Suggestions for the American Anti-Imperialist Movement

First off, I want to clarify whom I address here. By the anti-imperialist movement, I specifically refer to those who sincerely see a problem with the way American capital and military dominance spreads itself across the globe, pillaging and subjugating all in its path.

I want to offer a sincere and honest criticism of the American left and its position on American imperialism. First, while your intentions are certainly good in their nature, your analysis is incorrect. You go to great lengths to try and protest the occupation of Iraq; you make flyers for, and contributions to, organizations fighting the harmful effects of the Coca-Cola corporation on the environment and native peoples in the underdeveloped world; you rally in great numbers outside the Capitol to make your voices heard... and for what? The epoch of modern, globalized capitalism has grounded itself on the material conception of its own past. This global capitalism, or modern imperialism, cannot be stopped once it has begun. No amount of protesting, rallying, distributing flyers, or appealing non-governmental organizations will bring about the end of this peculiar stage in human-social history.

The tide of global capital necessitates itself from the nature of capital itself. This development beyond national borders is no exception to our current time, either. It has its precedents in the post-industrial age of capital as it became necessary for the production of goods, the usurpation of resources, and the trade of goods in post-industrial capitalism have been the defining characteristics of the past 100 years. Now, it has reached its most advanced stage to date. The bourgeoisie is no longer a class bound within the national framework of political economy -- rather, it is the most highly international class that has ever existed at any point in history.

Part of this understanding and analysis depends on understanding what makes imperialism possible. Imperialism is the natural outcome of capitalism itself. Capitalism, however, is neither an ideal or a belief. It is merely a system of production for exchange in which the means responsible for production are owned privately by those with capital (i.e. investors) who stake their capital for the production of commodities where exchange takes place for a determined monetary value. The return for the capitalist is profit. In the rational choice for investing capital, the necessary outcome for widening this margin of profit comes from the notion that the less you pay for production - even without increasing prices -- will result in greater intakes of profit that can be later added to further invest in the resources necessary for even more complex productive mechanisms and broadening dominance of a given industry. This is basic economics. But, this is important to understand capitalism (and imperialism) as not merely ideals at all - and distinguishing that ideals that render imperialism as unjust or "wrong" are insufficient for ending its reign on the human population at large.

So it follows that the ideal of anti-imperialism is not the correct means to fight against the forces of imperialism, then what is? The answer is - imperialism itself.

This is correct -- within the imperialist system of super-exploitation across borders and regions lies the very seed planted long ago for the demise of the very system that attempts to sustain itself. This 'seed' as I have called it is nothing more than the consciousness of the revolutionary working class across borders that results only from the development of a market-based economy and the introduction of modernized economic infrastructure that makes revolution and national liberation plausible in the first place. Without capitalism, there is no revolutionary proletariat (or bourgeoisie at all). Imperialism is responsible for this development, and it follows from this that imperialism will cause its own demise through the creation of class-antagonisms and contradictions that exist apparent within it.

Thus, what is the best advice I could give to those sincere anti-imperialists? Again - support those responsible for imperialism. Support neo-liberal politicians who want nothing more than to turn the entire world into what it has already become: an instrumentally valuable resource for their own benefit. There is nothing wrong with this, and in fact, it will serve as an essential epoch of human political, social, and economic progress for the possibility of a post-capitalist world at all. So, do not analyze imperialism from the perspective of the idealist, but rather, the scientific socialist. Examine the possibilities of a contradictory dilemma within imperialism and you will see the very means for which the relationship between exploiter and exploited will inevitably crumble upon itself.

Here's a simple list of things to consider:

1. Do not support groups that try to put a humanitarian face on imperialism; i.e. ameliorate the conditions as they exist now. Remember, the worse the better. This is the credo of the revolutionary who wants nothing more than to see global capitalism (imperialism) run its course and feed the antagonisms that exist between the classes.

2. Support politicians who support war and globalization. These are the most honest politicians you will ever encounter, and are far superior people than those who try to hide their true intentions behind ideals. Do not be fooled by the ideals of those who have attained material success. It is a sham.

3. Support immigration. The immigration of workers puts great strain on capitalism in the broader picture, and creates a new class-dynamic that has been absent in the first world for many decades now. With the onset of globalization, it is no surprise that productive labor has been exported and the conditions of the working class in the United States has been relatively increasing.

4. Support war. Support the war, but not the troops. The only means for which the military goliath that is the United States will be deterred is through the forceful resistance by the peoples of the occupied regions for which the American military deprives them of their economic autonomy and political sovereignty. Ending the occupation of Iraq prematurely will have taught the world nothing; the eventual defeat of the American military in the middle-east is one of patience and commitment. If you want the war to end, it follows that it can only be through the undeniable defeat of the imperialists not just in the factories, but on the battlefields.

5. Do not give to charity. Charity only ameliorates the most obvious and egregious aspects of capitalism on its most valuable resource: human beings. Supporting this only delays the inevitable destruction of imperialism and capitalism. Don't give to charity, don't help hide the problems and contradictions that exist within capitalism.

6. If you're going to donate, make sure it's to a worthwhile cause that will hasten the fall of imperialism in accordance with the scientific analysis for imperialism. Groups that advocate war, imperialism, economic liberty, free-trade, and corporate interests are best.

This is only a short and generalized list of things that will hasten the fall of imperialism. The only way to truly fight against imperialism is to allow itself to manifest the contradictions and antagonisms inherent within it. Only this will prove to be the realistic means of bringing about a new post-imperialist world; one based on principles of need and ability, rather than commodities and exchange.