Olexi Haran at the panel "Global Left on Global War" 16.10.23

Speech by Professor Oleksiy Haran,  Research Director of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, Professor of Comparative Politics at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy,  at the Conference "CRIMEA GLOBAL. UNDERSTANDING UKRAINE THROUGH THE SOUTH"

Russia is not a socialist Soviet Union. Russia is an imperialistic dictatorship with ugly state-run capitalism. Let us remember that the impetus for creation of the First International in 1864 was the desire to create workers’ unity to demonstrate solidarity with such causes as the 1863 Polish uprising against Russian tsarism.

Lenin declared “war to death” to “Great Russian chauvinism”. At the same time, in the nationalism of the oppressed nations he saw some positive features and insisted on the unity between workers and national liberation movements.

So, whom should today’s Left support during Russia’s war against Ukraine?