For the first time since the collapse of the New Communist Movement, socialism is again on the rise in the United States. New radicals, particularly from Occupy and #BlackLivesMatter, are for the first time articulating political expression and increasingly becoming critical of capitalism, white supremacy, and militarism. A self-professed socialist gained thousands or even millions of followers in his 2016 presidential campaign, and a social-democratic organization’s ranks have swelled to the tens of thousands. In the wake of the Trump election victory, even more layers of new radicals are being drawn into the orbit of the Left. However, revolutionary Marxism remains marginal in terms of its popularity among the proletariat.
In a post-USSR world dominated by U.S. imperialism, we find ourselves at an impasse. We can continue to operate on the basis of outdated Cold War politics, or we can look forward and develop a new Marxism for our conjuncture.
The purpose of this blog is to facilitate dialogue between non-sectarian, anti-dogmatist Marxists to develop theory, strategy, and analysis. While we are based in the United States, we are internationalists, and thus do not want to limit this dialogue to our “home” country. Who are we? We’re nobody. We simply wish to make our small contribution towards creating dialogue around strategy and theory.
While we have contributed the first essay, we are officially open for submissions. This blog has no “official political line,” nor does publication of any piece imply wholesale endorsement by this blog’s hosts. We wish to create an eclectic, pan-Marxist space for good-faith debate and discussion. As such, we are unlikely to publish articles wholly outside of the Marxist tradition. Additionally, we will not publish pieces that contain egregious chauvinism or argue in bad faith.
Submissions can be responses to articles on our site, original arguments, polemics, etc. There is no minimum word count, but we are looking to publish thoughtful, well-intentioned pieces that engage with the Marxist left in a constructive manner. While we are not opposed to publishing pieces of a theoretical nature, we are looking specifically for pieces that are grounded in concrete struggle and questions of strategy and tactics.
We hope that this blog can serve as a tool for further dialogue with the intention of building inroads between Marxists, socialists, and communists of various tendencies and traditions.
The goal of this particular essay is to provoke discussion on strategy and practice for the revolutionary left in the U.S. today, as well as to engage with the Marxist-Leninist trend regarding what we believe to be its strengths and weaknesses. We welcome criticism, commentary, and general engagement with this essay in the spirit of comradely discussion.
If you would like to make a submission, you can email us at theleftwindblog@gmail.com. Please pitch your idea or send a draft if you have one.
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