International Viewpoint

What a time of powerful conflicting emotions in the United States last week as we dealt with COVID, abortion rights, and a white nationalist's mass murder.

“The Ethiopian government is proposing national conciliation after more than 18 months of a war that has torn the country apart. While the country is experiencing a precarious calm, important issues remain unresolved.”

“We talk a lot in the labour movement about international solidarity and mutual aid. If any of that is real and sincere, we need to act on it now. The Ukrainian left is in a life or death struggle.”

Right now, our international solidarity must be based on the payment of reparations to benefit Ukraine. […] It is also important to clarify that, first and foremost, reparations should be paid by the rich: officials, the nomenklatura, oligarchs, businessmen, etc.

“But, while the international press focuses precisely on the Russian oligarchs, there is no reason for the CADTM to consider that the Ukrainian oligarchs are allies of the Ukrainian people. The class struggle during the war continues.”

“So, the limited but real risk that the left will become the main opposition to Macron and could even deprive him of a majority really frightens the presidential majority.”

In the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine, Ilya Budraitskis describes Russia as evolving to a new form of fascism. What had been a “managed democracy” with limited personal freedoms, has become a society and polity which requires unequivocal acceptance of the Ukraine invasion and treats any sign of deviation as treason. The article first appeared in German in Die Wochenzeitung, under the title, “Gruseliges Vorzeichen einer möglichen Zukunft.”

“These spectacular shows of force by the Hindu far right are a way of conditioning the Indian population to accept the bigger massacres still in preparation.”

“But the only effective way to fight back is to continue mass actions and to make them more powerful.”

“The political polarization of recent weeks raises questions that go beyond the June deadline, in the continuation of the social struggles of recent years.”

“Indeed, faced with the rise of the far right and the fascist danger, against the new five-year mandate of Macron and his henchmen to organize anti-social and authoritarian attacks, we want a left-wing majority for radical change – or at least as many elected members as possible – in the National Assembly. We therefore believe that a unitive dynamic would be a positive signal for the social movements and struggles, giving back confidence to the oppressed and exploited.”

“We will not accept a Supreme Court or its decisions that violate our human rights.”

“The war highlights the patriarchy we live in from all the sides. ”

Two months ago, when I wrote “A Letter to the Western Left from Kyiv,” I hoped that the shock of the Russian invasion and the voices of the Ukrainian left would push Western leftists to reconsider their approach. Unfortunately, too many of them have failed to do so. In their analyses of the war, Ukrainians are just victims in need of humanitarian aid, not subjects with desires that should be respected.
Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone on the left—not by a long shot. Scandinavian (...)

The Executive Bureau of the Fourth International has issued two statements on Ukraine. One before the invasion, on 30 January 2022, entitled "Against NATO and Russian military escalation in Eastern Europe”; and another one after the start of the invasion, on 1 March 2022, entitled "No to Putin's invasion of Ukraine! Support the Ukrainian resistance! Solidarity with the Russian opposition to the war!".

This Declaration of the Tendency for a Revolutionary International (TRI), public tendency of the FI (ex-USec) was issued on Monday, 14 March 2022.

The ongoing lockdown in Shanghai and the consequences of a zero Covid policy under despotic rule.

For all the anticipation of another uprising, Palestinians have yet to recover from the last one — because Israeli violence never stopped.

“The people are demanding that the community take full responsibility for an essential public service. If free transport is not an end in itself, it represents a strong signal.”

“Once again, it is the Chadian people who will pay the price for the realpolitik imposed by France's military considerations.”