Party Military Work here ♦ Imperialist Conflicts in Latin America here ♦
The Importance of Party Military Work
This is an excerpt from a report given at the recent ICWP conference in El Salvador.
I was first introduced to communist politics in high school through two active communist teachers. The political work led by the high school collective helped my development as a communist organizer.
In fact, during that time, there was a specific struggle to develop high school students into military organizers in the Army. The party made it clear that in order to realize a communist revolution, the party must have active members organizing in the belly of the beast to gain knowledge and experience about organizing soldiers for communist revolution.
We learned many valuable lessons through our years of experience doing this work. The party was also able to experience how soldiers would face and organize during the Iraq war.
Of course, the world has changed in many ways since then. Yet, the war footing in which imperialism is set upon is apparent now as it was thirty years before, when I became a communist.
Currently, it is the wars in Gaza and Venezuela that are moving capitalists into world war. In Gaza, 69,187 of our Palestinian brothers and sisters have been killed, by official counts. The true number is probably ten times greater. Additionally, 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced.
In Sudan, 150,000 people have lost their lives due to imperialist wars.
These killings are a direct hit to the international working class. Capitalist around the world use wars to stifle any kind of fight back that the working class may have. Around the world, capitalists place workers in prison, drive people to homelessness, and even push drug addiction in order to oppress the working class and eliminate the revolutionary potential that we have. We must fight against all these efforts by capitalists.
The work begins in our collectives. We must emphasis the importance of military work and industrial work around the world. Without these two areas of work, we cannot successfully reach our ultimate communist revolutionary potential.
Read our pamphlet Soldiers, Sailors, Marines: Crucial to Communist Workers’ Revolution here
Latin America: Inter-Imperialist Battleground
EL SALVADOR, December 26—A maquila worker who participated in the international conference of the International Communist Workers’ Party gave a speech on this subject. He emphasized that, this year, two documents have been released: The China White Paper and the update of the Monroe Doctrine with “Trump’s Corollary.” This talks about “America for the United States.” The US has sent the largest aircraft carriers it has to Latin America to demonstrate its military strength.
US imperialists have hardened their stance with their “corollary.” It affirms their “right” to intervene anywhere in the American continent, where they deem it necessary, to defend it from the threats that the rest of the world could pose to it. It considers China, Russia, and on a smaller scale, Europe a direct threat to its security.
China has gone from being a buyer of raw materials in Latin America to sponsoring infrastructure (ports, bridges, stadiums) and promoting the use of the Yuan and displacing the dollar. And it has just launched its largest and most modern aircraft carrier.
The workers organized in the International Communist Workers’ Party know that this is an important opportunity to make class sisters and brothers understand that the struggles between the imperialists are nothing more than wars to control the profits produced by the working class
White Gold
Lithium is the most coveted resource due to its essential use in batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The “Lithium Triangle” (Argentina, Bolivia and Chile) concentrates more than 50% of the world’s reserves.
China dominates the refining and manufacture of batteries. The US offers tax incentives to countries that do not do business with China, threatening that otherwise they will invade them with the Marines.
Critical Minerals and Rare Earths
Minerals such as copper, nickel, graphite and rare earths are essential for the manufacture of microchips, defense systems and green technologies. Chile and Peru are the world’s main suppliers of copper, essential for electricity infrastructure.
Rare Earths: China controls 90% of global refining. However, by 2025, the United States had intensified its strategy to promote the extraction of these materials in US and Latin American territory.
Oil and Gas: Still vital to energy security. China has increased its lending and investment in oil sectors in countries such as Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana. Making the drums of war sound throughout this region
The ICWP is organizing the working class so that the weapons of the soldiers of the imperialists’ army will be turned against these bosses and warlords. The working class bears the burden of death in these wars while the rich get richer by selling weapons and protection.
Technological and Digital Warfare (5G and Submarine Cables)
China is offering Latin America financing to connect rural areas. The US is pressuring governments such as Brazil and Chile to remove Huawei from 5G networks, citing risks of spying on countries.
Ports & Logistics
The Port of Chancay in Peru, operating since 2024, symbolizes China’s growing hegemony in the region. It allows a direct route to Asia, avoiding U.S. control.
In Central America the inter-imperial struggle is not far behind, China is consolidating its economic expansion through loans and donations for infrastructure in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, Panama has just withdrawn from the Silk Road, due to open threats from US imperialism
China advances major infrastructure projects through the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the Port of Chancay, the purchase of oil from Venezuela, and direct loans.
United States: Implements a geopolitical invasion that integrates Latin America into its Pacific security strategy, activating all its military bases in Latin America, to reduce Chinese influence.
The difference between the imperialists is not significant. The local bourgeoisies are only deciding which empire to kneel to. Workers must fight for the communist system in which production is driven by workers contributing according to their dedication and receiving according to their need.
We must make more workers aware of the urgent need to end this world of wars, where the poor class bears the burden of death and the rich class keeps profits. We must write to Red Flag and distribute the ideas of the International Communist Workers’ Party wherever we are.