Marxism is a living and dynamic tradition that is continually enriched in the light of the experience of the class struggle. Enriching this tradition on the basis of the achievements and lessons of the class struggle makes discussion, criticism and polemic among internationalists indispensable. From this perspective, political polemic is an important form of solidarity with and support for communist tendencies. This is also one of the important lessons we have inherited from the tradition of Bilan and, more broadly, from the tradition of the Communist Left.

The proletarian movement cannot take effective steps forward in the class struggle without political clarity. Internationalists must participate actively and dynamically in debates and, through polemic, contribute to clarifying the positions and orientations within the proletarian political milieu. Such clarity can only be achieved through the open and frank confrontation of differing viewpoints, mutual criticism and political polemic.

In this polemic, we emphasise the proletarian and communist character of the tendencies with which we are engaging in debate. For this reason, we never forget that those with whom we are polemicising are comrades, sisters and brothers who consider themselves part of the tradition of the Communist Left. Therefore, despite the seriousness and frankness of our criticisms, the language of this polemic remains comradely and within the framework of communist solidarity. Our sole aim is to clarify political and theoretical differences and to contribute to deepening our common understanding of communist tasks in the class struggle.

For this reason, the text of this polemic was made available to the comrades concerned prior to publication. This is important to us because a political polemic can only lead to a fruitful outcome when it is based on an accurate understanding of the positions of both sides, rather than on misunderstanding, misinterpretation or the attribution of positions that the other side has not adopted.

The aim of every communist polemic should be to achieve greater clarity within the proletarian political milieu. A polemic that, instead of clarifying positions, adds to confusion cannot be said to have fulfilled its purpose. We therefore hope that this polemic, too, will be a step towards greater clarity within the proletarian political milieu and towards strengthening the internationalist and communist struggle.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Imperialist War and the Communist Left
• Referencing Sources: A Requirement of Marxist Methodology
• The Party’s Analysis of the Causes of the War in the Middle East
• The Marxist Concept of Social Revolution
• Class Struggle: The Motor of History
• Portraying Popular Protests as Class Struggle
• Sanctions: An Instrument of Imperialist Hegemony
• The Immediate Defeat of the Bourgeoisie Without Class Struggle
• Trade Unions: Part of the Capitalist State
• The Alleged Example of a Class Union
• A Compass or a Source of Confusion in the Turkish Workers’ Movement?
• The Kurdish Question: Class Analysis or Obfuscation?
• The Left of Capital
• Reducing the Revolutionary Organisation to a Passive Role
• The Communist Left
• Appendix “A”
• Appendix “B”
• Appendix “C”
• Appendix “D”
• Basic Positions:

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