J Posadas 
On the necessity for a new International [EPUB ebook] 

As Lenin developed in his book Imperialism, Highest Stage of Capitalism, the capitalist system cannot survive without destruction and war. This is what it does through its fierce inter-capitalist competition and its antagonistic struggle toward the Workers States and the Revolutionary States. The Revolutionary State is a transition to socialism. Its State still operates in a capitalist setting, but already incorporates measures of social transformation within itself.When the partial disintegration of the Soviet Union happened in 1992, the conservatives of the world proclaimed the failure of the socialist project and "the end of history". A pessimism dawned on large layers of the communist movement because, in not having correctly identified the roots of this retreat, they concluded wrongly on a failure of socialism.What this partial disintegration of the USSR has revealed, is the imperative need for humanity to avail itself of a world revolutionary leadership. This requirement is caused by the need of the Workers State’s form to spread all over the world. For the Workers State can no longer reach out to socialism without defeating the world capitalist system.To defeat the world capitalist system, the construction of a new International is absolutely essential – a new International that incorporates the experience of the Soviet Union and that of all the subsequent socialist revolutions.The world capitalist system is in a crucial phase of its agony. In all the parts of the world, the populations question deeply and challenge the legitimacy of its regime.A reanimation has taken place in the world and in the Workers States where socialism continues to be invoked. Revolutionary forces spring up from within bourgeois sectors that used to be the servants of capitalist power in the past, as in the army of Venezuela. The fact that these speak in support of socialism led Hugo Chavez to say: "The Bolivarian revolution is peaceful, but it is armed. It is a socialist revolution."Generally and in Latin America in particular, the political wind blows against the US and EU2 imperialism – these two being now united through NATO. The war in Ukraine raises new questions because it is not a war between two countries. It represents an elevation in the process that leads inevitably to the global confrontation between the antagonistic social systems. And it is imperialism that designates Russia & China "the enemy" to eliminate. This is openly stated in the NATO’s "New Strategic Concept".In this process, the world proletariat and the revolutionary movements do not have the instrument needed to get organized. Even for the important debates that are now being held in the world communist, socialist and revolutionary movements, an International Party of the masses is required.With the participation of more than 200 parties and organizations from all over the world, the Chinese Communist Party convened a World Forum of organizations on the theme of Marxism today (Nov 2017). In Cuba, the convocation of meetings between world Marxist theoretical journals regardless of parties has the same sense. Between the different communist parties of the world, the growing polemics reflect this aspiration to unification on a one hand; and on the other, they reflect their fear to confront with a common program and a socialist perspective, the third world war that capitalism prepares.It is to contribute to this great debate that we publish here a selection of texts by J. Posadas3 on the need to build a new mass International in the world, with a program of social transformation.We have deemed it important to publish here Hugo Chavez’ "Call for the Fifth International ". We reproduce it as transcribed in Spanish and translated by ourselves from the video of his address to the PSUV Congress in November 2009.Should it be called Fifth International or something else, what remains of supreme actuality is the need for an International.International Scientific Cultural & Political Editions. The Editors, January 2022