We thought that this was a dead debate, but due to the avalanche of anti-Russian, pro-Ukrainian, pro-American and pro-NATO anarchist publications, has made us take a brief look at the different situations and conditions to decide which option is more in line with the libertarian ideal and if we anarchist can reach any kind of consensus about.
The clash of powers that determines world geopolitics forces us to take a side. We Anarchists cannot talk about the Ukraine war without remembering the 8 years of support we have given to the Dombass people and the Civil War there since 2014. Numerous anarchist comrades went to fight against Ucronazi forces set by NATO. Today our immediate interests coincide, to our regret, with those of Russia. But our goals bring us much further. Don't be scared by the intro, keep reading, please.
Supporting the Dombass
At that time, the independence or autonomy of the Dombass of Ukraine seemed correct to the libertarian movement. It seemed like a better solution than the Russian annexation of Crimea.
We also reject the Ukrainian military intervention, its apartheid and its segregationism in the Dombass. We denounce the torture, assaults and murders of civilians and comrades.
Finally many went to fight for the Dombass; and we support them without fissures.
We didn't care then, and even felt relief, knowing that the region was under Russian control. Even knowing that Russia would use it to stop the NATO's expansion by prolonging the conflict.
Our positions, sooner or later, will coincide with the interests of some elites, inevitably; either in favor or in collide, which is usually the most common. Should we stop supporting what we previously believed correct only because of these circumstantial coincidences? Do these coincidences invalidate the previous struggle or could reinforce it? Welcome to geopolitics, anarchists.
Our position coincides, to our regret, with that of Russia
To Russia does not seem possible to achieve the Dombass autonomy by political means. Russia, for many reasons, has started a war without asking us.
This war adventure causes a contradiction and dilemmas in the libertarian movement that must be resolved:
Ukraine
Ukraine is hostage to NATO and the US in the west, and Russia in the east. Debating libertarian support for Ukraine means deciding whether or not we support NATO and the Pentagon, or Russia.
Russia
-On the one hand, Russia kills our Ukrainian sisters.
-But in turn Russia protects our sisters from the Dombass.
USA
-The US does not directly kill our Dombass sisters.
-The US does not directly kill our Ukrainian sisters.
-USA/EU/NATO provides the means for our Ukrainian sisters to attack their Dombass sisters.
As we can see, the contradictions reside on both sides of the trench. All murderers, all with their own reasons.
What follows is to make a geopolitical assessment of the convenience or not of the postures of one and the other side. Because of the result of this debate we will end up supporting one world or another: NATO or Russia.
Geopolitical assessment of political support
Supporting Ukraine
Supporting Ukraine is not only defending a territory, defending the lives of some people. It doesn't even mean defending our compañeras; is much more.
Before the war broke out, the neo-Nazi government in Ukraine practiced Apartheid throughout its territory and ethnic cleansing in the Dombass.
During the war the fascist militias became battalions of the regular army. It was then that the real war showed its face: runes and swastikas sank into the pavilions. The troops were Nazis, the monster had been reborn.
If Ukraine won, if it joined the EU, NATO and kept the Dombass whihin Ukraine, what would happen? The victory would be for the United States Stablishment, which would continue with its plans. A series of events not very different from those seen so far would be triggered. Are we willing to take on their Apartheid tactics in Ukraine, and let them end their ethnic cleansing? Are we prepared to witness in Europe the same tactics that the fascists employ in Palestine? That they conclude total the nazification of the country? The Europe Nazification progresses? That it spreads around the world? To see the swastika waving as a flag of liberation? Are we thinking in collaborate with ethnic cleansing, genocide, massacres, coups and, ultimately, with our collective political suicide? Neither Ukraine nor the US gov nor NATO can be supported by libertarians.
Supporting USA
The US has not stopped harassing Russia and the rest of countries, generating wars (Yugoslavia, Kwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria) and expanding NATO since 1989. In 2010 NATO goes global. The US has plans to expand NATO to encircle Russia and has shown evidences of proliferation of nuclear weapons.
If the US wins in Ukraine, it would mean its entry into the EU, NATO and the placement of nuclear missiles across the country. Also the admission of Finland and Swedento in the NATO club. These would be answered with the placement of more missiles on the Russia and Belarus borders (proliferation). The US would rise tension with China over Taiwan. They would try to penetrate Central Asia through Turkey, Georgia and Chechnya. It would continue the expansion of global NATO with its swastikas as its coat of arms. The end of the UN. In short, the global expansion of US and its IV Reich goverment plans, that would affect to our northamerican camarades also in the way of repression, jail, policial militarization and fascists militias.
Supporting Russia
Is the suppor to Russi the alternative, which is similarly retrograde, corrupt and has systematically repressed and imprisoned us anarchists? The answer is not very positive. Russia knows very well how to organize a good repression, preventive attacks, occupations, wars, purges or traffickig between mafia corruption. They may now be apparently waging a more civilized war, their geopolitical objectives may be different from those of the Americans, but deep down, it is the same system, capitalism. Once they win, they will do to us what every capitalist system does: use our meat in their metabolism, either on the war front or in their sweatshops.
Russia, however, shows no signs of expansion in the short term and has supported threatened peoples by the IV American Reich throughout the world, such as Venezuela, Cuba or Iran. With Russia as the winner, in the medium term, the perspective of transnational warlike expansion, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and Nazism vanishes.
Russia is for now the lesser evil.
Can Russia be supported?
The key question is whether or not Russia can be supported. We can find the answer in all those places where conflicts of interest, paradoxes or dilemmas in the movement have rise.
Rojava 2012
Broadly speaking and with all the nuances, during the Syrian war the Rojava region in Syrian Kurdistan declared an autonomous region. The situation was as follows: Daesh forces at south, Turkey army at north and west and Syria at east. Rojava was supported by the Iraqi Kurdistan, a presidential and pro-fascist Barzani family. In addition, it was supported by France and the US against Turkey and Syria, while at the end of the war it managed to reach an agreement with the Syrian government and ended up admitting former Daesh Wahavites into its ranks; transforming then into 'brand new libertarian confederates'. Welcome to polyhedrism, comrades.
With such a mixture of intersecting interests, alliances, merges and splits, can Rojava be supported without supporting its imperialist allies? All we anarchist in general very much understood that the Rojavista Democratic Confederalism project was more important than their local and war time politics. Some others criticized it (this same media), others supported it (this same media), others rejected it. Others do not understand that the practice and politics of alliances are different matters. The official war in Syria ended, but the consensus di facto is the same as in Catalonia: autonomy to the region and end of repression, Syria and Turkey. Rojava, despite the tortuous background, remains as a guide, and the project continues to be globally supported.
Venezuela 2014
The most important guarimbas, barricades, rise up against the Venezuelan Regime in 2014. Anarchists side with the revolts and against the state. The guarimbas turned out to be a co-opted movement by the extreme right and ended up calling for US military intervention. Faced with the advent of an occupation war, part of the oppository right demobilized. After the 2017 assault, the right opposition dissolved and failed to recompose several times. In 2019, the US imposes Juan Guaidó as acting president. He calls again for foreign military intervention and American troops in Caracas.
The question is clear, what made some comrades support foreign military intervention in their own country twice ? We hope that the answer is that they took into account immediate needs as more important than strategic needs, because otherwise it would mean that the compañeras supported the US invasion in their own territory and the slaughter of their sisters and brothers.
Catalonia 2017
In 2017 a process of independence form the Spanish region was developed. The conflict was then rightly seen as an attempt by the local bourgeoisie to get rid of the central bourgeoisie, a typical power struggle. Bad cards for anarchists, in both cases, by action or omission, they would end up supporting one or another government without the possibility of grays.
Anarchist comrades took part in the process for secession. Others criticized the process for being reactionary and nationalistic. Others advocated that autonomy, cantonalism, federalism, and aid to fellow anarchists in struggle prevail. The libertarian struggles in Spanish territory were for self-determination and the end of repression.
Belarus 2020
The country was experiencing an authoritarian situation and widespread disaffection with a corrupt regime. In the last elections of 2020 there was a revolt against the winner Lukashenko. These revolts were clearly supported from within by the fascist hordes waving monarchist and far-right flags and from abroad by the Nazis of the US, EU and NATO. The protesters ended up requesting external military intervention in a similar way to Venezuela under the 'Color Revolution' script established by the Pentagon. From that moment they lost strength, the attached forces were dissolved and their leaders fled to the United Kingdom and Poland. Our comrades in Belarus were severely repressed. Did it help to support the far-right that request to bomb its own country? Was there any point in participating toguether with the international fascism remotely controlled movement? Even so, there were comrades who participated defending to set a capitalist dictatorship of the extreme right there.
The contest then led us to the dilemma of what is more preferable, if a socialist dictatorship or a far-right capitalist dictatorship.
We could continue with the deliberation between major, minor, unacceptable evils, red lines and resistance: USSR, Cuba, Nicaragua... let's apply the same logic: is it the alternative better than what is in place? What would happen at a world level if USA/NATO penetrates in the most of national parliaments? Is military balkanization the path to self-managed liberation? Is the destruction of minorities by majorities and minorities admissible?
The 'Dombass Solution'
It is clear that we will desagree regarding the US, NATO or Russia . We don't really know why, but that's how it has been until now. Let's forget about the actors and their propaganda. Let's look at the facts.
What we all could agree is that:
-Ukraine has suffered from an actively fascist government since 2010 with Yanukovych, when hard segregationist and racist measures began.
-Ukraine suffered a fascist coup in 2014, the so-called Euromaidan.
-The Dombass developed a process contrary to the EuroMaidan, called antiMaidan, declaring itself independence.
-The Dombass was attacked by nationalist and openly Nazi forces in a NATO maneuver, starting the Ukrainian Civil War.
-The Dombass must be independent, and its people Autonomous.
-We do not know what will be Russia's next step, but the US advance will continue, and with it global NATO and world Nazification. An even american and brithis fellows will suffer ir.
It is at this point, of an independent Dombass and its Autonomous people, where we all can find the point of union with Russia that we cannot find with the US.
Dilemmas will keep rising up
Regardless of our position in Ukraine, dilemmas will continue to appear in anarchist organizations, especially since there are common topycs, and such a range of opinions, groupings, currents and political tendencies, that it will be difficult for us not to agree with nationalists, fascists, tories, capitalists and even recognized criminals.
The capitalists themselves unfold such a broad spectrum, from the ultraliberal to the ultraconservative, that they will often be tempted to support and even assist us. This is the case of the Social Democrats. In France 2018, when the Yellow Vests movement managed to bring together fascists with leftists. The same thing happened in Catalonia 2017. And throughout Europe, the most abominable far right is leading the fight against NATO and the EU. We will also agree in future on numerous issues, such as pensions, work, environmentalism, energy or industry. Does this put them on our side or Russia's? Yes, specifically, but not generally. We will not stop being enemies.
Are we going to give up our principles and demands because they coincide with those of the fascists? NO! Are we going to allow popular movements to be co-opted as always? NO! We are going to fight on a double front, denouncing fascism and expossing our cause. This, which seems to be a disappointment and a loss of the 'concentration of forces', is the key to win the struggle, to Allianceism and Revolutionary Pedagogy.
The new world to be born
We have before us a cross interests multilevel scenaries in which the capitalist forces are falling apart, trapping our organizations in the middle, and even using them as pawns; meattools.
We must not get carried away by their appels and propaganda, because doing taht, we will be metabolized (intake, digested and excreted).
We must never lose sight of our own declared objectives: the creation of freely federated territorial autonomies and the direct democratization of institutions. The Revolutionary Strategy of "the Three Fronts" and its organization.
Contradictions and Coincidences
When our interests coincide, they coincide; which does not mean unconditional support or sticking to their dialectic. We must continue with our plans for Social Revolution wherever we are, because that is the fate of anarchism; change the world and make it free from exploitation and abuse. If we are forced to collaborate, if we want to attract awareness, it is a priority to constantly explain and criticize collaboration (revolutionary pedagogy again, with the Propaganda for Fact as a fundamental substrate).
The solution to the Ukraine is not the War in the Ukraine, but neither the war against the Dombass. The military conflict is served at the geopolitical level, and they ask, demand, and force us to choose sides. Our place is not with the capitalist armies, it is with the people: stop the war, assist the victims, reduce belligerence, prevent militarization, advance social justice, prevent the advance of fascism, Nazism and nationalism, prevent the proliferation nuclear weapos are our priorities. And protect the Dombass from pogroms and their planned genocide.
Does supporting the Ukrainian government, its army, or the US, achieve our goals? No. It means the proliferation of Nazism and world militarism; just the opposite of our purposes.
Does supporting the Russian government achieve our goals? Does supporting the Dombass government achieve our objectives? We do not believe that all the objectives will be achieved, but we can sense that fascism, segregationism, apartheid and genocide will be stopped, and an autonomous region will be achieved.
In short, our options are not good at all and involves collaborating and choosing between an evil and a greater evil (not a lesser evil).
Collaborate with fascism? Never! Double Front
What if our interests coincide with fascist interests? Many understand that this is the situation in both sides in Ukraine. They are not misguided.
We face fascism on a daily basis in our jobs individually. Daily practice shows that our interests often coincide with those of the fascists: to the aforementioned cases we can add Yellow Vests or riots in Hong Kong... But their ability to monopolize the media spectrum makes our revolutionary efforts, and our revolutionary gymnastics, benefit and strengthen those who declared to be our very enemies and who have explicitly declared that they want to eliminate us.
If history shows anything, it is that you cannot collaborate or argue with fascism. Just destroy it. Collaborating with fascism means automatic defeat. The war front in collaboration with fascism means opening a conflict with fascism itself. We cannot assume its premises, nor its conditions, nor its objectives. We cannot assume their speech or their narrative. The closest one can collaborate with a fascist is in the formal and informal, non-military institutions, to counter him.
And yet it has happened, as the example of Rojava shows. How did they survive? Clinging to their principles, developing their own social and military programs, organizing the social environment avoiding fascist infiltration, pro-NATO and pro-Syrian discourse, and a huge propaganda network worldwide. How did they fisicaly defend their advances? Buying weapons from world fascist organizations. They developed a true Autonomy. For example: in the joint military offensives with the US, their declared objective was never towns, but DAESH military positions. There is a difference. Their offensives against Turkish positions did not concern the Turkish people, but the fascistic army of Turkey.
Conclusions
It is not logical that anarchists participate within the Ukrainian army, because it is not true that the Ukrainian territory is in danger. The only attacked territory was the Dombass for 8 years.
Once the war is over, if Ukraine wins, the apartheid against pure non-Ukrainians will continue, Nazification will continue, and them will come the attack to the next country, which may be Belarus or Georgia. Another country to evangelize nailing swastikas and crosses of fire.
Once the conflict is over, if Russia wins, it will impose its political conditions, but it will not impose apartheid or nazification. It will ask for the disarmament and NATO removing from neighbor countries, Finland and Sweden.
The territory that was, is and will be in danger if Russia does not achieve its objectives, will be the Dombass: So it is logical to support its struggle despite the fact that Russia carries out its operations in its own way. The conditions of Dombass are different from those of Russia . The Dombass must be protected.
It is of the greatest interest to humanity that NATO dissolves and that the decaying hegemon, the main focus of current distortions, disturbances and disorders, the United States, falls as soon as possible. Russia must beat NATO. The United State people must be free from NATO.
It would be terrible to see anarchists sister against sister fighting on the front lines because of the publications that give rise to the imperialist call to arms against the oppressed peoples. We sincerely hope that the comrades of Enough14, CrimethInc, Pramen, libcom, ALB, portal Oaca, and an endless number of Anarchist counterinfo pages AYP, continue with their critical work, but reconsider their position and their editorial lines; because they are considered a libertarian think tank, and their opinion can affect thousands of people, and the world libertarian movement itself; and with it to the base of world social movements. They do not realize its key importance or its influence. If we do not achieve a greater consensus around libertarianism and less in the face of the rhetoric of the powers in contention, the atomization will be such that we will end up disappearing from history (as we have already foreseen). They should be binding elements, not diluents.
The old world is burning, and we will not be able to build a New World from its ashes if we cannot completely destroy it, bury in the way that the moster can not rise from the grave.
Dombass must survive, Russia must stop, the US must stop, NATO must disappear. We need to stop world Nazism now.
Health! PHkl/tctca
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To know more
Gira europea trascendental de Biden para impulsar la 3GM 22.3.2022Análisis militar Ucrania vs Rusia: de la Guerra moderna a la Clásica en la Era del Descenso 21.3.2022
Más sobre las respuestas libertarias a la guerra | Alasbarricadas.org 15.3.2022
La visión de Ucrania, la visión de Rusia | Alasbarricadas.org 6.3.2022
Europa Battle Zone: Rusia cede a las provocaciones de Estados Unidos, y ésta se cobra tres piezas. Geopolítica 28.2.2022
La Anarquía y sus Aliados: el 'Frente Unido' y 'Agrupación de Tendencia' 10.1.2022 Tommy Lawson. Libro en PDF
Source - TARCOTECA: Geopolítica Libertaria: no es Ucrania, EEUU o Rusia, es la Guerra por el Mundo Nuevo por Nacer Published 8.4.2022, last edition 11.4.2022
