Yu Weihai: Analysis of Contemporary Imperialism by the Communist Party of Turkey

May 2022

Translated by Vural Birlik, PHD student in Marxism School of Central China Normal University, Wuhan

Author: PhD in Laws, is a professor at Political Science and International Studies, World socialist and Communist Movement, Central China Normal University, Wuhan

The world order after the Cold War has been summarized by many scholars as a single structure of “globalized” system, and imperialist aggression has been interpreted as a “surgical operation” to punish and transform the “bad” system. “

In response to the drastic changes in the world situation and the misconceptions and distortions in people’s understanding of imperialism, since 2008, at various International Meetings of the Communist and Workers’ Parties, the communist parties of various countries have listed the struggle against imperialism as an important task in the current international communist movement.

Since its establishment in 1920, the Communist Party of Turkey led by Mustafa Suphi has actively participated in the Turkish national liberation movement, and during World War II, it waged extensive anti-fascist struggles.

The current Communist Party of Turkey (2001) led by Kemal Okuyan is an important force in the world socialist movement and plays an important role in the social development and historical process of Turkey. The current Communist Party of Turkey was established after the liquidation of the original Communist Party of Turkey in the early 1990s. The current Communist Party of Turkey was established in 2001 and it has inherited some successful practices and the struggle tradition of the old Party, although it has different ideas and political strategy. In the new century, the Communist Party of Turkey has gradually shown active involvement in domestic and international politics, uniting and leading the masses in struggle against the reactionary ruling class domestically, and leading the front line in anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist struggles internationally, fights against reactionary capitalist forces to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East and the Balkans.

In recent years, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey has published a series of articles on its website, analyzing contemporary imperialism, in the documents such as “The Program of the Communist Party of Turkey,” “The Tasks of the Communist Party of Turkey, Imperialism, Turkey, and the Communist Movement,” “Striking against the reactionary forces, promoting the socialist path,” and “The speech of the Communist Party of Turkey at the 14th International Conference of Communist Parties and Workers’ Parties,” providing an in-depth analysis of contemporary imperialism. This article will summarize the analysis of contemporary imperialism by the current Communist Party of Turkey.

1. Currently, liberalism and the left have misconceptions about imperialism

Imperialism emerged in the late 19th century as a product of the development of capitalism to a certain stage, as a result of the movement of capital, and as the “monopoly stage of capitalism.” At the end of the 20th century, with the end of the Cold War and the upheavals in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, there have been significant changes in the world situation. Understanding capitalism, socialism, and evaluating contemporary imperialism has become the focus of academic controversy.

In the eyes of TKP liberal lefts believe that the era of imperialism has come to an end, and they advocate for a “globalized” system of international non-hierarchical interdependence, replacing imperialism. In addition, some on the left also have misconceptions about current capitalist-imperialism.

They argue that countries that have recently entered the global system or play important roles within it can, to a certain extent, resist American imperialism, at least by restraining the influence of American imperialism through their declarations and policies. These countries are held in high regard by the left movement for their role in anti-imperialist struggles. Another part of the left believes that the view of a single (globalized) system is mistaken, as each member integrated into the system, regardless of their level of capitalist development, military capabilities, or regional influence on other countries, are “imperialist” and are in a competitive relationship, far from being a monolithic entity.

Clearly, liberalism and the left have very different views on the current world order and the imperialist system. The Communist Party of Turkey has conducted an in-depth analysis on this issue. The party believes that, in relation to the first view of the left, even if the important countries that have recently entered this system can successfully resist American imperialism and their actions are recognized by other countries, it is important to recognize the other hidden motives of these countries.

Firstly, even if these countries with an anti-American stance have played a practical role in specific circumstances, it is difficult to consider their positions as a consistent and unwavering “anti-imperialist front.” These countries are motivated by providing support for their capitalist forces in the world market, strengthening their regional influence, and ultimately gaining a larger share of global labor exploitation.

Secondly, to gain a competitive advantage, these countries often exploit workers, reduce wages, and even suppress economic organizations in other countries to consolidate their position within the global system. These countries have many problems themselves and are far behind “old imperialist countries” in labor conditions, freedom of assembly, and human rights. However, the latter are depicted as “innovative” and “progressive.”

Thirdly, to break the monopoly position of the United States, these countries collaborate closely, implement policies to “contain the United States,” seek compromise with imperialist countries outside the United States, and seek to transfer cheap labor to these imperialist countries. The “containment of American imperialism” policy also aligns with domestic conservatism, nationalism, and even blind patriotism, and is highly praised. In these countries, under the banner of “containing the United States” and “anti-imperialism,” the people have turned to fully support the ruling authorities or, under the guise of the “left,” support the foreign policies of their own government, which is actually a new form of “social chauvinism” and a new way of pacifying the class.

The Communist Party of Turkey believes in using the concept of “imperialism” cautiously. The party does not see today’s world as a so-called “imperialist” structural system where countries are interwoven into a single entity. Just as certain specific concepts within the communist movement should be used correctly and not exaggerated, it is not feasible to describe imperialism by selecting one or two parts from a continuous, inseparable whole and presenting these parts as representing the entire “imperialism.” The Communist Party of Turkey opposes this method, and its viewpoint can be summarized as follows:

• The Communist Party of Turkey analyzes the current world system structure from a historical perspective rather than a structural perspective. The current structure is not fundamentally different from the old structure before 1991. On the contrary, it is a continuation of the same phenomenon and the same hierarchical structure that emerged in the early 20th century, following World War II.
• The conflicts and tensions between imperialist countries within the global system (including newly integrated emerging powers) are not the characteristic of today’s era in the global system. Although the hierarchical system has been shown to no longer have legitimacy within the global system, today’s characteristic is that a small number of imperialist countries are striving to re-establish a hierarchical system, just as in the first half of the 20th century.
• In some cases, the international communist movement has mistakenly supported certain domestic regimes and forces that superficially oppose imperialism. This is actually a consequence of using the methods of the imperialist system or structure. This method allows for loopholes in evaluating the “imperial” issue and leads to erroneous conclusions, similar to Kautskyism’s “super-imperialism.”
• This method of structure or system will lead to “dependence” or, more accurately, “dependence on imperialism.” In the current global system, controlling this dependence is a one-way street from the imperialist core.
• Analyzing imperialism from a perspective of historical continuity and understanding the current process as a process in which a small number of imperialist core, mainly the ambitious United States, are trying to re-establish a hierarchical hegemony. This is a revolutionary viewpoint. Overthrowing the rule of imperialism guided by this method will inevitably lead to a political revolution, and even the establishment of socialism in a country. This method is clearly different from the method of structure or system.

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