a renaissance, a revival, and a new internationalist awakening that can stand in the field against this capitalist system today, which is more than ever an atomic threat to the entire human community.
Aso Kamal, London
26 July, 2022
https://www.workersliberty.org/story/2022-07-26/letter-neither-slogan-can-prevail
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Aso Kamal (Solidarity 642) is right that revolutionary socialists internationally are not strong enough to sway the Ukraine war one way or another.
In fact, the much bigger nominally-Marxist movement of 1914 was not in a position to stop World War One — even in countries (Russia, Serbia), where the socialists held to internationalist principle. The Bolsheviks were not able to extract Russia from World War One until after taking power.
The question is how to build a movement from where we are. That can’t be done by wishing for a sudden jump to a movement stronger than 1914 or 1917.
It can be done, over time, by agitation and explanation on the issues, including the Ukraine war.
Rhodri Evans, London
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