Capitalism is a global system-it doesn't exist on a closed, national
scale, but as the economy of the entire world. ---- Production chains
are globalised to the point where a product as simple as a frozen meal
may cross several borders before it's sold. Beans from Egypt, spices
from Türkiye, and meat from Australia are cooked in factories in
England, packaged in plastic from China, and sold in a supermarket in
Ireland. ---- In each of these countries, bosses and governments exploit
workers for profit. In that process, capitalism generates crises which
can't be resolved in any one country. Wars are fought to control
resources and markets, global financial institutions punish any
government which acts against the interests of capital, and climate
change continues to threaten the survival of human civilisation.
It's not an exaggeration to say that the success of any revolution
depends squarely on internationalism. We can't wait: internationalism
has to be built now. Not just for moral reasons, but because our shared
future depends on it.
Workers of the world...?
The decline in internationalism within the workers' movement has been
disastrous. Virtually all international union bodies have no rank-
and-file participation whatsoever. Most union members don't even know
they exist. These bodies are enmeshed within the UN's International
Labour Organisation, a class collaborationist entity that involves
"tripartite" politics wherein unions join hands with employers and
governments.
Organising across borders is rarely even attempted. Today, most
"international campaigns" consist of symbolic "solidarity actions" that
have few tangible results. Real international solidarity would involve
things like workers in one part of a global production chain taking
action in support of workers in another part, or workers in different
countries fighting as one unit. In September, when European dockworkers
met in Italy to discuss a coordinated blockade of Israeli war shipments,
they were practicing this kind of internationalism.
Nationalism hurts workers within Australia's borders too. Because social
benefits are tied to visa or citizenship status, migrant workers are a
hyper-exploitable section of the working class. Rather than organise
alongside these workers, too many unions play into the ruling class's
game of division. The Australian Workers' Union, for instance, has
repeatedly lobbied governments to implement anti-migrant policies,
claiming this will "protect" members' jobs and wages. This is bullshit,
and weakens the power of the workforce. By contrast, the Maritime Union
of Australia has made a determined effort to organise migrant workers
and, in one recent example, forced an employer to guarantee permanent
residency visa pathways to their mostly migrant workforce. Their union
is now stronger as a result, and they have solid coverage in sectors of
the workforce they hadn't represented in years.
...Unite!
Australia isn't some self-sufficient island isolated from the rest of
the world. The capitalists are organised internationally, so to have any
hope of beating them, we have to be too.
For us, that means building closer links with workers in Southeast Asia,
Melanesia, China, and beyond. These links need to be established between
sibling unions, as well as anarchist communist groups. Where no
anarchist organisations exist, we need to help our comrades bring them
into being.
Where we fail to build internationalism, the threat of war grows. In
recent months, Australia has moved to integrate the army of Papua New
Guinea under its control as part of an anti-Chinese alliance. War
between Australia and China would only benefit the rulers of both
countries. In such a war, we would call for Australian and Chinese
workers to unite in class struggle against both governments.
But given where things stand, how would we actually put that into
practice? What bodies are there linking Chinese workers with Australian
workers? And if we can't unite to stop war, how can we possibly unite to
overthrow the global system of capitalism?
World revolution
Revolution won't happen all at once. Individual cities or countries will
inevitably rise up first. But whether we're prepared for it or not, the
revolution will be international.
Uprisings and revolutions are contagious. As workers in one country rise
up, workers in others tend to follow their example. Take the case of the
Arab Spring. It began with small protests in Tunisia in 2011, but before
long erupted into a region-wide revolution.
But these international struggles can't stay separated. If
revolutionaries in one country are left to fight alone, isolation and
the demands of self-defence will force them to compromise their
revolution. To import essential resources would mean retaining some
degree of private property and a commercial market.
No half measures
Not all compromises lead to defeat. But these can only ever be
temporary. To stop half-way, or think that we can build socialism in one
country, would be suicidal. Everything has to be subordinated to the
need for revolution to spread.
Workers' control over production is at the core of socialism, but
literally taking over our workplaces is only half the task. Capitalism
doesn't rule us just through our bosses, but through the world market.
To meaningfully control our labour, we need to get rid of the
money-based market economy. But this can only be done on an
international level by wiping out capitalism entirely.
We have a lot to do. The threats of global war and irreversible climate
catastrophe require urgent action. But the first step is recognising as
clearly as possible that internationalism isn't just a nice word, but a
fundamental duty.
https://ancomfed.org/2025/11/why-anarchists-are-internationalists/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
scale, but as the economy of the entire world. ---- Production chains
are globalised to the point where a product as simple as a frozen meal
may cross several borders before it's sold. Beans from Egypt, spices
from Türkiye, and meat from Australia are cooked in factories in
England, packaged in plastic from China, and sold in a supermarket in
Ireland. ---- In each of these countries, bosses and governments exploit
workers for profit. In that process, capitalism generates crises which
can't be resolved in any one country. Wars are fought to control
resources and markets, global financial institutions punish any
government which acts against the interests of capital, and climate
change continues to threaten the survival of human civilisation.
It's not an exaggeration to say that the success of any revolution
depends squarely on internationalism. We can't wait: internationalism
has to be built now. Not just for moral reasons, but because our shared
future depends on it.
Workers of the world...?
The decline in internationalism within the workers' movement has been
disastrous. Virtually all international union bodies have no rank-
and-file participation whatsoever. Most union members don't even know
they exist. These bodies are enmeshed within the UN's International
Labour Organisation, a class collaborationist entity that involves
"tripartite" politics wherein unions join hands with employers and
governments.
Organising across borders is rarely even attempted. Today, most
"international campaigns" consist of symbolic "solidarity actions" that
have few tangible results. Real international solidarity would involve
things like workers in one part of a global production chain taking
action in support of workers in another part, or workers in different
countries fighting as one unit. In September, when European dockworkers
met in Italy to discuss a coordinated blockade of Israeli war shipments,
they were practicing this kind of internationalism.
Nationalism hurts workers within Australia's borders too. Because social
benefits are tied to visa or citizenship status, migrant workers are a
hyper-exploitable section of the working class. Rather than organise
alongside these workers, too many unions play into the ruling class's
game of division. The Australian Workers' Union, for instance, has
repeatedly lobbied governments to implement anti-migrant policies,
claiming this will "protect" members' jobs and wages. This is bullshit,
and weakens the power of the workforce. By contrast, the Maritime Union
of Australia has made a determined effort to organise migrant workers
and, in one recent example, forced an employer to guarantee permanent
residency visa pathways to their mostly migrant workforce. Their union
is now stronger as a result, and they have solid coverage in sectors of
the workforce they hadn't represented in years.
...Unite!
Australia isn't some self-sufficient island isolated from the rest of
the world. The capitalists are organised internationally, so to have any
hope of beating them, we have to be too.
For us, that means building closer links with workers in Southeast Asia,
Melanesia, China, and beyond. These links need to be established between
sibling unions, as well as anarchist communist groups. Where no
anarchist organisations exist, we need to help our comrades bring them
into being.
Where we fail to build internationalism, the threat of war grows. In
recent months, Australia has moved to integrate the army of Papua New
Guinea under its control as part of an anti-Chinese alliance. War
between Australia and China would only benefit the rulers of both
countries. In such a war, we would call for Australian and Chinese
workers to unite in class struggle against both governments.
But given where things stand, how would we actually put that into
practice? What bodies are there linking Chinese workers with Australian
workers? And if we can't unite to stop war, how can we possibly unite to
overthrow the global system of capitalism?
World revolution
Revolution won't happen all at once. Individual cities or countries will
inevitably rise up first. But whether we're prepared for it or not, the
revolution will be international.
Uprisings and revolutions are contagious. As workers in one country rise
up, workers in others tend to follow their example. Take the case of the
Arab Spring. It began with small protests in Tunisia in 2011, but before
long erupted into a region-wide revolution.
But these international struggles can't stay separated. If
revolutionaries in one country are left to fight alone, isolation and
the demands of self-defence will force them to compromise their
revolution. To import essential resources would mean retaining some
degree of private property and a commercial market.
No half measures
Not all compromises lead to defeat. But these can only ever be
temporary. To stop half-way, or think that we can build socialism in one
country, would be suicidal. Everything has to be subordinated to the
need for revolution to spread.
Workers' control over production is at the core of socialism, but
literally taking over our workplaces is only half the task. Capitalism
doesn't rule us just through our bosses, but through the world market.
To meaningfully control our labour, we need to get rid of the
money-based market economy. But this can only be done on an
international level by wiping out capitalism entirely.
We have a lot to do. The threats of global war and irreversible climate
catastrophe require urgent action. But the first step is recognising as
clearly as possible that internationalism isn't just a nice word, but a
fundamental duty.
https://ancomfed.org/2025/11/why-anarchists-are-internationalists/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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