The unity of the revolutionary marxists around the world moves forward
The congress of the International Trotskyist Opposition (ITO), held in Rimini on May 23-25, decided by a large majority to dissolve itself in order to join the International Socialist League (LIS). This is a step forward for the unity of consistent Trotskyists around the world.
The decision taken by the ITO is consistent with its basic approach. The ITO was a small international organization (present in Italy, the US, Denmark, Britain, France, and Hungary) of which the PCL was the main section. It has always fought for international revolutionary regroupment around a common general framework of program and principles of all organizations and tendencies that share this program, regardless of their different origins, on the basis of Leninist democratic centralism. This approach is diametrically opposed to the absurd logic of fragmentation into many small, self-centered international factions that has unfortunately marked so much of the Trotskyist movement, even in its revolutionary wing.
The agreement of the ITO and the LIS came about on this basis. The LIS is an international revolutionary Marxist organization present in 40 countries around the world, on all continents but Antarctica. It was formed in 2019 from an international regroupment, on a common programmatic basis, of organizations with different histories and origins, starting with the strong Argentine Socialist Workers’ Movement (MST), coming from the “Morenist” tradition, and Struggle, a large Pakistani organization coming from the “Grant/Woods” tradition. Its rapid development has also involved the winning over of organizations that have broken with Stalinism, such as the Kenyan and Lebanese sections of the LIS, both born out of a split in the youth wings of the “communist” parties of their respective countries.
Two years of intense political debate with the LIS have allowed us to verify not only our common programmatic basis and method of construction, but also a common analysis of the world in all its decisive aspects, starting from an understanding of the clash between old and new imperialist powers as the key to interpreting the international scene. The joint statement on the complex crisis in Ukraine, against the invasion by Russian imperialism and against the imperialist partition of the country; the joint statement on the Palestinian question, for the revolutionary destruction of the Zionist state; the joint statement on the Indo-Pakistani war, in favor of a bilateral defeatist approach; the common battle against imperialist rearmament and all war economies, have measured not only the same basic position on the main world events, but also the ability to correctly apply the Leninist approach in all its articulations. Against any campist or semi-campist position. Against any subordination to “imperialist” pacifism. Against any anti-Leninist denial of the national rights of oppressed peoples.
The same applies to the common general line of intervention in the class struggle, in trade unions, in the feminist and trans movements, in the environmental movement: to bring the immediate demands of every class or progressive movement back to the revolutionary perspective of workers’ government, against any subordination to reformist, petty-bourgeois, and classless approaches. Hence, the centrality of transitional demands and the transitional method. It is no coincidence that the ITO congress recorded total convergence with the LIS on the line of intervention on the gender question, starting from the rich discussion on the important document drawn up by our comrades, which was approved by the congress.
The ITO’s joining the LIS is all the more important because it is not an isolated event. The League for the Fifth International (L5I), coming from the tradition of the British Workers Power and now present in several countries (Germany, Britain, Sweden, Pakistan…), has also been involved in the prospect of its joining the LIS, sharing with the LIS and the ITO the joint statements mentioned above and the political debate that accompanied them. Hence, the “optimistic prediction” made by the L5I delegation present at our congress regarding the prospect of its entry into the LIS in the near future.
Not only that. The successful confluence of the ITO and the LIS and the highly probable confluence of the L5I, finally bucking the trend of sectarian fragmentation, may in turn multiply the attractiveness of the LIS to other important revolutionary organizations in different countries and continents. Organizations that in several cases have already expressed their attention and positive judgment on the ongoing regroupment process. The aim of the LIS is not to preserve itself, but to work towards the construction of a new revolutionary International as an alternative leadership of the class vanguard in the world. “Bringing together the best of the different traditions of Trotskyism to build a new tradition together” is the declared aim of the LIS and, at the same time, a necessary step forward for the perspective of the new International.
The ITO’s joining the LIS is ultimately a fact of extreme importance for the Communist Workers’ Party. It is a further motivation for our militant organization and for the relaunch of its capacity for aggregation and growth. For this reason, today we appeal to all comrades who share our project to strengthen the PCL as the new Italian section of the International Socialist League. The time is now. We invite our adherents (supporters) to become militants (members) and thus to participate fully in the World Congress of the LIS to be held at the end of 2025. We invite our many contacts and sympathizers to set aside any reservations and join the PCL in whichever form they choose.
The prospect of building a new revolutionary International has taken an important step forward. Let us walk this new path together.
Partito Comunista dei Lavoratori
