Six Errors Made by Anarchists About National Self-Determination

by Wayne Price

There are various debates among anarchists. One of the biggest controversies is over “national self-determination”/“national liberation”/“anti-imperialism.” This debate has become particularly intense over the Ukrainian-Russian war and the Palestinian-Israeli war. Some anarchists, such as myself, have supported the Ukrainians and the Palestinians on the basis of national self-determination. Many other anarchists have rejected support for the Ukrainians—and some, support for the Palestinians. They deny any right of national self-determination. Some even deny the reality of imperialism; they are anti-anti-imperialists.

Anarchists Support Self-Determination for Ukraine

From Anarkismo by Wayne Price

Alex Alder wrote an article, “British Anarchism Succumbs to War Fever.” (Alder 2023) He was unhappy that many British, Eastern European, and other anarchists were supporting the Ukrainian people against the imperialist Russian invasion. I argued against his view in, “Are Anarchists Giving in to War Fever? In Defense of Anarchists Who Support the Ukrainian People.” (Price 2023)

My article was republished on the website of the Czech Anarchist Federation. Then Tridni Valka (Class War), another Czech anarchist grouping, wrote an angry response, denouncing my (and the Anarchist Federation’s) support for the Ukrainian people’s resistance. (Tridni Valka 2023) “The delay in our brief response can only be explained by the fact that it took us a long time to recover from [Wayne Price’s] text…” This is my response, in which I will try to cover key aspects of their argument.

For Irish Freedom & Working Class Power!

“If you remove the English army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organization of the Socialist Republic your efforts would be in vain. England would still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial and individualist institutions she has planted in this country and watered with the tears of our mothers and the blood of our martyrs.”
-James Connolly, Irish Republican & Labor Leader

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