WORLD
Written by IWL _ International Workers League
Thursday, 20 March 2014 21:11
In early April it will take place the Eleventh World Congressof the Workers International League-Fourth International (IWL-FI). Hence, 32 years after its founding, the IWL sections in 25 countries are engaged in a largeprocess of study and discussion of the main documents presented for this Congress and will soon elect the delegates for the event.
Just over five years ago the capitalist crisis exploded worldwide, one of the deepest in its history. Workers and popular sectors fiercely resisted the brutal attacks on their living conditions perpetrated bythe capitalist governments, opening a period of great political instability marked by turmoil, wars,governments’ overthrow and revolutions in several regions of the planet.
The reality itself in turn, has been showing the lack of an alternative of a revolutionary leadership with powerful masses influence that showed the path to a working and popular solution of the crisis, which could be able tolead the workers and the people to the seizure of power in any country of the world. This remains a major task towards which this Congress intends to move forward.
Nevertheless, despite our weaknesses, the IWL has been strengthened in the last period. From Turkey to the Spanish State, in Europe, in the revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East, the new Latin American processes, the IWL sections fight battles after battles to give a revolutionary answer to this new reality. This is also expressed in the growth of its parties, both in quantity and in quality and political influence in its intervention. And these improvements, in turn, place our International and its parties before even greater responsibilities.
So, it is not a one more Congress. The world situation has been changing and the IWL has been advancing – with lots of weaknesses – in the heat of these changes.
The strengthening of our European sections, whetherin Italy, or in Spain and Portugal, just to mention the places of greatest intervention, that are the vanguard of the clashes against the squeezing imperialist plans is a fact.
The “focusing attention on Europe”, passed by the previous World Congress, was achieved and in this congress it is expected it will be consolidated, going ahead the construction of a political program for the entire European continent.
For the first time in its history, the IWL is taking its first steps in building up its grounds in North Africa and the in Middle East. The revolutions in Tunisia just over three years ago changed the whole political map, overthrowing 40-year-old dictatorships and undermining the imperialist domination throughout the region. What has been occurring in Egypt and the supporting to the Syria revolution – where IWL has stood out and has been progressing in its construction – are central issues to be resolved in the next Congress.
It is also important to highlight that the IWL managed to settle in the “black Africa”, after the Popular Senegalese League (LPS) joined as a sympathizing section. Their participation in the next Congress will be a real milestone in the history of our International.
We also have the challenge to deeply understand the changes in the political situation in Latin America, where the IWL has more tradition and forces buildup. We are witnessing the beginning of a regional uprising, marked by the beginning of the rupture of mass sectors with the “popular front” governments which had been consolidated with high prestige among the masses in the last decade, after the revolutionary overthrow of neoliberal governments in the late 90s of the last century. This process has been encouraging the political and trade union reorganization, causing disruptions that go to the Left, as shown by the emergence of IPT in Bolivia, the historic vote of the Left and Workers Front (FIT) in Argentina and the growth of PSTU and CSP-Conlutas in Brazil.
The core point for discussion in the next Congress is precisely the situation in Brazil. Unlike the previous period, the Latin American giant has awakened with June, 2013 mobilizations and nothing will ever be as before. Brazil is one of the world’s major economies, with the highest concentration of the working class in the region and one of the largest in the world. And therein, as it does not occur elsewhere in the world, it is where there is a real possibility of developing a revolutionary leadership alternative with influence among the working class sectors, to fight for seizing power during this new stage.
These are, neither more nor less, the challenges the working class movement and the revolutionaries have before them. An important part of what will come depends on the success of the XI World Congress of IWL. That’s why we invite you to join us in this journey. So that, this time, the crisis be paid by those who caused it, the bankers and multinationals, and not the workers and people of our countries.