After the last few months’ accelerating developments in the Ukrainian crisis and the escalating conflict between Russia and the US and its European allies in NATO, the Russian imperialist state today launched a large-scale military offensive against the Ukranian military bases and Ukranian forces near the newly separated republics, leading to a mass exodus of people from various cities in the country
The crisis escalated after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday Russia’s recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in Eastern Ukraine as independent states and decided to enter Russian military forces into the two regions under the name of “peacekeeping forces” claiming that would defend these republics against Ukrainian forces. Following these developments, the US and its allies carried out their first package of economic sanctions against Russia
The reason why the events in Ukraine and its internal conflicts take such a global dimension is the intensification of the geopolitical and strategic conflict between the Russian imperialist state and the US imperialist state and its European allies in NATO, over spheres of influence in Europe
Having been able to sufficiently rebuild its military, economic, and political power after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and securing its alliance with China and other countries such as Iran during the previous era, Russia has at one point become in a position to be able to confront the US and NATO as a rival military imperialist power on the global geopolitical and strategic conflict arena. The first signs of this new reality surfaced with Russia’s military intervention in Georgia in 2008, and it is now in a position that it can wrestle with western imperialist powers in order to sieze its share of spheres of influence and to secure its place in the geopolitical, strategic, and geo-economic system at the global and regional levels, seeking to restore what it can from its previous spheres of influence in Europe
Contemporary capitalist imperialism continues to be characterized, contrary to the claims of the defenders of capitalism and its neo-liberal model, by the creation of various economic, military, and political blocs and powers, the emergence of new international and regional poles, the intensification of geopolitical, economic, and strategic conflicts among them, the increasing pace of militarization and armaments, and the practice of arrogance and subjugation of vulnerable people and countries in various ways, including direct occupation and proxy wars. All this is to re-divide the world economically and politically and gain spheres of influence in accordance with the new balance of power that usually occurs between these imperialist powers over time
These conflicts between various imperialist states and regional powers have imposed huge tragedies on humanity. The masses in Iraq continue to pay the price for US imperialism’s war on Iraq, its occupation, and the proxy wars led by it and other regional powers through various terrorist and militia forces of political Islam currents in this country and a number of other Middle Eastern countries. Russia’s military intervention in defending the criminal regime of Syrian Assad and its crimes against the citizens of this country, the arrogance and bullying it exercises against its neighbouring countries independent of Russia, its readiness for all-out war on Ukraine, and its blatant military intervention, are all hotbeds of intense conflicts among contemporary imperialist states, which are likely to be turned into an all-out war in which tactical nuclear weapons may be used
It is the masses of workers and the poor who will pay the price for the escalation of the current Ukrainian crisis and its evolving into an all-out war, annexation of other regions and flourishing of nationalism and racism in Ukraine, Russia and the rest of Europe, and they will be the victims of the intensification of this crisis and the break out of war in Europe. Contemporary capitalism is in a deep crisis that is worsening day by day. The masses of workers and labour movement in general should not allow the imperialist bourgeoisie make them pay for its suffocating economic crisis through wars, the escalation of regional conflicts, and make them bear the brunt of their geopolitical adventures. They must unite their anti-war, anti-militarism and anti- armament ranks
The salvation of the world from the tragedies created by capitalism, its militarism, its wars, the conflicts of its blocs and its international and regional poles is to unite the struggles of the mases of workers, the impoverished people from different countries in a single international socialist struggle to bring down capital and capitalism and to confront the ruling bourgeoisie in each of their countries, and not to aim at their fellow workers and toilers from the other countries
We, in Organisation of the Communist Alternative In Iraq, strongly oppose the arrogance of the Russian state, its intervention in Ukraine, its current military attack and invasion of this country and any move towards a comprehensive invasion of it
We also strongly oppose the practices and policies of the US and its allies, their role in feuling the atmosphere of war and their continued expansion and strengthening of their areas of domination through membership of the European countries bordering Russia in NATO
We condemn nationalist discrimination against any of the nationalities within Ukraine and call for an end to the ongoing war within the country between the ruling authorities in Kiev and the Eastern regions
Organisation of the Communist Alternative In Iraq is part of the international front against imperialist wars and massacres committed in the interests of the ruling capitalist junta, imperialist states and regional powers
We are part of the international proletarian anti-war camp and we do not support any of the parties in this conflict, but we call on the masses of workers and the toilers to confront their ruling bourgeoisie in each country and unite their struggles into one international socialist struggle
No to the war and the Russian military attack on Ukraine
Yes to the unity of the international socialist struggle of the masses of workers and toilers
Long live international socialism
Down with the wars of imperialist capitalism