(Communist) Left Unity
The “NO WAR BUT CLASS WAR” Initiative is unifying members of the Communist Left, but why not make this relationship official?
This article was edited and revised by an editor who wishes to remain anonymous. I am grateful for their elaboration.
It is May Day, and throughout the world, workers are organizing and participating in parades and celebrations of victories won by the working class. And among these workers are members of the Communist Left who go to agitate and spread awareness among the rest of the participants. But I feel that this May Day is somewhat different. Recently, the Internationalist Communist Tendency issued a call to action which they called “NO WAR BUT CLASS WAR.” The intention is to create committees to agitate and spread the internationalist message to the working class in the face of the Ukraine-Russia War and growing foreign support for either side of this imperialist conflict. Many have taken the call to action. Not only those who support ICT, but also those who are members or sympathizers of ICT-critical groups and organizations, as well as some anarchists! All of this is great news and is welcomed by all of us.
What I hope to see is the continuation of the NWBCW initiative, yet there seem to be much bolder possibilities presenting themselves to us at this very moment. The existence of the NWBCW initiative itself, as well as the support it is gaining, signifies a general resurgence toward natural unity between the various groups that form the communist tradition. Does this situation present an opportunity where more concrete relationships will emerge? Ones that tie together the various groups of the Internationalist Left? I think this is entirely possible, and it can best be achieved through the establishment of a conference or congress where members meet and discuss what common ground they share, the events of that year, and what actions and initiatives can be taken in the next year. In short, I want unity within the Communist Left.
I want to make it clear that I am only referring to unity among those who are truly committed to both communism and internationalism. Whether this unity comes in the form of an annual conference or congress, whichever name you may wish to use is unimportant. However, we will absolutely not allow the various shades of the left of capital to once again corrupt the spirit of this attempt. It would be a grave mistake to capitulate to the Reformists, Stalinists, and all others who have, now and historically, stifled the progression of the real movement. This capitulation would mean a return to the repeated failures of the United Front tactics that popped into existence in the 20th century. These tactics only served to muddle the positions and actions of the workers’ movement. We do not wish to repeat these mistakes.
At this moment, the worst possible conclusion I can imagine is for this flame to die out and for the Communist Left to return to a position of obscurity. But to keep this young flame going, we need to make sure it has a sufficient amount of fuel. This can be achieved through continuing the NWBCW initiative, as well as agitating and elaborating our positions with others. This flame can continue to grow through the establishment of a conference, congress, or federation of some kind that aims to connect all of us who are committed internationalists.
