United States

United States

• How America Became Capitalist - book review

  

  James Parisot’s How America Became Capitalist uncovers the contested and contradictory history of capitalist development in the United States, finds Dominic Alexander

• Behind Trump's tantrums: the US, Iran and the continuing threat of war

  

  The decline in the US' strategic power in the region is leading to desperate measures from Trump writes Chris Nineham

• The anti-war movement gears up to oppose war with Iran

  

  Protesters took the streets to say no to Trump's drive to war with Iran, reports Shabbir Lakha

• Bolivia: call it a coup, support the resistance

  

  International solidarity is vital - the left must unite in condemning the coup against Morales, argues David Bush

• Lessons from the remarkable life of Paul Robeson – part 2

  

  Paul Robeson's extraordinary life is a lesson to us today, writes Tayo Aluko

• Lessons from the remarkable life of Paul Robeson - part 1 

  

  Paul Robeson's extraordinary life holds many lessons for the present day, writes Tayo Aluko

• US workers strike back: General Motors and Chicago teachers

  

  A surge in strike action in the US shows a labour movement that’s fighting back, argues Kate O’Neil

• The Hong Kong protests: where next?

  

  Looking to the West for help is counterproductive for the protests, argues Dragan Plavšić

• Netanyahu and Pence: Boris Johnson's warmonger allies

  

  Boris Johnson's meetings with Netanyahu and Pence were about coordinating the drive to war with Iran, writes Lucy Nichols

• 9/11: we are still living in the world created by Bush and Blair's response

  

  9/11 was both terrible in itself and the catalyst for the destruction and horror to come, argues Chris Nineham

• Bolton's out, but we can't trust Trump or Johnson

  

  John Bolton's sacking is good news, now we need an alternative foreign policy by an anti-war government, argues Lindsey German

• The Long Honduran Night: Resistance, Terror, and the United States in the Aftermath of the Coup - book review

  

  In The Long Honduran Night,Dana Frank gives a personal and detailed account of the resistance of Honduran people and the involvement of the US, finds Orlando Hill

• Don't extradite Assange: Wish You Were Here

  

  Terina Hine reports from Monday's event in support of Julian Assange

• The caring capitalists of corporate America

  

  When American capitalists pretend to care we know they are afraid, argues John Clarke

• How far will he go? Trump and the limits of populism - book review

  

  Chris Nineham assesses the varied interpretations of Trump in this year’s Socialist Register, pointing out the opportunities for the left

• In the age of Trump, 'The War at Home' remains essential viewing

  

  For understanding how grassroots movements can be organised, The War at Home remains a vital resource, writes Gabriel Polley

• The Coming of the American Behemoth - book review

  

  Roberto’s The Coming of the American Behemoth argues that fascist-like processes arose from the essential workings of monopoly capitalism in 1930s America, finds Martin Hall

• The Centenary of the 1919 Race Riots

  

  One hundred years after the race riots of 1919, author, activist and co-director of Writing on the Wall, Madeline Heneghan reflects on racism then and now

• Trump hates the Squad’s politics as much as their colour

  

  Trump's appalling racist attacks on the four Congresswomen is just as much about their radical left wing politics, argues Kate O'Neil

• The environmental cost of the United States war-machine

  

  The sheer scale and perpetual nature of US military operations make it unimaginably destructive for the planet, argues Pete Morgan

• Britain is following Trump and escalating the threat of war with Iran

  

  The British Navy's seizing of an Iranian oil tanker shows Britain following Trump, trading in diplomacy for the threat of military confrontation, argues Lindsey German

• Be in no doubt: Britain will be involved if there is war on Iran

  

  If there is war, Britain will be part of it, writes Chris Nineham

• Stonewall 50

  

  Marking the half-centenary of the Stonewall riots, Morgan Daniels looks at the history of the Stonewall Inn and what it means for radical queer politics everywhere

• Why Iranians might be sceptical of the west's intentions

  

  The warmongering from the west is the latest in a long line of imperialist interventions in the region, argues John Rees

• Organise now to avoid war with Iran

  

  Despite platitudes from both sides of the Atlantic, we cannot ignore the very real risk of another disastrous conflict in the Middle East, writes Chris Nineham

• Rolling Thunder Revue: a Bob Dylan story by Martin Scorsese

  

  Scorsese's new documentary shows Dylan grasping at the truth of an America that was figuring out what it wanted to be

• Pompeo threatens Corbyn: nothing to see here

  

  The US threatening to interfere in the UK's democratic processes should be front page news, argues Chris Nineham

• A Suffragette in America: Reflections on Prisoners, Pickets and Political Change - book review

  

  Katherine Connelly’s edition of previously unpublished writing by Sylvia Pankhurst shows her deepening socialist politics, finds Lindsey German

• Ten things they don't tell you about D-Day

  

  As the commemorations of the 75 year anniversary of D-Day take place, Lindsey German reminds us of the truth about the end of the Second World War

• Trump attacks Sadiq Khan - his kingmaking must stop

  

  President Trump's incendiary interventions in British politics are completely unacceptable and must be called out, argues David McAllister

• School striker for climate: join the Trump demo

  

  Ahead of the Together Against Trump: Stop the State Visit Demonstration on Tuesday 4^th June, Nathan Street interviews Elijah Mckenzie-Jackson 

• Trump's America: women under attack

  

  As the fightback against a raft of anti-abortion laws in the USA gathers steam, it can't be left just to establishment liberals to lead it, argues Kate O'Neil

• Trump and Iran: the brink of war

  

  Trump, John Bolton and Mike Pompeo have created a situation with Iran that is risking a new war in the Middle East, argues Chris Nineham

• What happened in the Venezuela coup attempt, and why the threat remains

  

  Juán Guiadó's failed military takeover was a charade, but its international supporters have further interests and plans for ousting Maduro's government, reports Orlando Hill

• City of Segregation, One Hundred Years of Struggle for Housing in Los Angeles - book review

  

  Andrea Gibbons’ history of the battle for equal housing in LA uncovers the intensity and injustice of segregation, which remains a highly visible aspect of US cities, finds Adam Tomes

• Bernie Sanders 2020: what difference can he make this time?

  

  Bernie Sanders is running for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election, what difference can he make this time?

• What happens to Julian Assange has implications for us all

  

  The arrest of Julian Assange today sets a dangerous precedent, argues Hilary Stephenson

• The weaponising of antisemitism

  

  The smears against Corbyn and the left are part of a concerted effort to undermine a potential left government and must be opposed, argues Alex Snowdon

• The Russians are Coming, Again - book review

  

  Kuzmarov and Marciano's analysis of the US media demonisation of Russia warns of the danger of a new cold war, in full historical context, finds Martin Hall

• Venezuela: The US empire is on the march again

  

  As Western leaders impose more sanctions and ultimatums, we must oppose this cynical foreign intervention in Venezuela, writes Rob Winkel

• Keep fighting for Corbyn: Stop the attacks - Counterfire freesheet March 2019

  

  The soft coup against Corbyn and the weaponisation of antisemitism, Tory Brexit crisis, Winston Churchill, Venezuela, climate change, Palestine and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet

• Why stopping wars is essential for stopping climate change

  

  War isn’t just a waste of resources that could be used to tackle climate change, but is itself a significant cause of environmental harm, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• US military: the world's biggest polluter

  

  The fight against ecological disaster must include fighting the war machine of the US state, argues Jago Corry

• Eurozone blues

  

  The economic crisis intensifies across Europe, with the US and south east Asia close behind, argues Chris Bambery

• 5 facts about Aipac and the Israel lobby that prove Ilhan Omar is right

  

  Ilhan Omar is being attacked because she's a radical anti-imperialist, black, Muslim woman on the left, and deserves unconditional solidarity argues Shabbir Lakha

• John Pilger on the role of Nato in Europe

  

  Journalist John Pilger discusses the role of Nato in Europe and US imperialism

• Venezuela faces US-led intervention as Haiti struggles to break free

  

  To understand the imperialist intervention from the US and its allies, look to Haiti and the region's history, argues John Clarke

• Oil and ideology: the truth behind US interest in Venezuela

  

  US interest in Venezuela has nothing to do with humanitarianism and everything to do with defeating an ideological foe and stealing its resources, argues Kara Bryan. 

• The End of Policing - book review

  

  The End of Policing exposes the political purposes behind the police, and the damage caused by the modern increase in their coercive power, argues Peter Stäuber

• Ten things you should know about Trump’s man in Venezuela

  

  Abrams' appointment provides further evidence that Trump's response to Venezuela will repeat previous misadventures in the region, argues Sean Ledwith

• Before Venezuela: a long history of US imperialism in Latin America

  

  The push for regime change in Venezuela represents the latest in an abhorrent history of intervention in Latin America, writes Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

• What would a ‘Green New Deal’ look like in Britain?

  

  A Green New Deal, now a popular idea in Britain as well as the US, can help to merge environmental struggle with class struggle, argues Jago Corry

• Neo-colonial tales: Western silence on Zimbabwe betrays hypocrisy on Venezuela

  

  Western meddling across the Global South must end, argues Shabbir Lakha

• London rallies against Venezuela coup and sanctions

  

  Over a hundred people packed out a rally in London at short notice to oppose Trump's push for regime change in Venezuela and Britain's role in it, reports Shabbir Lakha

• Building Power from Below: Chilean Workers Take on Walmart - book review

  

  The success of trade-union organising in Walmart within Chile shows the potential social power of workers in the most difficult circumstances, finds Orlando Hill

• 7 things you need to know about the Venezuela coup attempt

  

  As Western leaders impose more sanctions and ultimatums, Robin Winkel explains why we must oppose foreign intervention in Venezuela

• Dangerous sheriff in the wild west: Trump calls for coup in Venezuela

  

  The United States cannot be allowed to pick and choose countries’ governments, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica.

• US Shutdown: Trump’s racism hits the wall

  

  As the shutdown becomes the longest in US history, Sean Ledwith reports on the consequences of Trump's racist antics

• Trump's Syria solitaire

  

  The US's proposed withdrawal pushes the contradictions of Trumpism to breaking point, argues Hilary Stephenson

• They've got to go! General election now - Counterfire freesheet January 2019

  

  Tory Brexit crisis, the fightback against austerity, Eurovision boycott campaign, Trump and Syria, remembering Rosa Luxemburg, Yellow Vests and protests across Europe in this month's Counterfire Freesheet

• Europe in turmoil: what to expect in 2019

  

  Chris Bambery explores European political economy and what developments of the last twelve months can lead us to expect about the year ahead

• The anti-war left must capitalise on Trump's withdrawal from Syria

  

  Anti-war campaigners should exploit the cracks in neoconservative foreign policy as the priorities of US imperialism clash with the republican voter base, argues Lindsey German

• What motivates the man in the White House? A study of Trump's foreign policy

  

  Despite the disastrous results of post-9/11 wars, Trump continues to lead a belligerent administration that we must resist at home, argues Chris Nineham

• The Apocolypse of Settler Colonialism - book review

  

  Gerald Horne exposes how the Three Horseman of the Apocalypse - Slavery, Capitalism and White Supremacy gave birth to the rise of the West, finds Adam Tomes

• Trump's teargas and racist brutality at the US-Mexico border

  

  As the Migrant Caravan arrived at the US border, they were met with heavy tear gas and rubber bullets in a show of inhumane violence, John Clarke reports

• The homelessness crisis deepens across North America

  

  Homelessness is spiralling out of control across the US and Canada as laws are enacted to criminalise rough sleepers, reports John Clarke

• Trump loses Congress, but the Democrats are not the winners

  

  Last night's results show increasing polarisation in US politics, with establishment politics the loser, argues Shabbir Lakha

• Migrant Caravan: Trump sends 5000 troops to stop refugees

  

  Thousands of troops have been sent to the US border as Trump vows to stop the Migrant Caravan, reports John Clarke

• Brazil election: Bolsonaro's victory and the struggle ahead

  

  The victory for far-right Bolsonaro is a dangerous development and it is now a critical moment for the left to unite and win the streets, argues Orlando Hill

• Saudi rogue killers? Why the West is so quiet about the death of Jamal Khashoggi

  

  The murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate in Turkey will irretrievably tarnish Saudi Arabia’s reputation in Western public opinion, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

• Kavanaugh, Trump and the degradation of US politics

  

  Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court marks a shift to the right, and Trump's antisemitic rhetoric shows the rot at the core of the US state, argues Sean Ledwith

• The socialist challenge to Trump

  

  The Trump nightmare has fired up left organisation in the US to electorally challenging the establishment, writes Sean Ledwith

• Imran Khan: Pakistan's new anti-war Prime Minister?

  

  Imran Khan's electoral victory offers Pakistan the potential for a break from neoliberalism and the War on Terror argues Sohaib Khan

• Steve Bannon: international orchestrator of the alt-right

  

  Steve Bannon has gained international notoriety for his role as Trump's chief strategist. Sean Ledwith examines his role in organising the transatlantic alt-right

• Establishment Fake News: Trump, Russiagate and ‘Treason’

  

  The establishment’s response to Trump’s meeting with Putin in Helsinki sounds panic-stricken but is in fact fake and dangerous, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

• Trump Out, Tories Out, General Election Now! - Counterfire Freesheet July 2018

  

  Trump's visit and his trade delusions, crisis for the Tories, Grenfell, is the EU really a friend to migrants and more - Counterfire freesheet edition 027, July 2018

• Trump's trade delusion

  

  Both free trade and protectionist strategies will ultimately impoverish workers, writes Susan Newman

• The meaning of Trump

  

  Is Trump a symptom or a cause of the rot at the heart of the US empire, asks Des Freedman

• Together we can defeat Trump, and the Tories too

  

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

• The Rhyming Guide to Donald Trump

  

  Potent Whisper makes the case for protesting against Donald Trump

• The real danger behind Trump's antics and why he is not indestructible

  

  Trump's obvious absurdity should not distract us from the very real dangers posed by his presidency and his UK visit

• Trump’s state-sponsored child abuse

  

  Separating children from their parents and detaining them is consistent with Trump's inhumane policies and adds to why we need to protest against him argues Sean Ledwith

• Sound and fury, signifying nothing

  

  What does the Trump-Kim summit mean? Not much, says John Rees

• Rethinking Democracy: Socialist Register 2018 - review

  

  Socialism and democracy belong together, and recent popular movements of the left make possible a fight for authentic democracy, argues Sean Ledwith

• 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

• Did the West provoke this crisis with Russia?

  

  A US army study, 'Is the Next Global Conflict Imminent?', suggests NATO expansion is the key driver of tension with Russia

• 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

• Stunning victory for teachers in West Virginia

  

  This win is a huge step forward for the labour movement in the United States

• 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

• Europe: why retreat must not turn into defeat for the left - weekly briefing

  

  Lindsey German analyses Jeremy Corbyn's speech on Brexit, as well as the importance of the UCU strike and the growing movement against the NRA in the US

• American Carnage: Students Defy Trump’s Cult of Violence

  

  Could the student response to last weekend's shootings be the spark for change? Sean Ledwith looks at gun violence in the United States 

• Will Trump’s UK visit be the end of the special relationship?

  

  After yet another disastrous intervention into UK politics over the NHS protest John Rees asks what will be the effect of the Trump visit?

• Lauri Love's victory against extradition

  

  Lauri Love's triumph against extradition to the US is a victory and may well set a precedent for future cases argues Julie Al-Hinai

• Trump in the White House: Tragedy and Farce - book review

  

  Trump's presidency is a highly dangerous force, but to defeat its reactionary policies, its nature must be understood, argues Graham Kirkwood

• 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

• Trump visit: We've confronted the Special Relationship

  

  Donald Trump's cancellation is an embarrassment for both sides of the Special Relationship, argues Chris Nineham

• Neither Washington Nor Moscow: origins and applying it today

  

  David Bush looks at what a slogan developed during World War 2 and crystallized as a position during the Cold War means for socialists in the 21st century

• Beyond a joke: Trump vs Bannon

  

  Michael Wolff's book on the Trump presidency reveals an administration in chaos, writes Sean Ledwith

• Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation - book review

  

  A new collection of writing about poverty in the US shows that America is broken, but the answer is to join in the struggles on the streets, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh.

• Why are people in Iran protesting?

  

  Since Thursday last week, Iran has been gripped by a new social unrest across a number of cities. Naz Massoumi gives some context to the unfolding crisis.

• Trump - Year One

  

  Making sense of the Trump presidency is impossible without a systematic understanding of the forces of reaction and capitalism which paved his way, argues David Bush

• Why is Trump recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital a big deal?

  

  Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has international law implications, infringes on Palestinian rights and could be a calculated move argues Shabbir Lakha

• Theresa The Appeaser: Trump tweets and Britain First

  

  Trump's tweets have dangerously promoted fascists and Theresa May's weak response exposes the nature of the special relationship with the US argues Shabbir Lakha

• Man gets engaged to woman

  

  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement is an inspiration to all of us normal folk

• Union Power: The United Electrical Workers in Erie, Pennsylvania - book review

  

  Union Power is a revealing account of a vibrant and militant union in one US city in the century of Depression and McCarthyism, finds Kevin Crane

• Trump: one year of waking hell

  

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

• Post-modern Trumpism and loneliness: the rise of vulgar authoritarianism

  

  What is at the root of Trump's appeal?

• The return of the S-word in the US

  

  As market fundamentalism is falling out of favour, especially among the young, socialist ideas are gaining traction, writes Des Freedman

• Racist Trump will never be welcome here

  

  From the repeated attempts to pass the Muslim Ban to attacking NFL players, Trump is racist and is not welcome here argues Maz Saleem

• Parliament and power: Lessons from Latin America with Jeffery Webber - video

  

  Author and professor Jeffery Webber dissects the political situation in Latin America, how it developed and what lessons can be learnt from it at a London Counterfire public meeting

• Russia and imperialism today

  

  Putin’s Russia is an authoritarian state, but does it pose the threat that advocates of the NATO alliance often claim? John Rees looks at the profile of Russian military power today.

• The deadliest of games: 
the US and North Korea

  

  Donald Trump’s fumbling towards statesmanship is a global danger, argues Ian Chamberlain

• Resisting 'America’s first white president': Ta-Nehisi Coates and the politics of despair

  

  The US writer's apocalyptic talk disempowers us at precisely the time when we need to oppose Trump, writes Des Freedman

• North Korea: the United States seek power rather than peace

  

  The US approach to North Korea cannot be understood without considering its wider goals in the region

• Fight for $15: McStrike in the US

  

  Care workers and fast-food workers came together in South Philadephia on US Labor Day

• It's capitalism that has flooded Houston

  

  Storm Harvey was as severe as it was because of climate change, but it is capitalism that made it a disaster, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• Trump and Afghanistan: extended carnage

  

  It's time to break the special relationship and its barbaric foreign policy, argues Lindsey German

• Chaos in the White House - weekly briefing

  

  Steve Bannon has been dismissed as the fallout from Charlottesville continues, Sarah Champion has resigned and recent strike success has shown what's possible

• Can we stop Trump tweeting his way to war? - weekly briefing

  

  Trump tweets his way to nuclear confrontation with North Korea and military action in Venezuela while fascists wreak carnage in Charlottesville

• Charlottesville: Trump has made America hate again

  

  US Nazis on manoeuvres is a wake-up call for everyone, argues Sean Ledwith
   

• Fear and loathing in the Trump White House

  

  The blunders of the Trump team have provided cover for the consolidation of a quasi-military clique at the highest levels of the US state, writes Sean Ledwith

• Trump sends for the Marines: what could possibly go wrong? - weekly briefing

  

  The Trump administration is like a cross between the declining Roman Empire and a reality show that has gone wrong

• Trump and Macron: tangoing in Paris

  

  Macron’s lovefest with Trump rests on a raft of converging policies, writes Susan Ram

• Trump and the Comey testimony: incompetence, nepotism and skulduggery

  

  Sections of the US elite are at each other's throats, but the death blow to the whole system will only come from the millions of ordinary Americans

• Trump: a shambles of Nixonian proportions

  

  As the US president’s troubles deepen, he could drag the United States into a full-blown constitutional crisis

• W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line

  

  This biography reveals W.E.B. Du Bois as a radical and revolutionary thinker who challenged capitalism, imperialism and racism, finds Adam Tomes

• Iran in the shadow of Trump

  

  In the upcoming Presidential election in Iran domestic issues are being overshadowed by the Donald argues Sean Ledwith

• The subversive power of the UN Report that labelled Israel an 'apartheid' regime

  

  The US reaction to a UN report describing Israel as an apartheid state demonstrates its potential legal power as well as in the movement argues Nourhan Ashraf Elsayed

• Even the Lords knows May's foreign policy is a shambles

  

  As the Lords international relations select committee attacks May's foreign policy, there is clearly far reaching opposition to her approach, writes Chris Nineham 

• Trump the warmonger

  

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

• The road to impeachment? Trump’s first 100 days

  

  The US president has turned out to be as divisive and disastrous as many feared

• Trump: pushing us to the brink of war

  

  In this moment of rising tension, the anti-war movement has to get organised around the country

• Trump frolics with a Korean war

  

  As the US ratchets up tensions with North Korea, the threat of a bloody war looms large

• Trump's air stike has deepened Syria's misery

  

  In the aftermath of Trump's missile attacks, peace in Syria looks further away than ever

• Trump strikes, liberals cheer

  

  The reaction from many liberals to Trump's attack on Syria has exposed their faux opposition to him, writes John Rees

• America's lapse of the imperial memory

  

  Donald Trump’s attempt to present himself as the defender of Syrian civilians is deeply hypocritical, writes Kara Bryan

• The other American Revolution

  

  Alan Taylor’s book suggests that Trumpism might be less an aberration than the latest expression of long established traits of American political culture

• Selling the Future: The Perils of Predicting Global Politics

  

  Selling The Future shows how the prediction industry reproduces an international system favouring the existing rulers, argues Peter Stauber

• Dissenting Japan: A History of Japanese Radicalism and Counterculture from 1945 to Fukushima

  

  William Andrews' Dissenting Japan provides a history of radical politics in a post-war Japan shaped by the needs of US imperialism, finds Sean Ledwith

• Last Stand at Standing Rock

  

  Indigenous people and 'water protectors' were cleared out of the Oceti camp this week following Trump's go ahead to the DAPL reports Kara Bryan

• Trump’s coming war with China?

  

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

• Join the movement against Trump

  

  The rising resistance against the US president represents a huge opportunity for those on the left to make the case for a different kind of world

• Unity and organisation: our weapons against Trump

  

  The Stand Up to Trump organising summit is exactly the kind of rallying cry our international movement needs, asserts Chris Nineham   

• Trump and May: a special kind of relationship

  

  What does Theresa May's and Donald Trump's 'special relationship' really mean? 

• Trump up the volume

  

  Now is the time to get creative and infuse our music and culture with politics, argues Dave Randall

• Trump's Muslim Ban, Theresa May's silence

  

  Trump's Muslim Ban is appalling and Theresa May's refusal to condemn it is outrageous. Organising against both is critical.

• Weakness and Deceit: America and El Salvador's Dirty War

  

  Raymond Bonner’s account of US intervention in El Salvador shows that today’s catastrophic imperialist interventions have a long history, argues Dominic Alexander

• The right in power, resistance and transformation

  

  The die is cast, but socialists must fight for their outcomes, argues Jack Hazeldine

• Women's March: this is what democracy looks like - photos

  

  5 million people. 670 protests. 75 countries. The Women's March was the biggest global protest event since the 2003 protests against the Iraq War.

• Obama: the peacenik’s president?

  

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

• Trump's new Horsemen of the Apocalypse

  

  As President-elect becomes President, Sean Ledwith takes a look at the Trump administration

• The Chagos Archipelago: empire’s last gleaming

  

  The plight of these seven Indian Ocean atolls should be on everyone’s radar, argues Shabbir Lakha

• Exit Obama: the strange death of American liberalism

  

  After eight years of Democratic rule, the American brand of liberalism that accompanied the country’s rise to global hegemony looks exhausted

• Dump Trump: ending the US-UK special relationship

  

  Donald Trump should be the final straw in the US-UK special relationship, particularly on foreign policy argues Chris Nineham

• Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the US-Saudi Connection

  

  Medea Benjamin unravels the toxic relationship between the West and the oppressive regime in Saudi Arabia, in Kingdom of the Unjust, finds Jonathan Maunders

• Standing Rock: the struggle continues

  

  The struggle at Standing Rock can only be overcome by challenging the system as a whole, argues George Mueller Waite

• Studs Terkel: Politics, Culture, But Mostly Conversation

  

  Studs Terkel’s life was spent documenting working-class life and struggle in the US. Alan Wieder’s biography captures him splendidly, says Graham Kirkwood

• Victory for Standing Rock

  

  Standing Rock shows us that organised resistance and mass movements work argues Shabbir Lakha

• America's Addiction to Terrorism

  

  In this comprehensive account of social issues rooted in the neoliberal reign of terror, Henry Giroux provides a crucial critique of free-market fundamentalism in 2016, finds Shabbir Lakha

• Standing up for Standing Rock: the shape of things to come?

  

  Once again protest within the movements points to a wider challenge to US power and capital, argues George Mueller Waite

• Hot sauce: the Democrats and the black vote

  

  The relationship between the Democrats and US minorities is not as rosy as some may claim, notes Shabbir Lakha

• 'The Trump Disaster' with John Rees - video

  

  How did Trump win? What do we do now? John Rees takes on these questions in the first talk of our new series, tackling the big issues of the day

• This is where the work begins: on the streets against Trump

  

  Indignation and anguish against Trump from thousands of young school students, as they walk out of classes and militancy mounts

• 10 points about Trump

  

  We must fight for an alternative to barbarism, argues Lindsey German

• As dangerous abroad as at home: Trump and foreign policy

  

  We shouldn't believe that Trump's claims to isolationism will lead to a safer world, argues Lindsey German

• Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?

  

  This short, sharp and powerful collection of essays is a stirring inspiration in the search for liberation and justice, finds Adam Tomes

• What does a Trump presidency mean for foreign policy?

  

  Donald Trump's foreign policy intentions are unclear, however, what is, is that we should step up anti-war efforts, argues Chris Nineham

• The Trump victory: how it happened and how to respond - part 2

  

  Counterfire publishes more reactions to Trump's election, as world politics is thrown into crisis once again

• The Trump disaster: the chickens come home to roost

  

  How did America elect its most reactionary President ever, asks John Rees

• The Trump victory: how it happened and how to respond - part 1

  

  Counterfire publishes more reactions to the US elections, as world politics is thrown into crisis once again

• How did we get to this? Clinton and the damage done

  

  Clinton’s utter failure to inspire the growing movement in American society for real change has given Trump an opening

• The Fourth Estate and the New Cold War

  

  The media are called the fourth estate because they are meant to hold government to account but it is failing to question the drive to a new Cold War, notes Kara Byran 

• '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 

• Cold War redux: Vladimir Putin and the new geopolitics

  

  Western demonisation of the former KGB director obscures his real manoeuvrings, observes Chris Bambery 

• When memory yields to pride

  

  John Marciano’s The American War in Vietnam exposes ongoing attempts to rehabilitate a war that did so much to discredit imperialist interventions, finds Kit Klarenberg

• US elections: death of a salesman or reincarnation of the salesman as politician?

  

  Whoever wins the presidency, American society will be the loser if it cannot build a political movement based on a different ideology, explains Jude Fernando

• Len, A Lawyer in History

  

  Len, A Lawyer in History is the important story of Leonard Weinglass and other activist lawyers in the US who represented people targeted for their politics, finds Alan Wieder

• 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 

• Syria: why the war will not end soon

  

  The ceasefire in Syria is only temporary, and will not lead to lasting peace, argues Lindsey German

• Make America hate again? Trump, the Republicans and US decline

  

  Sean Ledwith considers Donald Trump's ascendancy within the context of the history of the Republican Party and American power

• Black Lives Matter spreads to Britain

  

  As racist attacks escalate in the US, and continue in the UK, the show of solidarity from Britain's streets is inspiring, writes Shabbir Lakha

• The EU referendum and the Left

  

  Obama's remarks have shown that the EU is a constraint on anything democratic and popular that may fall foul of the capitalist class, writes Alex Snowdon

• Hillary Clinton: a better servant of corporate interests than Donald Trump

  

  The longer Sanders fights on, the more apparent it will be that Clinton is nothing but a neoliberal corporatist ideologue, write Jude Fernando and Kali Tal

• The bombing of Syria is not bringing peace

  

  The great powers are using Syria as a battlefield to advance their own interests, argues Andrew Murray

• Did you hear? Another Muslim murdered in the USA

  

  With Islamophobia rising across the world, why do the media continue to ignore the fact that #MuslimLivesMatter asks Maz Saleem?

• Beyonce, black lives and the Super Bowl

  

  Musician Dave Randall looks at the furore surrounding Beyonce's performance at the Super Bowl

• Feeling the Bern: can Sanders beat Clinton?

  

  In challenging the corporatist and status quoist politics of Clinton, Sanders has become an electoral lightning rod for the movements, argues Sean Ledwith

• The Sanders surge: Occupy hits the ballot box

  

  The Iowan Democrat caucus photo finish reveals a major fault line in the US political consensus, reports Mark Dee Smith

• The Black Panthers: the hidden history

  

  Director Stanley Nelson tells the story of one of the most influential radical movements to emerge from the United States, whose legacy is both enduring and politically misunderstood, writes Season Butler

• Revolutionary Teamsters: The Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934

  

  Brian Palmer’s Revolutionary Teamsters shows the contemporary relevance of a major episode of revolutionary trade-unionism from the 1930s, argues Richard Allday

• The US 'fracking revolution': ramping up global tensions

  

  Opec price cuts originally intended to pressure Russia have rebounding on the US fracking industry explains James Meadway

• Bernie Sanders: America’s Corbyn moment?

  

  Despite Sanders' weaknesses, the possibilities for a revival of the movement in the US opened up by ‘Berniemania’ are real and cannot  be ignored argues Sean Ledwith

• China crisis: questions and answers

  

  James Meadway answers some questions about the financial crisis unfolding in China

• Killing Hope. US Military and CIA Interventions since World War II

  

  William Blum’s Killing Hopeserves as a formidable compendium of US foreign invasions and interference since 1945, finds Ralph Graham-Leigh

• Code pink and black

  

  Medea Benjamin talks to Counterfire about the prospects of American foreign policy, the anti-war sentiment in the US, and the Black Lives Matter movement

• Race to Revolution: The United States and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow

  

  The interwoven history of racism and liberation in Cuba and the United States in Race to Revolution illuminates a new historical narrative, argues William Booth

• Ten demonstrations that changed the world

  

  As the 20 June demo approaches, it’s worth remembering that mass marches have been crucial to all the most important struggles - Chris Nineham looks at ten of them

• The fire last time: when ghetto riots rocked America

  

  Alastair Stephens looks at how riots changed American history and represented a historic challenge to the ruling order

• VE Day and the comic book history of World War Two

  

  Celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War are an opportunity for Western governments to re-write History argues Chris Bambery

• Baltimore and the uprising against the Blue Klux Klan

  

  The real solution to state racism  lies with the people - only a motivated, organised, disciplined mass movement can bring change to America argues Lee Jasper