United States: ten theses on the 2026 Minnesota general strike

The sequence of events triggered by the imperialist aggression against Venezuela led to the Venezuelan National Assembly’s approval, on 29 January, of a partial reform of the country’s Chávez-era hydrocarbons law. Immediately afterwards, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is responsible for sanctions, published General License 46, partially lifting sanctions on Venezuelan oil, albeit with very strict restrictions. 

January 2026 saw some of the most significant developments in the recent history of the American class struggle. The ICE murder of Renee Good set off an explosive anti-ICE movement, culminating in a de facto political general strike. The subsequent murder of Alex Pretti threatened to spread the movement nationally, forcing Trump to back off, at least temporarily. What conclusions can we draw from this experience?