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Counterfire's books of the year - part one

We asked a few leading campaigners and performers from the left what books have inspired them over the last twelve months
Hundreds rally in London to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia

A packed out public meeting organised by Stop the War demanded an end to Britain's complicity in the war on Yemen, reports Chris Nineham
Britain must stop arming the Saudi war criminals now

A new offensive in the Saudi war on Yemen will ratchet up the humanitarian crisis. We must build a huge campaign to end arms sales, writes Chris Nineham
The politics of Remembrance

Remembrance is about the present and the future, not just the past, argues Alex Snowdon in this repost of his 2015 article
A hundred years after WW1, what are we remembering?

The establishment makes a big display of remembering fallen WW1 soldiers while justifying today's wars. We should remember those who fought hard to stop war, argues Lindsey German
Afghanistan's unending war: seventeen years since the Western invasion

The Taliban is advancing again, met by escalation from Trump and NATO. Amidst the devastation, our leaders still can't recognise defeat, writes Stop the War's Chris Nineham
Trump targets Iran: not just talk, this is serious

The Trump administration is stepping up its aggressive campaign against Iran, writes Chris Nineham
Corbyn makes defiant speech as thousands welcome him to Liverpool

At a Labour rally at Liverpool's pier on the eve of Conference, Jeremy Corbyn gave a radical speech to rapturous applause and loud chanting
The importance of mass mobilisation against war

Build the mass movements against war. Kevin Courtney's speech from the Stop the War Coalition national conference
Aftermath: Art in the wake of World War One - review

Modern art was a way of actively willing war towards an end says Alistair Cartwright in his review of the Aftermath exhibition at the Tate
To be called a political artist is no insult - Rachid Taha tribute

An obituary for the iconic Algerian singer who stood up against war and racism
Military propaganda must end

The MoD is attempting to rebrand life in the military in order to recruit vulnerable young people, argues Jago Corry
Libya: chaos reigns seven years on

Libyans are still paying the price with their lives for the 2011 Nato intervention. A stark reminder of why we urgently need an antiwar government argues Eleftheria Kousta
Afghanistan: more troops to continue an endless war

Britain sending more troops to Afghanistan shows the end of the war isn't in sight and lays bare what the 'special relationship' is all about argues Lindsey German
Together against Trump: a mass show of opposition

Looking back at the quarter of a million strong demonstration against Trump, Daniel Jakopovich argues that it was a mass display of people power
Together we can defeat Trump, and the Tories too

Opposing Donald Trump can play a role in bringing down our own vicious government
Why we should all be out protesting against Trump's visit to the UK

We must be united in our opposition to Trump and everything he represents
The human rights abuses that couldn't be closer to home – weekly briefing

Will the New Labour imperialists ever pay for their crimes, asks Lindsey German
The far right threat is real and we can't be complacent

After the big Free Tommy Robinson rally in London, the entire left need to get serious about organising against the far right argues Shabbir Lakha
Trump's ditching of Iran deal is paving the way to war

Trump pulling the US out of the Iran nuclear deal is a step on the path to more war in the Middle East argues Shabbir Lakha
The idea that the West have been “inactive” in Syria is completely untrue

Politicians and commentators supporting more military action in Syria say inaction has consequences, but the West haven't been inactive in Syria argues Shabbir Lakha
The mission accomplished that is nothing of the sort – weekly briefing

A primed anti-war movement finds the new warmongers much the same as the old warmongers, writes Lindsey German
Six things we learnt from the Syrian airstrike

John Rees on the immediate conclusions we can draw from the US led airstrike on Syria
Syria: the solution is not more military intervention

As Theresa May prepares to back Trump in escalating military intervention in Syria, Stop the War published the following letter in response
Douma attack and the war in Syria - Stop the War statement

Statement from Stop the War Coalition following the attacks on Douma in Syria
The Salisbury incident: facts not necessary

After Porton Down experts revealed that they can't confirm the origin of the nerve agent, it's clear that the government is trying to manipulate the public argue Johnny Charles and Harry Rogers
John Bolton: the return of the uber hawk

Trump's new National Security advisor will see his appointment as an opportunity to test his military prowess, argues Lindsey German
The problem is jingoism, not conspiracism

Spurious national unity does not serve working people. The left must resist, argues Kevin Ovenden
Apocalypse Then: the My Lai Massacre

Fifty years on from the worst US atrocity of the Vietnam War, Sean Ledwith explains what happened that day
The War? The Suffragettes? How did women win the right to vote?

On the centenary of women winning the right to vote, Katherine Connelly explores how they fought for their rights and resisted war
Back to the future? The possibility of a new arms race

Just as Trump feels that “unmatched power is the surest means to our true and great defence”, Putin evidently feels much the same way
This St David's Day, let us remember guerrilla leader Owain Glyndŵr

14th-century Welsh leader Owain Glyndŵr deserves to be remembered as one of the great rebels of history
15 years on from the biggest protest in British history

Lindsey German looks back at the day in 2003 that millions took to the streets to protest the Iraq war
Despatches from the Tory civil war – weekly briefing

It’s a mistake to allow ruling class divisions on the EU to be refracted onto our side, argues Lindsey German
An anti-war government: a formation whose time has come

Jeremy Corbyn’s roots in the global anti-war movement offer an unprecedented opportunity to marginalise the warmongers, asserts Chris Nineham
False alarm in Hawaii: Trump and nukes keep the world on edge

With Trump in the White House boasting about his nuclear button, the world is on knife-edge and events in Hawaii serve as a warning to us all argues Tom Unterrainer
Darkest Hour - film review

Darkest Hour offers some truths on ruling class contradictions, but retells the myth that the people were fighting for Empire, argues Chris Bambery
Britain is hardening its foreign policy

As the British state's new aircraft carrier, worth billions of pounds, springs a leak, Lindsey German takes a look at the war games being played
Trump: one year of waking hell

Donald Trump was elected just over a year ago. In that time, he has wreaked havoc
Not fit to govern - Counterfire freesheet November/December 2017

Tory crisis, Catalonia, Universal credit, foreign policy, and more. Counterfire freesheet, November/December 2017
Taking sides in the next major Middle East war - weekly briefing

Anti-war activists are at the ready as imperial rumblings indicate a new phase for the region, writes Lindsey German
A government that is not fit to govern at home or abroad

This government is rotten to the core, with a duplicitous Foreign Office representing the worst of it
We need a new foreign policy built around peace

Jeremy Corbyn's rise has put anti-war politics centre stage. We now have a chance to do things completely differently, argues Chris Nineham
Don’t be blindsided: the threat of nuclear war is real

Recent rhetorical grandstanding should not obscure a clear and present danger, writes Lindsey German
Shock and remembrance: how not to commemorate war

We cannot let our histories become grist for the bosses’ war drive, argues Mick Wattam
Survival is victory: the facts and fictions of the Dunkirk evacuation

Dunkirk 1940 has always been an ideological field day for our ruling class, Chris Bambery cuts through the fog of war
UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia ruled lawful by High Court

Does anyone really believe Saudi Arabia respects international law? Today's High Court ruling fails to deliver truth argues Chris Nineham
Is there any war you don't support Theresa May?

Corbyn is wrongly labelled a pacifist by the Tories and the media, but his opposition to unnecessary war without end is in stark contrast to Theresa May's endless warmongering
Trump the warmonger

Just over a hundred days into office and confrontation with imperial rivals is already brewing, writes Chris Nineham
The nuclear question: Tory warmongers’ first strike

The case against a trigger-happy Prime Minister
Yemen: a very British disgrace

The conflict on the Arabian peninsula shows that our hysteria is selective
The new taboo: terrorism and its causes

As the media blizzard around the Westminster attacks begins to recede, Chris Nineham looks to some home truths
Martin McGuinness and the armed struggle in context

What actually sustained one of the final stages of England’s oldest imperialism, asks Lindsey German
Trump’s coming war with China?

Is Trump heading for war with China? Sean Ledwith takes a look
Iran and The Donald: the US isolationism that did not happen

Trump’s destabilising gestures in the Middle East are an alarm call to us all, asserts Chris Bambery
Obama: the peacenik’s president?

Don’t believe the hype, the Obama administration’s war record is bloody and shameful, argues Lindsey German
A poppy for our thoughts

Ahead of the England vs Scotland game, Mark Perryman responds to Fifa's poppies ban
The hypocrisy of the British war machine

The duplicity of British politicians condemning Russia in Syria but supporting the Saudi bombing of Yemen is revolting, argues Lindsey German
War and remembrance: the poppy and the butcher

The stark horrors of World War I cannot be cleansed to serve the interests of our rulers, past and present, argues Chris Bambery
'Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down': a potted and bloody history of Nato

From its inception to the present, Nato has been intent on pursuing a policy of aggression. Jonathan Maunders explains
Yemen: Blairite Labour's addiction to war

Labour 'rebels' show their true colours by refusing to stop supporting Saudi bombing of Yemen argues Lindsey German
Calais: Europe's shame

The closure of the Calais camp is an act of barbarity, but solidarity with refugees remains strong, argues Shabbir Lakha
War begets war: the case against intervention in Syria

As many push for escalation in Syria, Chris Nineham takes a look at why this is a bad idea
Mosul: Stop the War statement

More aerial bombardment of civilians will not help to bring about peace and stability in Iraq
Corbyn represents change: the anti-war movement must stand behind him

We must renew our efforts, build the anti-war movement and support Corbyn, argues Mick Wattam
Permanent intervention: the calling card of the neocon warmongers

As the war drums starting beating ahead of next month’s US election, Stop the War convenor Lindsey German notes a renewed urgency and sense of purpose for the movement
Libya: blood on their hands

The imperialist chickens keep on coming home to roost, observes Alastair Stephens in this article republished from the current Counterfire paper
Peres, Oslo and Peace

Is Shimon Peres' record as 'dove-like' as his obituaries makes out? Shabbir Lakha thinks not
Corbyn: a view from afar

An Argentinian perspective on the rise of Jeremy Corbyn from journalist Mariano Schuster
Syria: a war without end?

As aid convoys to Syria are suspended, Jonathan Maunders takes a look at where we are, and where we are going to
Who's to blame for the end of the ceasefire in Syria?

The cessation of the Syrian conflict begins with the end of foreign intervention, argues Chris Nineham
Looking beyond the Referendum

Whatever the outcome, the left will have to unite after the referendum to fight against racism, austerity and war argues Lindsey German.
Libya: Britain heads to war

The government is taking us ever closer to war in Libya, says Chris Nineham
War Against the People

Jeff Halper’s War Against the People exposes the global role of Israel’s military and security industry, finds Kit Klarenberg
The causes of chaos: interview with Patrick Cockburn

Patrick Cockburn’s latest book on the Middle East, Chaos and Caliphate has just been published. Chris Nineham spoke to him
Macedonia at the crossroads

Activist Maz Saleem continues her frontline reporting from the refugee crisis with this insight into the Alexandreia Camp
Greece: the port and the storm

Anti-racist activist Maz Saleem reports from Piraeus Port, Athens, the frontline of the current refugee crisis
Trident: pointless, wasteful and very very dangerous - podcast

We spoke to Kate Hudson, General Secretary of CND about why we all need to be at the Stop Trident demonstration on 27th February
Fire and Blood: The European Civil War, 1914-1945

Fire and Blood brilliantly recounts the European civil war of 1914-45, which brought the idea of capitalist progress to an end, argues Chris Bambery
Saudi Arabia: a major part of Cameron's war

As the west pushes on with the 'war on terror' Saudi Arabia moves centre stage, writes Kevin Ovenden
Hungry Bengal: War, Famine and the End of Empire

Hungry Bengal demonstrates the central role of imperialism and racism in creating the wartime Bengal famine which killed millions and divided the country, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
MPs complaints of bullying show contempt for democracy

Many of those complaining fear greater accountability and the wave of anti-war feeling evident from Corbyn's election as Labour leader
Back on the attack: the meaning of Cameron's defence review

Not only is new money being pumped into the military – it is being targeted on strengthening UK ability to intervene internationally

War

War

We asked a few leading campaigners and performers from the left what books have inspired them over the last twelve months

A packed out public meeting organised by Stop the War demanded an end to Britain's complicity in the war on Yemen, reports Chris Nineham

A new offensive in the Saudi war on Yemen will ratchet up the humanitarian crisis. We must build a huge campaign to end arms sales, writes Chris Nineham

Remembrance is about the present and the future, not just the past, argues Alex Snowdon in this repost of his 2015 article

The establishment makes a big display of remembering fallen WW1 soldiers while justifying today's wars. We should remember those who fought hard to stop war, argues Lindsey German

The Taliban is advancing again, met by escalation from Trump and NATO. Amidst the devastation, our leaders still can't recognise defeat, writes Stop the War's Chris Nineham

The Trump administration is stepping up its aggressive campaign against Iran, writes Chris Nineham

At a Labour rally at Liverpool's pier on the eve of Conference, Jeremy Corbyn gave a radical speech to rapturous applause and loud chanting

Build the mass movements against war. Kevin Courtney's speech from the Stop the War Coalition national conference

Modern art was a way of actively willing war towards an end says Alistair Cartwright in his review of the Aftermath exhibition at the Tate

An obituary for the iconic Algerian singer who stood up against war and racism

The MoD is attempting to rebrand life in the military in order to recruit vulnerable young people, argues Jago Corry

Libyans are still paying the price with their lives for the 2011 Nato intervention. A stark reminder of why we urgently need an antiwar government argues Eleftheria Kousta

Britain sending more troops to Afghanistan shows the end of the war isn't in sight and lays bare what the 'special relationship' is all about argues Lindsey German

Looking back at the quarter of a million strong demonstration against Trump, Daniel Jakopovich argues that it was a mass display of people power

Opposing Donald Trump can play a role in bringing down our own vicious government

We must be united in our opposition to Trump and everything he represents

Will the New Labour imperialists ever pay for their crimes, asks Lindsey German

After the big Free Tommy Robinson rally in London, the entire left need to get serious about organising against the far right argues Shabbir Lakha

Trump pulling the US out of the Iran nuclear deal is a step on the path to more war in the Middle East argues Shabbir Lakha

Politicians and commentators supporting more military action in Syria say inaction has consequences, but the West haven't been inactive in Syria argues Shabbir Lakha

A primed anti-war movement finds the new warmongers much the same as the old warmongers, writes Lindsey German

John Rees on the immediate conclusions we can draw from the US led airstrike on Syria

As Theresa May prepares to back Trump in escalating military intervention in Syria, Stop the War published the following letter in response

Statement from Stop the War Coalition following the attacks on Douma in Syria

After Porton Down experts revealed that they can't confirm the origin of the nerve agent, it's clear that the government is trying to manipulate the public argue Johnny Charles and Harry Rogers

Trump's new National Security advisor will see his appointment as an opportunity to test his military prowess, argues Lindsey German

Spurious national unity does not serve working people. The left must resist, argues Kevin Ovenden

Fifty years on from the worst US atrocity of the Vietnam War, Sean Ledwith explains what happened that day

On the centenary of women winning the right to vote, Katherine Connelly explores how they fought for their rights and resisted war

Just as Trump feels that “unmatched power is the surest means to our true and great defence”, Putin evidently feels much the same way

14th-century Welsh leader Owain Glyndŵr deserves to be remembered as one of the great rebels of history

Lindsey German looks back at the day in 2003 that millions took to the streets to protest the Iraq war

It’s a mistake to allow ruling class divisions on the EU to be refracted onto our side, argues Lindsey German

Jeremy Corbyn’s roots in the global anti-war movement offer an unprecedented opportunity to marginalise the warmongers, asserts Chris Nineham

With Trump in the White House boasting about his nuclear button, the world is on knife-edge and events in Hawaii serve as a warning to us all argues Tom Unterrainer

Darkest Hour offers some truths on ruling class contradictions, but retells the myth that the people were fighting for Empire, argues Chris Bambery

As the British state's new aircraft carrier, worth billions of pounds, springs a leak, Lindsey German takes a look at the war games being played

Donald Trump was elected just over a year ago. In that time, he has wreaked havoc

Tory crisis, Catalonia, Universal credit, foreign policy, and more. Counterfire freesheet, November/December 2017

Anti-war activists are at the ready as imperial rumblings indicate a new phase for the region, writes Lindsey German

This government is rotten to the core, with a duplicitous Foreign Office representing the worst of it

Jeremy Corbyn's rise has put anti-war politics centre stage. We now have a chance to do things completely differently, argues Chris Nineham

Recent rhetorical grandstanding should not obscure a clear and present danger, writes Lindsey German

We cannot let our histories become grist for the bosses’ war drive, argues Mick Wattam

Dunkirk 1940 has always been an ideological field day for our ruling class, Chris Bambery cuts through the fog of war

Does anyone really believe Saudi Arabia respects international law? Today's High Court ruling fails to deliver truth argues Chris Nineham

Corbyn is wrongly labelled a pacifist by the Tories and the media, but his opposition to unnecessary war without end is in stark contrast to Theresa May's endless warmongering

Just over a hundred days into office and confrontation with imperial rivals is already brewing, writes Chris Nineham

The case against a trigger-happy Prime Minister

The conflict on the Arabian peninsula shows that our hysteria is selective

As the media blizzard around the Westminster attacks begins to recede, Chris Nineham looks to some home truths

What actually sustained one of the final stages of England’s oldest imperialism, asks Lindsey German

Is Trump heading for war with China? Sean Ledwith takes a look

Trump’s destabilising gestures in the Middle East are an alarm call to us all, asserts Chris Bambery

Don’t believe the hype, the Obama administration’s war record is bloody and shameful, argues Lindsey German

Ahead of the England vs Scotland game, Mark Perryman responds to Fifa's poppies ban

The duplicity of British politicians condemning Russia in Syria but supporting the Saudi bombing of Yemen is revolting, argues Lindsey German

The stark horrors of World War I cannot be cleansed to serve the interests of our rulers, past and present, argues Chris Bambery

From its inception to the present, Nato has been intent on pursuing a policy of aggression. Jonathan Maunders explains

Labour 'rebels' show their true colours by refusing to stop supporting Saudi bombing of Yemen argues Lindsey German

The closure of the Calais camp is an act of barbarity, but solidarity with refugees remains strong, argues Shabbir Lakha

As many push for escalation in Syria, Chris Nineham takes a look at why this is a bad idea

More aerial bombardment of civilians will not help to bring about peace and stability in Iraq

We must renew our efforts, build the anti-war movement and support Corbyn, argues Mick Wattam

As the war drums starting beating ahead of next month’s US election, Stop the War convenor Lindsey German notes a renewed urgency and sense of purpose for the movement

The imperialist chickens keep on coming home to roost, observes Alastair Stephens in this article republished from the current Counterfire paper

Is Shimon Peres' record as 'dove-like' as his obituaries makes out? Shabbir Lakha thinks not

An Argentinian perspective on the rise of Jeremy Corbyn from journalist Mariano Schuster

As aid convoys to Syria are suspended, Jonathan Maunders takes a look at where we are, and where we are going to

The cessation of the Syrian conflict begins with the end of foreign intervention, argues Chris Nineham

Whatever the outcome, the left will have to unite after the referendum to fight against racism, austerity and war argues Lindsey German.

The government is taking us ever closer to war in Libya, says Chris Nineham