Statement on Ukraine (OKDE, March 2014)

ΝΟ ΤΟ WAR

– No to the intervention of the USA, EU, NATO imperialists

– Down with the fascists, that they have brought into power

– No to the IMF, the imposition of anti-labour, anti-popular “reforms” onto the ukrainian people

 – No to any participation of the greek government in the USA, EU, NATO imperialist onsets to Ukraine

 – Self-determination of the peoples who desire so. Socialism is the only solution.

1. The events taking place in Ukraine are a turning point in the international political developments and, in any case, they form a new situation in which the crisis of the global capitalist system, as well as that of humanity, is getting into. The crisis of the global capitalist system, which broke out in 2007, is the base of all the dramatic events and developments that humanity, the working people, the poor strata and the youth have been facing: unemployment, poverty, enormous inequalities, degradation… military interventions and wars. Exactly one century after the 1st World War, it seems humanity is confronting the danger of a similar generalized conflict. The conflict in Ukraine reminds us that, as long as there is capitalism and imperialism, the threat of the war and the distraction of humanity will be present.

2. Ukraine (like our country, Greece) is one of the many bankrupt countries in Europe and the EU. Until yesterday, the EU and the USA not only didn’t pay any attention to the sufferings of ukrainian people, but they also contributed to the continuous degradation of the working and popular masses and the creation of a handful of capitalists/oligarchs –little copies of their own immensely rich capitalists–, through their policies, privatizations, the “deregulation of the market and labour relations”, the “reforms” etc.

Taking advantage of the fair discontent of the working and popular masses resulting from the policies of the corrupt government of Gianoukovits, they planned a sheer coup, which was essentially based on extreme right, fascist gangs and other neoliberal elites and agents, who were brought up, trained and financed by various NGOs, institutions, secret agencies, etc. The EU and the imperialists are not going to offer Ukraine nothing more than some chickenfeed and the well known “services” of the IMF (of which Greek people have had cruel experience), in order, mainly, to preserve their gangs in Kiev! Ukraine is rapidly developing into a huge black hole (economic, social, political, nationalist, geo-political, geo-strategic, of cold-war type) in the heart of Europe.

3. The split of Ukraine has de facto started and this does not only concern Crimea. It is very likely that it will spread to the eastern areas. Crimea is of mainly geo-strategic importance to Russia (naval port for the russian navy, the Black Sea, area of Caucasus –“soft underbelly” etc.). The eastern provinces of Ukraine have not only geostrategic but also enormous economic and geo-political significance, as they are inhabited, in majority, by Russians/russian-speaking/russophiles.

Russia was forced to intervene into Ukraine and, depending on the developments, it will go on to further integrate the eastern provinces. The dominance of the pro-west gangs in Kiev will probably mean: 1) Accession of Ukraine into NATO. 2) Suppression of Russia towards the Urals. 3) Intensification of the secession tendencies (especially in the area of Caucasus) in the Russian Federation. 4) Undermining and, in part distraction, of the “Europe-Asian Unification” project. Part of this “Unification” is the common Russian-Chinese project to invade initially the markets of central Europe through the ports of the Black Sea (which have been upgrading). All these are causing enormous problems to Russia and only to it.

The economy of Russia, which has been having problems recently, will now face even bigger ones, due to the general crisis of the capitalist system, as well as due to Ukraine.

4. There is no doubt that humanity has entered a period of imperialist aggressiveness, especially of the US imperialism, which is unfolding in three main fronts and some other quite important ones, at the moment: a) The conflict in Ukraine. b) The China–Japan confrontation and, generally the conflict in South East Asia. c) The effort of the US imperialism to overthrow (using the same means and methods as in Ukraine) the regime in Venezuela (symbol of all the developments and alternative solutions of the 21st century in Latin America, to say the least), as well as similar efforts –in smaller scale– to overthrow the progressive-left regimes of Ecuador and Bolivia. The crisis in Ukraine and the South East Asia has brought all the great powers directly against each other, for the first time since the Crisis of Berlin in 1948 or the Korean War in 1950, which is extremely dangerous.

Three more fronts should be added to the above mentioned: 1) The cruel dictatorship they have been trying to impose on Egypt, with all the consequences that it has for the region and the revolts of the masses that started in January 2011. 2) The new attack against Syria by new mercenary–jihadists. 3) The effort to overthrow Erdogan or force him to “comply” and the re-establishment of the Turkey-Israel axis. 4) The interventions in the continent of Africa, which can only be compared with the worst days of colonial rule.

At the same time, they have launched a new economic attack all over the world: flight of capital, monetary war etc., actions that have caused major economic problems to all the so called “emerging” economies (fall of the rate of development or even recession of their economies, devaluation of currencies etc). It seems that this attack will be completed with the Transatlantic Agreement of EU and USA.

5. The situation that is being formed, quite rapidly, looks like the beginning of a new Cold War –of course, with different characteristics compared to the previous one–, in which the working people, the poor strata and the youth have to oppose their strongest resistance. A direct result of this new situation will be the incapacity or the great difficulty to find a solution e.g. for the conflict of Syria or for the negotiated nuclear project of Iran etc.

Finally, it is certain that the shattering of the global economy will grow even more, as well as the disintegration, stagnation or paralysis of all the international economic and trade organizations –which now seems to be happening with the G8 (temporarily?)– and, undoubtedly, the escalation of the monetary war. In case of real –not nominal– economic sanctions against Russia, things will worsen even more. In any case, whatever understanding there had been between them in the past, seems now difficult, something that will probably be confirmed in the next summit of the G20.

6. The situation needs to be examined carefully, as the issue is not simple. That is why it would be wrong to answer the problem saying that it is an “inter-bourgeois” and “inter-imperialist” conflict, and that is all. Being revolutionaty marxists, we are, of course, opposed to any war that threatens not only the life of millions of people, but also humanity itself with extinction. Moreover, we are, certainly, opposed to any Poutin (an extremely authoritarian and despotic leader of a big imperialist power) pretending to be the defender of peoples and of Russian’s or any others’ rights.

However, alas to the humanity, to the world proletariat, to the european, russian or ukrainian proletariat, if the US and European imperialists prevail: then, all the misfortunes that the world proletariat has get to known with since the turnaround of the class relation of forces in 1990, will be nothing compared to the future ones. The same applies to what the peoples of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Africa,… Greece have lived.

During World War II, the conflict between “the Allies and Hitlerism” was also “inter-bourgeois and inter-imperialist” (with the exception of the USSR), but fascism meant an international counter-revolution, the elimination of the labor, revolutionary and communist movement, as an imminent threat –not as a general one, like imperialism– and, in that sense, it was the main enemy. Nowadays, this role is played by the old imperialists: the USA and the EU (as is also obvious by their collaboration with every kind of scums everywhere on the planet: Ukraine, Thailand, Venezuela etc.). That is why a position of keeping “equal distances” is wrong; because it simply means a general, abstract and “clean” examination of the situation, not a concrete one.

7. It goes without saying that, as revolutionary marxists, we acknowledge the right of self-determination, even the right of secession from Ukraine, to the peoples and nations that desire it. Nevertheless, the only real solution, the solution that revolutionary marxists propose and will save the peoples of Ukraine (as well as of the whole area and Europe) from pointless national and nationalist solutions/conflicts, which have no perspective, is socialism and the re-establishment of the USSR of the Lenin and Trotsky period, the one that the stalinist counter-revolution squashed. Acknowledging the right of self-determination is not an end in itself; for the forces of the labor movement, it aims to free the working and popular masses from the guardianship/influence of every nationalist or rightwing “protector” and build a true relationship of equality, respect and unity of the peoples of the region. It does not aim at the breakup, the partition and the scattering of countries, which is a familiar work of imperialists, in order to be able to control more easily the peoples and serve their own interests, the interests of the big capital.

8. Due to the conflict in Ukraine, the crisis of the world capitalist system will worsen, especially the crisis in the EU, which will affect, for the worse, the crisis of greek capitalism. However, apart from this general ascertainment –taking into consideration that the situation is extremely complex–, we can say: 1) The funding of greek capitalism is likely to face problems due to the escalation of the crisis and the turning of imperialists and the EU’s interest towards Ukraine, whose “black hole” is likely to demand backing. 2) The tourist stream from Russia and Ukraine, which had been boosted by the situation in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon or even Turkey, during the last two years, will probably be affected. 3) The imposition of the “new Anan project” will be hastened in Cyprus and –if that happens– its accession into NATO.

Finally, the cold–war climate will probably give the quisling government of Samaras–Venizelos the excuse for a new cruel attack against the working people. Even worse, greek bourgeoisie and its cadres, who are prone to imperialistic “crusades”, will attempt to drag us in the imperialistic conflict. It is the duty of the labor movement and the revolutionary marxists in Greece, who are in the “prison” of the EU and the western imperialists, to use all their power to prevent the dangerous situation that is being formed, overthrow the dangerous government of Samaras–Venizelos, destroy the EU and the warmonger plans of imperialists.

Athens, 11.3.2014

 ORGANIZATION of COMMUNISTS INTERNATIONALISTS of GREECE

(O.Κ.D.E.)