The authoritarianism of the Trump regime calls out for mass radical organizing, but with some exceptions, much of the left has not mounted a coherent response. Journalist Arun Gupta reflects on lessons from the last quarter century – from the Global Justice Movement to Occupy Wall Street, from the George Floyd protests to the Palestine Solidarity Movement, from the primary victory of Zohran Mamdani to immigrant communities’ militant resistance to ICE deportations.
In this rebroadcast from Against the Grain, Arun Gupta talks with Sasha Lilley about the importance of dual power and some of the insights in his article, “The Contemporary History of the US Palestine Solidarity Movement” in Socialist Register 2025 (subscriber only). A version of the essay is available on his substack, as "What do we have to show for 25 years of social movements and protests?"
You can find more of Arun's work on his Substack, as well as in journals including Yes! Magazine, Jacobin, and The Intercept.
Against the Grain is a program of ideas, in-depth analysis, and commentary on a variety of matters—political, economic, social, and cultural—important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. Heard on KPFA, Against the Grain is co-produced and co-hosted by Sasha Lilley and C. S. Soong.
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