Manila, Philippines, February 2
Unleash the Power of the International Working Class: Communist Masses Will End Imperialism Worldwide
UNITED STATES, February 10— “I’m sitting here thinking about how the Philippines is a capitalist country and what that means to the way we organize against imperialism,” said a Filipina friend at an ICWP collective meeting. Earlier, she had said that the Philippines was a semi-feudal, semi-colonial country. She now considered a different analysis.
The expanding US military presence in the Philippines sparked a collective debate about how we can end imperialism. An activist, noting that the military situation is intensifying, thought it important to show solidarity with the armed Filipinos who are fighting the Marcos Jr. regime.
But what kind of solidarity? The Vietnamese fought long and hard: first against French imperialism and then against US imperialism. But they substituted national liberation and socialism for a direct fight for communism.
Solidarity based on nationalism and socialism assured the re-emergence of the horrors of capitalism. Today we see the results: super-exploitation in the Nike factory and other businesses of the imperialist and nationalist bosses.
“I’m afraid that nationalism will result in Filipino bosses instead of US bosses if we go along this path. Exploitation will continue,” said the comrade who prepared the discussion.
Comrades argued that only worldwide communist revolution will end imperialist wars and domination. That’s why the ICWP is one international party dedicated to mobilizing the masses for communism, not a collection of national parties.
Communism requires ending the capitalist wage system and the superstructure that is built to protect that system. The material basis of communism is collective production for the collective needs of the international working class.
Another friend had attended several church meetings that condemned imperialism but provided no solutions. The communist solution was never mentioned there.
She pondered how we can get young adults to think about the struggle not only in the Philippine context, but from the broader viewpoint of what the international working class needs. She concluded that the fight for communism was a “potential tool” her generation can use to struggle for “bigger things.”
More than a tool or tactic, mobilizing masses directly for communism is a strategy—now and in the future. Nothing less than communism will end imperialism.
Fighting the US Military Buildup in Asia: Communism Versus National Liberation
On Feb. 2, Marcos Jr. gave the US access to nine bases in the Philippines. The deal follows an October 2022 announcement that the US was giving $100 million to the Philippine military. China is the obvious target.
Filipino activists had organized a forum that discussed the US plans to expand its military presence in Asia. Three comrades attended the forum, which was a few days before our collective meeting.
“This may be a bit controversial,” said a comrade at the end of the forum, “but if we want to end imperialist war, we must send members into the armed forces to win the troops to communism.”
Afterward, several participants wanted to know how we organized in the US armed forces. So did the activists who came to the ICWP meeting.
Earlier in the forum, a University of Washington student had talked about their campaign to get the school to sever ties with Boeing because the company makes weapons.
At the ICWP collective meeting, comrades offered an alternative. We proposed that young people get jobs in the Boeing blue-collar workforce and help distribute Red Flag at the factories.
A comrade described how, during the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, Putilov factory workers played a key role. The Putilov plant manufactured most of the tsarist regime’s weapons. When the revolution started, the workers took the weapons they made to the front lines. They taught Red soldiers how to use them and fought side by side with them on the front line. The core of the Bolshevik Red Army came from these factories.
This sparked discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of four decades of communist organizing at Boeing and what we can do now.
Whatever the period, winning soldiers and industrial workers is crucial to preparing for communist revolution. Communism will unleash the power of the masses to end imperialism, once and for all.
Read our Pamphlet:
Soldiers, Sailors, Marines: Crucial to a Communist Workers’ Revolution