[Photo by Sanatbek Seidekhanov]
The enemy of your enemy isn’t a friend when you side with my oppressor
What Is Alter-Imperialism?
There isn’t a standardized, academic definition for “alter-imperialism,” but it’s a colloquial term which gets the point across. An alter-imperialist is a staunch supporter of a non-Western imperialistic entity simply because it opposes the imperial United States of America – and this worldview is done in the name of “anti-imperialism.” And yes, the labeling of “anti-imperialist” is important, because being an alter-imperialist requires hypocrisy. You’re required to defend the domineering power games of empire while claiming to do so for the sake of being against empire.
In the current landscape (2020s), it’s supporting the imperial Russia and China axis in their global ambitions because they oppose the imperial United States. The alter-imperialists falsely hide under “anti imperialism” while preferring for Russia or China to be the dominant superpowers. Alter-imperialists portray their open dishonesty as the only way to resist American hegemony, even if it means sacrificing the downtrodden to Russian or Chinese imperialism.
Defining Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism
Writings around imperialism can be voluminous, so definitions will be as straightforward as possible. According to Britannica, imperialism is the practice of a nation to further extend its power across the globe. This is done by military might, acquiring territory, political power, economic superiority, or cultural influence. This expansion is done for the benefit of the imperial power, and can have detrimental effects for the targeted nation. Imperialism can also be turned against the residents of the empire if the ruling class is that power hungry – known as the imperial boomerang.
While anti-imperialism can easily be defined as an opposition to imperialism, and in a sense it is that simple, it’s a political movement with its own historical context. Anti-imperialism means being against wars of conquest, such as the Vietnam War, Iraq War, and ongoing Iran War (which began in February 2026) – but it also goes further back to the Anti-Imperialist League in the US which was against the Spanish-American War. It’s a movement that’s also rooted in Marxism, with it being highly critical of capitalism. And in the modern sense it means being against colonialism and neocolonialism, including supporting revolutionary movements.
Campism and the Path to Alter-Imperialism
Alter-imperialism stems from a movement in Leftist circles known as campism – dividing the world into an imperialist bloc vs an anti-imperialist bloc. And this is viewed as the US and its allies being the evil imperialists, whereas countries that contend with the United States must clearly be the anti-imperialists. This is a childish way of viewing the world, as if it’s superheroes vs supervillains.
Geopolitics are complicated and dynamic: today’s allies are tomorrow’s enemies, and working together in one conflict doesn’t mean you won’t fight each other in another. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are aligned in their fight against The Apartheid Regime, but in Syria they were on opposite sides. Palestinian groups also have no issue working with China, whereas there were Uyghurs fighting with the Syrian rebels against Assad. Fervently being in the United States camp or the Russia/China camp doesn’t make you an insightful analyst.
However, the jump from campism to alter-imperialism requires one to consciously be part of the information war. Now you spread rhetoric with the intention of backing an alternative imperial power, and declare your political narrative to be anti-imperialist only because it goes against US interests. As an alter-imperialist you don’t consider the oppressed to be truly persecuted if they are receiving support from the United States and/or fighting against the Russia-China axis. The oppressed are meant to accept their miserable existence for your sake – they’re not allowed to care about their interests….
The Syrian Civil War through the Lens of Alter-Imperialism
A more nefarious type of alter-imperialism occurs in regards to the Syrian Civil War, which started in 2011 and ended December 2024. There were multiple nations, factions, and smaller outfits involved in this war, with two of the major groups compromised of those who opposed the Assad regime and those who supported it. Russia and Iran backed Bashar al-Assad, while the US backed the Syrian rebels. Russian troops and Iranian Iranian backed units fought against the revolutionary forces. One of the Iranian paramilitary groups is Hezbollah who entered Syria from Lebanon – the same organization who’s been known to attack the IOF. Hamas is also supported by Iran, but they fought against Assad in Syria.
Alter-imperialists have used the Syrian Civil War to promote their agenda, declaring Assad and his allies to be “anti-imperialist” because they were fighting against groups supported by the United States – it’s truly that simple. The alter-imperialist stance meant ignoring, distorting, lying about, or even supporting the war crimes done by Assad’s side. They used the same talking points as zionists do for IOF war crimes, except they said it was “anti-imperialism.” They also took things a step further by saying Assad was necessary to support Palestine!
A group of writers, academics and other noteworthy individuals, Syrian and non-Syrian, signed an open letter against this alter-imperialism. The letter declares the Assadist movement as “the anti-imperialism of fools.” The letter calls out alter-imperialists for their staunch support of Russia and China because those nations rival the US. In regards to Syria it condemns those who approved of the Assad regime. And these alter-imperialists aren’t just random individuals, it also includes self-proclaimed “independent media.” There are well-known media outlets who support Palestinian resistance while denouncing Syrian resistance – mainly because the Syrian insurgency fought against Russia and Iran.
Imperial Parallels between the US and Russia
Iran entered the Syrian Civil War at the beginning in 2011, and aside from Hezbollah they also sent in Kata’ib-Hezbollah from Iraq as well as militias from Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight for Assad. Russia was directly involved in the conflict in 2015 at the request of late general Qasem Soleimani. Russia also used its UN veto power 18 times to protect the Assad regime. This level of support is no different than the US vetoing any UN resolution against power currently occupying Palestine.
Having exerted its veto power 18 times to shield the Assad regime from international censure, Russia’s relationship with Syria can be seen as parallel to that of the U.S. with [The Apartheid Regime]. We can therefore speak of the “Palestinization” of the Syrian people through massacres, dispossession and ethnic cleansing.
https://newlinesmag.com/argument/the-liquid-imperialism-that-engulfed-syria/
Uyghur Humans Rights Violations in China
Another darling of alter-imperialists is China, including its persecution of the Uyghur people. It follows the same naïve reasoning as Syria: since the United States is backing the Uyghur movement in China, for its own imperialist agenda, supporting what China does to the Uyghurs is “anti-imperialist.” Anti-imperialists also deny state-sanctioned atrocities against the Uyghur people, referring to these reports as propaganda or even claiming the testimonies and evidence to be staged by the CIA.
One of the alter-imperialist talking points is the Chinese Communist Party is fighting extremism, claiming the Uyghurs are engaging in terrorist attacks in China. Alter-imperialists say it’s not oppression, but reeducation. An Al Jazeera opinion piece specifically calls out The Grayzone as intentionally misrepresenting what’s happening to the Uyghurs. The Al Jazeera article uses Chinese state media and official CCP white papers alongside human rights reports to show evidence of crimes done to the Uyghurs. And while Al Jazeera uses a variety of sources to verify their claims, they also establish The Grayzone’s twisting of the facts in ardent support of China.
Statistics revealing a precipitate decline in Xinjiang birth rates by 33 percent (from 15.88 percent to 10.69 percent), and population growth rates by 46 percent (from 11.40 percent to 6.13 percent), between 2017 and 2018 – misrepresented in the Grayzone as a decrease of only 5 percent, even as it excoriates its ideological opponents for “statistical malpractice” and “data abuse”.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/5/14/the-faux-anti-imperialism-of-denying-anti-uighur
This isn’t merely picking on The Grayzone as it’s a clear example of “independent journalism” supporting the alter-imperialist cause. The Global Times, which is essentially a newspaper operating under the ruling Chinese Communist Party, is used as one source by both Al Jazeera and The Grayzone in regards to Uyghur population decline. However, it’s The Grayzone which distorts the data, and alter-imperialists who use The Grayzone for their own anti-Uyghur narratives.
What’s also noteworthy is the cognitive dissonance alter-imperialists display when using American media sources to justify the extremist accusations towards the Uyghurs. While American media does go to bat for American imperialism, it’s interesting how alter-imperialists have no problem using it to suit their narrative against the Syrian Revolution and the Uyghurs. Another interesting crossover is right wing figures like Newt Gingrich accusing the Uyghurs of terrorism and white nationalists supporting Bashar al-Assad. Is this how the alter-imperialist faction of the Left plans on coalition building with the Right?
Why Should Muslims Care about Alter-Imperialism?
Why even discuss the alter-imperialism movement, and why even use this unique term instead of just calling it “imperialism”? It’s because alter-imperialists do genuinely support the Palestinian and Sudanese right to armed resistance, but they also supported the oppression of the Syrians under Assad and don’t mind the ongoing maltreatment of the Uyghurs. The US backed the Syrian rebels while Russia aided Assad – so the alter-imperialist decides the Assad faction is “anti-imperialist.” And while the United States is supporting the Uyghurs for its own imperial goals, the alter-imperialist will be devoted to China instead of having a nuanced take.
Muslims must realize supporting Palestine doesn’t automatically make you a beacon of morality if you’re okay with forms of oppression. And everyone isn’t worthy of being an ally if they’re in favor of our brothers and sisters being killed in the name of alter-imperialism. On top of that, how will you tell some Muslims they deserved to be sacrificed because you let alter-imperialists dictate your principles?
