Aleksandar Ðeni큓 | New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (Serbia)
Dear comrades,
I would like to thank the CPRF for the invitation and for the opportunity to discuss important ideological questions that are confronting communists and progressive forces in the world today.
When we speak about terrorism, we must first ask what exactly we mean by this term. Although there is no precise definition of terrorism, the general one that dominates describes it as the deliberate use of unlawful violence, or the threat of unlawful violence, to instill fear, with the intention of coercing or intimidating governments or societies in order to achieve goals that are generally ideological in nature. In general, this term is primarily used to describe violence against civilians during peacetime or wartime.
This raises the question of whether such a definition can be acceptable for communists. What and who determines the difference between freedom fighters and terrorism? In what sense is terrorism a theoretical and scientific tool, and in what sense is it a propaganda instrument? For this reason, it is important to distinguish between terrorism as a propaganda instrument serving imperialism and the criticism of terrorism from Marxist-Leninist positions.
However, what does the experience of the classics of Marxism-Leninism teach us about terrorism?
The classics were always opposed to individual terror (assassinations, conspiracies, small putschist groups acting instead of the mass movement). Historical practice teaches us that revolutions are not carried out by small conspiratorial groups or individuals, but by classes. In this sense, Lenin clearly rejected the idea that assassinations could replace an organized Party and mass movement, because killing an individual does not change the system. Therefore, for us communists, individual terror cannot be a substitute for political organization.
Thus, we communists must clearly criticize spontaneism and individual terror. From scientific positions, it is important to emphasize that we communists advocate mass political struggle, not the actions of isolated individuals. The classics of scientific socialism correctly rejected individual terror because it is politically ineffective and often counterproductive. In this sense, individual terror or small conspiratorial acts are unacceptable to us communists, because such acts do not change the social structure, do not mobilize the masses, and often provoke repression without any strategic benefit.
For many ruling reactionary systems throughout history (and in many countries even today), which also had and still have their own laws—(and we communists know that the legal system always defends the class interests of the ruling class)—communists were considered terrorists. Many of our comrades are still underground today, and their reactionary governments regard them as terrorists.
Likewise, after the counterrevolution that took place in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the United States and NATO became the dominant global hegemon. During this period, the United States launched its campaign in the so-called fight against terrorism, declaring the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance movements terrorist organizations, and labeling Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Syria under Assad, and all those fighting against their hegemony as terrorists. Similarly, the military-fascist junta in Kyiv considers the first anti-fascist and anti-imperialist uprising of the 21st century, which took place in Donbas, to be terrorism.
So can we communists view terrorism in the same way as the imperialists do? Of course we cannot.
Therefore, the question arises: what attitude should we communists have toward international terrorism and its manifestations, and what does it represent for us? First, we must reject the propagandistic concept of terrorism promoted by imperialism, through which it seeks to condemn all movements, parties, or countries fighting for socialism and independence. For us communists, imperialist creations such as NATO, the United States, and the European Union represent the greatest terrorist gangs, because they destroy and destabilize every socialist, progressive, and independent country with the aim of plundering its natural resources and turning its population into cheap labor. They do not hesitate to use the most reactionary, fascist, racist, and religious-fundamentalist movements in order to achieve their goals and preserve monopolistic domination. For the sake of maintaining their hegemony, people and nations are merely instruments to them.
Therefore, the United States and its satellites today symbolize international terrorism. The clearest examples of such terrorist and destructive policies are Israel and the Zionist movement, support for the military-fascist junta in Kyiv, the creation of the Islamic State, assistance (with the support of Turkey) in bringing Al-Qaeda to power in Syria, support for the Islamic State in Mali and the Sahel countries, and many other examples. In my country, they supported terrorist and secessionist groups during the breakup of Yugoslavia, and later during the bombing campaign they used Albanian terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija in order to occupy the southern Serbian province, where they established the largest U.S. base in Europe—Bondsteel.
However, during Trump’s presidency, the United States made yet another “qualitative” negative step forward regarding international terrorism. They began the year by kidnapping the legitimate president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, while the blockade and starvation of socialist Cuba, along with permanent sabotage, constitutes genocide and terrorism that has created a humanitarian catastrophe. Furthermore, the Trump administration surpassed even Hitler in certain respects, as during negotiations with Iran they assassinated one of the country’s leaders, while brutally killing civilians in Iran, as their ally Israel continued to do in Lebanon and Palestine.
Therefore, for us communists, our attitude toward terrorism is clear. Every form of individual terror in our daily struggle is unacceptable and represents adventurism that has nothing to do with our tactics and strategy. Any movement, Party, or individual fighting for freedom cannot be considered terrorist, while at every step we must fight against the terrorism that is financed or carried out by the United States, the European Union, NATO, Israel, and other imperialist puppets that represent the greatest threat to global peace.
As communists, we must develop a strategy in accordance with the dialectical method and the materialist principle—that is, with a scientific worldview. This means that our analysis of historical processes must begin from class analysis, as must our attitude toward imperialism. In this sense, we must build tactical alliances with all progressive movements and countries fighting against imperialism and monopoly domination. Today we must show solidarity with the peoples of Cuba, Palestine, Lebanon, Donbas, Iran, and Yemen, who suffer the most and resist imperialist aggression. We must provide answers in accordance with the present historical conditions. Our answers must be a call to action, not dead words on paper. In this sense, our theoretical response to international terrorism and its manifestations must be consistent with today’s analysis of imperialism.
Therefore, dear comrades,
what we need is coordinated action, along with clear tactics and strategy. That is what our enemy possesses. It is united and well organized, unlike us. We must provide clear theoretical answers, because without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary practice. Communists, as the vanguard, must gather around themselves all progressive forces. We are the ones who must provide the answers. Many of the defeats we have suffered since the counterrevolution in the USSR and Eastern Europe show that none of us are safe and that things can always become worse. Therefore, dear comrades, it is important that we see things as they truly are and move forward both in theoretical and practical offensive struggle.
Long live internationalist solidarity!