Neither Washington nor Moscow? The Cowardly “Both-Sidesism” of the U.S. Left
Jonathan Brown
Abstract
This article critically examines the phenomenon of “both-sidesism” within the contemporary U.S. left — its tendency to equate imperialist and anti-imperialist actors under the guise of neutrality. Tracing its historical roots from Trotskyism and the New Left to modern socialist organizations, the paper argues that this ideological stance represents a moral and political capitulation to U.S. imperialism. Drawing from Marxist-Leninist theory, it distinguishes between classical and materialist conceptions of imperialism, highlighting Lenin’s understanding of imperialism as a specific stage of capitalist development. The article applies this framework to the Russian Federation’s 2022 Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine, situating it within the context of NATO expansion, Western encirclement, and the ongoing struggle of the global periphery against U.S. unipolar domination. Through a comparative analysis of the positions taken by the Democratic Socialists of America, the Communist Party USA, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the study reveals how both-sidesism functions as an ideological form of liberal moralism that neutralizes anti-imperialist struggle. In contrast, it argues that the American Communist Party (ACP) stands alone in articulating a consistent Marxist-Leninist anti-imperialist position that affirms multipolarity and supports Russia’s SMO as a defensive action against Western aggression. The paper concludes that overcoming both-sidesism is essential for rebuilding proletarian internationalism and reorienting the U.S. left toward revolutionary anti-imperialist praxis.
Keywords
Marxism–Leninism, imperialism, both-sidesism, U.S. left, anti-imperialism, Russia–Ukraine conflict
