06/01/2026
Why do communists oppose imperialism?
Capitalism must expand, the accumulation of wealth and its reinvestment into even greater accumulation is a fundamental law of the economic system. For the more "developed" capitalist countries, this growth cannot be contained by national borders, and instead seeks to spread itself abroad through ruthless economic domination - imperialism.
Donald Trump, a man of little nuance or subtlety, has made the violence at the heart of capitalism clear for all to see. While his White House associates were attempting to run cover for this act of naked aggression with claims of "authoritarianism" and "narcoterrorism", Trump's focus has been mostly on seizing Venezuelan oil reserves, with stated plans to give them to American businesses to heavily invest and "start making money for the country".
The people of Venezuela will see no return on this act of "charity" of course, and neither will ordinary people in America or indeed Britain. The goal is exploitation, with the only beneficiaries being the most powerful members of the capitalist class.
And yet, Keir Starmer once again demonstrates the cowardice of his administration, with the self-proclaimed "advocate of international law" refusing to condemn this eggregious attack on Venezuelan national sovreignty in any way, shape, or form.
The Young Communist League are not cowards. And neither are the people of Manchester, who on Monday evening braved the cold in St Peter's Square to express their total and absolute condemnation of American violence. We demand that the Starmer government join the calls of the people of both Britain and Venezuela and also condemn the criminality of America's actions.
HANDS OFF VENEZUELA, NO TO YANKEE BLOODLUST! 🇻🇪🕊️☭
Read the statement of our international department here:
https://ycl.org.uk/2026/01/03/hands-off-venezuala-no-to-yankee-bloodlust/