From March 10 to 14, the Second Congress of the International Socialist League was held in Barcelona. During five intense days of debate, delegates and guests from 25 countries on five continents analyzed the political situation and the class struggle in the world, and the opportunities and challenges that revolutionaries face. It concluded by voting on different documents, resolutions and campaigns that synthesize the political elaboration of the ISL sections, enriched by the discussion in the event, and a new International Executive Committee.
The historic installations of the Xanascat Alberg Xanascat, with its beautiful panoramic view of the city of Barcelona saw the arrival of delegations representing the Americas, from the continent’s Southern Cone to the United States, passing through Central America, Western and Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Many others connected online, where dozens of leaders from all sections and sympathizing organizations also followed the event.
A congress presidium was formed with Alejandro Bodart from the Argentine MST and Imran Kamyana from The Struggle of Pakistan (both members of the ISL coordination), Chaia Ahmed Baba from the Western Sahara youth and Ezra Otieno from the Revolutionary Socialist League (RSL) Kenya to launch the event.
The representativeness of the delegations that participated, the level of debate and the tasks and leadership that was elected reflect the growth and progress of the ISL throughout the year that has passed since the First Congress in late 2021. Our organization managed to pass the test of the war, deploying a principled policy and a series of high-impact initiatives and campaigns, such as the one carried out for the freedom of prisoners in Nicaragua, all of which has allowed us to strengthen our organizations in each country and incorporate new organizations. We close our II Congress with more energy to take on the challenges that lie ahead and achieve a new leap in the development of our parties and international.
The world situation was discussed on the first day of the Congress. The world document draft was enriched by the report, the debate and various contributions that showed a high level of agreement on the perspective of a world crossed by the systemic crisis of capitalism, the growing social and political polarization, the sharpening of inter-imperialist competition since the Ukrainian war and important opportunities for the building of revolutionary parties throughout the world.
The second day began with the session on the global economic crisis. The report and discussion deepened our analysis and perspectives of the systemic crisis of capitalism.
Afterward, the session on the Ukrainian war and the situation in Eastern Europe took place. The report by Oleg Vernyk from the ISL coordination and the Ukrainian Socialist League (USL), and the debate, deepened our analysis of the war and the resistance of the Ukrainian people against Putin’s invasion, as well as the debates with sectors of the campist left that capitulates to Russian imperialism. The independent and class based policy that the ISL has been developing in support of the Ukrainian resistance, for the withdrawal of Russian troops and the dissolution of NATO, was reaffirmed.
The debate was enriched by the interventions of USL comrades who are fighting on the front lines and of Belarusian ISL comrades and union leaders Roman and Maxim, present at the meeting, who contributed to our understanding of the difficult situation people are experiencing under the Lukashenko dictatorship, and of the perspective that could open for the working class in Eastern Europe with the possible victory of the Ukrainian masses. A comprehensive resolution on politics and intervention in the war, developed by the ISL coordination and enriched by the debate was agreed on.
Europe and America were discussed on the third day. The session on Europe counted with the insightful interventions of the comrades of L’Étincelle current that is leading the formation of a new NPA in France, and the comrades of the ISL United Kingdom. A central point of the debate was about the strikes that shake those two countries and invigorated the global situation with the irruption of the powerful European working class.
The second session began with a report on Latin America and the intervention of comrades from the US Tempest Collective. The ongoing rebellion in Peru was a central topic in the discussion, as were the important advances in the construction of the ISL with the unification of our organizations in Brazil to launch the new Socialist Revolution party, the upcoming unification of our organizations in Colombia and the progress in Central America since the trip of the International Commission for the Life and Liberty of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua, reflected in the presence of comrades from various countries in the region.
The fourth day had an intense agenda, with sessions on the Middle East, Africa and Asia. comrades from the ISL Turkey and Lebanon opened the session with reports focused on the people’s and working class rebellion in Iran, the Palestinian struggle against the Zionist State of Israel and its new fascist government and the situation opened in Turkey after the devastating earthquake that shook the south of the country and Syria.
Comrades from Kenya, Tanzania and Western Sahara opened the session on Africa. All of them are young leaders, representatives of the broad radicalized vanguard that has grown throughout the continent since the rebellions of the Arab Spring and provide a great opportunity for the ISL to expand its presence in Africa. The discussion included texts for debating African socialism and revolutionary pan-Africanism presented by the RSL comrades; the Njaa (Hunger) Revolution Campaign that they promote in Kenya for the control of prices and distribution of food; the sharp expressions of gender oppression that we must combat on the continent; the struggle of the Saharawi people against the Moroccan occupation and the solidarity campaign of the ISL. Above all, Congress participants discussed how to better take advantage of the opportunities to strengthen and expand the ISL, resolving to organize the first Pan-African ISL Congress with organizations from a dozen countries with whom our comrades are in touch.
The session on Asia point was kicked off by comrades of The Struggle from Pakistan. The discussion focused on the political situation and opportunities throughout the Indian subcontinent and the complex situation in Afghanistan since the withdrawal of US imperialism and the Taliban takeover.
On the last day of the congress, the sessions on the environmental movement and the orientation and leadership of the ISL were held. The environment session resolved a campaign to intervene in the COP30 that will possibly take place in Brazil in 2025 and the organization of a second ISL World Socio-environmental Forum.
Afterward, the documents on the world situation, economic crisis, Europe and Latin America, and the resolutions on Ukraine, Africa, Gender, Environment, Palestine, Nicaragua and Belarus were voted and approved.
Finally, the Congress discussed an assessment of the ISL’s activity in this year marked by the profound changes brought about by the war in Ukraine, and its orientation for the following period. Despite the complex debates that the war introduced in the world revolutionary left, the ISL has expanded in this period, with incorporations and unifications in various regions, and came out of the congress strengthened. The Congress reaffirmed the project of uniting currents from different traditions based on revolutionary principles and a healthy method of fraternal discussion and joint action in campaigns.
The congress closed with the election of a new coordination with incorporations, the creation of an International Gender Commission and the approval of various initiatives. Among them, the edition of a new issue of Permanent Revolution, the ISL’s magazine, and its quarterly regularity, to be printed and distributed in all the countries and languages where we work in; the first ISL Pan-African Congress; an international seminar on economics to deepen the analysis of the world crisis, the role of China and the development of the inter-imperialist competition; the second ISL World Socio-environmental Forum; an international forum on Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to develop the debates around these processes; and international solidarity campaigns for Ukraine, Nicaragua, political prisoners in Belarus, and the Njaa Revolution in Kenya, among others.
The delegates and guests who participated in the event left the Xanascat with renewed energy and enthusiasm to return to their countries to intervene in the dynamic class struggle and build the revolutionary parties and International that we need to advance in, once and for all, resolving the crisis of revolutionary leadership of the global working class. That is the ISL’s project, which has taken an important leap in this congress.
Below are the documents and resolutions adopted:
Contribution to the debate on the world situation. Towards more crises, wars and revolutions
Resolution on the war in Ukraine
The global economy in its labyrinth. A road map
Resolution on the socio-environmental movement. Policy and orientation
The socio-environmental expression of the civilizational crisis. Topics for discussion
Resolution on Gender Struggles and Revolutionary Politics
The situation in Latin America. Analysis, politics and tasks of the ISL
Europe, among war, crisis and social struggles
Resolution on imprisoned Belarusian labor activists
Resolution on Palestine and the State of Israel
