Combining national strength with the strength of the times, firmly protecting the Fatherland in the new situation

Combining national strength with the strength of the times in defending the Fatherland in Vietnam means closely linking the entire national strength with the strength of the international trend and goal of peace, national independence, democracy, social progress and sustainable development of human civilization, in order to create a combined strength to successfully carry out the goal and task of defending the socialist Fatherland in the new situation.

Politburo member and President Vo Van Thuong with leaders of the Ministry of National Defense attended the Ceremony to honor outstanding young faces of the entire army in 2023_Photo: VNA

In the era of proletarian revolution, Marxism-Leninism holds that, in In the process of carrying out its tasks, the proletariat in each country must know how to combine national strength with the strength of the times to create a combined strength to win the revolution. In the Communist Manifesto of 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels called for: “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” ⁽¹⁾ . In the era of imperialism, VI Lenin supplemented that slogan and put forward the slogan: “Proletarians of all countries and oppressed peoples, unite!” ⁽²⁾ .

Creatively applying Marxism-Leninism to the specific conditions of the Vietnamese revolution, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh clearly recognized the special importance of the era factor for the country's revolution. Right from the first days of his journey to find a way to save the country, he affirmed: "The Annamese revolution is also a part of the world revolution. Anyone who makes revolution in the world is a comrade of the Annamese people" ⁽³⁾ . Accordingly, it is necessary to educate patriotism and proletarian internationalism to the working people of our country, making the spirit of patriotism a part of the spirit of proletarian internationalism. He called for: "For world peace, for freedom and prosperity, the exploited people of all races need to unite and fight against the oppressors" ⁽⁴⁾ .

In the relationship between national strength and the strength of the times, President Ho Chi Minh emphasized that national strength is an endogenous resource, playing a decisive role; the strength of the times is an external resource that can only be effective through the internal factor of national strength, and when it is promoted, it will increase national strength. He pointed out: " must be self-reliant. Rely on your own strength" ⁽⁵⁾ ; "if you want others to help you, you must first help yourself" ⁽⁶⁾ . "Of course, the help of friendly countries is important, but you must not rely on it, you must not sit and wait for others. A nation that is not self-reliant but just sits and waits for help from other nations does not deserve independence" ⁽⁷⁾ . Throughout the process of leading the Vietnamese revolution, he always required closely combining the goal of fighting for national independence with the goals of the times: peace, national independence, democracy and socialism.

Combining national strength with the strength of the times has become a lesson learned throughout the Vietnamese revolutionary process under the leadership of the Party. In particular, over 36 years of national renovation, the combination of national strength with the strength of the times has left a distinctive mark through great and groundbreaking results and achievements. From being besieged and strictly embargoed, our country has now entered the group of middle-income countries, a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community; the country's prestige and position in the international arena are increasingly affirmed and raised. However, we are also facing great challenges: falling into the middle-income trap; corruption, waste, bureaucracy, degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle of a number of cadres and party members; factors of non-traditional security and fierce resistance of hostile forces against the goal of national independence and socialism...

Faced with the requirements of the task of firmly defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the new situation, the application of the law of combining national strength with the strength of the times is an objective necessity. Accordingly, it is necessary to pay attention to implementing well the following basic solutions:

First, correctly perceive national and ethnic strength, the world situation and the combination of national strength with the strength of the times.

National strength is created by many factors, such as the size and quality of the country's population; natural resources; geopolitical and geo-economic position; cultural traditions; political and social stability; the Party's correct guidelines and the consensus and support of all classes of people; the nation's overall strength and national position in the international arena...

Currently, the world situation is undergoing rapid, complex and unpredictable changes. Globalization has become an objective reality accepted by most countries. Globalization takes place not only in the economic field, but also in the fields of culture, society, politics, defense and security. Accordingly, each country cannot be separated but is always a component part of the international environment, subject to diverse and multi-dimensional impacts of the international environment. The general concept of the role and significance of nations and the relationship between nations in the international system is also undergoing new developments.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought about many breakthroughs, such as artificial intelligence (AI), smart technology, 3D printing technology and the Internet of Things (IoT). Along with the globalization process, science and technology have become direct productive forces, accordingly, highly skilled workers play an increasingly important role in the economy.

In the new context and situation, we must clearly identify that the Vietnamese revolution has always been an inseparable part of the world revolution, so we need to continue to unite and support progressive movements and trends in the world for the goals of peace, national independence, democracy and social progress. At the same time, we must make the most of the strength of the times, overcome risks and challenges, and constantly increase resources to enhance the country's overall strength, and protect the Fatherland "early and from afar".

Second, knowing how to behave and adjust flexibly to suit international and regional trends and standards, especially standards that have been internationally recognized and widely applied.

In a globalized environment, international practices and standards in many cases become important criteria, governing cooperation and struggle between countries. Therefore, we need to be sensitive and have a way of behaving to ensure national interests while being consistent with regional and international standards. Accordingly, it is necessary to closely follow, monitor, promptly and accurately assess the world and regional situation, predict its development trends to determine opportunities and challenges for combining internal factors with external factors.

In international relations, it is necessary to thoroughly grasp and well implement the Party's foreign policy in the new situation. "Consistently implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversify and multilateralize foreign relations. Ensure the highest national interests on the basis of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, equality, cooperation, mutual benefit... Vietnam is a friend, a reliable partner and an active, responsible member of the international community" ⁽⁸⁾ . Ensure the unified leadership of the Party and the centralized management of the State over foreign affairs activities. Build a comprehensive, modern diplomacy with three pillars: party diplomacy, state diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy. Closely and effectively combine economics, culture, society, foreign affairs with national defense and security, and between national defense and security with economics, culture, society, foreign affairs.

Officers and soldiers of the Vietnamese peacekeeping force in South Sudan_Source: toquoc.vn

Proactively participate and actively contribute to building common "rules of the game" in the international environment, thereby enhancing national prestige and position and increasing the combined strength in protecting the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland in the new situation.

Third, Focus on building and strengthening social consensus, promoting the strength of the great national unity bloc in defending the Fatherland.

This is an important and necessary content and measure to strengthen internal self-reliance, and is the application of the valuable lesson of "relying mainly on one's own strength" that President Ho Chi Minh taught in the current cause of defending the Fatherland.

Social consensus is the consensus between the State and the people, the people of all classes, economic sectors, between regions, and ethnic groups in the Vietnamese ethnic community in general; it is the sharing and harmonious coordination of the overall interests of the nation and people in each goal and policy. This is also demonstrated through the continuous building and perfecting of the socialist rule of law state, so that our state is truly a state of the people, by the people, for the people and operates effectively and efficiently. With social consensus, national strength will be multiplied, thereby making it easier and more convenient to mobilize resources from outside.

To build social consensus, it is necessary to attach importance to promoting the Party's leadership role over the entire political system and the entire society; at the same time, promoting the role of the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations, as the core of the great national unity bloc. Accordingly, the Party needs to constantly innovate, rectify, improve its leadership capacity and fighting strength to truly be the vanguard of the working class and the entire nation in leading the cause of national defense. Innovate the Party's leadership method for the cause of national defense; strengthen the Party's leadership over the armed forces, ensuring that the armed forces are always under the absolute and direct leadership of the Party in all aspects. Highlight the role of the Fatherland Front in gathering and building the great national unity bloc; propagate and mobilize the people to promote their mastery and actively participate in the task of national defense; Collect people's opinions and contributions on policies and strategies to protect the Fatherland to reflect and make recommendations to the Party and State.../.

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(1) C. Marx and F. Engels: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, vol. 4, p. 646
(2) VI Lenin: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006, vol. 42, p. 86
(3) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works , National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2011, vol. 2, p. 329
(4) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, op. cit., vol. 1, p. 487
(5) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, op. cit., vol. 7, p. 445
(6) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 320
(7) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, op. cit., vol. 7, p. 445
(8) Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates, National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2021, vol. I, pp. 161 - 162

Source: https://tapchicongsan.org.vn/web/guest/nghien-cu/-/2018/827522/ket-hop-suc-manh-dan-toc-voi-suc-manh-thoi-dai%2C-bao-ve-vung-chac-to-quoc-trong-tinh-hinh-moi.aspx