Russian imperialism
Yuriy Samoilov provides a left-wing and trade union perspective on the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ilya Matveev: ‘Lenin’s theory only goes part of the way towards explaining Russian imperialism’
Ilya Matveev — Ideology is the crucial factor in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which cannot be accounted for simply with reference to contradictions of capital accumulation or geopolitics.
Robert Brenner — The theory of imperialism put forward by Vladimir Lenin to end World War I remains, if properly qualified, the best point of departure for understanding imperialism today.
State of the world: Economic crisis and geopolitical rivalries
Claude Serfati — The global space is being transformed under the dual pressure of economic dynamics and geopolitical rivalries.
Class analysis and Russian imperialism: A response to Ilya Matveev
Dmitry Pozhidaev — By focusing on ideology and Putin’s personal motivations, Matveev overlooks class dynamics and the material interests of Russia’s capitalist class, which are crucial to understanding Russia’s post-2014 foreign policy.
Russian imperialism: Economic and military aspects
Chris Slee — Economic statistics are not the sole basis for deciding if a country is imperialist. We also have to look at factors such as military strength and military interventions abroad.
Ilya Matveev discusses the two logics of imperialism, how they help us explain the different paths that China and Russia took to become imperialist powers, and the left's need for a shared vision of progressive change.
From Ukraine to Palestine: The challenges of consistent internationalism
Blanca Missé — Many activists recognize movements face the same decadent global capitalism and its imperialist state system. However, international and regional politics shape these struggles, making it hard for them to unite against their common enemy.
Lenin on Serbia’s role in World War I: A useful analogy for the current Ukraine war?
Michael Pröbsting looks at Lenin’s actual position on the defence of Serbia in World War I and why it is wrong to apply it to the Ukraine War today.
Kevin B. Anderson discusses Marx and Lenin’s writings on imperialism, why the world is becoming more bipolar and the need for consistent anti-imperialism.
Multi-polarity: A new alignment?
Jerry Harris — Some see multi-polarity as a new stage of non-alignment, and even the creation of an anti-imperialist bloc. But the economic and political elites of the Global South are too deeply tied to transnational capitalism to be truly independent.
Daria Saburova — In April-May 2024, tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets to protest against the new "Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence," which was finally passed by the parliament on May 28th, overturning the presidential veto.