An editor has nominated this article for deletion. You are welcome to participate in the deletion discussion, which will decide whether or not to retain it. |
This article has multiple issues. Please help
improve it or discuss these issues on the
talk page. (
Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
World Anti-Imperialist Platform | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | WAP |
Leader | Collective leadership |
Spokesperson | Joti Brar |
Founded | 14 October 2022 |
Ideology |
Anti-imperialism
[1] (self-proclaimed) Anti-Zionism [2] Russophilia [3] Sinophilia |
Party flag | |
Website | |
https://wap21.org/ |
The World Anti-Imperialist Platform (WAP) describes themselves as an anti-imperialist international organization created in 2022. WAP describes their objective as being to coordinate efforts against imperialism, particularly in the Russo-Ukrainian War [4]and potential conflict between China and Taiwan or North Korea and South Korea where they state that they stand "firmly on the side of those who have recognized that neither China nor Russia are imperialist powers" so "workers of the world do indeed have a side in the war against US imperialism and its NATO allies". [5]
WAP claims that Russia is not an imperialist power. They view these countries as not engaged in wars of dominance or colonization, and claim that the Russo-Ukrainian conflict as a proxy war against Russia by imperialist powers. [5] WAP's stance sets it apart from other parties in the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP), which have characterized the war as inter-imperialist, [6] whereas the WAP supports the Russian invasion. [1] [7]
On October 14, 2022, WAP launched its program in Paris, France with a "Paris Declaration", [8] signed initially by 8 parties, including the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) (CPGB-ML) [9] and the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). [10] This declaration represents the platform's stated foundational beliefs and goals. The document was initially signed by 25 parties. [11]
On December 17, 2022, the Platform organized protests again in Athens, against NATO and what they deemed as "fascism in Ukraine" [12] [13] [14]
On December 22, 2022, the WAP released it's "Belgrade Declaration"
On March 4, 2023, WAP hosted an antiwar conference with the São Paulo Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, where it released a "Caracas Declaration". [15] A demonstration was organized by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, and simultaneous demonstrations were held elsewhere.
On May 7, 2023, the Platform organized a Victory Day procession in Athens, in conjunction with the group Revolutionary Struggle, and the Workers Revolutionary Party. [16]
On May 15, 2023, WAP hosted a Seoul International Conference in South Korea, where it released a "Seoul Declaration", concerning what they stated as being the rising tide of global war in east Asia. [17] [18] The declaration was read by Joti Brar, WAP spokesperson and CPGB-ML vice-chair. [19] The third congress of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) was held at the same time, receiving greetings from the Russian Communist Workers' Party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, and the CPGB-ML. [20] [21]
On November 17, 2023, members of the platform participated in protests and demonstrations marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of the Regime of the Colonels, the right-wing dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. [22] [23]
On November 26, 2023, members of the platform released a "Palestine Declaration", in which the group declared Zionism a "genocidal ideology". [24] [25]
Between April 12 - 17, 2024, The Platform, in conjunction with the People's Democratic Party of South Korea, organized protests in the cities of Gwangju, Incheon, Pyeongtaek, Seoul, Daejeon, Gongju, and Jeonju to commemorate the 1980 Gwangju Uprising
In May 2024, representatives of the Platform toured the Donbas region of Ukraine. [26] [27] Members of the Platform attended a demonstration in Krasnodon, and met with the former secretary of the Communist Party of the Donetsk People's Republic, Boris Litvinov . [28] Members also visited the East Ukrainian National University [29], and planned a Student exchange program for Donbas youth. [30]
Marxist–Leninist critics, including the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), argue that WAP lacks a Leninist understanding of imperialism. [31] [32] They accuse WAP of being selective in its anti-imperialist stance, focusing more on the form rather than the nature of imperialism. Following the WAP's Paris Declaration, the Communist party of Greece dissolved the Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties (INITIATIVE) after several member parties attended the Platform's first congress. The establishment of the Platform exposed and intensified existing ideological differences within INITIATIVE, particularly on the nature of imperialism and the correct stance on global conflicts. INITIATIVE, founded in 2013, struggled with internal disagreements and inactivity among its members. These issues were exacerbated by the differing perspectives on the war in Ukraine. Some members supported one side of the conflict, while others, like the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), condemned all imperialist actions, viewing the war as driven by bourgeois interests on both sides. This lack of consensus effectively paralyzed the ECI's activities, leading to its official dissolution in September 2023. [33]
Ivan Pinheiro, former General Secretary of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), criticized WAP as a well-funded effort to legitimize powers competing for world hegemony: [34] [35]
[T]he evidence that all the airfare and accommodation costs of the delegates from the organizations attending these meetings are fully covered by their main stakeholders[,] and the frenetic pace of a world event on average every two months, on different continents, should serve as food for thought and study as to what the primary reason is for the creation and financing of this platform, which is oriented against Marxism-Leninism and in uncritical and unrestricted defense of the strategic interests of powers competing for world hegemony in the imperialist chain, of which they are a part.
The Communist Party of Mexico (PCM) also criticized WAP for allowing non-communist parties into its membership, such as the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). [36] [37] [38]
The Communist Party of Germany (KPD) accused the WAP of defaming the KKE and that some members are "bourgeois, partly nationalist and racist parties" and criticized the separation of imperialism from capitalism in their program. [39]
The Communist Youth of Denmark (DKU) has criticized the WAP for "distorting Marxist-Leninist principles" and "aligning with opportunistic and imperialist forces" under the guise of "anti-imperialism". It argues that WAP simplifies global conflicts into a binary struggle, misleadingly categorizing countries as either "victims" or "resistors" of "US-EU-NATO imperialism". [40]
The Communist Revolutionary Party of France (CPRF) criticizes the World Anti-Imperialist Platform for advocating support of Russia in the Ukraine conflict, based on a binary view of imperialism where Russia opposes a "stronger" EU-NATO axis. They argue that this perspective oversimplifies global relations into two confronting camps and incorrectly equates contemporary Russian actions with the anti-fascist alliances of the Soviet Union during World War II. [41]
Trotskyist critics, including Socialist Appeal, have criticized WAP for ignoring the class struggle and contradictions within capitalist systems, as a result of WAP's over-focus on the "primary contradiction" as between the US-led NATO and humanity. [42]
The organizations below have signed WAP's Paris Declaration, or have participated at other points in time: [11]
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (
link)
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (
link)