We can no longer afford to allow these imperialists to dominate the world and to determine the destiny of humanity. They need to be overthrown as quickly as possible.

—Bob Avakian, The Bob Avakian Interviews

One year ago this Friday, February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine.

In the past year, tens and possibly hundreds of thousands of people have died in the war in Ukraine. Millions more have been turned into refugees. While this war officially began with Russia’s criminal invasion, the conflict is an extension of intensifying inter-imperial rivalry between the U.S.-NATO and Russia, including the post-Cold War expansion of the NATO military alliance into countries bordering or close to Russia. The U.S. and its NATO allies seized on Russia's invasion as an opportunity to use the Ukrainian army as a proxy in its rivalry with Russia for control of Europe, and beyond.

Both sides are now preparing for further offensives, as the U.S. and NATO pour billions more in military aid into the war and “provide” Ukraine with deep intelligence and major strategic planning. Biden himself has spoken of the threat of a “nuclear Armageddon” and, as both sides escalate and no end is in sight, the outcome of this slaughter is becoming increasingly uncertain and ever more dangerous.

During this same time, the U.S. has made major moves against China. Though calling itself socialist, China has over the past four decades been transformed into an imperialist power that is now contending globally with the U.S. This past year, Biden has four times threatened to send U.S. troops to defend the island of Taiwan against any Chinese military incursion—even as Taiwan is recognized by most of the world as part of China and even as the U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country. Biden also pushed legislation through Congress that amounts to economic warfare against China. Now, with the shooting down of a Chinese air balloon that was over the U.S., the warlike rhetoric and behavior from the U.S. has escalated.

Yet the people in the U.S. remain silent in the face of both of these developments—developments which literally risk the future of humanity!

This must change, and radically. On February 24, the first “anniversary” of the Ukraine War, the revcoms will announce a critically important initiative to begin to make that change.