The antiwar movement will either side with the forces resisting U.S./Israeli aggression, or fail in its task

In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be any question as to whether those who want peace all support the forces which resist aggression. But it’s because we’re not in a perfect world that a peace movement is necessary; the reality is that the imperialists and the Zionists will never willingly stop aggressing, and they’ll use whatever tricks they can to try to weaken those who are against them.

With the escalation of the U.S./Israeli war on Iran, one of the most insidious ploys they’re using is to pressure Iran’s potential friends into acquiescence. To make it seem like supporting the resistance, whether by militarily backing it up or by building a movement in solidarity with it, would come with too much of a cost. This is the narrative that’s being promoted by Russia’s capitalist ruling class, and a danger is that many parts of the global antiwar movement will follow in the example of that class.

Observes Paul Craig Roberts about the capitulationist turn that Putin has taken on Iran, and by extension on Palestine:

John Helmer reports that Putin said he supports the “unconditional security of Israel” and that the Russian-Iranian treaty “did not envisage military cooperation.” Is this Putin’s green light for a US/Israeli strike on Iran? Why does Putin support the security of Israel but not of Iran? Israel is the aggressor, not Iran. Iran is a buffer for Russia. Israel is a threat. Putin offered his ideas to Netanyahu and Trump on how to resolve the “problem.” Putin said, “In my opinion, in general, such a solution can be found.” Putin does not understand that the problem is Greater Israel. Iran is the last Muslim country with the capability of resisting the Israelization of the Middle East. Israel has had a target on Iran for many years, and the American whore media has succeeded in demonizing Iran in the hearts and minds of the American people.

An important part of the context is that Russia has extended offers for help to Iran, but Iran has been hesitant to accept such help; which is indicative of how an imperial appeasement problem exists within both Russia and Iran. The issue doesn’t entirely come from Russia, but by making these declarations, Putin has shown how much he’s willing to contribute to this issue. The pro-appeasement faction within Russia is glad that Iran has remained indecisive in certain areas, and is using this as an excuse to take Russia’s policy in a more pro-Zionist direction.

We do not yet know how far the Trump White House will take its next escalations with Iran, or how far the Axis of Resistance will go in fighting back. But now that Russia has shown this is where it stands, it’s more likely that Washington will go through with striking Iran, and also that the Axis will have to stay in a defensive position throughout this conflict.

Even if Trump chooses the “peaceful” option of not striking Iran, the Zionist entity will use Russia’s complicity to further accelerate the genocide against the Palestinians, like it’s done every other time the balance of forces have at all shifted in Zionism’s favor. Whichever of these routes the empire next takes, it’s going to intensify its violence, and all throughout we’re going to hear a narrative that’s designed to keep us complacent. That encourages us to take a passive path in the face of imperial aggressions, like Russia’s pro-appeasement forces have, and forsake the resistance when it needs us most.

The great ideological threat we’re facing at this moment is social pacifism, the belief that “peace” is the most important and urgent thing no matter the context. The context that encompasses all of the wars our government involves itself in, and that social pacifism ignores, is the system of imperialism. As long as imperialism exists, the core capitalist countries will always be waging wars, or preparing for new wars. The monopolies need to maintain market control over the formerly colonized countries, so they’ll keep the capitalist state committed to war until the workers overthrow this state. This is what’s behind a growing ideological contradiction within the antiwar movement: the contradiction between the revolutionary side that wants to defeat capitalism, and the reformist side that believes war can be ended without defeating capitalism.

It’s the latter ideological current, the one which seeks to reconcile pro-capitalist ideology with an agenda of “peace,” that the pro-Zionist faction within Russia’s government aims to ally with. Russia’s pro-appeasement bourgeoisie doesn’t really believe in anything besides profit; it certainly doesn’t care about getting peace, or else it wouldn’t be siding with the Zionist instigators of war. But the reformist-minded actors within the antiwar movement do genuinely believe in the idea of peace, just in an idealistic way that’s led them to enable certain imperialist schemes.

Because of the prevalence of this “peace as soon as possible” worldview, the national bourgeoisie within Russia, Iran, or wherever else can undermine the anti-imperialist struggle without pushback from the “anti-establishment” or “dissident media” spheres. When a movement prioritizes “peace” above national liberation or anti-imperialist resistance, it will view appeasing the hegemon as a good thing, because at least this means “peace” has been achieved.

With the Russian bourgeoisie’s overtures towards the Zionist aggressor, the contradictions in this worldview are now being exposed. No longer can anyone say they truly support the idea of Russia becoming a partner to the imperialist USA, while claiming that this position is compatible with a peace agenda. The only coherently anti-Zionist position is to support the Axis of Resistance, which entails opposing all efforts by the Russian capitalists or whoever else to sabotage this Axis. The forces inside Russia that we need to be supporting are the ones which have been fighting against the pro-appeasement elements: the communists, the anti-fascist movement, the anti-imperialist workers. These were the forces that pushed Russia’s bourgeois government into rescuing the Donbass from U.S.-backed Nazi aggression, and with the right variables in their favor, they’ll also bring Russia into the anti-Zionist struggle.

Russia’s internal class power struggle has been getting closer to such a point. With Washington’s sabotages of all peace deals, Russia’s government has been forced to commit harder on Ukraine. What Russia’s ruling class is now trying to do is use that intensified Ukraine war effort as justification for abandoning Iran. The national bourgeoisie seek to keep the country’s economy from becoming more socialistic, which will keep Russia unable to handle a full war against imperialism; and using this rationale that Russia couldn’t logistically handle such a war, Russia’s capitalists can argue the country should avoid siding with Iran.

It’s the same ploy that Iran’s capitalist class has used to delay a proportional retaliation against the Zionist entity: keep the economy from undergoing further socialistic reforms, and thereby weaken the country’s war capabilities. Iran hasn’t yet gotten those reforms, but the country’s revolutionary forces have just gotten a major political victory. They’ve executed an operation against the Zionist colonizers that’s truly substantial, and this has forced all political actors to pick a side on the question of war against the Zionist entity.

The Russian ruling class evidently feels strong enough to outright declare its support for the entity, and this problem must be rectified. It can only be rectified by the international workers movement, which needs to build a united front behind the resistance. Then we’ll be able to change the balance of forces, and give the resistance the power it will need to push our lines forward.

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