United States

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

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

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

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'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

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

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

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

Potent Whisper makes the case for protesting against Donald Trump

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is at the root of Trump's appeal?

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lenin’s understanding of imperialism and imperial rivalry still best describes the world we face, argues Dan Poulton, reviewing Ernesto Scepanti’s Global Imperialism and the Great Crisis

The new war in Yemen, led by the most reactionary state in the Middle East, can only end in disaster, says John Rees

Selma chronicles the three-month period in 1965, when Martin Luther King led a  campaign for equal voting rights. Review by Sean Ledwith

On the anniversary of the violent ‘La Salida’ protests in Venezuela aiming at the ousting of Venezuela’s elected Government, 100 prominent campaigners from across British society (including 82 national politicians from 7 different political parties) have signed a solidarity statement “condemning the ongoing wave of anti-democratic violence from extreme elements of Venezuela’s right-wing opposition [in early 2014], whose declared aim (‘La Salida’) is the ousting of the elected government.”

Tom Egelhardt’s account of the intertwined systems of the American National Security state presents a daunting picture, but also argues that it can be defeated, finds Kit Klarenberg

MPs from eight parties say it is absolutely unacceptable that an innocent man who has suffered many of forms of torture can continue to be held in Guantánamo Bay

Lindsey German looks at twelve features of last year that will shape politics in the year ahead

The architects of the War on Terror, like George W Bush and Dick Cheney, have launched a counter offensive against the CIA report claiming that torture saved lives

The US has failed in Afghanistan. The next phase will be trying to keep their bases in perpetuity as they leave, so they can return again as in Iraq

The US midterm elections will be of marginal relevance to an electorate increasingly turning their backs on the status quo as a means of delivering change writes Sean Ledwith

The sectarian legacy of the US occupation means Obama's strategy of air strikes in support of the Iraqi military cannot defeat the Islamic State argues Ady Cousins

In a period of social and economic crisis, Crisis and Control by Lesley J Wood, provides an understanding of the state logic that leads to increased police militarisation, finds Adam Tomes

David Cameron is due to secretly renew the Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) on nuclear cooperation between the US and the UK writes Ellen Graubart

Kit Klarenberg looks at how the Thatcher government secretly armed both sides in the war between Iran and Iraq

Images, videos and tweets from the mobilisation against Nato's war summit in Newport, Wales

Video from a Stop the War Coalition rally on the eve of protests in Newport against the Nato summit, with Boris Kagarlitsky, Sami Ramadani and Lindsey German

Sean Ledwith looks at the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the rising against the racist machine

The US is now bombing Isis, an organization that it once helped to fight Assad, in a new war that may well require Assad’s assistance

Isis is simply the latest in a series of fanatical, violent movements born out of the disastrous consequences of US military intervention argues Alastair Stephens

The history of the working class of Hell’s Kitchen, New York, explored through the prism of subjectivities of space, is a project that promises more than it is able deliver, in Joseph Varga’s Hell’s Kitchen and the Battle for Urban Space

In this interview, Tariq Ali discusses the recent Israel, Palestine, the BDS movment, the rise of ISIS, and Obama’s commitment to long-term US involvement in Iraq.

Western calls to arm the Kurds and bomb Iraq are both hypocritical and dangerous, argues John Rees

Palestinian groups and individuals inside and outside of historic Palestine have signed the following statement in solidarity with their brethren in Ferguson, Missouri.

Tariq Ali introduces a film by Staffan Lamm on the international war crimes tribunal charging the US with aggression and war crimes in Vietnam in 1967

In 1934 three mighty strikes brought the bosses and bankers to their knees and ushered in a new era of labour-capital relations in the United States writes Sean Ledwith

A serious examination of the use of torture in Iraq and Afghanistan, Phillips brings home the full horror of the war crimes inflicted upon the occupied populations.

An extract from None of us were like this before by Joshua E. S. Phillips. The book explores the legacy of torture in the “War on Terror,” told through the story of one tank battalion

Extracts from None of us were like this before by Joshua E. S. Phillips. The book explores the legacy of torture in the “War on Terror,” told through the story of one tank battalion.