Hitler's military strategy during World War II was called Blitzkrieg, or “lightning warfare”. During the First World War (1914-1918), trench warfare was the dominant doctrine. This method, which involved armies facing each other in trenches, resulted in prolonged battles over a few kilometres of land, with one side advancing at times and the other retreating and vice versa at other times. In World War II (1939-1945), the Nazis' strategy was to surprise the enemy with sudden attacks, confuse them with different weapon systems in various areas, and overwhelm the opponent before it could even decide how to defend itself.
Trump began his new term with a full-scale application of this strategy in the political sphere. On 20 January, before the inauguration ceremonies began, we published an article on RedMedand said the following: “Trump, previously a political novice, has become far more experienced. Surrounding him now is a team driven by greed and rage, bolstering Trump’s inflated ego and reckless ambitions. Already prone to impulsiveness, Trump is likely to act swiftly and aggressively, especially given his advancing age. We believe Trump may aim for a third term, despite the significant backlash this would generate. But whatever the prospects for a third term, his sense of urgency will likely drive rapid and decisive action.” (Emphasis added.)
The elephant in the crystal shop!
From day one, Trump took steps on almost everything we said he would do, except for one thing (lowering tax rates for the rich, which he will surely bring to Congress pretty soon). For example, he imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Canada and Mexico and a 10 per cent tariff on China. These three countries account for one-third of U.S. goods imports (Mexico 15.6%, China 13.5%, Canada 12.6%). The total value of imports from these three exceeds $1 trillion! Trump also declared that the European Union would be next. It is as if he is wielding an axe, ready to shatter the world market to pieces!
He began mass deportations of undocumented immigrants from day one. Although Gustavo Petro, the soft left president of Colombia, was one who tried to stand up for the rights of the citizens of his country being deported, he had to give in to Trump’s pressure pretty quickly, probably because of serious threats. Trump also issued an executive order rescinding the automatic citizenship rights of babies born on U.S. soil. This despite the fact that the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees this right as a constitutional one. In other words, Trump has granted himself the authority to change the Constitution. (In countries similar to ours, Turkey, the bourgeoisie and well-off sections of the modern petty bourgeoisie must be mourning. Many mothers go to the U.S. to give birth, trying to secure their children's future—knock on wood!—against a potential proletarian revolution!)
U.S. imperialism had largely left Latin America alone since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Venezuela was an exception, and even that country was only harassed with partial attacks. Now, Trump's Secretary of State, Marco Rubio (who, as his name suggests, is also Latino), is making his first trip abroad to Latin America. The Monroe Doctrine is waking from a long slumber!
The first steps have been taken toward “austerity measures” in the federal government structure, led by Elon Musk and another billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy. The duo has obtained full access to Treasury accounts from the Treasury Secretary. While these men continue their capitalist ventures, they will wield significant authority over the national budget, naturally of great concern to the entire population. It is hard to find a more blatant example of “conflict of interest”.
Even as these gentlemen were just beginning their work, Trump has already implemented arbitrary cuts in federal spending. He has started dismantling programs aimed at protecting vulnerable groups under the heading of “Diversity and Inclusion”, slashed funding for social service agencies, and halted foreign aid. The latter is poised to create severe humanitarian problems worldwide, as it will inevitably lead to the ending of contributions from the world's largest economy to many a humanitarian programme around the world. The most important principle in the history of bourgeois democracy—that the state budget can only be decided by the legislative branch, i.e., parliament (or Congress in the US context)—is being trampled underfoot. The appropriations Congress had earlier allocated to many social services and other societal needs are being slashed with a blunt butcher's cleaver!
But the most significant aspect of Trump's initial fortnight has been his brazen assault on the official bodies meant to oversee him and on America's famous "checks and balances" system. He dismissed 17 inspectors general responsible for overseeing the expenditures made by 17 departments. In other words, it is almost as if he shut down what amounts to a Court of Auditors in many other countries! And yet even for one such dismissal, Congress must be notified 30 days in advance. A dozen prosecutors at the Justice Department were fired for having proved in the past their ill intentions in Trump investigations. Official vengeance is the order of the day! Some officials requiring Senate confirmation at the time of their appointment, including the head of the National Labor Relations Board—a powerful body in industrial relations—and two members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, crucial for blacks, Latinos, and other minorities, were dismissed simply for being "far left"!
What is to be done?
The opposition is bewildered. Executive “orders” (that is precisely what they are called in US parlance, “orders”) that far exceed existing legal limits are rapidly altering the political-legal system. The opposition is grumbling, unsure of which attack to prioritise or what defence to put forward in each case.
We are calling out to Anglo-American leftists and intellectuals! Can you now see that Trump is marching down the path of fascism, or are you still asleep, muttering, “Trump will surely normalise”?
Preparation is vital. Organising on the basis of a united defence line starting from trade unions, neighbourhoods or communities, campuses and high schools, protecting the gains of the working class and the poor through demonstrations and meetings against attacks on the rights of all oppressed groups, preparing to repel the attacks in the streets of fascist gangs and militias that will inevitably be set up sooner or later, and defending the fraternity of peoples against white supremacist ideology.
The memory of the George Floyd popular uprising of 2020 in response to the deliberate killing of a black man by a police officer in broad daylight left Trump bewildered. The central task is to win the struggle by responding to the violence of fascist militias or the police and army by any means necessary. What the George Floyd uprising lacked was, first and foremost, a class posture, followed by the formation of self-defence committees in all areas, especially inside the labour movement.
The task in the Middle East (Western Asia)
Our immediate task in the Middle East is to cleanse our part of the world from imperialism and Zionism, which are trying to drown the peoples of this region in blood and genocide. Those who do not fight for this, who do not aim to shut down US bases in the region, including the Incirlik and Kürecik bases in Turkey, who do not confront imperialism head-on will inevitably become complicit in dragging humanity once again into barbarism. We are writing these lines on 2 February 2025. Exactly 80 years ago this week, while the Anglo-American armies were still procrastinating, the Soviet Red Army, the army of the first working-class revolution in history, defeated the Nazi army and liberated the prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
If we are to defeat barbarism once again, organizing the working class against the triad of imperialism-capitalism-Zionism in factories, fields, strikes, and popular resistance in all spheres of life is the cornerstone of that great struggle for the future of humanity.