Chapter II: Imperialism — The Primary Contradiction

Imperialism is the organizing logic of our world: a system that can only be observed indirectly, through the empty plates and bare feet of the global majority, the bombs sent to keep them docile, the destruction of forests, and the expansion of Western culture into all corners of our world.

Imperialism is capitalism in its international dimension. It is a process through which some accumulate ever-greater shares of our land and resources at the expense of others. But what, exactly, do we refer to when we talk about imperialism? Why do some deny that it continues to exist? Why is it essential to understand it in order to build a winning political strategy? And what is the future of imperialism as we enter what is sometimes referred to as the “multipolar” era — one in which the hegemony of the United States and the broader West begins to decline.

In this Chapter:

• Unit 1: Imperialism — Then and now
• Unit 2: The National Question
• Unit 3: Imperialism’s Pyrrhic Victories and the New World Order
• Unit 4: The Accumulation of Waste
• Unit 5: Imperialism and International Law
• Unit 6: Sanctions as Warfare
• Unit 7: Delinking from the Dollar
• Unit 8: Global Fascism