Rule from Edinburgh is no better than rule from London or Brussels; it’s all capitalist rule. We cannot ever support a nationalist struggle. The logic of capitalist accumulation continually works to refashion the state as it develops and changes its needs.
In capitalist society there are two classes - the capitalist class (or bourgeoisie) and the working class (or proletariat) whose interests are diametrically opposed. The capitalist class is the ruling class everywhere. The working class are the exploited class of wage slaves, those who produce yet own nothing except their labour power, which they must sell to the capitalists for a wage to survive. This exploitation leads the working class to wage class struggle against the capitalists.
The concept of the nation is a useful device for the capitalists. It leads the workers of a particular geographical area to think they have a common interest with the capitalists of that same area, and that they have a conflict with workers in other areas. Nationalists argue that it is necessary to unite all classes within the oppressed nation against the imperialist oppressor. Nationalists tend to deny the importance of class differences within the oppressed nation, arguing that the common experience of national oppression makes class divisions unimportant, or that class is a "foreign" concept that is irrelevant. Capitalism forces us to choose: be loyal to your nation and betray your class or be loyal to your class and betray your nation. (By “nation,” the capitalist class means its own interests, of course).Thus nationalists seek to hide class differences in a quest to found an independent nation-state.
"National liberation " and “anti-imperialism" are simply versions of this same lie in radical form. It maybe hidden behind high sounding words “internationalism” or “progressive nationalism”, but in the end it is merely supporting one country against another. Society is divided into classes. What is the “right of nations to self-determination” but the right of the state, and the bourgeoisie to dominate the working class. The claim that independent from their class position, every member of a nation is on the same boat only serves to destroy the revolutionary potential of the working class by joining two antagonistic classes on an ideological level. The liberation of the working class can only be achieved by raising the flag of class struggle against every kind of national liberation struggle.
Establishing new nation-states means, in effect, establishing new capitalist states that, in turn, serve the interests of the local elite at the expense of the working class. When the working class is deceived into supporting such a movements, it means they are fighting to replace one lot of bosses with another lot. That is the only change; there is no change for the workers. Furthermore, all such movements, if they are to succeed in gaining independence from one imperialist power, can only do so by switching to another, as for example Cuba did in changing from U.S. client state to Russian client state. Many countries toppled colonialism and set up their national governments. Some overthrew puppet regimes close to the western powers through revolution or military coups and established their “independent governments.” Others nationalized their national resources, industries, banks and etc. However, the lives of people in the countries under their “national and independent governments” did not change for the better, and in some cases, they got worse. New brutal and repressive regimes replaced colonial powers. The ruling bourgeoisie elite in these countries, despite their complaints against “the unfair international economic system” continue to benefit from the same system, prosper greatly, and fill their pockets at the expense of their own people. Independent nation-states are part of the international capitalist system, a system in which the power of imperialist states continues to set the rules of the game. The local capitalists soon find themselves unable to fundamentally challenge the domination of foreign capital and instead set about trying to advance their own interests within the overall framework of capitalism. In practice, the most effective way for the local ruling classes to develop local capitalism is to crush labour in order to be able to sell cheap raw materials and manufactured goods on the world market.
Nor did the ascendancy of these new governments hamper the ability of the US and other world powers from dictating their will on the people of the world. Many “anti-imperialist" countries maintained close ties with the US and the West, often acting as their proxies, hoping, eventually, to graduate to imperialist status themselves.
Local cultural identity peculiar to geographical areas is used as a part of the statist ideology of nationalism. While borders are becoming more porous to the movement of goods and capital, they are becoming more controlled in terms of the movement of people. This works to capital’s advantage as capital needs to control and divide labor in order to increase exploitation. Without borders the poor could move from the third world where the rate of capitalist exploitation is highest and to areas where the living standards of the working class are much higher. Thus nationalism actually works hand-in-hand with capitalism to insure the maintenance of borders and the control and division of labor.
To all militant activists who honestly wish to fight for working class interests, but who have illusions in nationalism we say: Abandon these ideas - socialism is the movement of the working class for its own historic interests. We reject all forms of nationalism, as this only serves to redefine divisions in the international working class. Working people must unite across national borders. We say that workers have no interest in dying on behalf of “their” countries, no interests in fighting beneath a “their” national flags. The working class has no country and national boundaries must be eliminated. We seek to build a global movement to work with other socialists throughout the world. Only socialism can lead to the social revolution necessary for the re-construction of the world. Social revolution, socialism, and eventually communism are an effect of the anarchist struggle. If we struggle for nationalism or reformism we lose sight of the socialist struggle. Capitalism must maintain divisions in order to preserve itself, and socialists must create unity to destroy capitalism. Socialist revolution can only come from within the masses themselves and when the masses organise themselves to struggle. The socialist focus is to link their struggles to other worker's struggle thus creating solidarity and mutual aid. We have to win workers away from any form of nationalist ideology and to a socialist understanding of the world. This is a long process of building today, one by one, but these ones will hopefully become multitudes.The workers interests are humanity's interests. Socialism is not inevitable; it can only be won if we organise and fight for it. There is only one world. The internet allows people to communicate from anywhere on the planet in seconds. Our rulers insist that people in different nations have little in common. Socialists say the opposite is true.The division of the globe is not between the West and the Third World but between those above and those below.
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