National Self-Determination

From Black Flag Anarchist Review by Wayne Price

Of all the questions dividing anarchists and other libertarian socialists, perhaps the most contentious is that of national self-determination. In recent years this has become a particularly fraught issue with the resistance of the Palestinians to Israeli domination, and, even more, the defensive war of the Ukrainians against the Russian state’s invasion. The question became even more immediate with the U.S./Israeli assault on Iran. Many deny that anarchists can support the efforts of oppressed peoples for independence from imperialist domination.

by Wayne Price

There are various debates among anarchists. One of the biggest controversies is over “national self-determination”/“national liberation”/“anti-imperialism.” This debate has become particularly intense over the Ukrainian-Russian war and the Palestinian-Israeli war. Some anarchists, such as myself, have supported the Ukrainians and the Palestinians on the basis of national self-determination. Many other anarchists have rejected support for the Ukrainians—and some, support for the Palestinians. They deny any right of national self-determination. Some even deny the reality of imperialism; they are anti-anti-imperialists.

by Wayne Price

Bill Beech has continued his polemics against those who support the Ukrainians in the Ukrainian-Russian war. In his view, anarchists should oppose both sides in the war, especially the Ukrainian side. Aside from name-calling, his arguments usually amount to showing that the Ukrainian capitalist state acts like a capitalist state, and that U.S. imperialism acts imperialist. I will discuss a couple of topics which I think are at the center of our dispute. They may be of interest even to those who have not read Beech’s paper.

From The Anarchist Library by Wayne Price

Lessons for Anarchists Considering the Ukrainian War

There is a debate among anarchists in the U.S. and internationally about the proper approach to the Ukrainian war with the Russian state. Some (such as myself) express solidarity with the Ukrainian people against the invasion by the Russian Federation. (The “Ukrainian people” are mostly the working class, lower middle class, farmers, and the poor.) Others reject support for the Ukrainians. Ukraine, they point out, has a capitalist economy, has a state, is a nation, and gets aid from U.S. imperialism and its NATO allies (all of which is true).