Why the Left Must Embrace Internationalism to Challenge Global Imperial Power

The author argues that the resurgence of imperial wars has pushed internationalism back onto the left’s agenda, defining it as the strategy needed to pursue universal emancipation. Because states are the primary enforcers of domination, the fight against racism, patriarchy, or capitalism must engage the laws, police, courts and prisons of many nation-states. These states are inherently diverse, and ruling elites exploit that diversity through invented categories to sow division.

The United States, heading a post-World War II imperial coalition, remains the chief threat to emancipatory movements worldwide, even as that alliance fragments. Effective leftist action therefore requires solidarity that both supports struggles abroad and multiplies battles at home, turning local issues into part of a global fight. Coordinating such a pluralistic effort is complicated by differing national histories, legal systems and political cultures, but it is presented as the only path to overcoming the state-based order.