Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair, CounterPunch – CC BY 4.0

To say that there is an exception to the global surge of the far right—and that this exception is taking shape in the metropolis of global capitalism, the United States of America—can only leave those who grew up convinced that nothing can change in the deeply reactionary society of the American superpower utterly stunned and incredulous. That is, in fact, why—as is the case almost everywhere else, including in my country, Greece—the favorite slogan of the entire left, chanted at demonstrations for half a century, is the very eloquent and somewhat simplistic, if not racist… “Americans, murderers of peoples”…

So, while everywhere else—and especially in Europe—this skyrocketing rise of the far right is translating into historic electoral successes and raising fears of the worst in the coming months in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere, in the United States we are witnessing a diametrically opposite phenomenon: On the one hand, the American far right—once triumphant and personified by President Trump himself—is in an increasingly deep crisis, rejected by the vast majority of a disappointed and angry American public. And on the other hand, this crisis of the American far right goes hand in hand with the meteoric rise of the new radical left, which is racking up electoral victories and seeing its influence grow before our very eyes! (1)

It goes without saying that such historic events unfolding at the very heart of global capitalism will leave their mark far beyond the borders of the United States. This is all the more true given that the American far right is not just any far right. Benefiting from the very active support of the occupant of the White House and his administration—and consequently possessing enormous resources—the American far right has, over the past 10 years, launched, supported, financed, trained, and led far-right parties and organizations around the world, favoring the most hardline groups, including neo-fascist and neo-Nazi factions. This has made it the center of the Brown International of our time, which it leads in collaboration with Putin’s Russia.

The lesson to be drawn from the above is glaringly obvious: the specific weight and importance of the American far right within the global far right mean that its current profound crisis is sowing—or will sow—disarray in the ranks of the global far right, marking a halt or even the end of its uninterrupted meteoric rise over at least the past ten years. However, it is important to note that this crisis did not come out of nowhere; rather, it is, to a large extent, the result of the current historic rise of the American radical left. This rise of the radical left further deepens the crisis of the Trumpist far right by making it increasingly intractable—all the more so because this rise is also coming at the expense of the Democratic Party establishment, and thus at the expense of the traditional two-party system and the (capitalist) system that created and sustained it!

The lesson the European left must draw from this is not only that it has much to learn from the experiences of the American radical left, but also—and above all—that it must ally itself with and coordinate with the American radical left as quickly as possible! And this must happen regardless of any differences or even disagreements that may exist on any given issue. For unity of action is more imperative than ever for all of us, at a dramatic moment in human history when this pooling of our forces is desperately needed…

And when we say it is desperately urgent, this is neither an exaggeration nor a rhetorical device. It was already desperately urgent due to the climate catastrophe, which is accelerating and now appears to be reaching tipping points with nightmarish consequences. But the urgency has grown even more desperate since artificial intelligence researchers have publicly warned of the direct and immediate threats that AI itself poses to the very survival of humanity (!), and since even CEOs of AI giants like Anthropic and OpenAI have suggested—also publicly—that these warnings are well-founded!

Of course, it’s no surprise that Trump is quick to dismiss these warnings as a “hoax.” In fact, he used the same word, “hoax,” to describe the climate crisis. But take note: his unconditional defense of AI isn’t solely due to the fact that he and his inner circle have invested heavily in AI giants. His attitude—as, indeed, that of his vice president, JD Vance—can also be explained by their fear of the growing opposition to AI among 70% of American citizens, which comes on top of the public anger sparked by Trump’s policies. As CNN rightly notes, “ Scary AI scenarios could solidify Americans’ worries over the power held by a few billionaire tech oligarchs who risk creating dangerous new societal tensions.” (2)

It goes without saying that a radical left cannot ignore either the warnings of AI experts or their fears and concerns, which it must take very seriously. However, its opposition to AI cannot be limited to opposing its “excesses” or the “risk” that it might fall into the hands of terrorists and other “enemies” of the West—arguments put forward by all those who advocate for a “slowdown.” This is, in fact, why—and it is obviously no coincidence—New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has just banned AI in the city’s schools, from pre-K through the end of middle school (affecting 600,000 students), for one year, giving the city time to assess the impact of this ban on learning.

A radical left cannot settle for such “opposition,” which boils down to merely “slowing down” AI. It must get to the root of the matter; it must reject it entirely! Why? Because, as Romaric Godin so aptly puts it,

“this technology is designed as a tool of social control because it aims to define truth and colonize real-life experience. It determines individual choices, establishes what is true or false, replaces the thought process with deceptive immediacy, and creates a compulsive dependency. In short, it is a machine that multiplies alienation tenfold—alienation that has already been reinforced by the digital tools the “left” has done nothing to combat and which have devoured it (…) as was once said, “one does not combat alienation with alienated means”. Adopting AI in this struggle today would seal capitalism’s definitive victory (,,,) AI was designed as the enemy of the conditions of human existence, whether as social beings or as natural beings. It cannot be a tool of emancipation because it is a tool of destruction (…) it will engulf us all, because it is that Moloch created by the capitalists to render human life—the last obstacle to the domination of the real abstraction of capital—superfluous”.(3)

Thus, we cannot but fully agree with the author of these lines when he draws the logical conclusion from all of the above with this urgent call to struggle: “The active rejection of AI, of its ‘hype,’ its ‘time savings,’ and its ‘solutions,’ can serve as the foundation for a social movement capable of challenging the capitalist order and the destruction that accompanies it. It certainly remains to be built, but it is nonetheless the only coherent path to resisting the coming disaster.” Resist and fight together with our comrades on the American radical left…

Notes

1. On this subject, see our articles It’s time we realize that a significant radical left is taking shape in America! : https://www.cadtm.org/It-s-time-we-realize-that-a-significant-radical-left-is-taking-shape-in-America

And also : When Trump Sounds the Alarm Against Mamdani’s “Communists” Who Are Triumphing: https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/when-trump-sounds-the-alarm-against-mamdanis-communists-and-their-electoral-triumphs/

2. A fateful turning point for humanity and AI could redefine American politics: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/14/politics/trump-ai-warning-sacks-coxon-anthropic

3. Should the Left Give in to the Siren Song of Artificial Intelligence? https://blogs.mediapart.fr/romaric-godin/blog/030826/la-gauche-doit-elle-ceder-aux-chants-des-sirenes-de-l-intelligence-artificielle