Socialist Principles on the War Between US-Israel and Iran

 Mahmut Boyuneğmez

1. Distinguishing the State from the People: Socialists do not address capital states, but the working people of those countries. In war, one must stand with the people of Iran, not the Iranian state.
2. Rejecting Both Capitalist Blocs: This war is between a "modernist" masked Zionist religious state/US imperialist rogue state and a "theocratic" Mollar regime. Both are capitalist; socialists do not choose one over the other.
3. The Politics of the Third Front: While opposing imperialist aggression (US-Israel), one must simultaneously struggle against the current oppressive Mollar regime. The people must establish their own independent political line—the Third Front—outside these two reactionary poles.
4. Moving Beyond Diplomatic Condemnation: Instead of passive "diplomatic condemnation" (politisicism), a practical resistance based on the self-power of the working people must be demonstrated in every country.
5. Stand Against Opportunism and Social-Chauvinism: Siding with one's own bourgeois state (as seen in the 2nd International) is a betrayal. Desiring the victory of the Iranian state is not a socialist duty, but an opportunist deviation.
6. Patriotism vs. Nationalism: Socialist patriotism is the protection of the people and labor of that land; it is not the defense of the regime or the interests of the ruling class (nationalism).
7. Class Solidarity: The working classes of Israel-US and Iran are not enemies, but victims of the same system of exploitation. War is a clash of capital carried out over the blood of workers' children.
8. People's Resistance in Case of Invasion: In the event of a direct territorial invasion, it is essential for the people to defend their own living space and future (Homeland Defense) through their own power and organizations, not for the survival of the state.
9. Principle of Class Independence: The working class must not fall into the trap of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and become an appendage to local reactionaries or dictatorships while fighting imperialism.
10. Internationalist Defeatism: Revolutionaries in warring countries must act on the principle of "stopping the ruling class and the war machine in your own country first." Victory is found in international class solidarity, not the victory of one's own state.
11. The Class Character of the Demand for Peace: The demand for peace must be organized not just as the silencing of guns, but as the exposure of the capitalist-imperialist system and the raising of the slogan: "Peace to the Peoples, War on the Palaces!"
12. Right to Self-Determination for Regional Peoples: The future of Middle Eastern peoples will be determined neither by imperialist lies of "bringing democracy" nor by regional theocracies. The solution lies in the workers seizing power and building a Socialist Federation of the Middle East.
13. Linking with Women's and Oppressed Identities' Struggles: The struggle for women's liberation or the demands of oppressed national identities (as seen in Iran) cannot be detached from the anti-imperialist struggle; these are essential elements of the socialist revolution.
14. Continuation of Social Movements in Iran: The social struggle in Iran must not lose momentum due to war; strikes, boycotts, and uprisings must continue. The organizational capacity of the masses must be increased under revolutionary guidance.
15. Concrete Anti-Militarist Action: Concrete strikes and boycotts must be organized against war budgets, weapon factories, and logistics lines. "Stopping the war" is a practical class duty, not a passive slogan.
16. Relevance of Historical Lessons: It is the duty of every socialist to remember the betrayal of parties that fell for social-chauvinism in WWI and to carry the internationalist spirit of the Zimmerwald and Kienthal conferences to the present.
17. Organizational Expression of Proletarian Internationalism: Even under war conditions, it is necessary to establish coordination committees among revolutionary workers of different countries, issue joint declarations, and form the kernels of the future Socialist Federation.
18. Revolutionary Role of Youth and Women: The drafting of youth and women into the front under the lie of "homeland defense" must be opposed. Their demands for freedom must be merged with an anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist line.
19. No Peace Without Overthrowing the Capitalist-Imperialist System: Lasting peace and the liberation of peoples are only possible through the worldwide overthrow of capitalism; socialists must highlight this goal in every development.
20. Struggle Against Ideological Hegemony and Media Deception: Against the nationalist hysteria and black propaganda of both camps, the independent media of the working class must be strengthened. The truth—that the real enemy is the exploiters both "inside" and "outside"—must be brought to the masses.