Russian imperialism

Michael Pröbsting — Imperialism today is not a system characterised by “antagonistic cooperation” but rather by antagonistic contradictions.

Ia Eradze, Luka Nakhutsrishvili and Lela Rekhviashvili discuss the roots of the Georgian uprising, its trajectory, and Georgia’s place in global capitalism and the imperialist order.

Michael Pröbsting — Contrary to Claudio Katz’s claims that world capitalism is domination of a single US-led “Empire”, it continues to be characterised by inter-imperialist rivalry.

Yuriy Samoilov provides a left-wing and trade union perspective on the Russia-Ukraine war.

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.

Claude Serfati — The global space is being transformed under the dual pressure of economic dynamics and geopolitical rivalries.

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.

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.

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.

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.