Today, there is increasing evidence that the main factor driving and intensifying imperialist competition and conflicts at the international level is the decline of US economic power in relation to the strengthening of China, alongside the sharpening of contradictions both among NATO and EU member states and within these states themselves. Opposing the Euro Atlantic alliance is the Eurasian alliance under formation, whose main forces are China, moving towards first place in the international capitalist market, and Russia, which remains the world’s second most powerful military force. Other emerging capitalist states, such as India and Turkey, are navigating between the two imperialist centres.
For the first time since the Second World War, humanity is so close to a Third World War. This assessment is reinforced by the fact that the imperialist powers and rival imperialist poles are engaged in intensive preparations reminiscent of those in the Interwar period. Naturally, the specific forms these confrontations will take, as well as the fronts that will emerge will become clearer over time. The struggle for supremacy at the top of the imperialist pyramid is relentless. It is expressed through an ever-expanding field of confrontation in strategically vital sectors of the economy, direct foreign investment and other forms of capital export; political and strategic alliances and footholds; military equipment; rare earths; artificial intelligence and technological superiority in general; supply chains; ports; the shipbuilding industry; shipping; and other key sectors. The strategic moves of the USA, China, and Russia are reshaping the global landscape, intensifying competition and fuelling imperialist wars.
In every imperialist alliance, contradictions emerge due to uneven capitalist development and unequal relations between capitalist states. The intensification of inter-imperialist contradictions could further deepen the existing divides in the Euro-Atlantic axis in the coming years. Significant differences are already apparent, particularly regarding the war in Ukraine, trade tariffs, the “green transition”, and relations with Russia. These divisions are also reflected in the new US National Security Strategy (regarding military-political cooperation commitments, migration management, etc.) and in statements about the future of Greenland. Similarly, a conflict has recently surfaced within Russia’s bourgeois forces, with some advocating for a temporary compromise with the US, while others push to strengthen and expand the capitalist state’s relations with other states in the Eurasian imperialist bloc under formation. In any case, compromises are temporary and rivalries remain a constant feature in the international imperialist system.
While alliances may shift or change, the defining factor of their class character and, thus, the essence of both the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian alliance under formation, is the economic foundation of the capitalist states that comprise them, namely the dominance of monopolies and their interests. Therefore, the “Euro-Atlantic or Eurasian camp” dilemma is misleading, serving to undermine the interests of the working class and the peoples, and distract them from their independent ideological–political struggle for the overthrow of capitalism, for socialism–communism.
Today’s capitalist Russia is a product of the counter-revolution, a powerful capitalist state with significant monopolies in key sectors such as military, energy, mining, and more. It is the second-largest military power in the world, with its own distinct agenda. Russia serves as a vehicle for anti-communism and anti-Soviet sentiment; it slanders socialism and usurps the achievements of the October Socialist Revolution and the decisive role of the Soviet Union in the Anti-Fascist Victory of the Peoples during the imperialist Second World War, attempting to manipulate not only the people of Russia but also Communist Parties and other states worldwide.
China, on the other hand, is an example of capitalist restoration led by a “Communist” Party that exercises capitalist power. It follows the well-known “mixed economy” model, which includes expanded state ownership but has failed to reduce social inequality or class exploitation, much like in the rest of the capitalist world. Other characteristic features of capitalist development in China include the enormous profits of monopoly giants, the exports of capital, and the expansion of Chinese capitalist economic groups across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and beyond.
Consequently, it is imperative to intensify the ideological and political struggle against the imperialist nature of the USA, NATO, and the EU. At the same time, we must strengthen the front against the pretexts put forward by the other side of the imperialist war, ensuring that the workers’ and popular movement does not become subservient to the plans of other capitalist powers. The revolutionary movement must focus on exploiting the contradictions between capitalist states and their various alliances, creating divisions that advance the workers’–people’s struggle and the struggle to overthrow capitalism and build socialism.
(The excerpt is from the Report of the Central Committee of the KKE to the 22nd Congress, which was unanimously approved by its delegates.)
