An Unexpected Admission

A leading ideologist of Russian imperialism on the nature and the consequences of the Ukraine War

By Michael Pröbsting, International Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 7 July 2022, www.thecommunists.net

 

The latest issue of the semi-official publication Russia in Global Affairs contains a highly interesting article written by Fyodor A. Lukyanov, the journal’s Editor-in-Chief. Under the title “An Unexpected Indicator of Change”, the author presents both surprising albeit cynical admissions as well as thoughtful insights into the views of Russia’s ruling class about the Ukraine War and its consequences. [1]

To fully understands the relevance of the article, it is first necessary to recognize the political nature of the author respectively the institutions which he represents. Fyodor Lukyanov, a university professor in Moscow, is one of the most important intellectuals of Russia’s ruling elite in the field of foreign policy. His Russia in Global Affairs is one of the key publications which elaborates the Kremlin’s global policy – a kind of equivalent to the well-known journal Foreign Affairs which is close to the U.S. foreign policy establishment.

In addition, Lukyanov is the Chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy – a key institution of the ruling class whose “mission is to help develop and implement strategic concepts for Russia’s development, its foreign and defense policy, the formation of the Russian state and civil society in the country.” According to the State Duma – Russia’s parliament – it “carries out its activities in close cooperation with a number of parliamentary and governmental bodies: the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Committees of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the Council of Federation on Foreign Affairs and Defense.[2]

Last but not least, Lukyanov serves as the Research Director of the Valdai Discussion Club – a Moscow-based think tank which is close to the Putin regime, and which can be compared to the Council on Foreign Relations or Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States.

In short, the author of the article under discussion is not a third-rate journalist but a key ideologist and thought leader of Russia’s ruling class.

 

The global sympathy is largely on the side of Ukraine

 

The first and most interesting thing about Lukyanov’s article is his open acknowledgement that not only Western public opinion but most of the world’s population sympathises with the Ukrainian people who have been victim to Russia’s barbarous aggression. This is how the article opens:

The fighting in Ukraine has changed the coordinate system in world politics, forcing all countries to take their position on the current events. The picture clearly shows the fundamental processes that are unfolding in the world. If one takes as a criterion the perception of the Russian special operation proper, the sympathy is largely on the side of Ukraine. The image of a sovereign country attacked by a much more powerful neighbor evokes sympathy for the former and condemnation of the latter. This attitude prevails worldwide, much stronger in the West, of course, but it is quite common in the East as well.

Of course, such a recognition is not news to Marxists. We always emphasised that the international working class and the oppressed people all around the world have instinctively sympathised with the Ukrainian people and opposed the imperialist invasion of the Putin regime from the very beginning. It is only the reactionary Putinista “left” – the (semi-)Stalinists, [3] Bolivarians and Stalino-“Trotskyists” [4] – as well as the shameful abstentionists who choose to take a neutral stance in face of the rape of the Ukrainian people, [5] it is only such parties which shamefully proclaimed that progressive forces must not support the Ukrainian people!

In contrast to these treacherous “left-wing” forces, the RCIT and all authentic socialists recognize that the current conflict has a dual character – Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine as well as the escalating tensions between the imperialist Great Powers. It is the duty of socialists to unconditionally support the Ukrainian people and their national war of defence. [6] At the same time, socialists must not support any side in the Great Power rivalry – neither Western [7] nor Russian imperialism. [8]

 

Soft power has never been Russia’s strong point

 

Lukyanov’s admission that global sympathy is on the side of the Ukrainian people should not mislead readers. The author could not care less about this fact. In his view – which is in accordance with the ideology of the whole bonapartist Putin regime – the Kremlin’s terror machinery in the Ukraine is just fulfilling Russia’s historic mission: “In Ukraine, Russia is working hard to solve its national tasks that stem from its interpretation of historical justice and appropriateness.” At this point, we will not deal with the arch-reactionary Putinist conception of Russia’s “national tasks” and of the “Ruskij Mir” and we refer readers to our works on this issue. [9]

What is much more interesting is Lukyanov’s open acknowledgment that the Putin regime is effectively lying about its war goals – both to the global public but also to its own people. As a result, the Kremlin hopes to force the world to accept its imperialist aggression against the Ukraine as a fait accompli. “For tactical reasons, Moscow denied the true nature of these tasks until the very beginning of the operation and disregards external opinion. The officially declared narrative is intended more for the internal public (although here too, it is rather incomplete, with evasions and omissions). [One can not fail to point out that this itself is a highly evasive formulation! M.P.] The international public is offered a set of slogans whose coherence and convincingness can easily be challenged, but this is of little concern to those who voice them. In other words, Russia is sending the conviction of its own rightness and confidence in its abilities, using the available levers of influence on the outside world – not informational, but entirely material. Soft power has never been Russia’s strong point, and now it is to be sacrificed altogether for the sake of the aims set (but not necessarily voiced) by a massive use of armed forces. It is believed that if Russia succeeds, its authority as a power capable of taking hard and consistent steps to achieve its aims will strengthen, despite the humanitarian costs. Generally speaking, a country that decides to act like this has all the reasons to end up in an international vacuum.

This is – to put it mildly – a pretty damning verdict by a leading ideologist of the Putin regime about the public relation work of his master! However, in the Kremlin’s “defence”, one has to admit that it is indeed very difficult to sell the regime’s war goals convincingly to anyone!

 

Insights of a Great Power ideologist

 

As mentioned above, Lukyanov is not a random person but a key figure of Russia’s foreign policy establishment. As such, he observes attentively the developments in world politics and analysis these in an intelligent way. He is aware that a thought leader of Russia’s ruling class must know the mindset of the enemy as much as possible. He recognizes Russia’s weakness … but also those of its rivals Hence, he points to the fact that despite all the faults of Russia’s propaganda, the Kremlin is still not isolated, and the West has not achieved to rally the “international community” behind its anti-Russia sanctions policy. [10]

[Russia] has not been isolated. The reason is that a significant part of the world views the Russian-Ukrainian conflict through the lens of factors that are not directly related to it. Firstly, a major military conflict, which is something extraordinary for the West, is by no means unique for the non-West. Looking at the fighting in Ukraine from Africa, South Asia, and especially the Middle East, their observers note: just another war. (…) Secondly, most countries in the former Third World and part of the public in the West see the current drama not as a separate episode, but as the culmination of a conflict that began much earlier and stems from the assertive policy of the United States and its allies towards the territories adjacent to Russia. (…) Finally, and this is probably the most characteristic point, the reaction of the majority of people across the globe shows a high degree of their irritation with the West as a whole. It is seen as a hegemon that traditionally abuses its powers. But they are shrinking now, and this allows countries to express their genuine attitude towards the West by refusing to follow the highly recommended anti-Russian policy. The failure of the United States to build an anti-Russian coalition, which has not spread beyond a group of official allies and like-minded countries, is obvious. The reason is not the support of Russian policy, but opposition to the West’s attempts to impose its approach on others, which often harms their own interests.

Of course, these sentences bear the ideological mark of Putinism but, in their essence, they are not wrong. Western imperialism has attacked oppressed people in the Global South many times. Why should they now join the U.S. and the EU in their anti-Russian economic warfare?! And it is also true, as we have written ourselves repeatedly, that Western imperialism – first and foremost the U.S. as the long-time hegemon – is in decline. Again, only the opportunist or confused “left-wing” parties still dare to deny the Marxist thesis that Russia (and China) have become imperialist Great Powers. [11]

 

The “anti-colonial” Empire?

 

Lukyanov’s article concludes with a highly remarkable note. He notes that “the West’s failure to take Russia down will lead to irreversible shifts in the international hierarchy – not so much in that Russia will rise to a higher level (…) but in that the dominant role of Western countries will weaken rather rapidly. The latter would be welcomed by the greater part of the non-Western world, which still harbors strong anti-colonial feelings.

As an intelligent observer, he recognizes the grotesque situation of Russia as an imperialist power championing “anti-colonial feelings” among the oppressed people. “Paradoxically, by fighting for at least partial restoration of its former imperial standing, Russia appears as the flagship of this anti-colonial campaign. How much the country is psychologically ready to associate itself with this part of the world, rather than with the culturally common West, is a big question. In fact, it looks like it is not quite ready. However, there is no other option for the next historical period—not only because of the completely ruined relations with Western states, but also because of the dramatic shifts in the global balance of power.

It is not surprising that the Putin regimes looks “not quite ready” to champion “strong anti-colonial sentiments” in the Global South. It is contrary to the nature of a brutal imperialist power to rally such sympathies among the oppressed. However, it is highly remarkable to read such an admission by one of the leading Putinist ideologists! And it is even more remarkable, or let us better say shameful, that the Putinista “left” – social-imperialist servants of Russia and China – still deny such obvious facts!

As Marxists, we view Lukyanov’s unexpected admissions as a confirmation of our fundamental opposition against Russian imperialism under the banner of consistent internationalism and anti-imperialism. Once again, we see that an honest reactionary enemy is always preferable to the concealed, phrase-mongering “left-wing” servants of the enemy!

We shall conclude this article by repeating the two main tasks of socialists in the current world situation characterized by the Ukraine War and the inter-imperialist Great Power rivalry.

Defend the Ukraine! Defeat Russian imperialism!

No support for any Great Power in East and West!

 



[1] Fyodor A. Lukyanov: An Unexpected Indicator of Change, in: Russia in Global Affairs, April-June 2022 (July 4, 2022), https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/articles/unexpected-indicator-of-change/. All quotes are from this article if not indicated otherwise.

[2] Committee on International Affairs of the State Duma of the State Duma of the Russian Federation: Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, https://interkomitet.com/about-the-committee/our-partners/council-on-foreign-and-defense-policy/

[3] See e.g. Michael Pröbsting: Putin’s Poodles (Apologies to All Dogs). The pro-Russian Stalinist parties and their arguments in the current NATO-Russia Conflict, 9 February 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/nato-russia-conflict-stalinism-as-putin-s-poodles/; by the same author: Servants of Two Masters. Stalinism and the New Cold War between Imperialist Great Powers in East and West, 10 July 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/servants-of-two-masters-stalinism-and-new-cold-war/

[4] See e.g. Michael Pröbsting: Ukraine War: Stalino-“Trotskyist” Chamber of Horrors. On a recently held “anti-war” conference organised by some “Trotskyists” as well as Russian Stalinist parties, 29 June 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/stalino-trotskyist-chamber-of-horrors/; by the same author: Closet Putinistas. On the Ukraine War and the inter-imperialist rivalry: a reply to a polemic of the Partido Obrero (Argentina), 7 June 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/ukraine-war-closet-putinistas-reply-to-po-argentina/; The IMT and the Ukraine War: A Shameful Betrayal. Alan Woods and the IMT fail to defend the Ukrainian people against the Russian invasion and effectively refuse to recognize Russia’s imperialist character, 2 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/the-imt-and-the-ukraine-war-a-shameful-betrayal/; new preface to the Russian translation: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/the-imt-and-the-ukraine-war-a-shameful-betrayal/#anker_3

[5] See e.g. Michael Pröbsting: No to Workers Boycott against Russia but Yes to Boycotting the Ukraine? On the support of the PTS/FT for boycott actions against arms shipments for the Ukraine, 26 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/pts-ft-workers-sanctions-against-ukraine/; by the same author: Boycotting the Ukrainian Resistance Is Neither Internationalist Nor Socialist! On the “International Socialist Alternative” and its refusal to support the Ukraine’s war of defence against Russian imperialism, 10 June 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/isa-boycotts-the-ukrainian-resistance/

[6] We refer readers to a special page on our website where nearly 100 RCIT documents on the current NATO-Russia conflict and the Ukraine War are compiled: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/compilation-of-documents-on-nato-russia-conflict/. The most important documents are: RCIT Manifesto: Ukraine War: A Turning Point of World Historic Significance. Socialists must combine the revolutionary defense of the Ukraine against Putin’s invasion with the internationalist struggle against Russian as well as NATO and EU imperialism, 1 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/manifesto-ukraine-war-a-turning-point-of-world-historic-significance/; Joint Statement of Socialist Tendency (Russia) and RCIT: Defend the Ukrainian People against Putin’s Invasion! Down with Russian and NATO Imperialism! 4.6.2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/rcit/joint-statement-with-ct-russia-on-ukraine-war-4-6-2022/

[7] The RCIT has dealt on numerous occasions with the inter-imperialist rivalry of the Great Powers. See e.g. RCIT: World Perspectives 2021-22: Entering a Pre-Revolutionary Global Situation, 22 August 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/world-perspectives-2021-22/; see also our book by Michael Pröbsting: 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, RCIT Books, Vienna 2019, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/anti-imperialism-in-the-age-of-great-power-rivalry/; see also the following works by the same author: “A Really Good Quarrel”. US-China Alaska Meeting: The Inter-Imperialist Cold War Continues, 23 March 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/us-china-alaska-meeting-shows-continuation-of-inter-imperialist-cold-war/; Servants of Two Masters. Stalinism and the New Cold War between Imperialist Great Powers in East and West, 10 July 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/servants-of-two-masters-stalinism-and-new-cold-war/; for more works on this issue see these sub-pages: https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-russia-as-imperialist-powers/ and https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/collection-of-articles-on-the-global-trade-war/.

[8] The RCIT has published numerous documents about capitalism in Russia and its rise to an imperialist power. See on this e.g. several pamphlets by Michael Pröbsting: The Peculiar Features of Russian Imperialism. A Study of Russia’s Monopolies, Capital Export and Super-Exploitation in the Light of Marxist Theory, 10 August 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/the-peculiar-features-of-russian-imperialism/; by the same author: Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism and the Rise of Russia as a Great Power. On the Understanding and Misunderstanding of Today’s Inter-Imperialist Rivalry in the Light of Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism. Another Reply to Our Critics Who Deny Russia’s Imperialist Character, August 2014, http://www.thecommunists.net/theory/imperialism-theory-and-russia/; Russia as a Great Imperialist Power. The formation of Russian Monopoly Capital and its Empire – A Reply to our Critics, 18 March 2014, in: Revolutionary Communism No. 21, http://www.thecommunists.net/theory/imperialist-russia/; Russian Imperialism and Its Monopolies, in: New Politics Vol. XVIII No. 4, Whole Number 72, Winter 2022, https://newpol.org/issue_post/russian-imperialism-and-its-monopolies/; Once Again on Russian Imperialism (Reply to Critics). A rebuttal of a theory which claims that Russia is not an imperialist state but would be rather “comparable to Brazil and Iran”, 30 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/once-again-on-russian-imperialism-reply-to-critics/. See various other RCIT documents on this issue at a special sub-page on the RCIT’s website: https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-russia-as-imperialist-powers/.

[9] See e.g. RCIT: “Self-Determination for Donbass”: A Reactionary Slogan in the Service of Russian Imperialism. Theses on the historical, theoretical, and political reasons why this slogan is contrary to the Marxist program of national self-determination as well as to the interests of the current national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people, 27 June 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/theses-on-donbass/; see also our above-mentioned pamphlet by Michael Pröbsting: Putin’s Poodles (Apologies to All Dogs); by the same author: A Revealing Document of Great Russian Totalitarianism. Commentary on an article published by the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, 7 April 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/ria-novosti-great-russian-totalitarianism/; The Program of Great Russian Totalitarism. On a revealing interview with Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, 11 May 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/the-patrushev-interview/

[10] See on this e.g. the pamphlet by Michael Pröbsting: World Situation: In the Midst of a Global Political Tornado. Notes on global developments characterized by the Ukraine War, inter-imperialist rivalry, global energy and food crisis as well as spontaneous mass protests, 13 April 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/world-situation-april-2022/; by the same author: Is Europe’s Ruling Class About to Declare a War Economy? On a programmatic article by an imperialist ideologist on the consequences of the Great Power rivalry, 7 July 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/is-europe-s-ruling-class-about-to-declare-a-war-economy/

[11] The RCIT has published numerous documents about capitalism in China and its transformation into a Great Power. See on this e.g. the above-mentioned book by Michael Pröbsting: Anti-Imperialism in the Age of Great Power Rivalry; see also by the same author an essay published in the second edition of The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism (edited by Immanuel Ness and Zak Cope), Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2020, https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-319-91206-6_179-1; China: An Imperialist Power … Or Not Yet? A Theoretical Question with Very Practical Consequences! Continuing the Debate with Esteban Mercatante and the PTS/FT on China’s class character and consequences for the revolutionary strategy, 22 January 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-imperialist-power-or-not-yet/; China‘s transformation into an imperialist power. A study of the economic, political and military aspects of China as a Great Power (2012), in: Revolutionary Communism No. 4, http://www.thecommunists.net/publications/revcom-number-4; How is it possible that some Marxists still Doubt that China has Become Capitalist? (A Critique of the PTS/FT), An analysis of the capitalist character of China’s State-Owned Enterprises and its political consequences, 18 September 2020, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/pts-ft-and-chinese-imperialism-2/; Unable to See the Wood for the Trees (PTS/FT and China). Eclectic empiricism and the failure of the PTS/FT to recognize the imperialist character of China, 13 August 2020, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/pts-ft-and-chinese-imperialism/; China’s Emergence as an Imperialist Power (Article in the US journal 'New Politics'), in: “New Politics”, Summer 2014 (Vol:XV-1, Whole #: 57). See many more RCIT documents at a special sub-page on the RCIT’s website: https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-russia-as-imperialist-powers/.

Неожиданное признание

Ведущий идеолог российского империализма о природе и последствиях войны в Украине.

Михаэль Прёбстинг, международный секретарь Революционного коммунистического интернационала (РКИТ), 7 июля 2022 года, www.thecommunists.net

 

В последнем номере полуофициального издания "Россия в глобальной политике" опубликована очень интересная статья главного редактора журнала Федора Лукьянова. Под заголовком "Неожиданный индикатор перемен" автор представляет как удивительные, хотя и циничные признания, так и вдумчивое изложение взглядов правящего класса России на войну в Украине и ее последствия. [1]

Чтобы полностью оценить актуальность статьи, необходимо сначала определить политическую природу автора и институтов, которые он представляет. Федор Лукьянов, профессор московского университета, является одним из наиболее значимых интеллектуалов российской правящей элиты в области внешней политики. Его журнал "Россия в глобальной политике" является одним из ключевых изданий, отражающих глобальную политику Кремля - своего рода эквивалент известного журнала Foreign Affairs, близкого к американскому внешнеполитическому истеблишменту.

Кроме того, Лукьянов является председателем Президиума Совета по внешней и оборонной политике России - ключевого института правящего класса, чья "миссия заключается в содействии выработке и реализации стратегических концепций развития России, ее внешней и оборонной политики, становлению Российского государства и гражданского общества в стране". По данным Государственной Думы - российского парламента - он "осуществляет свою деятельность в тесном сотрудничестве с рядом парламентских и правительственных органов: Администрация Президента РФ, МИД РФ, Министерство обороны РФ, Комитеты Государственной Думы РФ и Совет Федерации по международным делам и обороне." [2]

И последнее, но не менее важное: Лукьянов занимает должность директора по научной работе международного дискуссионного клуба "Валдай" - московского аналитического центра, близкого к путинскому режиму, который можно сравнить с Советом по международным отношениям или Центром стратегических и международных исследований в США.

Таким образом, автор обсуждаемой статьи - не третьесортный журналист, а ключевой идеолог и интеллектуальный лидер правящего класса России.

 

"Симпатии мирового сообщества в значительной степени на стороне Украины"

 

Прежде всего, самым интересным в статье Лукьянова является его открытое признание того, что не только западное общественное мнение, но и большая часть населения мира сочувствует украинскому народу, ставшему жертвой варварской агрессии России. Вот как открывается статья:

"Боевые действия на Украине изменили систему координат мировой политики, заставив все страны определить своё отношение к происходящему. Картина, которая выявилась, наглядно показывает процессы, идущие в мире. Если брать за критерий восприятие собственно российской спецоперации, то симпатии в значительной степени на стороне Украины. Образ суверенной страны, подвергшейся нападению многократно более мощного соседа, пробуждает сочувствие к первой и осуждение второго. Это касается всего земного шара – на Западе, конечно, выражено намного ярче, но распространено и на Востоке."

Конечно, такое понимание не является новостью для марксистов. Мы всегда подчеркивали, что международный рабочий класс и угнетенные народы во всем мире с самого начала инстинктивно сочувствовали украинскому народу и выступали против империалистического вторжения путинского режима. Только реакционные путинистские "левые" - (полу)сталинисты [3], боливарианцы и сталинские "троцкисты" [4] - а также позорные абстенционисты предпочитают занимать нейтральную позицию перед лицом резни украинского народа [5], только такие организации позорно провозгласили, что прогрессивные силы не должны поддерживать украинский народ!

В отличие от этих предательских "левых" сил, РКИТ и все подлинные социалисты признают, что нынешний конфликт имеет двойственный характер - вторжение Путина в Украину, а также эскалация напряженности между империалистическими великими державами. Долг социалистов - безоговорочно поддержать украинский народ и его национальную освободительную войну [6]. В то же время социалисты не должны поддерживать ни одну из сторон в соперничестве великих держав - ни западный [7], ни российский [8] империализм.

 

"Мягкая сила никогда не была российским коньком".

 

Признание Лукьянова, что мировые симпатии на стороне украинского народа, не должно вводить читателей в заблуждение. Автору нет никакого дела до этого факта. По его мнению - которое соответствует идеологии всего бонапартистского путинского режима - кремлевская машина террора в Украине просто выполняет историческую миссию России: "Россия на Украине решает собственные национальные задачи, вытекающие из российского толкования исторических закономерностей и справедливости". Сейчас мы не будем касаться архиреакционной путинистской концепции "национальных задач" России и "Русского мира" и рекомендуем читателям обратиться к нашим работам по этому вопросу. [9]

Гораздо интереснее то, что Лукьянов открыто признает, что путинский режим фактически лжет о своих военных целях - как мировой общественности, так и собственному народу. В результате Кремль надеется заставить мир принять его империалистическую агрессию против Украины как свершившийся факт. "Характер этих задач из тактических соображений отрицался до самого начала похода, на внешнее мнение Москва внимания не обращает. Нарратив, который заявлен, в большей степени адресован внутрь страны (хотя и тут он довольно неполный, с лакунами и умолчаниями). [Нельзя не отметить, что сама эта формулировка является крайне уклончивой! М.П.] Мировой аудитории предлагается набор лозунгов, стройность и убедительность которых легко оспорить, но это мало беспокоит тех, кто их произносит. Иначе говоря, Россия транслирует убеждённость в собственной правоте, уверенность в своих силах и использует имеющиеся рычаги воздействия на окружающий мир – не информационные, а предельно материальные. «Мягкая сила» никогда не была российским коньком, на данном этапе ей решено вовсе пожертвовать для достижения поставленных (но необязательно объявленных) целей с массированным использованием силы военной. Считается, что в случае успеха авторитет России как державы, способной жёстко и последовательно добиваться своего, укрепится, несмотря на гуманитарные издержки.

Объективно говоря, страна, решившая вести себя таким образом, имеет предпосылки оказаться в международном вакууме."

Это - мягко говоря - довольно осуждающий вердикт ведущего идеолога путинского режима о пиар-работе своего хозяина! Однако, в "защиту" Кремля следует признать, что действительно очень трудно убедительно продать кому-либо военные цели режима!

 

Откровения идеолога великой державы.

 

Как уже говорилось выше, Лукьянов - не случайный человек, а ключевая фигура российского внешнеполитического истеблишмента. Поэтому он внимательно следит за событиями в мировой политике и грамотно их анализирует. Он понимает, что интеллектуальный лидер правящего класса России должен как можно лучше знать образ мыслей противника. Он признает слабости России... но также и слабости ее соперников. Следовательно, он указывает на тот факт, что, несмотря на все промахи российской пропаганды, Кремль все еще не изолирован, а Западу не удалось сплотить "международное сообщество" вокруг своей политики антироссийских санкций". [10]

"[Россия] не была изолирована. И связано это с тем, что взгляд значительной части мира на российско-украинские события диктуется факторами, не имеющими к ним прямого касательства.

Во-первых, крупный военный конфликт, который для Запада – нечто экстраординарное, для не-Запада – если не норма, то событие отнюдь не уникальное. Глядя из Африки, Южной Азии, тем более с Ближнего Востока на боевые действия, тамошние наблюдатели фиксируют: вот ещё одна война (...) Во-вторых, большинство в бывшем «третьем мире» и некоторая часть публики на Западе видят нынешнюю драму не как отдельный эпизод, а как кульминацию коллизии, начавшейся много раньше и связанной с напористой политикой США и их союзников в отношении территорий, непосредственно прилегающих к России.  (...) Наконец, и это, наверное, самое характерное, реакция большинства на планете иллюстрирует высокую степень раздражения Западом в целом. Его воспринимают как гегемона, который традиционно злоупотребляет своими возможностями. Но они сокращаются, и последнее позволяет выразить подлинное к нему отношение через отказ следовать настоятельно рекомендованной политике клеймения России. Неудача США при собирании антироссийской коалиции, так и не распространившейся за рамки группы официальных союзников и единомышленников, очевиден. И связан он не с поддержкой политики России, а с неприятием того, что Запад пытается навязать свою линию, которая зачастую вредит интересам тех, кому её навязывают."

Конечно, эти высказывания несут на себе идеологический отпечаток путинизма, но по своей сути они не ошибаются. Западный империализм много раз нападал на угнетенные народы Глобального Юга. Почему они теперь должны присоединяться к США и ЕС в их антироссийской экономической войне?! И также верно, как мы сами неоднократно писали, что западный империализм - прежде всего США как многолетний гегемон - находится в упадке. Опять же, только оппортунистические или запутавшиеся "левые" партии все еще осмеливаются отрицать марксистский тезис о том, что Россия (и Китай) стали империалистическими великими державами. [11]

 

"Антиколониальная" империя?

 

Статья Лукьянова завершается весьма примечательной нотой. Он отмечает, что "неспособность Запада осадить Россию приведёт к необратимым сдвигам в международной иерархии. Не столько в смысле подъёма России на более высокую ступень (…), сколько к довольно быстрому ослаблению доминирующей роли западных стран. Последнее вызывает одобрение большей части незападного мира, которая продолжает испытывать сильные антиколониальные чувства.

Как умный наблюдатель, он признает гротескность положения России как империалистической державы, отстаивающей "антиколониальные чувства" среди угнетенных народов. "Парадоксальным образом Россия, борющаяся за хотя бы частичное восстановление своего прежнего имперского контура, становится флагманом этого самого антиколониального похода. Насколько страна психологически готова ассоциировать себя с этой частью мира, а не с культурно привычным Западом, большой вопрос. Кажется, не вполне. Однако другого варианта на следующий исторический период не просматривается. Не только из-за вконец испорченных отношений с западными государствами, но и по причине тех самых кардинальных сдвигов во всемирной расстановке сил."

Неудивительно, что путинский режим выглядит "не совсем готовым" к отстаиванию "сильных антиколониальных настроений" на Глобальном Юге. Это противоречит природе жестокой империалистической державы - вызывать такие симпатии среди угнетенных. Однако читать такое признание одного из ведущих идеологов путинизма весьма примечательно! И еще более примечательно, или, лучше сказать, постыдно, что путинистские "левые" - социал-империалистические прислужники России и Китая - до сих пор отрицают столь очевидные факты!

Как марксисты, мы рассматриваем неожиданные признания Лукьянова как подтверждение нашей принципиальной оппозиции российскому империализму под знаменем последовательного интернационализма и антиимпериализма. Еще раз убеждаемся, что честный реакционный враг всегда предпочтительнее скрытных, словоохотливых "левых" прислужников врага!

В заключение этой статьи повторим две главные задачи социалистов в нынешней мировой ситуации, характеризующейся украинской войной и межимпериалистическим великодержавным соперничеством.

Защитить Украину! Разгромить российский империализм!

Никакой поддержки любой великой державе на Востоке и Западе!

 

1) Fyodor A. Lukyanov: An Unexpected Indicator of Change, in: Russia in Global Affairs, April-June 2022 (July 4, 2022), https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/articles/unexpected-indicator-of-change/. All quotes are from this article if not indicated otherwise.

2) Committee on International Affairs of the State Duma of the State Duma of the Russian Federation: Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, https://interkomitet.com/about-the-committee/our-partners/council-on-foreign-and-defense-policy/

3) See e.g. Michael Pröbsting: Putin’s Poodles (Apologies to All Dogs). The pro-Russian Stalinist parties and their arguments in the current NATO-Russia Conflict, 9 February 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/nato-russia-conflict-stalinism-as-putin-s-poodles/; by the same author: Servants of Two Masters. Stalinism and the New Cold War between Imperialist Great Powers in East and West, 10 July 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/servants-of-two-masters-stalinism-and-new-cold-war/

4) See e.g. Michael Pröbsting: Ukraine War: Stalino-“Trotskyist” Chamber of Horrors. On a recently held “anti-war” conference organised by some “Trotskyists” as well as Russian Stalinist parties, 29 June 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/stalino-trotskyist-chamber-of-horrors/; by the same author: Closet Putinistas. On the Ukraine War and the inter-imperialist rivalry: a reply to a polemic of the Partido Obrero (Argentina), 7 June 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/ukraine-war-closet-putinistas-reply-to-po-argentina/; The IMT and the Ukraine War: A Shameful Betrayal. Alan Woods and the IMT fail to defend the Ukrainian people against the Russian invasion and effectively refuse to recognize Russia’s imperialist character, 2 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/the-imt-and-the-ukraine-war-a-shameful-betrayal/; new preface to the Russian translation: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/the-imt-and-the-ukraine-war-a-shameful-betrayal/#anker_3

5) See e.g. Michael Pröbsting: No to Workers Boycott against Russia but Yes to Boycotting the Ukraine? On the support of the PTS/FT for boycott actions against arms shipments for the Ukraine, 26 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/pts-ft-workers-sanctions-against-ukraine/; by the same author: Boycotting the Ukrainian Resistance Is Neither Internationalist Nor Socialist! On the “International Socialist Alternative” and its refusal to support the Ukraine’s war of defence against Russian imperialism, 10 June 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/isa-boycotts-the-ukrainian-resistance/

6) We refer readers to a special page on our website where nearly 100 RCIT documents on the current NATO-Russia conflict and the Ukraine War are compiled: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/compilation-of-documents-on-nato-russia-conflict/. The most important documents are: RCIT Manifesto: Ukraine War: A Turning Point of World Historic Significance. Socialists must combine the revolutionary defense of the Ukraine against Putin’s invasion with the internationalist struggle against Russian as well as NATO and EU imperialism, 1 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/manifesto-ukraine-war-a-turning-point-of-world-historic-significance/; Joint Statement of Socialist Tendency (Russia) and RCIT: Defend the Ukrainian People against Putin’s Invasion! Down with Russian and NATO Imperialism! 4.6.2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/rcit/joint-statement-with-ct-russia-on-ukraine-war-4-6-2022/

7) The RCIT has dealt on numerous occasions with the inter-imperialist rivalry of the Great Powers. See e.g. RCIT: World Perspectives 2021-22: Entering a Pre-Revolutionary Global Situation, 22 August 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/world-perspectives-2021-22/; see also our book by Michael Pröbsting: 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, RCIT Books, Vienna 2019, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/anti-imperialism-in-the-age-of-great-power-rivalry/; see also the following works by the same author: “A Really Good Quarrel”. US-China Alaska Meeting: The Inter-Imperialist Cold War Continues, 23 March 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/us-china-alaska-meeting-shows-continuation-of-inter-imperialist-cold-war/; Servants of Two Masters. Stalinism and the New Cold War between Imperialist Great Powers in East and West, 10 July 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/servants-of-two-masters-stalinism-and-new-cold-war/; for more works on this issue see these sub-pages: https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-russia-as-imperialist-powers/ and https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/collection-of-articles-on-the-global-trade-war/.

8) The RCIT has published numerous documents about capitalism in Russia and its rise to an imperialist power. See on this e.g. several pamphlets by Michael Pröbsting: The Peculiar Features of Russian Imperialism. A Study of Russia’s Monopolies, Capital Export and Super-Exploitation in the Light of Marxist Theory, 10 August 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/the-peculiar-features-of-russian-imperialism/; by the same author: Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism and the Rise of Russia as a Great Power. On the Understanding and Misunderstanding of Today’s Inter-Imperialist Rivalry in the Light of Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism. Another Reply to Our Critics Who Deny Russia’s Imperialist Character, August 2014, http://www.thecommunists.net/theory/imperialism-theory-and-russia/; Russia as a Great Imperialist Power. The formation of Russian Monopoly Capital and its Empire – A Reply to our Critics, 18 March 2014, in: Revolutionary Communism No. 21, http://www.thecommunists.net/theory/imperialist-russia/; Russian Imperialism and Its Monopolies, in: New Politics Vol. XVIII No. 4, Whole Number 72, Winter 2022, https://newpol.org/issue_post/russian-imperialism-and-its-monopolies/; Once Again on Russian Imperialism (Reply to Critics). A rebuttal of a theory which claims that Russia is not an imperialist state but would be rather “comparable to Brazil and Iran”, 30 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/once-again-on-russian-imperialism-reply-to-critics/. See various other RCIT documents on this issue at a special sub-page on the RCIT’s website: https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-russia-as-imperialist-powers/.

9) See e.g. RCIT: “Self-Determination for Donbass”: A Reactionary Slogan in the Service of Russian Imperialism. Theses on the historical, theoretical, and political reasons why this slogan is contrary to the Marxist program of national self-determination as well as to the interests of the current national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people, 27 June 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/theses-on-donbass/; see also our above-mentioned pamphlet by Michael Pröbsting: Putin’s Poodles (Apologies to All Dogs); by the same author: A Revealing Document of Great Russian Totalitarianism. Commentary on an article published by the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, 7 April 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/ria-novosti-great-russian-totalitarianism/; The Program of Great Russian Totalitarism. On a revealing interview with Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, 11 May 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/the-patrushev-interview/

10) See on this e.g. the pamphlet by Michael Pröbsting: World Situation: In the Midst of a Global Political Tornado. Notes on global developments characterized by the Ukraine War, inter-imperialist rivalry, global energy and food crisis as well as spontaneous mass protests, 13 April 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/world-situation-april-2022/; by the same author: Is Europe’s Ruling Class About to Declare a War Economy? On a programmatic article by an imperialist ideologist on the consequences of the Great Power rivalry, 7 July 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/is-europe-s-ruling-class-about-to-declare-a-war-economy/

11) The RCIT has published numerous documents about capitalism in China and its transformation into a Great Power. See on this e.g. the above-mentioned book by Michael Pröbsting: Anti-Imperialism in the Age of Great Power Rivalry; see also by the same author an essay published in the second edition of The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism (edited by Immanuel Ness and Zak Cope), Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2020, https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-319-91206-6_179-1; China: An Imperialist Power … Or Not Yet? A Theoretical Question with Very Practical Consequences! Continuing the Debate with Esteban Mercatante and the PTS/FT on China’s class character and consequences for the revolutionary strategy, 22 January 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-imperialist-power-or-not-yet/; China‘s transformation into an imperialist power. A study of the economic, political and military aspects of China as a Great Power (2012), in: Revolutionary Communism No. 4, http://www.thecommunists.net/publications/revcom-number-4; How is it possible that some Marxists still Doubt that China has Become Capitalist? (A Critique of the PTS/FT), An analysis of the capitalist character of China’s State-Owned Enterprises and its political consequences, 18 September 2020, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/pts-ft-and-chinese-imperialism-2/; Unable to See the Wood for the Trees (PTS/FT and China). Eclectic empiricism and the failure of the PTS/FT to recognize the imperialist character of China, 13 August 2020, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/pts-ft-and-chinese-imperialism/; China’s Emergence as an Imperialist Power (Article in the US journal 'New Politics'), in: “New Politics”, Summer 2014 (Vol:XV-1, Whole #: 57). See many more RCIT documents at a special sub-page on the RCIT’s website: https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-russia-as-imperialist-powers/.