September 23 Movement (Bulgaria)
The world we live in today is increasingly revealing its true nature as a system built upon deep-seated contradictions. What is often presented as a series of separate crises is, in reality, a manifestation of a single historical process—the deepening crisis of imperialism as a global system of economic exploitation, political domination, and military control. The conflicts that are sweeping across different regions of the world are not random or isolated. They represent different fronts of the same struggle amid the crisis of global capitalism.
Imperialism today operates not only through open military force, but also through a complex network of economic, financial, and political mechanisms. International financial institutions, debt dependencies, sanctions regimes, and control over strategic resources are used as tools to subjugate entire nations. Transnational capital does not merely influence policies—it determines them, limiting the actual sovereignty of nations. In this sense, the assertion that imperialism is humanity’s chief enemy is not a slogan but an analytical conclusion derived from concrete historical reality.
The global picture in which this process fits becomes even clearer when we examine the specific conflicts unfolding in various parts of the world. In Venezuela, economic pressure and a policy of sanctions continue, aimed at forcing the country back into the orbit of U.S. external control over its resources. In Iran, there is a constant escalation of tension, coupled with economic isolation and threats that create conditions for the destabilization of the entire region. In Palestine, the tragedy has taken on a chronic character—decades of conflict, destruction, and the denial of basic human rights have become a permanent feature of the international reality. Cuba has been systematically restricted from developing its economy and trading with various countries, placing the Cuban people in an extremely dire situation in which millions suffer. These examples clearly show that imperialism does not hesitate to use various forms of pressure—from economic to military—to protect its interests. In the same way, resistance against imperialism must be consistent, unwavering, and capable of organized action.
Bulgaria finds itself in a position of peripheral integration within the global system. Since the restoration of capitalism in 1989, our economy has been structured in a way that reproduces dependency, exploitation, and subjugation rather than development. Deindustrialization, the brain drain, and the limited scope for independent economic policy are not random processes, but the result of the country’s integration into the international division of labor, which places it in a subordinate role. In this context, the question of adopting the euro takes on a far deeper significance. Despite serious resistance from the Bulgarian people, Bulgaria joined the monetary union at the beginning of 2026. This is presented as a technical and inevitable step, but in reality it is part of a process of even closer integration with supranational structures that limit the possibility of sovereign development. That is why the resistance to this step was not based merely on economic arguments, but on social and political ones—an expression of growing distrust in a model that does not work in the interests of the majority and has placed itself at the service of foreign corporations.
At the same time, the country’s foreign policy orientation shows a clear alignment with the strategic interests of the United States. This alignment manifests itself in decisions that are often made within the framework of alliance commitments, but without any real public debate and without clear consideration of the long-term interests of Bulgarian society. This creates a situation in which formal sovereignty exists, but the actual capacity for independent policy is severely limited. In this way, the interim Bulgarian government brought Bulgaria into Donald Trump’s so-called “Peace Board.” Dozens of U.S. military aircraft were stationed at our largest airport, and the airport itself even had to be closed for a day. On March 30, 2026, Bulgaria’s interim prime minister visited Kyiv and signed a “security cooperation agreement” with the fascist regime in Ukraine. By signing this humiliating document, our country once again placed itself at the service of supporting the puppet Kyiv regime.
In this context, it is particularly alarming that within Europe, a significant portion of the political forces that have historically been associated with social justice are today playing the role of a stabilizing factor for the existing system. Social Democratic parties and the liberal “Euro-left” are increasingly limiting their activities to managing the consequences of crises without questioning their causes. This leads to a situation where so-called “left-wing” organizations in many European and North American countries express direct or indirect support for the implementation of imperialist aggressions around the world. This is aided by the spread of the convenient opportunist view that “both sides are bad” and that communist organizations should not take sides in such conflicts. In this way, they channel public discontent into frameworks that do not threaten the foundations of the system, and thus objectively contribute to its reproduction. Unfortunately, such tendencies, though currently marginal in scale, also exist in Bulgaria. An ideological struggle against opportunist tendencies within the communist movement worldwide is necessary.
In this context, the need to build a united anti-imperialist front becomes not merely a political task, but a historical necessity. We are in a period of intensifying imperialist aggression around the world. Fragmented efforts, local struggles, and isolated movements can hardly effectively oppose a system that acts globally and in a coordinated manner. Only by uniting forces—social movements, political organizations, national liberation struggles, and states defending their sovereignty—can a real alternative to the global imperialist system be created.
In this process, anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements in Africa take on particular significance. The continent, which for a long time was the object of open colonial exploitation, is today becoming the scene of new forms of resistance against neo-colonial dependencies. In Kenya, for example, there is a growing strength of social movements that raise the issues of control over resources, economic justice, and genuine public participation in political processes. These processes are not isolated but part of a broader trend of resistance against the global system of domination. Of course, our comrades in Kenya are paying a high price for this. The leaders of the communist movement in that country are regularly subjected to persecution and arrest. That is why we must express, in the strongest possible terms, our most resolute solidarity with the Kenyan people’s struggle against capitalism, colonialism, oppression, and repression.
All of this leads to a key conclusion: without a change in the international system of exploitation, domination, and control, any attempts at profound social transformation remain limited. It is impossible to build a just society within a global system that reproduces inequalities. The transition to a socialist socio-economic system requires international coordination, solidarity, and a common strategy.
The struggle against imperialism is a matter of historical necessity. We are at a decisive historical moment in which many things that seem eternal or enduring to many are on the verge of being consigned to the dustbin of history. And upon this rubbish heap, a new society must be built, based on public ownership of the means of production, social justice, respect for sovereignty, and a vision for building the world of the future.