The military invasion of February 24 shocked the world. While the Russian armed forces are destroying entire cities and killing civilians in Ukraine, the militaristic hysteria within Russia has been matched by total censorship and stiffening repression.
After months of the most extensive media coverage and commentators attention some fundamental questions about this war remain unanswered. Why did this war begin? Why is it so hard to stop? What is the basis of its support in Russia? And most importantly, what will happen afterwards.
To answer these questions, emotion, moral preaching, or geopolitical speculation are not enough. Far more clarity can be gained by examining the structural socio-economic underpinnings of Putin’s regime and analyzing the myths its propaganda has endlessly reproduced.
The ideology and practice of imperialism in contemporary Russia are inextricably linked to enormous material inequality and the disempowerment of workers. This connection, however, remains unconsidered even among many opponents of the war. As socialists, we are convinced that the leftist position is capable of offering an explanation of what is going on, but more importantly it could help to build a broad and democratic anti-war movement.
This is why we have opened Posle (“after” in Russian), a platform for political reflection on this criminal war, its preconditions and consequences. Posle welcomes scholars, journalists, activists, and eyewitnesses, and is open to everyone who seeks to understand the present and to imagine the future.
