Multipolarity or Anti-Imperialism? w/ Politics in Command

Kota sits down with J from Politics in Command to discuss "multipolarity," a discourse which sees the existence of multiple superpowers as a positive development from the unipolar world dominated by the United States. We ask whether the politics of multipolarity is genuinely anti-imperialist or revisionist, an abandonment of revolutionary principles for reformism and class collaborationism. We critically analyze the overlaps between the reactionary ideology of Aleksandr Dugin and pseudo-Marxist theoretical assumptions made by Ben Norton, one of the most vocal advocates of multipolarity, which posit the nation, not the working class, as the subject of anti-imperialism.  We discuss Norton’s assertion that China is still a socialist country and the assumption that socialism equals the development of productive forces and state ownership of the economy. We discuss how, beneath the veneer of optimism supposedly heralded by the rise of China and Russia, the discourse of multipolarity is deeply pessimistic, as it tacitly accepts that there are no truly revolutionary alternatives to capitalism. We conclude our discussion by talking about what a principled anti-revisionism would look like in practice, and what we can learn from revolutionary movements that are continuing to struggle in spite of the intensifying inter-imperialist competition. Sources:World military spending reaches all-time high of $2.24 trillion - Al Jazeera (April 24, 2023)Multipolarism is not Anti-Imperialism! - The Revolutionary Communists, Norway (RK)The Foundations of Aleksandr Dugin's Geopolitics: MontageFascism and Eurasianism as Blowback - Grant Scott Fellows Fanshen: Class, Women's Liberation, and Crit-Self-Crit - Politics in CommandChina: From Commune to Capitalism - Politics in Command ft. Zhun Xu The Great Reversal: The Privatization of China, 1978-1989 - William HintonRethinking Socialism: What is Socialist Transition?  - Deng-Yuan Hsu and Pao-Yu Ching Intro: Cielo by Huma HumaMidtro: Mount Tai by Space BabyOutro: ibeinthecar by Space BabySupport the show