Anti-Imperialism in the Age of Great Power Rivalry
The Factors behind the Accelerating Rivalry between the U.S., China, Russia, EU and Japan
A Critique of the Left’s Analysis and an Outline of the Marxist Perspective
By Michael Pröbsting, International Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), January 2019
Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
Part 1: Features of Imperialism in the 21st Century
I. The Historic Crisis of Capitalism
II. Global Offensive of the Capitalists against the Working Class
III. Capitalism and the Increasing Relevance of Migration
IV. The Marxist Criteria for an Imperialist Great Power
Main Characteristics of an Imperialist respectively a Semi-Colonial State
Is a Transition from Being One Type of State to Another Possible?
“Sub-Imperialism” – A Useful Category?
V. The Emergence of China and Russia as New Great Powers
Production and Trade
Monopolies and Billionaires
Capital Export and Military Spending
VI. The Acceleration of Inter-Imperialist Rivalry and the Global Trade War
At the Onset of a New Cold War
Tianxia – China’s Ideological Challenge
Protectionism and Militarism
The Imperialist Drive for Control of the South
Rivalry between U.S. and China as the Main Axis of Inner-Imperialist Contradictions
VII. Imperialist Great Powers: Some Historical Comparisons
Excurse: The Law of Uneven and Combined Development
Some Historical Examples about the Unevenness of the Great Powers before 1939
Globalization and Great Power Rivalry in the Period before World War One
The “Fat” and the “Lean” Cows
Part 2: Modern Revisionist Theories of Great Power Rivalry in Today’s World
VIII. Revisionist Whitewashing: Stalinist and Bolivarian Admirers of Beijing’s “Socialism”
Is China a Unique Case of Capitalist Miracle?
Russian Stalinists: Failure to Understand Imperialism in their own Country
The Ultra-Stalinist CPGB-ML: “Anti -Imperialist” Russia and China?
IX. Revisionist Whitewashing: Russia and China are neither Capitalist nor Great Powers (PO/CRFI)
Capitalism is still not restored in Russia and China?
Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism and its Stalinophile Falsification
Russia’s and China’s Capital Export: Myth and Reality
On the Character of China’s Foreign Investments
State-Owned Corporations in China and Russia: Not Capitalist?
The Role of Migration
LIT: Is China Comparable with Brazil, India or Mexico?
UIT: China is Super-Exploited by Imperialism?
FT: Russia and China can not become Imperialist before a Major War?
XI. Revisionist Whitewashing: When the Category “Imperialism” has no Meaning (CWI / IMT / IST)
CWI: “Forgetting” about Russia’s or China’s Imperialist Character?
IMT: A purely formal Recognition of Russia and China as Great Powers
SWP: Theoretical Indifference
Part 3: The Program of Revolutionary Defeatism against All Great Powers
XII. Is World War III Inevitable? (Critical Notes on Michael Roberts)
Population Growth and Long Upswings
What are the Conditions for Long Upswings?
An Element of Kautskyanism
XIII. The Proletariat as an International Class
Internationalism and National Liberation
On Aristocratism and the Labor Aristocracy
XV. The Meaning of the Dictum “War is the Continuation of Politics by Other Means”
XVI. Revolutionary Defeatism as a Combined Strategy
The Contradictory Nature of Imperialism as the Objective Basis for Anti-Imperialism
The Marxist Classics on the Combined Strategy
XVII. The Relationship between War and Revolution
“Small” and “Large” Imperialist Wars
World War III and Revolution – A Contradiction in Itself?
XVIII. Revolutionary Defeatism in Conflicts between Imperialist States: The Marxist Classics
Marx and Engels in the Pre-Imperialist Epoch
The Bolsheviks and the Russian-Japanese War 1904/05
The Full Elaboration of Lenin’s Defaitist Program in World War One 1914-17
Bolshevik Agitation against the War in Russia
Trotsky continues the Revolutionary Struggle against Imperialist War
XIX. Revolutionary Defeatism in Conflicts between Imperialist States: Programmatic Components (1)
For Working Class Independence – No Support for Any Great Power!
The Struggle against Chauvinism
Changes in Conditions and its Consequences
The Moral Crisis in the Western Imperialist Countries
XX. Revolutionary Defeatism in Conflicts between Imperialist States: Programmatic Components (2)
The Issue of Sanctions of one Great Power against Another
Global Trade War and Internationalist Tactics
Wars between Great Powers respectively their Proxies
Siding with the “Lesser” (Imperialist) Evil?
The Poverty of Pacifism
The Slogan of Disarmament
International Courts of Arbitration and United Nations
XXI. Revolutionary Defeatism in Conflicts between Imperialist States and Oppressed Peoples
Imperialist Wars and Occupations of Semi-Colonial Countries
Imperialist Non-Military Aggressions against Semi-Colonial Countries
Oppression of National Minorities
Tactics of Mass Struggle
On Complex War Scenarios
XXII. Revolutionary Defeatism and the Struggle for Full Equality of Migrants
Part 4: The Failure of the Left in the Struggle against Imperialism
XXIII. The Left Facing Great Power Rivalry: Pro-Western Social-Imperialists
General Introductory Remarks
The Party of the European Left (PEL)
Islamophobia is the new Anti-Semitism of the 21st century
The Japanese Communist Party
JCP: Advisor for an Alternative Strategy for Japanese Imperialism
XXIV. The Left Facing Great Power Rivalry: Pro-Eastern Social-Imperialists (Stalinists)
The Stalinist Alliance around the “International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties”
“Defending the Sovereign Rights of Greece”: The Stalinist KKE as an Example of Bourgeois Social-Chauvinism
Stalinism and Counterrevolution in Syria
Russian Social-Imperialism: The KPRF, the RKRP and the OKP
Stalinists Cheer Serbian Chauvinism against Kosovo Albanians
The Ultra-Stalinist CPGB-ML: Loyal Cheerleaders of Russian and Chinese Imperialism
Excurse: Some Observations on the “Pacifist” and the “Belligerent” Social-Imperialists
XXV. The Left Facing Great Power Rivalry: Pro-Eastern Social-Imperialists (Non-Stalinists)
Boris Kagarlitsky and Rabkor: Great Russian “Marxists” ready to fight for Moscow’s Interests “with Blood and Iron”
The Pro-Russian/Chinese Pseudo-Trotskyists (PO/CRFI)
The Spartacist sects and their defense of the Chinese “Deformed Workers State”
XXVI. On Inverted Social-Imperialism and the “Anti-Imperialist” Appeal of Russia and China
What are the reasons for the misplaced “anti-imperialist” Appeal of Russia and China?
Inverted Social-Imperialism as a Variation of Class-Collaboration
What will Inverted Social-Imperialists do in Case of a Major War?
XXVIII. The Left Facing Great Power Rivalry: Eclectic Social-Pacifists
CWI/IMT: Refusal to Defend Semi-Colonial Countries against Imperialism
IMT Russia: No Support for “Chechen Separatism”
Did Lenin “correct” his Program of Revolutionary Defeatism?
The Russian Socialist Movement: Confused Eclecticists
Part 5: The Task of Organizing the Anti-Imperialist Struggle
XXVIX. Building the Revolutionary World Party in the Age of Great Power Rivalry
Changes in the Conditions to Build a Revolutionary World Party
Orientation to the New Militant Layers of the Working Class and Youth
Reformism and Centrism as Obstacles
Appendix: Theses on Revolutionary Defeatism in Imperialist States