Renfrey Clarke — Few questions of international politics have seen the Western left as sharply divided as the war in Ukraine. But there is no good reason why Marxists, with the writings of Vladimir Lenin at their disposal, should lack clarity on how to analyse the war.
Ukraine
Paul Le Blanc — Consistent partisans of actual democracy insist that people have the right to shape their own future. This includes the right to struggle for self-determination.
Murray Smith — Throughout history, solidarity has helped achieve the only possible acceptable peace — one guaranteeing defeat of the aggressor and the victim to live free of the threat of renewed assault. That must be the goal of the European Left in relation to Ukraine.
Dave Holmes — Ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, NATO has been calling the shots, fighting a proxy war against Russia on Ukrainian territory, using NATO arms, training, intelligence, “volunteers” and advisers, with Ukrainians as expendable cannon fodder on the ground.
Akira Kato discusses rising US-China tensions in the Asia-Pacific, Japan’s attempts to transform itself into a regional military power, the conflicts over Ukraine and Taiwan and building mass anti-war struggles today.
Ammar Ali Jan discusses global politics, growing tensions between the United States and China, the impacts of this on Pakistan and implications for anti-imperialism in the Global South today.
Rafael Bernabe — We reject NATO imperialism, but not to support the expansionism of the Russian Federation headed by Putin. We do not reject one imperialism to support another. We are anti-imperialists, not alter-imperialists.
Gavin Gatenby — In the months before his assassination by a Stalinist agent, Leon Trotsky wrote three important articles on the issue of Ukraine. So resolutely did Trotsky support Ukraine’s right to independence that these articles probably gave an added impetus to Josef Stalin’s determination to murder his old rival.
Jerry Harris — Independence and self-determination have been a guiding socialist principle for more than 100 years. Understanding these long-held principles is essential in the discussion regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Solidarity — Socialists support oppressed peoples’ and nations’ struggles for liberation and self-determination. Our support is not dependent on which imperialist power or “camp” is the specific oppressor.
Japanese Communist Party's Kimitoshi Morihara discusses US-China tensions, Japan’s shifting post-war security policy, the party's position on Ukraine and Taiwan, and possible peace initiatives for the region.
Chris Slee — "Ukraine Resists!: Left Voices on Putin’s War, NATO and the Future of Ukraine" is a compilation of interviews with socialists from Ukraine, Russia and elsewhere.