Editor’s note: This piece is in reply to Wadi’h Halabi’s article, Recommit to Communist International Unity.

I am all for unity of Communists. In fact, I’m even for unity of Communists with Socialists and others on many struggles. I guess I’m not sure what author Wadi’h Halabi means when he advocates unity. At points, he seems to suggest a rekindling of the Comintern.

Officially, a resolution was sent on May 15, 1943, from the Executive Committee of the Communist International to all 76 member sections, arguing to dissolve the organization. The resolution stated that while the organization had fulfilled several historic roles, “long before” World War II “it became more and more clear that … any sort of international centre would encounter insuperable obstacles” when it tried to solve problems facing each individual Communist party. It admitted that the CI “has even become a drag on the further strengthening of the national working-class parties.” The leadership body of the Executive Committee announced on June 9 that 31 sections agreed to dissolve the CI, and none voted against dissolving it.

I appreciate Halabi’s openness about the International comprising positive and negative policy. In some cases, Comintern influence was decisive in the affairs of Communist parties; in other cases, national CPs developed policy in advance of what Comintern policy became. But clearly the Communist parties were against continuing the organization by 1943 at the latest.

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