by A Discussion with Paul Murphy (RISE/MORE), Andreu Coll (Anticapitalistas/FI), Aaron Amaral (Tempest Collective) and Bruno Magalhães (MES/PSOL) on How Socialists Should Respond to the War in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has sparked intense discussion and debate among socialists and Marxists worldwide about how to understand and respond to this war: Should socialists support or oppose NATO governments sending weapons and military aid to the Ukrainian government? What is an internationalist and socialist strategy to avoid a catastrophic nuclear conflict, end this war, and defend the interests of the working class and the democratic right to self determination?
On December 4, 2022, Reform & Revolution together with RISE (Ireland) and Lernen im Kampf (Germany) brought together a round table discussion.
Marxists internationally have generally taken two different perspectives. While there is general agreement that this war involves questions of self-determination of Ukraine, Russian imperialism, and Western imperialism, there has been significant disagreements about what conclusions should be drawn. Some argue that socialists around the globe should support the struggle for self-determination of Ukraine and therefore support military aid by the US and other Western countries; others argue that in this inter-imperialist proxy war socialists, for example in the US, have to oppose Biden’s billions in military aid to the pro-capitalist, pro-NATO Zelensky government.
Based on mutual respect for the different opinions of Marxists, this debate with representatives of both sides aimed to clarify the issues and contribute to a better Marxist understanding of the challenges involved.
Additional readings on the respective perspectives of the different speakers:
- Paul Murphy TD, People Before Profit & RISE network (Ireland) : Imperialism Today, audio version of this article
- Andreu Coll, Anticapitalistas & member of the Fourth International bureau (Spain): A War with History
- Aaron Amaral, Tempest Collective and member of Ukraine Solidarity Network (US): Solidarity with the Ukrainian resistance!
- Bruno Magalhães, member of the International Commission of the MES/PSOL in Brazil – War in Ukraine: Solidarity with Ukrainian Resistance, Against All Imperialisms
