Day three and the International Marxist University (#IMU22) is still going strong – from strength to strength, you could say in fact, as registrations carry on rising; uplifting reports of watch parties continue to flood in; and the most advanced Marxist ideas are beamed around the world.

As the second day of the International Marxist University (#IMU22) draws to a close, we can look back on four fantastic sessions on art, the Enlightenment, historical materialism and economics. It was a day packed with the richest Marxist discussion to be found anywhere in the world.

The International Marxist University 2022 (#IMU22) kicked off today with a bang! With almost 7,000 people registered from an astonishing 138 countries, the stage was set for the most-exciting Marxist event of the year – and today’s electrifying opening session on world perspectives did not disappoint. Not to mention the biggest international collection in the history of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT). If you missed it, don’t worry – there are still three more days of incredible talks to look forward to, and we have shared a recording of the stream below. Register for the rest of the IMU if you haven’t already!

We are now just nine weeks away from the biggest international Marxist event of the year: the International Marxist University 2022 (#IMU22) from 23 to 26 July. Wherever you are, you too can attend, either online or at one of numerous watch parties being planned on every continent. Already, 1,000 people from 91 countries have registered to attend. We are now proud to announce the finalised timetable and list of speakers. Book now and join us in the fight for revolution!

The crisis in Ukraine has created a perfect inflationary storm. The war, the western sanctions on Russia, the pandemic, protectionism and climate change are unravelling decades of low commodity prices in a crisis that is only getting deeper.

Fifty years ago, on 29 April 1972, violence between Hutus and Tutsis broke out in Burundi. This was the latest round of ethnic conflict in the African Great Lakes region, and marked the beginning of a genocide of up to 300,000 people. Western imperialism bears direct responsibility for the horrors of the spring of 1972. They didn’t lift a finger to stop it, and in some cases, they actively supported it. Today, while western imperialists cry crocodile tears over Ukraine, they bury the history of the far greater abominations they perpetrated just 50 years ago.

On 17 February, President Macron announced the withdrawal of French troops from Mali in West Africa. From 2013, alongside the forces involved in ‘Operation Barkhane’ and the ‘Takuba Task Force’, France led an intervention in Mali with the supposed intention of fighting to “stabilise the country”. All major European NATO countries were involved, and the intervention was fully backed by the UN, which sent a 15,000-strong mission, which it called “MINUSMA”, which also established itself in other countries of the Sahel region.

As the Russian army continues to shell the cities of Ukraine, the western press and politicians are doing their utmost to conceal the role of western imperialism in the disaster. Far from being a neutral party, the West have been provoking the conflict for their own imperialist reasons.

The French philosopher Voltaire was supposed to have written the celebrated phrase: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Whether or not he actually pronounced them, these words are often cited to describe the principle of freedom of speech.

The first casualty of war is truth. This is also the case of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Marxists need to be able to cut through the fog of lies and war propaganda and analyse the real reasons behind the conflict; what has caused it; and the real interests that lie behind the excuses and justifications of the different parties involved. Above all, we must do so from the point of view of the interests of the world working class.