Fascism, Imperialist War and the Decline of the United States Empire

Domestically the threats against democracy cannot be separated from the necessity of ending genocidal onslaughts against the peoples of the Global South

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Sunday March 22, 2026

Political Review

After three weeks of daily proclaiming that the United States military has already won the war of choice against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the White House and Pentagon are now requesting another $200 billion dollars to continue the bombing.

Reports from news agencies based outside the U.S. indicate that the toll of deaths and injuries which have taken place in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf states are approaching 5,000. (https://www.eurasiantimes.com/us-israel-war-on-iran-here-are-the-latest-casualty-figures-from-across-the-middle-east/)

The U.S. government has said that 14 of its soldiers have been killed since the latest round of hostilities resumed on February 28. Additional reports estimate that between 200-400 Pentagon troops have been injured.

Attempts in the Senate and House of Representatives to pass “war powers resolutions” have failed due to the two Republican dominated wings of the Congress. Varying explanations are offered by the White House, the Department of War and their backers in Congress, yet it is quite obvious that the objectives center around removing the existing Islamic Republic government in Tehran.

No significant opposition to the war has emerged in Congress among the Republican Party. Despite the “America First” propaganda by MAGA elements, the current administration is thoroughly committed to advancing U.S. imperialism in the Global South.

Iran and its neighbors throughout the West Asia region have some of the largest oil and natural gas deposits in the world. The states within the Persian Gulf which are aligned with Washington, the State of Israel and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), exercise no genuine independence and sovereignty related to the interest of their own people.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for years have operated in the interest of U.S. hegemonic control over the region. Beginning in 2015, the GCC facilitated by the Pentagon waged a war on the people of Yemen for more than five years. 

Nonetheless, these same Persian Gulf Arab Monarchies have not lifted a finger to defend the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran. More than 70,000 Palestinians have been slaughtered in Gaza since October 2023. However, not one single shot or missile has been fired at the Zionist occupation forces and the U.S. bases operating in the region. 

Despite this situation of the clear aggressive posture of Tel Aviv and Washington, the GCC states presented a resolution to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemning Iran for its national defense of its territory and interests. These monarchies in the Gulf region function as subservient partners in the imperialist project in West Asia.

These states have allowed the stationing of U.S. bases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for the sole purpose of protecting the exploitation of oil as well as the apartheid Israeli regime in Tel Aviv. The military outposts have been utilized to launch deadly and destructive attacks on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

While this exploitative and unjust situation continues, Iran has been subjected to draconian sanctions for decades. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 was a direct response to the overthrow of their democratic leader Prime Minister Mohamed Mossadegh in 1953 by the British government and the U.S.  Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 

The monarchical rule of the Shah between 1953 and 1979 resulted in the deaths of thousands of Iranians in order to maintain the flow of cheap oil to the NATO states. After the Shah and his U.S.-backed regime was overthrown by the Iranian masses, they immediately declared that the resources of their country would be utilized for the improvement of the social conditions of the people while assisting other oppressed nations.

The Islamic Revolutionary government under the First Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, immediately cut off oil supplies to the former racist apartheid regime in South Africa as well as the State of Israel. Over the last 47 years, Iran has not engaged in any aggressive actions against its neighbors.

They have committed themselves to the liberation of Palestine and the removal of foreign influence in Lebanon and other regional states. Revenue from the sales of Iranian oil has fostered development inside the country through the construction and expansion of educational facilities, highways and national defense.

Fascism and Imperialist War: Two Sides of the Same Hegemonic Project

Since the beginning of the second non-consecutive term of the Trump administration, vicious assaults have been carried out against people inside the U.S. The migrant community has been a focus of the administration, utilizing them as scapegoats for the failures of the capitalist system.

The Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agency has been in existence for years. Yet, since early 2025, ICE along with the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has functioned as a national police force. 

Existing immigration laws in the U.S. have always been racist and unjust. The focus of the ICE raids, detentions and deportations are primarily targeting people from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Therefore, it is clearly aimed at reducing the number of people of color residing in the U.S.

When people in Minneapolis, Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, Detroit, New York City and many other municipalities rose up to oppose these racist applications of immigration laws, the administration unleashed its agents on anyone standing in their way. In Minneapolis, two white Americans were gunned down in cold blood for engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience against ICE and the CBP. 

Dozens of people have died in ICE detention since 2025. Hundreds of thousands more have been illegally detained and deported absent of any due process. These policies by the Trump administration have prompted demonstrations by millions of people throughout the U.S.

Despite the threats of persecution and death, a growing number of people are mobilizing against the Trump administration. The “No Kings Day” rallies during October 2025 attracted 7 million people. In Minneapolis, hundreds of thousands held stay-aways and mass demonstrations in late January, resulting in the withdrawal of many ICE and CBP agents from the twin cities in Minnesota.

With midterm elections scheduled for November 2026, the repressive apparatus of the state is tightening its grip over the people. Trump has called for the “nationalization” of the elections in what is designed to ensure the continued dominance of his supporters over the Congress.

Economic Crisis Intensifies

The war against Iran, the resumption of the bombing of Lebanon by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and the ongoing genocide in Palestine are continuing in part to cover up the failed economic policies of the Trump White House. Trump has falsely claimed that his tariffs imposed on countries throughout the world have brought $19 trillion dollars into the U.S. Treasury.

However, the reality is that tens of thousands of jobs are being lost every month in the U.S. where the population is becoming more impoverished. Millions have been eliminated from receiving healthcare and food subsidies provided by the federal government directly due to the Trump program.

Housing subsidies are also being threatened, creating a situation where the cities, suburbs, small towns and rural areas will be filled with even more homeless and hungry people. The rising prices for commodities are being fueled by the shortages resulting from the chaotic economic policies of the administration.

All of these problems, involving the cost of imperialist war, the domestic crackdown on migrants and dissidents as well as the worsening plight of working people and the impoverished must be fought simultaneously. Those concerned about the erosion of bourgeois democracy cannot ignore the aggression being fostered by the Pentagon. 

The annual military budget for the U.S. now exceeds $1.5 trillion while the people are being rendered jobless, hungry, sickened and without shelter. What is needed is a united movement of the workers and oppressed to independently fight to defeat the Trump program while bringing genuine democracy of economic development to the majority of people in the U.S.