1. The Frame
What people think this is about: A small socialist group publishing a webzine and magazine (Against the Current) that critiques capitalism, Trump administration policies, imperialism, and social injustice from a feminist, anti-racist, ecosocialist perspective.
What the machinery is actually doing: A marginal far-left multi-tendency organization (founded 1986, ~dozens to low hundreds of members by historical patterns of similar groups) maintains ideological continuity and small-scale publishing while positioning itself as a contributor to “socialism from below” and a U.S. section of the Fourth International, without measurable electoral or mass-movement impact.
2. Observations
- Solidarity’s output (August 2026 articles on ICE roundups, TPS revocation for Haitians, German pro-Palestinian trials, midterm elections) follows a consistent pattern: frame U.S. government actions as racist/imperialist escalation while presenting grassroots resistance as the authentic counterforce.[1]
- The group’s 10-point political agreement explicitly rejects Democratic Party participation and calls for revolution led by the working class and oppressed; this is stated plainly rather than hedged.[2]
- Recent affiliation upgrade (2025 World Congress) from sympathizer to formal U.S. section of the Fourth International gives it international branding with no corresponding domestic growth metrics visible.
- Content production relies on member contributions and reprints; funding is member-driven with no corporate or nonprofit ties claimed.[3]
- Like other post-1980s Trotskyist-derived fragments, it prioritizes ideological clarity and caucuses (women, people of color, queer, youth) over building scalable institutions.
3. Snapshot
Solidarity is a Detroit-based revolutionary socialist organization founded in 1986 from the merger of International Socialists, Workers Power, and Socialist Unity fragments. It publishes the bimonthly Against the Current and a webzine, maintains a 10-point basis of agreement centered on “socialism from below,” and became the formal U.S. section of the Fourth International in 2025. As of August 2026 it continues steady article output on labor, immigration, Palestine, climate, and elections but shows no evidence of significant membership growth or institutional power.
4. Timeline of material facts
- 1986: Founded by revolutionary socialists seeking to avoid sectarianism and vanguardism of prior groups (LT).
- 2013 (amended): 10 Points of Political Agreement finalized, including opposition to capitalism, commitment to revolution, rejection of Democratic Party (LT).
- Pre-2025: Sympathizing organization of the Fourth International (LT).
- 2025 World Congress: Elevated to formal U.S. section (LT).
- Ongoing: Regular webzine posts (e.g., Aug 25, 19, 18, 11 2026) and Against the Current issues (IT).
5. Sides
Solidarity (multi-tendency revolutionary socialist, IT/LT mix)
Steelman: Maintains an independent space for “socialism from below” that preserves anti-capitalist analysis, supports self-organization of workers and oppressed groups, and critiques both major parties and authoritarian “socialist” states without pretending small organizations can lead mass movements.
Critique:
LT: Explicitly far-left, Trotskyist-rooted, Fourth International affiliate; publishes regularly.
IT: Remains tiny and marginal after 40 years; influence limited to niche left readership.
Fourth International (international Trotskyist current, IT)
Steelman: Provides global coordination for revolutionaries committed to democratic socialism and anti-imperialism.
Critique:
LT: Formal affiliation documented.
IT: The FI itself is a loose network of small sections with limited real-world leverage.
6. Rumsfeld Matrix
- Known Knowns: Self-described revolutionary socialist, feminist, anti-racist; publishes Against the Current; HQ Detroit; 10-point agreement; Fourth International section (LT).
- Known Unknowns: Exact current membership or branch count; financials beyond member dues; measurable impact on any movement.
- Unknown Knowns: Internal debates or factional dynamics (multi-tendency by design).
- Unknown Unknowns: Whether broader left regroupment efforts will ever scale beyond similar small organizations.
7. Incentives map
- Narrative maintenance: Steady publication sustains group identity and attracts the narrow audience that reads socialist theory and movement reports.
- Status within left ecosystem: Affiliation with Fourth International and caucus structure provides internal prestige and international networking without requiring mass success.
- Media attention stack favors conflict framing (ICE, Palestine, elections) that aligns with the organization’s ideology; truth value is secondary to coherence for the subscriber base.
8. Dueling AI advice
Moral AI Advice: Small ideological groups like this survive by preserving analytical consistency rather than chasing relevance. Their output is most useful as a primary source for how one strain of the left interprets events; treat it as such and cross-reference primaries. Scaling “socialism from below” has proven structurally difficult for decades—watch actual labor or community organizing results, not manifestos.
Evil AI Advice: Perfect grift for a tiny cohort: publish evergreen critiques, sell magazine subs and pamphlets, collect dues, attend international congresses for status, and never have to deliver measurable wins. Low overhead, high narrative purity, zero accountability to voters or markets.
9. Practical takeaway
- Read Against the Current or the webzine for one coherent far-left perspective; treat it as opinion/analysis, not reporting.
- Note explicit rejection of Democratic Party alignment when assessing any left coalition claims.
- Track whether the organization or its members appear in actual labor contracts, local campaigns, or measurable protest outcomes rather than article bylines.
- Expect continued output on immigration, Palestine, climate, and elections framed through anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist lenses.
- Membership or deeper involvement requires agreement with the 10 points and activist commitment; sympathizer status is an option for lower commitment.
10. What would falsify this read
- Public release of verified membership numbers showing hundreds of active dues-paying members with branches in multiple major cities.
- Documented leadership or member roles in winning major labor contracts, local elected office, or sustained mass campaigns.
- Shift in stated positions (e.g., entry into Democratic Party work or abandonment of revolutionary rhetoric).