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Title: Solutions from the left Author: Denis Sultangaliev Date: 11 March 2022 Language: en Topics: war, Ukraine, leftism Source: Retrieved on 14th March 2022 from https://www.nihilist.li/2022/03/11/solutions-from-the-left-ideas-for-the-post-war-reconstruction/
This war that is affecting everyone has also united Ukrainians of
completely different views. At the frontline and in the volunteer rear,
in hospitals and in the diaspora – Ukrainian liberals, socialists,
nationalists, anarchists, fascists, and above all people without
ideological affiliation – are fighting imperialism. This is happening
not because national identity is more important than a worldview, but
because the ontological danger hangs over everyone equally. We all
understand that if Ukraine is defeated, Putinism will destroy the very
possibility of ideological distinctions, obliging us to follow its
necrophilic truths.
However, we leftists should continue to look a step ahead and, in
addition to our anti-imperialist struggle today, think about structural
steps that could ensure the security of the Ukrainian economy. Martial
law and left-wing economic initiatives coexist harmoniously because
these ideas can be effective in the short-term, and war in return
legitimizes them even in the eyes of people who do not share them in
peacetime. The ideas that will be voiced here are not radical for
wartime. Most of them have already been mentioned in the Ukrainian
discourse: some at the level of parliament, some at the level of
petitions.
of Ukraine has already been passed by the Ukrainian Parliament. However,
it is worth noting that since most of the confiscated assets were owned
for commercial purposes by the holders, most of them are profitable. The
Left must defend public ownership of all confiscated assets that can be
profitable while in this form of ownership.
period, we will face an enormous necessity of subsidies for the
reconstruction of strategic and infrastructure facilities and various
social programs. To avoid attracting investments through regular
privatization, in addition to direct assistance from the West, it will
be necessary to release such a significant part of budget funds as they
go to pay off foreign debt. Given the extraordinary nature of the
situation in which Ukraine finds itself, for the Western world, such a
step will not be a manifestation of some extreme generosity but an
utterly normal demonstration of solidarity, which is not limited to
words and actions with excessive caution.
infrastructure. In addition to budget funding and grants from
international partners, another thing we can do is to create a fund
sponsored by wealthy Ukrainian entrepreneurs and corporations. We should
hold on to the collective aggravation of the sense of justice and
develop it comprehensively in the postwar period. In particular this
will give us rhetorical space to argue why the reconstruction of
infrastructure should also be the responsibility of wealthy members of
society, and not solely depend on Russian reparations and budgetary
funds. In addition to funding sources, it is necessary to articulate the
role of urban planning in the reconstruction of infrastructure. This is
the moment when urbanism can finally take on the image of a necessary
and practical discipline in the eyes of society.
housing crisis that has arisen due to internal migration. The
implementation of this idea is possible at the level of local
communities and administrations. In addition, in the context of the
wartime housing crisis, some politicians who are far from the ideas of
public control over economic processes are voicing this idea. However,
our position should be that such measures should continue after the end
of hostile actions because, given the devastating consequences caused by
Russian aggression, a housing crisis will befall Ukrainian society for
many years after the victory.
The ideas presented here are quite obvious steps for the post-war period
but are barely discussed seriously in ordinary peacetime. The Ukrainian
war of liberation against the imperialist regime, in addition to
terrible destruction, also carries a temporary fervor of solidarity. One
of the main tasks of the Left must be to create a transit to peacetime
that will allow us to preserve and cultivate the values that have made
themselves known in times of crisis. We failed to do so in 2014, so we
must not waste this chance in 2022.