Towards Marxist-Leninist Unity (TMLU) statement at SIPRAL 27

THE INTER-IMPERIALIST STRUGGLE AND
THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN THE U.S.

Towards Marxist-Leninist Unity

The most important inter-imperialist struggle in the world today is the war in Ukraine. It is a war between the puppets (particularly the neo-fascist government of Zelensky) of the. US-NATO and Russia. Because we are in the US, we have to place emphasis on the struggle against "our own" ruling class, although we have to make it clear that Russia is also an imperialist country to which we cannot give any support.

Unfortunately, our so-called "left" is very weak and mostly confused on this issue. The Social Democrats, particularly the Social Democrats of America (DSA), including Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders support the war, and vote for all funding for the war.

Most of the so-called "anti-imperialist" groups, on the other hand, support Russia in the war, although some only attack the role of US-NATO, without any mention of Russia's role. This also does not help to clarify the nature of the war as a war of redivision.

Only a few groups, such as the comrades of the American Party of Labor, explain the war as an inter-imperialist one.

How does the war affect the situation of the workers and the class struggle?

For many years the ruling class has mostly been waging its wars without using its own troops. In Ukraine, as they say, it is fighting "to the last Ukrainian." In other parts of the world it is using its military technology as drones.

In Ukraine the U.S. government has spent $113 billion as of June of this year, on top of the highest military budget ever. There are only three methods of paying for it, all of which have a harmful effect on the living conditions of working people:

1) raising taxes, 2) cutting social benefits, and 3) printing money, which leads to inflation. The present government is mainly using the second and third methods, particularly the third, because this can disguise the connection between inflation and war.

The corresponding rise in prices has caused some complaints among the masses, and has helped a rise in the strike struggle and trade union organization. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike for nearly four months, and have been supported by film and television actors of SAG-AFTRA, who have been on strike since July 14. They only avoided a strike by UPS teamsters because of government pressure on the union, and with a contract with a combination of good and bad elements, which affect the many part-time workers. Now the 150,000 automobile workers are fighting for a new contract. They are trying to reverse the concessions they made during the 2008 recession. Many workers at Starbucks and other companies are also organizing into unions.

One problem is that most of the masses do not understand the relationship of the deterioration of their living conditions and the war in Ukraine, and they do not understand why the US government is supporting the Ukrainian puppet government against Russian imperialism. It is the duty of every revolutionary, of every Marxist-Leninist, to explain this and to organize against the war.

USA – end the to support the neo-fascist government in Ukraine!

Dismantle NATO!

Russia out of Ukraine!