BRICS around the neck of the proletariat

8/10/2019 BRICS around the neck of the proletariat

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BRICSaroundtheneckoftheproletariat

The Sixth BRICS meeting held in Brazil was held inJuly. The occasion was one of wheeling and

dealingbetweenthetwobigBRICSblocleadersandtheirLatinAmericansupporterslookingtoset

upanalternativetothetraditionalUSdominanceofthecontinentandanalternativetoUSglobal

financialhegemony.The leadersalsotooktimeouttotestthe loyaltyofUSallies intheEUfacing

USdictatedsanctionsonRussiathatwillcosttheEUeconomies$billions.PutinusedtheFIFAWorld

CuptomeetMerkelanddiscussUkraine. NodoubtRussiaismotivatedtostrengthenitspushinto

LatinAmericaasareprisaltotheUSdeterminationtopushNATOrightupagainstitsborders.Not

contenttoputpressureontheUSbloc inEuropeandAsia,PutinsdealtowriteoffmostofCubas

debtandreopenaformerSovietspybaseatLourdesrubstheNationalSecurityAgency(NSAs)nose

in itsown business.The riseof BRICS is regarded bymanyon the left todayasadynamic antiimperialistblocchallengingUSimperialisthegemony.WechallengethisviewandshowthatBRICS

may be a rival bloc but is neither progressive nor antiimperialist, because it is led by the

emergingimperialistpowers,RussiaandChina.Wearguethatthemountinginterimperialistrivalry

betweenthetwoblocsmeanswecanonlyadvancetheworldrevolutionbyopposinganddefeating

bothblocs.

The riseofBRICS is takingplace in thecontextof theglobalcrisisofcapitalism.ThepostSoviet,

postcapitalistrestorationistChina,worldofcapitalismindecayisshapinguptolookmuchlikethe

worldofacenturyago,with interimperialistrivalry leadinginexorablytoanother imperialistwar.

Theemerging

imperialist

powers

of

China

and

Russia

are

positioning

themselves

as

abloc

of

BRICS

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againstthetraditionalNATObloc,withtheUnitedStatesasthedominant imperialistpowersince

WorldWarII.

As recentmoves have shown, the decliningUnited States is bent onmaintaining this dominant

position throughpreventingBRICSredivisionof theworldorredividing it for theirbenefit. The

PacificPivot

and

the

TPPA

is

directly

aimed

at

Chinas

growing

power

in

the

Pacific,

as

was

the

sabrerattling against North Korea, which was not only targeting the remaining gains of the

collectivized property of the deformed workers state (DWS), but also served as a warning to

capitalistChinathattheywouldcalltheshotsintheregion. Japan,animperialistallyoftheUnited

States,hasprovokedChinaovertheSenkakuislands.

Now theChinaledBRICSnationshave formed theBRICSDevelopmentBankasacounter to the

BrettonWoods IMF/WorldBank. Althoughstartingwitharelativelymeager$50billionfund,the

goal is toreacha financingcapacityof$350billion ina fewyearsandeventuallyrival theWorld

Bank,particularlywithextracapitalfundingfromChinaandRussia. RecentlyBRICSrepresentatives

werecourting

Latin

American

countries,

adirect

challenge

to

the

United

States.

It

is

obvious

that

BRICSiswieldingincreasinginfluence,butaswhat?IsBRICSnowbeginningtoposeachallengeto

UShegemonyasanantiimperialistblocorabloc ledbyemerging imperialistpowers,Russiaand

China?

FourClassPerspectivesonBRICS

ItisusefultobreakdownthedifferentviewsofBRICSbytheirideologicalbasisinoneorothersocial

class.Otherwisewehavethespectacleoffreefloatingstandpointsthatreducetonationalcultures,

nationalgeography,blood,raceornation,orgreatleadersultimately,biologyorgenetics.The

bourgeoisclass

ideology

of

sovereign

individuals

in

the

free

market

is

the

default

ideology

of

capitalism. This is the fetishised form thatunequal production relations take as equal exchange

relations. Value, rather than representing the labour time of workers, becomes the value of

commoditiesasdeterminedbythemarket.Individualsceasetobeworkers,capitalistsorlandlords

andbecomesovereignindividualsasbuyersandsellersofcommoditiesinthemarketandcitiziens

withequalpoliticalrights.Capitalismisthebestofallpossibleworldsprovidedindividualfreedoms

in themarketandnation statearenot limitedbyother individualsand states.Today,bourgeois

ideologytakesthreemainformsneoliberal,liberalandradical.

(A) Neoliberals

Neoliberals are neither new nor liberal. They claim to be liberal in the sense of 18th

Century

liberalism of free market capitalism. However, such liberalism (now neoliberalism) never

representedtherealityofcapitalism.Thearrivalandsurvivalofcapitalismsince itsbeginninghas

required massive state intervention. Moreover, since the late 19th

century state intervention

developed into its highest form as capitalism had tomove from competitive capitalism to state

monopolycapitalismtodealwithincreasinglyfrequentandseriouscrises. (Lenin,Imperialism)

Neoliberalsareapologists for statemonopoly capitalismdestroyingorganised labourandbuying

votesinordertodominatethefreemarket.Neoliberalismwasbornoutoftheendofthepostwar

boom

and

onset

of

structural

crisis

in

the

early

1970s

and

announced

its

presence

in

the

Chilean

military coup with the overthrow of the populist president Salvador Allende to maintain US

2
http://japanfocus.org/-Vince-Scappatura/4178?utm_source=September+8%2C+2014&utm_campaign=China%27s+Connectivity+Revolution&utm_medium=emailhttp://japanfocus.org/-Vince-Scappatura/4178?utm_source=September+8%2C+2014&utm_campaign=China%27s+Connectivity+Revolution&utm_medium=emailhttp://japanfocus.org/-Vince-Scappatura/4178?utm_source=September+8%2C+2014&utm_campaign=China%27s+Connectivity+Revolution&utm_medium=emailhttp://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/tppa-nafta-from-hell_3.htmlhttp://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/defend-south-korean-rail-workers/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/defend-south-korean-rail-workers/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/defend-south-korean-rail-workers/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/defend-south-korean-rail-workers/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/defend-south-korean-rail-workers/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Development_Bankhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Development_Bankhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Development_Bankhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Development_Bankhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Development_Bankhttp://journal-neo.org/2014/10/10/russia-in-negotiation-with-china-for-alternative-swift-bank-system/http://journal-neo.org/2014/10/10/russia-in-negotiation-with-china-for-alternative-swift-bank-system/http://journal-neo.org/2014/10/10/russia-in-negotiation-with-china-for-alternative-swift-bank-system/http://journal-neo.org/2014/10/10/russia-in-negotiation-with-china-for-alternative-swift-bank-system/http://journal-neo.org/2014/10/10/russia-in-negotiation-with-china-for-alternative-swift-bank-system/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_fetishismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_fetishismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_fetishismhttp://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/ch01.htmhttp://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/ch01.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_fetishismhttp://journal-neo.org/2014/10/10/russia-in-negotiation-with-china-for-alternative-swift-bank-system/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Development_Bankhttp://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/chinaus-rivalry-asia-pacific/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/defend-south-korean-rail-workers/http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/tppa-nafta-from-hell_3.htmlhttp://japanfocus.org/-Vince-Scappatura/4178?utm_source=September+8%2C+2014&utm_campaign=China%27s+Connectivity+Revolution&utm_medium=email


3/26

dominationoftheeconomy.NeoliberalsdonthaveanydoubtthatChina,alliedtoRussia,leading

theBRICSblocposesathreattoUShegemonycalling forthaNewColdWar.CynicallytheU.S. is

presented as the bastion of the free market, individual rights and democracy rather than the

dominantstatemonopoly imperialistpower. Itsmission is todefend these valuesagainst those

who would destroy them with superior state monopoly power, e.g., Russia and China. For

neoliberalsits

as

ifthe

Soviets

have

come

back

from

the

dead

and

the

cold

war

never

ended.

That

iswhytheybackdateto1949theWhiteHousepolicyofexpandingNATOandrallyingthePacific

allies of RIMPAC to militarily box in Russia and China from making a transition from regional

powerstoglobalpowers.

TheLiberalcritiqueofneoliberalismrecognisesthehypocrisyofthe freemarketthatwasnever

freeandalwaysmanipulatedbypowerelites.NeoliberalismisdefinedasthespecificperiodofUS

globalhegemonythataroseinthelast40years,oftenreferredtoastheWashingtonConsensus,

underthe leadershipofthesocalledneoconservatives, i.e.thesubsetofneoliberalswhotryto

disguisetherealpolitikofmonopolyofstatepowerbehindtraditionalbourgeoisculturalvaluesof

family,nation

and

god.

Liberals

therefore

share

the

neo

liberals

assumption

that

the

problem

is

nottheimperialistepochofstatemonopolycapitalism,butratherthemonopolyofpowerheldby

thewrongclass, the imperialistelite.Therefore the liberal trick is to replace the imperialistelite

withthepowerofthepeople!EntertheBRICS.

(B) Liberals

Against thisofficial neoliberalconviewof theold (now revived)coldwarwhereconfrontation

andwar are necessarymeans to prop upU.S. statemonopoly capitalism, the bourgeois liberal

ideologues see the rising economic power of BRICS as a counterbalance to the Washington

Consensusthat

can

lead

to

multipolarity.

There

are

some

like

Tom

Engelhardt

who

discount

multipolarity in the faceofanoverwhelmingUSglobalpower thatdominatesgeopolitics.Others

like neoStalinist FWilliam Engdahl seemultipolarity arising like a phoenix as Russia and China

challengeUSeconomicandfinancialhegemony:

Taken as a totality, along with other measures by Russias Putin to deepen political,

economicandmilitary tieswithChinaand theothernationsofEurasia, the latestenergy

agreements have the potential to transform the global geopolitical map, something

Washingtonswarfactionwillnotgreetwillingly.Theworld,as Ivenotedbefore, is inthe

midstofoneofafundamentaltransformation,suchasoccursonlyeveryfewcenturies.An

epochis

ending.

The

once

unchallenged

global

hegemony

of

the

Atlantic

alliance

countries

oftheUSAandEUiscrumblingrapidly.

TodaysliberalsaremorethedescendantsofAdamSmiththantheneoliberalsbecausetheyagree

that theequalexchange in themarkethasbeendistortedby theconcentrationofpower in the

hands of ruling elites. Smith believed that the market was rational and that competition and

comparative advantage was sufficient to organise the economy and the wealth of nations.

Comparative Advantage was based on the exchange of commodities at their labour value. The

hiddenhandrewardedeachpersonaccordingtotheamountoflabourtheycouldcommandinthe

market.Equalexchangewouldresultunlessnationstatesintervenedtomanipulateormonopolise

the

market.

We

can

now

see

how

liberals

today

see

the

distribution

of

power

as

determining

the

distribution of income and the need for a liberal state to regulate power relations in the

3
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marketplace.This is clear in thehistoryof liberal reforms thatattempt tobalance thepowerof

organisedlabourandcapital.

Multipolarityisthereforethe21stcenturyliberalroadbacktotheutopiaofAdamSmith,where

therebalancingofexcessivestatepower,allowsthe freemarkettobecometheguarantorof

thecommonwealth

of

citizens.

The

main

tools

of

multipolarity

focus

on

the

destruction

of

monopolypowertocontrolproduction,distributionandexchangeofvalueontheworldmarket.

For liberalswhoare fixatedonthefetishofthemarketandthesymbolofthemarket,money,

this means breaking the dominance of the US juggernaut over the international finance

systemtheU.S.DollarastheglobalreservecurrencybysettinguprivalstotheWorldBank

andIMF.

PepeEscobar,attheAsiaTimes,writes:

It'sbeenalongandwindingroadsinceYekaterinburgin2009,attheirfirstsummit,upto

theBRICS's

long

awaited

counterpunch

against

the

Bretton

Woods

consensus

the

IMF

and

theWorldBank aswellas the Japandominated (but largely responding toUSpriorities)

AsianDevelopmentBank(ADB).TheBRICSDevelopmentBank withaninitialUS$50billion

in capital will be not only BRICSoriented, but invest in infrastructure projects and

sustainable development on a global scale. The model is the Brazilian BNDES (Brazilian

DevelopmentBanked.),whichsupportsBraziliancompaniesinvestingacrossLatinAmerica.

Ina fewyears, itwill reacha financingcapacityofup to$350billion.Withextra funding

especiallyfromBeijingandMoscow,thenewinstitutioncouldleavetheWorldBankinthe

dust.CompareaccesstorealcapitalsavingstoUSgovernment'sprintedgreenpaperwith

nocollateral.

Andthenthere'stheagreementestablishinga$100billionpoolofreservecurrencies the

Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), described by Russian Finance Minister Anton

Siluanov as "a kind of miniIMF". That's a nonWashington consensus mechanism to

counterpunchcapitalflight.Forthepool,Chinawillcontributewith$41billion,Brazil,India

andRussiawith$18billioneach,andSouthAfricawith$5billion.Thedevelopmentbank

shouldbeheadquartered inShanghai althoughMumbaihas forcefully tried tomake its

case(foranIndiantakeontheBRICSstrategy,seehere).

Way beyond economy and finance, this is essentially about geopolitics as in emerging

powers

offering

an

alternative

to

the

failed

Washington

consensus.

Or,

as

consensus

apologists say, the BRICS may be able to "alleviate challenges" they face from the

"internationalfinancialsystem".Thestrategyalsohappenstobeoneofthekeynodesofthe

progressively solidified ChinaRussia alliance recently featured via the gas "deal of the

century"andattheSt.Petersburgeconomicforum.

Usingsuchtools,multipolaritywillresult inarebalancingoftheshareofglobalpoweramongthe

bigpowers,asameansofboth increasingandredistributingeconomicwealth.But theutopiaof

theliberalbourgeoisiewontworkunlesstheworkingclassandotheroppressedpeoplearewonto

itbyreformistpoliticalpartiesandtradesunions.Thustheworkingmassesmustbeconvincedthat

the BRICS bloc can reform global capitalism and reverse the massive social inequalities by

redistributingglobal

wealth.

This

liberal

perspective

is

the

basis

of

Hardt

and

Negris

Empire,

4
http://rt.com/op-edge/172624-brics-putin-arab-spring/http://rt.com/op-edge/172624-brics-putin-arab-spring/http://rt.com/op-edge/172624-brics-putin-arab-spring/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-150714.htmlhttp://epaper.tribuneindia.com/c/3147122?fb_action_ids=635204433254025&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582http://trotskyistinspain.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/imperialism-policy-option-or-death-drive/http://trotskyistinspain.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/imperialism-policy-option-or-death-drive/http://trotskyistinspain.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/imperialism-policy-option-or-death-drive/http://trotskyistinspain.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/imperialism-policy-option-or-death-drive/http://trotskyistinspain.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/imperialism-policy-option-or-death-drive/http://trotskyistinspain.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/imperialism-policy-option-or-death-drive/http://epaper.tribuneindia.com/c/3147122?fb_action_ids=635204433254025&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582http://www.atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-150714.htmlhttp://rt.com/op-edge/172624-brics-putin-arab-spring/


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published in 2000 that promoted the liberal left utopia of a world where imperialism was

outmodedandtheEmpirewasbeingcivilisedbythemultitudenowledbytheanewmiddleclass

ofimmaterialworkers.Empirewasimmediatelyconfoundedby9/11andtheonsetofthewaron

terror and theArgentinazo.U.S. imperialism reasserted its hegemonic power in invasions and

wars inAfghanistanand Iraqand the liberalutopiawasrudelydashedby therampantneocons.

Therise

of

BRICS

the

so

called

emerging

markets

since

2000

however,

has

given

the

liberal

standpointrenewedhopeintheformofmultipolarity.

OneofthewaysthatRussiaandChinaarepresentedasprogressiveleadersofBRICSistheclaim

that they represent the formerorpresent formsof socialism that facilitate the transition from

capitalismto21stcenturysocialism.Wheretheylackcredibilityasmodelsof21

stcenturysocialism

for themasses, then at least they can be pushed in thatdirection by theexample of theALBA

(BolivarianAlliance for the Peoples of ourAmerica) states, namely;Venezuela,Brazil and South

Africa thatallhavepopular frontGovernmentswithstrongmasssupport.This isalso thecase in

Cuba,whichinourviewhasrestoredcapitalismundertheinfluenceofChinaandhasnowbecome

theideological

cheer

leader

linking

BRICS

to

Bolivarian

socialism

that

is

promoted

by

the

World

SocialForum (WSF)asembodyingthephoenix thatrisesoutoftheashesoftheexSovietworld.

Thesepopular front regimesare themodels foraglobalpopular front.Under thecontrolof the

governmental and corporate elites,BRICS continue business as usual exploiting themasses and

pollutingtheplanet. Yetmasspressure frombelowcanforcetheBRICSto implementapopular

socialist program. The strongest expression of this liberal populismwas that of the Brics from

BelowconferenceheldinSouthAfricaduringthe5th

BRICSsummitin2013.

Thisthemewasalsotakenupinthe6th

SummitinBrasiliaandFortaleza,notablybyRussiawithits

emphasisonpoliticalandmilitarycooperationwithLatinAmericancountries,especiallyVenezuela

andCuba.

Andrew

Korybko

writing

in

Russia

and

the

Latin

American

Leap

to

Multipolarity

argues

thatRussiasresurgencefromcollapsedSovietstatetoGreatPowerstatusmeansitisattempting

torecoveritsoldspheresofinfluence.LatinAmericafiguresstronglyinthisrecovery:

RussiahasrestoreditsSovieteraglobalreachunderVladimirPutin,extendingitsinfluence

all across theworld. Because it fulfils the role of a strategic balancer, relationshipswith

Russiaarenowmoreprized thaneveras theworldmoves towardsmultipolarity.Certain

contextualbackgroundsmakeLatinAmericaoverlyreceptive tomultipolarityandRussias

grandforeignpolicygoalsinthisregard.Overthepastdecade,Moscowhasspunacomplex

web of relationships to directly and indirectly extend its influence in the Caribbean and

along

both

coasts

of

the

South

American

continent.

This

strategy

is

not

without

risks,

however, since all of Russias partners are vulnerable to various USsponsored

destabilizations. Ifmanagedproperly,however,Russias return to LatinAmerica canbea

godsendformultipolarity,anditcanevenreversethePentagonsstrategicinitiativeandfor

onceplacetheUSonthedefensivewithinitsownnaturalsphereofinterest...[a]roundthis

time [around 2000], Russia was rising from the ashes of the Soviet collapse and finally

returningtoitsGreatPowerstatus.Itthusfelttheneedtoexpanditsswaybackintoareas

which it once held influence, and this of course included Latin America. Mutual visits,

weaponsdeals,andenergycontractsflourishedbetweenRussiaandVenezuelasince2000,

andbothcountrieswerealreadydeepstrategicpartnersbythetimeofPutins2010tripto

Caracas.Military cooperation in thenavaland aerial fields solidified the relationship and

showedbothsidescommitmenttooneanother.Allofthisinfluencedandhasbeeninline

5
http://situationsvacant.wordpress.com/2008/01/31/lost-in-the-crowd-hardt-and-negris-empire-and-multitude-in-argentina/http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/cuba-sold/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/cuba-sold/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/cuba-sold/http://rt.com/news/184340-castro-compares-nato-nazi/http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-brics-challengers-to-the-global-status-quo/http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-brics-challengers-to-the-global-status-quo/http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-brics-challengers-to-the-global-status-quo/http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-brics-challengers-to-the-global-status-quo/http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-brics-challengers-to-the-global-status-quo/http://links.org.au/node/3979http://links.org.au/node/3979http://links.org.au/node/3979http://links.org.au/node/3979http://links.org.au/node/3979http://links.org.au/node/3979http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1018.phphttp://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1018.phphttp://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1018.phphttp://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1018.phphttp://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1018.phphttp://links.org.au/node/3260http://links.org.au/node/3260http://links.org.au/node/3260http://links.org.au/node/3260http://links.org.au/node/3260http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://rt.com/news/putin-chavez-venezuela-oil/http://rt.com/news/putin-chavez-venezuela-oil/http://rt.com/news/putin-chavez-venezuela-oil/http://rt.com/news/putin-chavez-venezuela-oil/http://rt.com/news/putin-chavez-venezuela-oil/http://rt.com/news/putin-chavez-venezuela-oil/http://orientalreview.org/2014/08/23/russia-and-the-latin-american-leap-to-multipolarity/http://links.org.au/node/3260http://links.org.au/node/3260http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1018.phphttp://links.org.au/node/3979http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-brics-challengers-to-the-global-status-quo/http://rt.com/news/184340-castro-compares-nato-nazi/http://cwgusa.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/cuba-sold/http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/chavez-5th-column-international.htmlhttp://situationsvacant.wordpress.com/2008/01/31/lost-in-the-crowd-hardt-and-negris-empire-and-multitude-in-argentina/


6/26


7/26

powersgotowartoredividetheworld.Leninsconceptofimperialismasanarchicstatemonopoly

capital, adopted by the Bolsheviks, must be replaced by the Menshevik view of imperialism as

politicalpolicyoftherulingclassthatcanbereplacedbyaproletarianpolicyofsocialistrevolution

as peaceful coexistencebetweenclasses.Sowhile the radical lefthas toaccept thatRussiaand

Chinaareemerging superpowerstheymustargue thattheycannotbenew imperialistpowers.

Ratherthey

are

reduced

to

relatively

minor

powers

subordinated

to

the

existing

U.S.

led

imperialist

bloc and for that reason have a progressive, antiimperialist character that can counter US

hegemonyandbringpeacefulcoexistencebetweencapitalistnations. Weargueherethatthose

whodeny thatRussiaandChinaare imperialistdo sohavingdecided inadvance that this isnot

possiblebecausetheU.S. ishegemonic.Allsortsoflabelsarefixedtothesesubordinatepowers

subimperialist,regionalimperialist,capitalistsemicolony,orevenDeformedWorkersStates!

Wewillprovethatthesearetheempiricistimpressionsofpettybourgeoisradicals.Attheheartof

their impressionism is their fetishised concept of finance capital. They break from Lenin who

definedfinancecapitalasthefusionbetweenbankingcapitalandproductivecapital.Imperialismis

theepoch

of

monopoly

where

banks

and

large

enterprises

are

jointly

owned

and

collaborate

closely

to financetheaccumulationprocess.Whenbanking (moneycapital) isseparatedfromproductive

capitalbecauseofacrisisofoverproduction,excessmoneycapitaloutsidethecircuitofproduction

cannotcreatenewvalueandmoneybegins to losevalue.Speculating inexistingvaluesdoesnot

maintainthevalueofmoneysincetheclaimofmoneyonexistingvalueleadstoitsdevaluationuntil

suchtimeasitcanbeturnedintomoneycapitalproductiveofvalue.

ThatiswhymuchoftheU.S.bankingcapitalandtheU.S.dollarinparticularisincreasinglyfictitious

capital thatdoesnot represent realwealth. TheU.S.massivenationaldebt reflects that itsU.S.

risingdollarwealth cannotbeexchanged fordecliningU.S.ownedproductionof value,and the

debtis

only

sustainable

by

printing

U.S.

dollars.

Instead

of

uncontrollable

price

inflation

that

would

normallyresult, theU.S.dollarvalue iskeptartificiallyhighbecause it is indemandas theworld

currency that has to be purchased to exchange for the value of commodities, in particular oil.

ThereforetheargumentthattheU.S.istheworldhegemonicpowerbecauseofitscontrolofglobal

financecapitaldoesnotfollow.Onthecontrary,theoverproductionofcapitalduetotheTendency

oftheRateofProfittoFall,meansthatU.S. imperialismmustundergothehugedestructionof its

surpluscapital.ThesparkwillbetheburstingofthedebtbubbleandcollapseofthevalueoftheU.S.

dollar.

ThehegemonyofU.S.imperialismisthereforeasfragileastheagreementofU.S.rivalstopayfor

commodities

in

U.S.

dollars!

We

will

prove

that

petty

bourgeois

Marxists

who

fail

to

understand

thisrealityoverestimatethecapacityoftheU.S.todominateitsimperialistrivalsfinancially,and

thus underestimate the capacity of those rivals to accumulate their own genuinely finance

capitalbasedonthefusionofbankingcapitalandproductivecapital. Andthisisofcourseafatal

mistakewhenitcomestounderstandingthecurrentriseofRussiaandChina.ThefactthatRussia

andChinaareoveraccumulatingcapitalandatthesametimeoverproducingcapitalasfictitious

capitalthatwillhavetobedestroyed, isconclusiveevidencethattheyarenotsubordinatedto

U.S.financecapital,buthavedevelopedtheirownfinancecapital.

(1)RegionalImperialist(UnitedSecretariatoftheFourthInternational hereafterUSec)

7
https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1937/xx/spain01.htmhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1937/xx/spain01.htmhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1937/xx/spain01.htmhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1937/xx/spain01.htmhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1937/xx/spain01.htmhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1937/xx/spain01.htmhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1937/xx/spain01.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_capitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_capitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_capitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_capitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_capitalhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1937/xx/spain01.htm


8/26

The regional imperialist view isheldby theUSec, theofficial 'Pabloite' international that claims

falsely to representTrotsky'sFourth International,butendsupjunkingLeninon imperialismand

rehabilitatingKautskysultraimperialistpositionthattheperiodwearelivinginisnolongeroneof

interimperialistwar!

Today,capitalism

is

aglobal

intertwined

and

integrated

system

under

US

hegemony

in

a

waywhichitwasnotin1914.Thetwoworldwarsofthe20thcenturyweremainlywarsof

interimperialist rivalry togainormaintaincontrolofareasof theworld.Theoutcomeof

thesewarswas theestablishmentof theUSAby farandawayas themajorpower in the

world,rulingthecapitalistsystemthrough itsmassiveeconomicandevengreatermilitary

power, and through institutions such as theWorldBank, the IMF andNATO. This global

capitalist system has further expanded with the restoration of capitalism in Russia and

China,butthisdoesnotmeanthatinterimperialistrivalriesandthethreatofregionalwars

arenolongerontheagenda.

Theform

of

US

hegemony

in

operation

today

means

that

weaker

states

are

allowed

to

pursue their own imperialist ambitions and regional geostrategic interests, including

throughmilitaryinterventionsconditionalonthematleastnotchallengingthemainthrust

ofUSinterests;somethingwhichisdelicatetoachieveastheimperialistambitionsofRussia

andChinahavetoacertainextentbeattheexpenseofUS imperialism.Iftheystepoutof

line,theybecomeroguestatesthathavetobesubduedmilitarilyasinthecaseofIraq,or

sanctions imposedsuchas for IranandnowRussia.Tomaintainweakerstateswithin the

frameworkofUS imperialism, the latterhas to carryout a lotof sabrerattling. This is a

dangerousgame,asanyincidentsuchastheaccidentaldowningofMH17inUkraine,orof

theIranAirplanebytheUSnavyin1988killing269people,canrapidlyescalateintoafull

militaryconfrontation,

the

dynamics

of

which

may

no

longer

be

in

the

hands

of

US

imperialismanditsallies.Butsabrerattlingshouldnotbeconfusedwithadynamictowards

interimperialistwar like that leading to the twoworldwars.This isnot thenatureof the

periodtoday.

AslongasRussiaremainswithinitsregionalgeostrategicsphere,Westernimperialism(i.e.

theUSA andNATO) is not greatly concerned by Russias annexation of Crimea. The few

sanctionsagainstRussiaannouncedareso farsymbolicmainlyagainst individualsand

therearedeepdivisionsonextendingthembecauseofarmsandgasdeals,andbecauseof

theglobalisationofthecapitalistsystem.SanctionsthathurtRussiancapitalismalsoaffect

Western

capitalism.

ClaimingLeninistorthodoxy,theUSecsaysthatRussiaandChinaareunabletobecomemorethan

'regional'powersandthattheyaretoleratedbytheU.S.unlesstheychallengeUSglobalhegemony.

TheU.S.remainstheglobalpowerdominatingitsimperialistrivalswithouttheneedformajorwar.

This isaasthrowbacktoKautskysultraimperialism,wheretheU.S.can impose itsdominance

across theglobewith impunity.While the leftmustopposeRussias regional imperialistdesigns

suchas inUkraine,therecanbenowarbetweentheU.S.andRussiabecausethatwouldbackfire

anddamageU.S.imperialism. Thismeansthattheleftisdisorientedanddisarmedwhenitfailsto

recognisethedeclineoftheU.S.blocandtheriseoftheRussiaChinablocwhichexpresstheirinter

imperialistrivalryinregionaldisputesandproxywars.Andwheretheseproxywarsinevitablyblow

upintodirectmilitaryconfrontationsbetweenthetwoblocs,theleftisfacedwiththepressureto

8
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9/26

defendtheregionalimperialistpowers,RussiaandChina,againsttheworldhegemonicpower,the

U.S. ThefallaciesofthisneoKautskyismcanbeshownsimplybygoingbacktoLeninsowncritique

ofKautsky:

...thebestreplythatonecanmaketothe lifelessabstractionsofultraimperialism isto

contrast

them

with

the

concrete

economic

realities

of

the

presentday

world

economy...Comparethisrealitythevastdiversityofeconomicandpoliticalconditions,the

extremedisparity intherateofdevelopmentofthevariouscountries,etc.,andtheviolent

struggles among the imperialist states with Kautskys silly littlefable about peaceful

ultraimperialism...anexampleofthedivisionandtheredivisionoftheworld...Thequestion

is:whatmeansother thanwar could therebeundercapitalism toovercome thedisparity

between thedevelopmentof theproductiveforcesand theaccumulationofcapitalon the

one side, and the division of colonies and spheres of influenceforfinance capital on the

other?

Belowwe

will

prove

that

this

theory

is

all

the

more

applicable

today

to

explain

the

rise

of

Russia

andChinaasnew imperialistpowersdrivenby thenecessity to redivide theworldbymeansof

war.

(2) Subimperialist(SocialistFight)

GerryDowning inSocialistFighthasasimilarviewtotheUSec. Heattemptstoestablishafirmer

LeninisttheoreticalexplanationofthedifferencebetweenthedominantU.S. imperialismandthe

riseofRussiaandChinaasrivalsratherthanregionalgeography.SocialistsshouldsidewithRussia

andChinaagainsttheU.S.notbecausetheyaremereregionalorminorimperialisms,butbecause

theyare

not

imperialist,

i.e.,

sub

imperialist.

Gerry

Downing

is

not

the

only

one

who

adopts

the

conceptofsubimperialism. ItoriginatedinBraziltocharacterizethatcountrysroleintheworld.

Itmeansthatsuchstatesareintermediarybetweensemicoloniesandimperialistnations.Theyfall

shortofimperialismonthegroundsthatwhiletheycollaborateintheimperialistsuperexploitation

ofsemicolonies, theyremainsemicoloniesandareexploitedbytheUSdominated international

financecapital. Thereisnosuggestionthatsubimperialiststatescanbecomeimperialist.

Downing uses the term to acknowledgeRussia has imperialist characteristics, but is prevented

fromdeveloping intoafull imperialismbyU.S.financialhegemony.Thebarrier isnotproductivity

since the subimperialist corporations are competitivewithUS corporations, but political and

military.

Downing

claims

the

U.S.

is

in

decline

(he

implies

that

this

is

a

decline

of

manufacturing

competitiveness) andmust increasingly go towar to stop Russia and China emerging as global

rivals. Therefore the solution is for the internationalworking class todefendRussia (andChina)

fromU.S.warmongeringandintheprocesstriggerthedefeatofU.S.imperialism.

The falsepremise in this theory is the abilityofU.S. finance capital to subordinateRussian and

Chinese imperialism in thesameway itdoesothersubimperialistnations (e.g.,Brazil, Indiaor

SouthAfrica)throughcontrolofglobalfinancecapital. Downingpointsout,thatfinancecapitalis

universalyettheU.S. isableto impose itshegemonybecause itownsthebiggestbanks including

the IMFandWorldBank.SonomatterhowcompetitiveRussianandChinesecorporationsare in

the globalmarket,U.S.owned banks always take the lions share of the superprofits extracted

fromthe

semi

colonial

world.

But

to

work,

this

must

mean

that

the

U.S.

can

monopolise

finance

9
http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/ch07.htmhttp://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/ch07.htmhttp://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/ch07.htmhttp://socialistfight.com/2014/06/19/russia-and-china-are-not-imperialist-states-statement-by-the-liaison-committee-for-the-fourth-international-on-the-useunato-attack-on-the-ukraine/http://socialistfight.com/2014/06/19/russia-and-china-are-not-imperialist-states-statement-by-the-liaison-committee-for-the-fourth-international-on-the-useunato-attack-on-the-ukraine/http://socialistfight.com/2014/06/19/russia-and-china-are-not-imperialist-states-statement-by-the-liaison-committee-for-the-fourth-international-on-the-useunato-attack-on-the-ukraine/http://links.org.au/node/3265http://socialistfight.com/2014/06/19/russia-and-china-are-not-imperialist-states-statement-by-the-liaison-committee-for-the-fourth-international-on-the-useunato-attack-on-the-ukraine/http://socialistfight.com/2014/06/19/russia-and-china-are-not-imperialist-states-statement-by-the-liaison-committee-for-the-fourth-international-on-the-useunato-attack-on-the-ukraine/http://socialistfight.com/2014/06/19/russia-and-china-are-not-imperialist-states-statement-by-the-liaison-committee-for-the-fourth-international-on-the-useunato-attack-on-the-ukraine/http://socialistfight.com/2014/06/19/russia-and-china-are-not-imperialist-states-statement-by-the-liaison-committee-for-the-fourth-international-on-the-useunato-attack-on-the-ukraine/http://links.org.au/node/3265http://socialistfight.com/2014/06/19/russia-and-china-are-not-imperialist-states-statement-by-the-liaison-committee-for-the-fourth-international-on-the-useunato-attack-on-the-ukraine/http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/ch07.htm


10/26

capitalanditsaccumulationinRussiaorChina.Aswehaveshownelsewhere,thisisnotthecase.

JointventureswithU.S.(andEU)capitalinRussiaandChinaallowvaluetobeexpropriatedonthe

basisoflowwagesandlowrents,butbothRussiaandChinaaccumulateamajorpartofthevalue

produced.TheU.S.mayhave thebiggestbanksbut thesecannotmonopolise theproductionof

valueinRussiaorChina,andhencecannottrapthesecountriesinsubimperialism.

ThisisthesametrapthatSamWilliamsfallsintowhenhereducesfinancecapitaltomoneycapital

insearchofsurplusvalue.This isthedecisivefactor indetermining ifacountry is imperialistor

not.ButfinancecapitalisseparatedfromindustrialcapitalforWilliams,whileforMarxandLenin

financecapital isthefusionofbankand industrialcapital.SoforWilliamsfinancecapitalmakesa

claim on surplus value; it does not have to be invested in the production of surplus value. By

equating financecapitalwithmoney inbanks,Williams reduces imperialism to bigbanks. We

rejectthisnonMarxistmethodandfollowLeninscriteriaofexportoffinancecapitalasmeasured

todaybyOutwardForeignDirectInvestment(OFDI)directlyinvestedinproducingsurplusvalue. It

means thatWilliams likeDowningoverestimates thepowerofU.S.banks topreventRussiaand

Chinafrom

accumulating

value.

In

fact,

Williams

draws

the

conclusion

that

both

Russia

and

China

aresemicoloniesof theUS (seebelow).HoweverbothDowningandWilliamsoverestimate the

capacityoftheU.S.toaccumulatevalue,sincetheU.S.dollarcannotbearepositoryofvalue,and

the vast bulk of itsmoney capital value is fictitious capital.U.S. banks are technically insolvent

becausewithouttheFedprintingofU.S.dollarstheywouldbebankrupt.Thisexplainswhyfarfrom

beinghegemonic,U.S. imperialism is indeclineandmustgotowartoplunderrawmaterialsand

labourpoweras thesourcesofmorevalue.Here they face theemergencenotofsubimperialist

powers,butofnewrivalimperialistpowersthataccumulatemorerealvaluethantheU.S.andseek

toreplacetheU.S.dominatedbankingsystemwitharivalsystem.

Tofit

their

preconception

that

Russia

and

China

cannot

be

imperialist,

petty

bourgeois

Marxists

look for empirical facts to validate their theory. Fictional pseudoMarxist concepts like sub

imperialism and regional imperialism then reflect thefetishisation of the capacity of theU.S.

economytomonopolisetheproductionofvalueonthebasisoffictitiousvalue,andthedevaluing

oftheproductionofrealvaluebytheChineseandRussianeconomies.

Logically,thisleadstoareformistprogramthatisnodifferentessentiallythan21stcenturyliberal

multipolarity at the fetishised level of exchange relations. The radical concept of sub

imperialismarisesoutofUnderdevelopmentTheoryassociatedwithBaranandSweezy,inwhich

exploitation occurs at the level of exchange leading to unequal exchange. As a result the

international

class

struggle,

specifically

a

Bolivarian

type

popular

front

with

Russia

and/or

China,

or BRICS frombelow, ledbymodernMensheviks,cancreateaBRICSDevelopmentBankand

othermechanisms(e.g.,arivalSocietyforWorldwide InterbankFinancialTelecommunication

SWIFT)tochallengeU.S.dollardominationofinternationalfinancecapitaloversubimperialist

states,bringingaboutan equalisationofexchange,a redistributionofmoneyasvalue,anda

peacefulglobalsocialistutopia.

(3)CapitalistSemicolony(InternationalLeninistTrotskistFraction FLTI)

CarlosMunzeroftheFLTIarguesthatRussiaandChinaaresemicolonies.Thisisbecauseasformer

workers states when they restored capitalism they were slotted back into the global capitalist

divisionoflabour as semicolonies superexploitedby imperialism, inparticularU.S. imperialism.

10
http://critiqueofcrisistheory.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/is-russia-imperialist/http://critiqueofcrisistheory.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/is-russia-imperialist/http://critiqueofcrisistheory.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/is-russia-imperialist/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Baranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Baranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Baranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Baranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Baranhttp://journal-neo.org/2014/10/10/russia-in-negotiation-with-china-for-alternative-swift-bank-system/http://journal-neo.org/2014/10/10/russia-in-negotiation-with-china-for-alternative-swift-bank-system/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Baranhttp://critiqueofcrisistheory.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/is-russia-imperialist/


11/26

MunzersmainargumentagainstRussiaandChinaas imperialististhatimperialistpartitionofthe

globewascompletedbyWW1andthereforetheoppressedcountriesrecognisedbyLeninatthat

time as colonies, semicolonies or independent countries, could not make the transition to

imperialism. Munzer explains the role ofRussia andChina as that of semicolonies serving the

interests of U.S. imperialism. He explains their rapid economic growth and increased outward

foreigndirect

investment

(OFDI)

as

the

provision

of

cheap

raw

materials

and

cheap

labour

as

inputs

intoU.S.multinationalsproduction inChina.Therefore,Chinacannotprofit from itsgrowthand

accumulatecapitalinitsownright,asithastopassthelionsshareofthesurplusvalueontoU.S.

imperialism.

Aswehavepointedoutinanumberofarticlesonthisquestion,thisistheothersideofthecoinof

Pabloistempiricism.Empiricismfitsthefactstopreconceptionswithoutinvestigatingtheessence

of reality. Pablo was the main leader of the post WWII Fourth International, who argued that

Stalinismwasaprogressiveforcealliedtodemocracytosmashfascismandsowouldpoweroninto

thefuturedraggingtheworkingclassalongwithit.Thatis,hefittedthefactsthatStalinismwas

historicallyprogressive

into

apreconceived

Menshevik

schema

that

capitalism

would

peacefully

evolve intosocialismwithoutaBolshevikrevolution! Thereversesideof thisposition is tostate

onespreconceptionsasdogmaandignoreallfactsthatdontfitthedogma. ThusMunzerignores

theneed toexplain the surfaceappearancesofa superpowerand takes thedogmaticposition

that,sinceLeninexcludedtheriseofnewimperialistpowers,theeconomicexpansionofRussiaand

Chinamustbetoserveexistingimperialism.HenceMunzermadeapropagandablocwiththeJRCP

(Japan Revolutionary Communist PartyKoroda) in Japanwhich recognises Russia and China as

superpowerswhilesimultaneouslyrejectingLeninstheoryofimperialismasnolongerrelevant!

Alltheseradical leftpositionsonRussiaandChinatodayseektoapplysundryrevisionsofLenins

theoryof

imperialism

to

prove

their

preconception

that

they

are

NOT

imperialist

powers.

Williams

isperhapsthemostblatantrevisionofLeninsconceptoffinancecapitalasthemergerofbanking

and industrialcapital, tomeanmoney inbanks thathasaclaimonsurplusvalue. Thisconflates

capitalproductiveofsurplusvaluedirectly invested to realisesuperprofits,asa response to the

TendencyoftheRateoftheProfittoFall(TRPF),withfictitiouscapitalspeculatinginexistingvalues,

asasymptomoftheTRPF,i.e.theoverproductionofmoneycapital. Aswehavearguedelsewhere,

this fails to grasp the essentials of Lenins theory based on his dialecticmethod. The Bolshevik

Revolutionbroketherealitythatthewholeworldwaspartitionedamongimperialistpowers.They

spent thenext70 years invading orblockadingRussia andChina in the attempt to collapse the

Soviet blocbut only succeeded around1990. The assumption thathistory thenjumpedback to

1917and

the

imperialists

simply

squabbled

over

who

would

get

the

spoils

of

the

ex

soviet

world

cannotexplain the reality thatRussiaandChina,unlike theothersmallermembersof theSoviet

blocVietnam,Cubaetc.,didnotbecomemeresemicoloniesofoneoranotherimperialism,but

emergedasnewimperialistpowers.

ThusboththeempiricistanddogmaticdeviationsfromMarx,LeninandTrotskysdialecticsfailto

resolve thedilemma that theobviousappearanceofnew superpowerscannotbeexplainedby

otherthantheriseofnewimperialisms. Theanswertothisdilemma isprovidedbyrevolutionary

Marxistswhounderstandandapplymaterialistdialecticstoallquestions.

(D)

Revolutionary

Marxist

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12/26

ForMarxists this dilemma can only be resolved by recognising the reality that emerging super

powersmustbeimperialist.Multipolaritythereforeisnomasterplanforpeacefulcoexistencebut

ratheraKautskyiteStalinistMensheviksmokescreen,thrownuptodisguisetherapidescalationof

interimperialistrivalrybetweentwomajorimperialistblocs.

Aswe

have

argued,

Lenins

theory

was

based

on

materialist

dialectics

which

can

be

developed

to

explaintheriseof imperialistRussiaandChinaoutoftheashesoftheformerworkersstates.The

partition of theworld by the imperialist powerswas broken by theBolshevikRevolutionwhich

begantheprocessofformingaSovietblocwhichwas independentof imperialistdominationand

oppression. This national independence from imperialism (the overthrow of the national

bourgeoisieanddefeatofimperialistinvasions)createdtheconditionsforthedevelopmentofthe

forcesofproductionbeyondthatpossibleinacapitalistsemicolony.

Iffollowsthatwedrawpoliticalconclusionsfromdialectics.Theoryandpracticeareunited inthe

classstruggleinwhichMarxistsparticipate.Unliketheneoliberalrulingclasswhopreachcoldwar

betweennations,

and

their

liberal

ideologues

who

take

sides

according

to

which

nation

is

judged

as

oppressive, rogueor terrorist in itsuseofpower against thepeople,or the radical left that

subcontractsthedefenceofoppressedcountriestopopulistleaders,wetakeLeninspositionand

declarethattheworkingclassistheonlyrevolutionaryclassandthatourmainenemyistheruling

classofourowncountryortheimperialistpower(s)thatoppressit.Itisthefirstdutyofworkersin

theimperialistcountriestodefeattheiroppressorsathome.

TheMarxistviewisthatRussiaandChinaaredevelopingasimperialistrivalstotheU.S.ledblocof

powers.EachannualBRICSmeetinghostedbyoneorothermember,showsthat it isbecominga

newpowerblocseriouslythreateningtheU.S. ledbloc.This isnotjustevident fromthe factthat

bothRussia

and

China

clearly

display

the

features

of

imperialism,

in

particular

crises

of

overproductionandexportofcapital,butthatthroughtheirBRICSpartners,Brazil,IndiaandSouth

Africa, theyhave strongpartners inextending their influence inEurasia, MiddleEastandNorth

Africa(MENA),Asia,AfricaandSouthAmerica.

In our view only Russia and China are imperialist members of BRICS while the others are

subordinatedassemicolonies.Thisisevidentfromtheirtrade,productionandfinancedealsaswe

will show. The semicolonial BRICS serve as dutiful allies in the expansion of the Chinaled

imperialistblocintotheirrespectiveSouthAsian,LatinAmericanandAfricanspheresofinfluence.

ThosewhoarguethatallorsomeoftheBRICSareeitherregional orsubimperialistareempiricists

basing

their

arguments

on

criteria

that

owe

nothing

to

Marxism.

Patrick

Bond,

writing

in

Links,

definessubimperialismasenablingneoliberalimperialismtofurtheritspolicyofaccumulationby

dispossession.Thisisadefinitionofimperialismatthelevelofexchangewhichmeansthatallthe

BRICSactas subimperialistcroniesoragentsofU.S.andEU imperialistpowers.However,aswe

willprove,RussiaandChinaextractimperialistsuperprofitsfromtheirBRICSsemicoloniesintheir

ownright,andfarfromservingUSandEUimperialism,arethebasisoftheemergenceoftherival

China/Russiaspheresofinfluence.

What thisdynamic reflects is that the conditions thatallowedRussiaandChina toescape semi

colonialsubserviencetotheUSblocofpowersalsoenablethemtofollowthesameclassicroadof

risingimperialismscompetingwithexistingimperialisms.Thismeansexportingcapitaltothesemi

colonialworld,and thenassuperprofitsaccrue,draining thisworldofsurplusvalue,andsetting

12
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13/26

limitson the semicolonies capacity for theirown capital accumulation.Sowe candocument in

Eurasia,Africa and LatinAmerica,Russia and China acting on the basis of the laws of capitalist

accumulation.RussianandChineseForeignDirect Investment(FDI)becomesthebasisforvertical

integrationandmonopolycontrolofproduction,distributionandexchange.Asweshallsee,Russia

andChinaareexpandingtheirOFDIintothesemicolonialBRICS(notallatthesamerate)through

loansin

exchange

for

oil,

and

mergers

and

acquisitions

in

mining,

agriculture,

construction

and

manufacturing,etc.,allofwhichisdesignedtocreateamonopolyofproductionfromrawmaterials

to finishedproductsshipped tomarket. Theessenceof this is therapidlyrisingshareofsurplus

goingtoRussiaandChina,andthemuchsmallerrise inthesharegoingto India,BrazilandSouth

Africa.

Table1belowshowsthatfromaweakstartin1995whencapitalismwasbarelyrestoredinRussia

andChina, all theBRICS hadmodest levels of FDI. Since then both FDI andOFDI has increased

markedly.ButwecanseethatthetrajectoryisdifferentforRussiaandChinaontheonehandand

India, Brazil and SouthAfrica on the other. First, themagnitude of both FDI andOFDI ismuch

greaterin

the

case

of

Russia

and

China.

Second,

while

OFDI

is

55%

of

FDI

averaged

over

India,

Brazil

andSA in2013, forthesameyear,OFDIaverages80%ofFDI forRussiaandChina.This isasnap

shotofadynamicprocesshowever,andflowsofOFDIexceededflowsofFDI inRussiaafter2010

whileChina isexpected tobecomeanetexporterofFDI in2014.On theotherhandwewould

expecttheriseofOFDIinthesemicoloniestostagnateandevendeclineastheownershipofthe

MultiNationalCorporationsthatengageinexportofcapitalsuccumbstoimperialistownershipand

control.

Table1Based

on

UNCTAD

World

Investment

Report

Country

Fact

Sheets

BRICS FDIStock

in$billions

OFDIStock

in

$billions

FDIStock

in

$billions

OFDIStock

in$billions

FDIStock

in

$billions

OFDIStock

in

$billions

FDIflow

overOFDI

flow

1995 1995 2010 2010 2013 2013 2013

Russia 6 3 490 366 576 501 79/95

China 101 18 588 317 957 614 124/101

India 6 0.5 206 97 227 120 28/2

Brazil 48 45 682 191 735 293 64/4

SAfrica 15 23 180 83 140 96 8/6

ThattheBRICSsemicolonialpartnersservethe interestsofRussiaandChina isalsoevident from

the factthat this isrecognisedassuchand isprovokingaretaliatoryresponseonthepartofthe

U.S.ledbloc.ItisthisresponsethatconfirmsthatBRICSisnotmerelyanassociationofemerging

markets, 'regionalpowers',or theriseofa 'multipolar'systemthatreplacestheUS unipolarity.

Rather, it is perceived by theU.S. as a rising imperialist bloc that has created a core sphere of

influence as BRICS based on production, trade, finance and political agreements that can only

advanceatthecostofU.S.decline.Currentlywhilethetwopowerblocsare facingeachother in

MENA,AfricaandLatinAmerica,itisinEurasiawherethestakesarehighest. Herewecanseethe

growing

inter

imperialist

rivalry

escalating

from

trade

wars

to

military

confrontation

and

local

wars,

accompaniedbyrisingthreatsandnuclearsabrerattling.

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14/26

What ismissingon the revolutionary left isa coherent critiqueof the roleofBRICSasanew

brandofsocialimperialismfrombelowpromotedbytheWorldSocialForum(WSF)andfusing

theneoStalinistandfakeTrotskyist left intoanewbatchofMensheviks,divertingtheworkers

intoaglobalpopularfrontandtyingtheirhandsinthefaceoftheescalatingeconomic,political

andmilitarywars between the two imperialist blocs. In the absence of such a revolutionary

theorythere

is

no

program

to

unite

the

international

working

class

behind

arevolutionary

party

andarevolutionarycommunistinternational.

(1)EURASIA

ThestakesarehighestinEurasiabecauseheretheheartlandsofthetwopowerblocsconfronteach

otherdirectlyfromEuropetothePacificOcean.TheNATOpowersconfrontRussiadirectlyoverthe

Ukraine.TheU.S.and itsally JapanconfrontChinadirectlyover the territorialwatersof theEast

and South China seas. These hotspots are therefore the most convincing test of the liberal

multipolarity, radical regional / sub imperialism,andMarxist interimperialist rivalry theories.

Alreadywe

see

the

liberal

and

radical

theories

bankrupted

by

events.

In

the

Ukraine,

the

U.S.

bloc

is

usingNATOnottonegotiatethecontainmentofRussiatoprovethatitsglobalhegemonyremains

intact,butto imposeeconomicandmilitarysanctionstoweakenRussiaandchallenge itsregional

powerinEurasia.

Theresult isnotavictory for theU.S.bloc,but

the consolidation of theChina/Russia bloc and

theweakening of the links tying the European

powers to the U.S. bloc, as the two blocs

exchange political, economic and military

threats.

This is evident as Russia looks to China in

building trade relations and joint ventures to

countersanctions.Mostnotableisthehugedeal

over gas. This deal ignores the U.S., dollar

showing the petroyuan is on the way. A 21st

centurySilkRoad isbeingdriven fromChina intoEuropeandbysea fromChina into theMiddle

East. In meeting financial sanctions we have seen how BRICS is attempting to set up a rival

developmentbank tocounter theWorldBankand IMF.RussiaandChinaarenow responding to

U.S.driven

financial

sanctions

against

Russia

by

advancing

talks

to

set

up

arival

SWIFT

bank

of

international settlement that will further undermine dollar hegemony. This will integrate the

RussiaChina blocs competitive advantage in production of energy and manufacturing with a

bankingsystemthatchallengesU.S.dollarhegemony.

Maidan thecolorrevolutioninUkrainebroughttheflagsofthe

asciststothefore

Thecurrentweakeningof theEU is theoutcomeof the socalledGlobalFinancialCrisis (GFC)of

2008. The U.S. downloaded its profit crisis onto the EU and forced the weakest states into

bankruptcy.GreeceandItalyhadcrisisregimesrunbyformeremployeesoftheU.S.financebroker

GoldmanSachs,toensurethatausteritymeasuresimposedontheworkingclassmakeitpayforthe

U.S. crisis. The debt burden of the weakest states impacts heavily on Germany and France.

Germanyis

attempting

to

produce

its

way

out

of

the

risk

of

default

rather

than

print

money

and

is

14
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15/26

nowheavilyeconomicallyinterdependentonRussiaandincreasinglyChinaforeconomicinputsand

markets:

Merkel will be under pressure to prioritise the economic relationship even more than

beforebecauseoftheslowdowninGermanysaysHansKundnaniattheEuropeanCouncil

onForeign

Relations,

aforeign

policy

think

tank

based

in

London.

The

EU

is

Chinas

largest

tradingpartner,withGermanyaccountingforaboutonethirdoftotalSinoEUtrade.

Other European states are being torn between the two blocs. Armenia is tojoin the Eurasian

EconomicUnion(EEU). TurkeyistoconsiderjoiningtheEEU.BulgariaisdependentonRussianGas.

Serbia proposes an FTA with Russia and sides with Russia on the South Stream pipeline. This

strengthens the Russia/China bloc position with the EU as growing tension within the EU over

alignment to the rivalblocs isreflected in thestrongpopularopposition to theU.S.driven trade

warwithRussia thatwillcostjobsandprofits.TheU.S. is trying tocounter thepowerfulpullof

EurasiawithitsTransatlanticTradeandInvestmentPartnershipdeal,theTTIP. Thereiswidespread

oppositionto

this

partnership

as

advantaging

U.S.

corporations

at

the

expense

of

the

sovereign

rightsandpowersofEUstates.

Does this amount to an emerging multipolarity? Not as the liberals conceive it, since the EU

states are being pulled in two directions by the two big blocs. Nor as the radicals conceive it

becauseeverymovethatattemptstobreaktheEUawayfromRussiaChinaispullingtheEUapart

andstrengtheningtheChina/Russiabloc. TheUSisindeclineandtosurviveithastoimposecosts

on itsEUpartners.USwealth in turn isproppedupbyahugelyovervalueddollarpegged tooil

prices. TheChina/Russiabloc ison the riseandoffersbenefits to the EUwhich theU.S. cannot

match.Moreover thesecountriesarenotdoingoildeals in theirowncurrencies rather than the

U.S.

dollar.

This

dynamic

tug

of

war

over

Europe

between

a

declining

bloc

and

a

rising

bloc

invalidates thedogmatism thatU.S.dollarhegemonypreventsRussiaandChina frombecoming

morethanregionalpowers.

Tosumup,GermanyisdrawingclosertotheChina/Russiablocasaweakeningofsolidarityinside

the U.S. bloc allows Russia and China to make inroads. This is a tale of two blocs not of

multipolarity. Thewinwin liberalism is amirage as the zerosum nature of the GreatGame

unfolds.

IfwegototheothersideoftheEurasianlandmass,theAsiaPacificRim,weseethattheU.S.bloc

isrampinguphostilitytoChinasattemptstostakeclaimstooilandotherresourcesintheEastand

South China Seas. It has yet to reach the level of crisis that is evident in the direct militaryconfrontationinUkraine.Butthereisnodoubtthisisnotanegotiatedsettlementbetweenequals.

ThisisadisplayofU.S.powertodeterChinafromsteppingbeyonditsregionallimits,becausethe

U.S. fears Chinas global expansion at U.S. expense. Thus the U.S. is pushing its Trans Pacific

PartnershipAgreement (TPPA) toaquickcompletion,aheadofChinas rivalmultilateraldeal, so

that theTPPAwillallowU.S.corporations tomake further inroads intoChina. U.S. investors in

countrieslikeAustralia,NZ,Chile, ASEANmembers,etc.,thatalreadyhaveFTAswithChinawillbe

abletomaintaintheirleverageinChina. AndjustastheTPPAisthePacificpartnertotheAtlantic

TTIP,theU.S.militaryallianceRIMPAC inthePacificisthebeginningsofanequivalentofNATO in

Europe,whichsofarallowsChinatoparticipate. Nowthismayseemoddforrivalstoparticipatein

15
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16/26

jointmilitaryexercises,butthisisatemporaryquidproquoinreturnforChinasparticipationinthe

antipiracyflotillaoffeastAfricaandguardingaccesstoMiddleEastoil.

InSouthAsia,IndiaistheBRICSpartnerthatdominatesthatregion.Howeveritisnotanimperialist

powerandisdominatedbytheU.K.,JapanandU.S.imperialism.NorinourviewisIndiaaregional

orsub

imperialist

power.

A

comparison

of

Chinese

and

Indian

OFDI

shows

that

the

accumulation

ofsurpluscapital leadingtocapitalexport in India isrelativelysmallandnotrisingsignificantly in

relationtoFDI. ThedriversofOFDIarenotprimarilytheneedforrawmaterialsornewtechnology

butthemoreliberalregulatoryregime inIndiawhichallowedOFDI intolargerdevelopedmarkets

forservicesandmanufactures.WhatthisshowsisthatIndiasOFDIisnotprimarilytheresultofthe

export of capital to counter the tendency for the rate of profit to fall by sourcing cheaper raw

materials, land and labour power. Indias OFDI is much smaller than its FDI and targeted at

developedmarkets.

This indicates that itsplace in theglobaldivisionof labour isasa semicolonialsourceofsuper

profitsmore

than

the

colonial

super

exploitation

of

developing

markets.

This

supports

our

argument that longstanding semicolonies like India cannot break free of imperialist super

exploitationtobecomenew imperialistpowers. Italsomeansthat IndiaasamemberofBRICS is

nowbeing integrated into theChina/Russiablocasasemicolonialsourceofsuperprofits rather

than an emerging imperialist power, in the same way that Brazil and South Africa are. This is

confirmedbythevulnerabilityofthesethreeBRICStothegreatrecessionof2008whichsawtheir

growthrateslagcomparedtothoseofRussiaandChina.

Letslookattheevidence.IsIndiabecomingasemicolonyofRussiaChinaratherthanU.S.andEU

imperialism?Notyet.ChinaisIndiasmaintradingpartnerwithtwowaytradereaching$70billion

in2013.

Its

trade

deficit

with

China

was

$40

billion.

The

comparative

figure

for

U.S.

India

trade

is

$64billionwhile theUShasa tradedeficitof$20billion.Butbeyond tradeChinahasyet toget

begin seriously investing in India. US FDI stock since 2000 is $12.2 bn compared with Chinas

miniscule $0.4 bn in the same period. It remains to be seen if China uses BRICS to strengthen

economic and political relations and overtake the US, Japan and U.K. as the main imperialist

investorsinIndia. PresidentXiJinpingspromiseofaloanof$20bnduringhisrecentvisittoIndia

fellwellshortofPrimeMinisterModisexpectations:

Duringhis[election]campaign,ModiwaswageringthatIndiawouldincreaseitseconomic

mightandstrengthenitspositionintheworld,andhewaslookingtoeconomiccooperation

with

China

as

a

way

to

achieve

that

goal.

Modi

gives

China

credit

for

its

economic

buildup,

and he is striving to transfer its experience to benefit Indias industrial growth. He is

primarilypinninghishopesonChinesedirectinvestment,whichinthelast14yearshasnot

exceeded$400millionbecauseofpreviouspolicyrestrictions.

GivenChinasrecentemergenceasanimperialistpower,andthelongstandingdominationofIndia

byU.K.,JapanandtheU.S.,Chinasrelationshipisstillmainlyaboutexportingcheapmanufactures

to India. Yet the trajectoryof itsdynamic relationshipwillprobably follow the samepatternas

Brazil and South Africa where it has developed FDI from resource extraction to include

infrastructureand/orsettingupbranchfactoriesproducinghomeappliances,autos,etc. Bilateral

relationsbetweenIndiaandRussiapoint inthesamedirectionwithdeals intheareasofdefence,

spaceandnuclearenergy.

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http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eai.nus.edu.sg%2FVol2No2_ZhaoHong.pdf&ei=rZI9VJv9Odbs8AWPg4LwCw&usg=AFQjCNG8tm5_geUAtye0djyBf5rgDtBl2A&sig2=U8X2IdQFZGSXolDRTJtmoQ&bvm=bv.77412846,d.dGchttp://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eai.nus.edu.sg%2FVol2No2_ZhaoHong.pdf&ei=rZI9VJv9Odbs8AWPg4LwCw&usg=AFQjCNG8tm5_geUAtye0djyBf5rgDtBl2A&sig2=U8X2IdQFZGSXolDRTJtmoQ&bvm=bv.77412846,d.dGchttp://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eai.nus.edu.sg%2FVol2No2_ZhaoHong.pdf&ei=rZI9VJv9Odbs8AWPg4LwCw&usg=AFQjCNG8tm5_geUAtye0djyBf5rgDtBl2A&sig2=U8X2IdQFZGSXolDRTJtmoQ&bvm=bv.77412846,d.dGchttps://www.google.co.nz/search?q=China+and+India+outward+FDI&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=rZI9VNL1L_DC8gfu9IHgBAhttps://www.google.co.nz/search?q=China+and+India+outward+FDI&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=rZI9VNL1L_DC8gfu9IHgBAhttps://www.google.co.nz/search?q=China+and+India+outward+FDI&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=rZI9VNL1L_DC8gfu9IHgBAhttps://www.google.co.nz/search?q=China+and+India+outward+FDI&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=rZI9VNL1L_DC8gfu9IHgBAhttps://www.google.co.nz/search?q=China+and+India+outward+FDI&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=rZI9VNL1L_DC8gfu9IHgBAhttps://ideas.repec.org/a/umk/journl/v3y2011i1p113-148.htmlhttps://ideas.repec.org/a/umk/journl/v3y2011i1p113-148.htmlhttps://ideas.repec.org/a/umk/journl/v3y2011i1p113-148.htmlhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://online.wsj.com/articles/indias-modi-hopes-to-rekindle-u-s-corporate-investment-1411664078http://online.wsj.com/articles/indias-modi-hopes-to-rekindle-u-s-corporate-investment-1411664078http://online.wsj.com/articles/indias-modi-hopes-to-rekindle-u-s-corporate-investment-1411664078http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://in.rbth.com/articles/2010/08/10/trade_investment_cooperation_russia_india_04592.htmlhttp://in.rbth.com/articles/2010/08/10/trade_investment_cooperation_russia_india_04592.htmlhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttp://online.wsj.com/articles/indias-modi-hopes-to-rekindle-u-s-corporate-investment-1411664078http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/india-china-trade-deals-xi-delhihttps://ideas.repec.org/a/umk/journl/v3y2011i1p113-148.htmlhttps://www.google.co.nz/search?q=China+and+India+outward+FDI&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=rZI9VNL1L_DC8gfu9IHgBAhttp://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eai.nus.edu.sg%2FVol2No2_ZhaoHong.pdf&ei=rZI9VJv9Odbs8AWPg4LwCw&usg=AFQjCNG8tm5_geUAtye0djyBf5rgDtBl2A&sig2=U8X2IdQFZGSXolDRTJtmoQ&bvm=bv.77412846,d.dGc


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(2)MENA

TheMiddleEast isonce againproven tobeanongoing siteof interimperialist rivalry viaproxy

wars.NosoonerhadIsraelslatestbombardmentofGazaendedinafragileceasefire,thantheISIS

beganits

campaign

in

Iraq

and

Syria.

The

rise

of

ISIS

challenged

the

pact

between

the

two

rival

blocs. The relative stalemate between the imperialist powers in Iraq and Syria as part of the

containmentoftheArabRevolutionbroke

down again asObama launched another

war in these countries. Everywhere we

canseetheevidenceofthe latentrivalry

between the rising bloc against the

declining bloc. The Arab Revolution had

notbeencontainedby theNATOpowers

and by Israel without the rise of Islamic

militancyfilling

the

vacuum

left

by

the

relative weakness of the secular left. To

counterthisthreat,theUShaschosento

compromisewiththeBRICS(Russia,China

andtheirclientIranandpossiblyEgypt)so

longasthisdoesnotthreaten itspowerbase inMENA.TheUS initially lookedto Iran,backedby

China and Russia to restabilise Iraq. However, after its collaboration in replacing Maliki with

anotherShiaheadofgovernment, theU.S.and Iranhavenot reachedagreementon the latters

participationinthecoalitionagainstIS.Thustherivalinterestsofthetwoblocsarerevealedbythe

directreturnoftheUStomilitaryinterventioninMENA.

FreeKurdsdonotrecogniseborders

ObamasnewturntowarontheIslamicState(formerlyISIS)isbeingsoldasacontinuationofthe

waronterrorbut itsrealtarget istocontainChinaandtheBRICS influence inMENA.Underthe

pretext of a war on IS terror, theU.S. keeps a military presence inMENA to counter Chinas

growing influenceontheArabstates. ThewaragainstISwillbea longwarandinevitably leadto

thepartitionofIraq into(1)anIslamicStatetoleratedbyAssad,RussiaandTurkeyasabarrierto

theArabandKurdsocialrevolutions;(2)aKurdishstateinIraqbackedbytheU.S.againsttheKurd

socialrevolution;and(3)aShiastateinthesouthbackedbyIranandChina,eachstakingoutrival

oilclaims. Butnoneofthesemilitarisedstateswillinthelongrunbeabletosuppressthemasses

byinvokingsectarianorreligiousterror.

SyriaandLibyawillalsobedrawnintothewarontheIslamicStatecreatingrivalnationalbourgeois

factions backed by the China and U.S. blocs against the masses and radical Islam. NATO

intervention in Libya was unpopular in Africa and MENA, with China and South Africa backing

Gadaffi.Yetneithersidewasabletodisarmtherebelsandthereopeningofcivilwarwillseeboth

blocs try tocontrol theoutcomewithBRICSbacking thearmed rebelsagainst theNATObacked

regime. Iftherevolutionary international forcesdonot intervenetosupporttheArabrevolution,

therivalblocswillcontinuetofightproxywarstodefendtheirinterestsattheexpenseoftheArab

Revolution.

Syriatoday

also

reflects

astalemate

where

the

BRICS

power

Russia

backs

Assad

while

the

U.S.

and

itsSaudiandGulfalliesbacktheirfactions intheopposition.Turkey isbalancedbetweenthetwo

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18/26

blocssinceitsmainconcernistostoptheKurdishsocialrevolutioninRojavafromdestabilisingthe

Turkishstate. Sofarneithersideisabletowinbutgiventhefailureoftheworldrevolutionaryleft

todecisivelyinterveneonthesideoftherevolutionarymasses,aprolongedstalemateislikely.

While there isnoclearoutcomeyet inMENA, it isobvious that theU.S.andChina ledblocsare

stakingout

their

oil

holdings,

not

as

partners

but

as

rivals.

However

MENA

is

repartitioned,

this

is

clearlynotaprocessinwhichRussiaandChinaaremereregionalpowers,noraretheyengagedina

negotiated rebalancing of U.S. 'unipolarity' as 'multipolarity.' Imperialism is a zerosum game.

Whilethepowerblocsmaycooperatetosuppressthemasses,intheenditisthemassesthatwill

pay for their crises and wars unless an independent workers movement throws out both

imperialismandtheirmercenaryregimes.

(3)Africa

NickTurseclaimsthatWashingtonsPivottoAfricanowinvolvesAfricomin49of54countries. Its

objectiveis

to

checkmate

Chinas

reach

into

Africa.

If

we

want

atest

case

that

proves

the

point

that

RussiaandChinaareneithersubimperialistnorregionalimperialismsweonlyneedtolookatthe

war inSouthSudan.Here, there isabrutalproxywar thatprovesbeyonddoubtthattheUSand

Chinaaredeadlyrivals in thewar foroil.Nick

TursewritesthatSouthSudanissecondonlyto

LiberiaasastatethattheU.S.hasproppedup

in the hope of creating a democratic

bridgehead inAfrica.Butafterpumpingmany

billionsofdollarstobreaktheSouthawayfrom

theNorth,theexperimenthasfailed.ItisChina

thathas

stolen

the

march

and

controls

most

of

theoiland isbankrolling thenewregime.The

warthat isnowraging isaproxywarbetween

the regime armedbyChina and a rebel army

backedbyUgandaandtheU.S.

ChinapresentsitselfinAfricaasanequalpartnerindevelopment,makingwinwindealswhich

createsdoublehappiness.Againstthispropaganda,HowardFrench, inhisrecentbookChinas

Second Continent, recounts one ofmany cases inwhich Chinese investment in Africa exploits

African labourandnatural resources.TheChambishiCopperMine inZambia revealsa recordof

labourabuse

and

violence

against

protesting

workers.

It

is

obvious

that

Chinese

firms

will

try

to

pay

starvation wages ($100 a month versus a $700 subsistence cost of living) and impose unsafe

workingconditions,whenitcangetawaywithit.AfteradecadeofsuperexploitationatChambishi

underasuccessionofproChinaregimesachangeofgovernmentin2011almostovernightforceda

wage increaseof85%.DeputyMinisterofLabour inthenewMichaelSatagovernment,a former

miningworke

BRICS around the neck of the proletariat

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