Imperialism's Aggressive Escalation: Portuguese Communist Party on the International Situation
- The Left Chapter
- 21 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Central Committee of the Portuguese Communist Party, meeting on March 1 and 2, 2026, analysed the evolution of the international situation as part of a larger analysis that also looked at national issues in Portugal.
International situation:
1. The escalation of confrontation and aggression promoted by imperialism, inseparable from the structural crisis of capitalism and the difficulties faced by the major capitalist powers, represents the most serious threat to the peoples of the world.
The significant increase in the aggressiveness of US imperialism, in open confrontation with the principles of the UN Charter and international law, is responsible for the serious worsening of the international situation.
The US is seeking, by all means at its disposal, to counter its decline and ensure its dominance on the world stage, betting on increased confrontation and attacks on the sovereignty and rights of peoples, announcing its intention to impose neocolonial and colonial tutelage and control over resources, strategic infrastructure and markets.
Using its military, economic, political and ideological manipulation power, the US, with the support of its allies, intensifies blackmail, destabilisation and aggression, targeting in particular those countries and peoples that resist imperialism's attempts and assert their sovereignty and rights, seeking to impose their economic and political isolation, prevent or contain their development and hinder their bilateral or multilateral relations of cooperation.
This violent onslaught, while reflecting the difficulties and limitations of imperialism's actions, sets in motion a whole plan, increasing pressure – particularly in the military field – to try to contain and reverse positive trends at the global level and create the conditions that best enable the US to wage its battle against China, which it points as its strategic adversary.
2. Imperialism’s aggressive escalation is articulated with a brutal offensive by big capital aimed at intensifying exploitation, attacking labour and social rights, democratic freedoms and rights, and promoting anti-democratic, reactionary and fascist concepts, forces and projects.
More than a show of strength, the increase in violent confrontation led by the US, with the alignment and subordination of the other imperialist powers that make up the G7, NATO and the European Union, is inseparable from the impasses and lack of solutions to overcome serious internal problems and contradictions. These problems and contradictions reflect an economic reality marked by financialization, parasitism, rentier, speculative and criminal activities, deindustrialisation processes, growing indebtedness, increasing centralisation and concentration of capital and wealth, and a brutal increase in social inequalities.
The increasing bet on confrontation, militarism and war shows that the US is unable to continue imposing its hegemony with the economic rules and instruments that it itself dictated and imposed on the world since the end of World War II and, above all, after the end of the Soviet Union.
3. The proclamation of the primacy of US imperialist interests, even above those of its allies, has exacerbated cleavages and highlighted contradictions between the US and the other imperialist powers that make up the G7, leading to growing mistrust and unease. These cleavages and contradictions, however, do not call into question their concertation on the policy of confrontation, militarism, increased military spending, war, increased exploitation and attacks on the rights and sovereignty of peoples.
In this context, the warmongering escalation of the European powers of NATO and the EU is particularly serious, intensifying war propaganda, stirring up false external threats to justify the arms race, prolonging the war in Ukraine and counteracting possibilities for dialogue that could pave the way for a political solution to the conflict, peace and collective security in Europe. A warmongering escalation that diverts billions of euros of public resources to the military-industrial complex, mainly from the US, at the expense of the living conditions of workers and peoples and the indebtedness of countries.
4. The Central Committee of the PCP strongly condemns the continuation of Israel's genocidal policy against the Palestinian people, with the support and complicity of the US and the EU; the US military aggression against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the abduction of its President, Nicolás Maduro; the escalation of US aggression against socialist Cuba, with the worsening of the blockade; as well as the military aggression of the US and Israel against Iran, which further destabilises the entire situation in the Middle East and entails serious consequences.
The Central Committee of the PCP condemns the shameful alignment and subordination of the Portuguese Government to the strategy and purposes of US imperialism and the imperialist powers of NATO and the EU – an example of which is the permission to use the Lajes Base in the Azores for operations of aggression against other peoples, namely Iran – which violate the principles of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic and international law and are contrary to the interests of the Portuguese people.
5. In view of the aggressive escalation led by US imperialism, with the threats it poses, including for the future of Humanity, the struggle of workers and peoples is decisive in favour of Peace, rights, sovereignty and internationalist solidarity; the strengthening of communist parties and their cooperation within the international communist and revolutionary movement; the convergence of a broad anti-imperialist front that can contain and push back imperialism and pave the way for the construction of a new international order of peace and social progress.
The Central Committee of the PCP calls for the continuation and expansion of the struggle for Peace and disarmament, for the dissolution of NATO and the rejection of the militarisation of the EU, for the establishment of a collective security system, as well as solidarity with the Palestinian people's struggle for the implementation of their national rights and for an end to the policy of genocide that continues to be carried out by Israel, with the complicity of the US and the EU; with socialist Cuba and for an end to the blockade imposed by the US and its escalating worsening; with Bolivarian Venezuela and the struggle of the Venezuelan people in defence of their homeland and for the release of President Nicolás Maduro and MP Cilia Flores from prison in the US; with the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Europe and around the world who are resisting the threats, interference and aggression by imperialism, defending their sovereignty and rights.