Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair
The world stands on the precipice of all-out war; missiles, drones and jets fly through the skies of Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. The occupier nation of Israel continues its daily slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza while its irregular forces falsely characterized as settlers terrorize and kill other Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel’s mentor, sugar daddy, and ultimate commander—the nation they call the USA—conspires and cooperates in the killing across the region. Meanwhile, in that nation called USA an internal army kidnaps, terrorizes and kills workers and their families under the guise of controlling the migrations of humanity. Racist politicians and their sycophants in the population and on the boards of businesses large and small cheer the murders, the mayhem and the detention undertaken by the internal army directed by the authoritarian Department of Homeland Security. And Sgt. Dow Jones takes the winnings to the bank where the demons of war bathe in the glory of their greed.
Where is the movement against this war? Besides those who converge when the DHS forces (ICE, CBP) kill someone, there are no protests, much less angry ones. Millions claim they don’t want a king, but few will take the risks required to overthrow a government lorded over by a man who thinks he’s king. Millions supposedly oppose the US war on Iran, but few have stood up to demand it end; few organizers have stepped forward and begun the hard work that organizing a movement against war demands. There is an election coming soon, unless it’s canceled by the man who calls himself king. It’s been a long time, if ever, since an election ended a war; it was also elected officials who put the mechanisms in place under which the DHS death squads have been unleashed. Virtually every adult in the United States feeds the war machine even if the only thing they do is use a computer or some other “device.” Fuck Flock is a great slogan but it doesn’t take down the surveillance complex directed by companies like Palantir; nor does it put those corporations’ owners in the prisons they belong in.
The modern version of the US Left, seemingly operating under the illusion that winning a few elections indicates its inevitable rise to power, has not only turned the efforts of its largest organizations toward the electoral circus of US capitalism, in doing so it has modified its message. Indeed, what used to be the political program of the Democratic party in the mid-twentieth century is now presented as our revolution. Hardcore trumpists still fear this program and call it communist, but those who are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent don’t seem to scare as easily as their parents and grandparents did when they heard that word. Of course, even if these folks are elected, their numbers are not substantial enough to defeat the rest of Congress and change how things are going. This fact doesn’t mean one shouldn’t vote for them (and campaign if that’s your inclination), but one should also temper their enthusiasm with the obvious. The recent votes against the NDAA and the number of politicians who voted to enforce the War Powers are hopeful, if temporary signs. At the same time, voting in favor of enforcing the War Powers Act doesn’t mean a Senator is against the war being discussed, just thet they want to debate that war before they vote in favor of it. Some of those on the Left who understand the need for an antiwar movement seem to be more interested in any such movement’s ideological purity than in making it a movement to be reckoned with.
In the way I understand the world, the US war on Iran should be the focus of any antiwar movement. If it continues to escalate, not much else will matter. There have been some actions in the streets that made the war their focus. Indeed, the protest by veterans and military families in Philadelphia on July 4th was noteworthy even though much of the media ignored it. Likewise, protests that broke out immediately after the February 28, 2026 bombings got a few people into the streets. CODEPINK continues its strategy of confronting warmakers and publishing the confrontations. Furthermore, local coalitions in some US cities (Chicago, for one) are planning on holding actions against the US war on Iran in the next week to acknowledge that the current war began five months ago. Some of the marches are listed on the United National Antiwar Committee website. In other words, the purpose of this piece is not to diminish the actions that are taking place, but to urge people to take this nascent movement and make it bigger, grander and louder. Much louder, because until there are hundreds of thousands antiwar protesters in the streets, the antiwar actions which do take place must make the people of this nation look and hopefully join in. History tells us that politicians don’t make opposing US wars overseas a public priority until it’s safe to do so, when it won’t cost them votes. After all, they are seeking votes while antiwarriors are seeking an end to a war—two very different goals. Very different.
