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Stephen Durham
December 2017
Detail from a mural by Diego Rivera at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico
City showing Leon Trotsky with U.S. Trotsykist James Cannon (right).
Photo: Stephen Durham / FS
Divisions in the Trotskyist movement have weakened working-class
struggles around the globe. The Committee for Revolutionary
International Regroupment was founded four years ago to address this
crisis and bring together revolutionary parties from divergent
traditions to defend the most exploited and oppressed.
Last August, CRIR met in Mexico City in the former home of the famous
Mexican muralist, José Clemente Orozco. Partido Obrero Socialista
(POS-Mexico) hosted the gathering which was attended by two other CRIR
member groups — Freedom Socialist Party (FSP-U.S.) and Partido
Revolucionario de las y los Trabajadores (PRT-Costa Rica).
Present also were a number of invited guests. These included three
Mexican Trotskyist organizations: La Gota, a collective from Chihuahua;
the Liga de Unidad Socialista; and the Coordinadora Revolucionaria
Socialista.
Representatives of Regrupamiento hacia el PST and Convergencia
Socialista-La Verdad from Argentina were invited to present their views.
Hugo Cedeño, a longtime radical organizer from the Dominican Republic,
joined the discussions as did Mexican feminists and non-affiliated
leftists.
A contingent of indigenous union activists and leaders from the radical
wing of the Mexican teachers union traveled to the meeting from Oaxaca.
The backdrop: a continuing worldwide economic crisis. The meeting was
divided into two parts — the first two days were open to observers and
the last day was internal.
Reports and discussions centered on the structural crisis of capitalism.
There was agreement that there has been no recovery from the economic
depression that began in 2007 with the meltdown on Wall Street:
conditions for the working class and the oppressed everywhere continue
to deteriorate; neoliberalism has increased misery around the world; and
every regime facing militant anti-capitalist opposition has turned to
state repression to maintain control.
Different countries, same problem. CRIR affiliates reported on the
unfolding class struggle in each of their countries. In addition, the
situation in Haiti and Puerto Rico was addressed by Dominican Hugo Cedeño.
A common thread in all reports was the intensification of the class
struggle, especially among the multiply oppressed women, people of color
and the indigenous. This is taking place despite the overall absence of
revolutionary leadership capable of delivering much needed victories.
A special highlight was a report by Maria Alvarez of Argentina on her
trip to Rojava, the autonomous Kurdish region on Turkey’s border. There
women fighters have stood on the front lines in the armed struggle
against the reactionary Islamic State.
The calamity in Venezuela. Debate on the crisis in Venezuela produced
agreement about the capitalist class nature of the Maduro regime and the
legitimacy of the insurrectionary protests that rocked Venezuela for
four months earlier this year. However, there were differences about
which tactic to pursue to oppose the Maduro government. The Costa Rican
PRT emphasized defense of free speech and democratic rights while the
majority of those present added that the call for establishing workers
councils or soviets was also necessary to point the way forward.
Regroupment more needed than ever. The meeting represented an
advancement for CRIR as a pole of regroupment. Besides attracting other
Trotskyists, the gathering provided an opportunity for CRIR to reflect
on its own achievements. These included the successful international
movement to support the right of indigenous Mexican community police to
armed self-defense, in addition to several other campaigns supporting
victims of political witch hunts.
In a discussion period prior to the meeting, CRIR evaluated the state of
the world Trotskyist movement. This set the stage for a productive
discussion of how the co-opting pressure of capitalist regimes have
eroded revolutionary socialist movements. Specifically, the trend of
Trotskyist parties supporting popular front regimes and broad
anti-capitalist parties — both of which erode revolutionary program and
practice. CRIR addressed this problem by reaffirming its commitment to
standing on the lessons of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the first
four congresses of the Communist International under the leadership of
Lenin and Trotsky.
Subsequent to the August meeting, the Costa Rican PRT left CRIR to
investigate regroupment with the Trotskyist Faction headquartered in
Argentina. PRT falsely claimed CRIR supported imperialist intervention
in Syria.
Forging ahead. In Mexico, CRIR decided to take up a number of tasks.
These included issuing a statement on the 100th anniversary of the
Russian Revolution that emphasizes the key role of women. The group also
agreed to issue a statement on Venezuela and contact a dissident
grouping within the United Secretariat of the Fourth International to
open up a discussion regarding advancing regroupment of Trotskyists
opposed to liquidating revolutionary parties.
In light of this exciting meeting, the FSP is optimistic about CRIR’s
future as a pole of attraction for forces that seek to plant the seeds
of a new international organization based on a clear socialist program,
mutual respect and a tolerance for differences.
CRIR is an effort to bring together Trotskyist organizations of
different countries to work jointly toward the foundation of a new
socialist international. Get in touch through cririnter@xxxxxxxxx.
Este artículo en español / This article in Spanish
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