The Realm of Confusion & Concealment

ByRaúl Zibechi

This editorial by Raúl Zibechi originally appeared in the October 31, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Mexico Solidarity Media, or the Mexico Solidarity Project.

One of the most refined forms of domination created by the powerful is the proliferation of, let’s say, systemic confusion. They seek to induce populations to make mistakes, concealing key data that allows for the interpretation of events, and aiming to paralyze the capacity for reflection and critical thinking. These are complementary methods used to prevent those at the bottom from understanding the world today and where we are headed, so that we can act accordingly.

We’ve been talking for some time about the role of information as a way to inhibit thought. I’m not just referring to fake news, the lies openly spread on social media, but also to what physicists and philosophers point out: that the mind doesn’t think with information but with ideas. Therefore, bombarding us with information, even if it’s true, that can’t be organized because we lack the ideas to prioritize, discard, or incorporate it into specific patterns, is one of the most subtle strategies of domination.

When we lose the ability to understand where we are and who we are, we become easy prey for the system that oppresses us. Millions celebrate those who oppress them, losing all ability to identify what harms them. In times of systemic chaos, wars, and genocides, these confusions cost lives and, of course, benefit those at the top.

I want to share some information that may help explain why Trump has sent troops to several major cities, including New York, Chicago, Washington, and Los Angeles. It’s a civil war. We are witnessing the militarization of American society, similar to what has been happening in Latin America, albeit with different manifestations.

In New York, the Community Care Commission has been created, “a group that arose from the increase in kidnapping threats by immigration authorities and the growing police presence on the streets,” according to an article in El Molino Informativo, (La triple C: la guardia indígena que protege al sur del Bronx de la verdadera violencia.) They say they are inspired by the self-defense strategies of their native communities in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, where many of their members come from.

They are mostly Mayan, Garifuna, Nahua, Tu’un Savi and Naa Savi women, who “monitor the streets of the South Bronx through a neighborhood information system that includes instant communication groups, surveillance cameras, emergency telephones, territorial maps and nighttime operations to prevent government criminal activity and any suspicious activity in the neighborhood” (italics in original).

They claim that the police are rounding up street vendors, closing parks, and surveilling people, “while simultaneously allowing the presence of criminal authorities like immigration officials, who enter the neighborhood with their faces covered and without identifying themselves to take our families away.” Although the organization originated in the Bronx, it is increasing its presence in Queens and Brooklyn as a way to defend their rights. Some migrants say that similar organizations are emerging in other cities, defending the population against state aggression.

The famous American (and global) democracy, if it ever truly existed, is now a thing of the past, something that no longer serves to sustain capitalism.

This simple information, born from within the community itself and written by a fellow traveler, helps us understand what is happening in the United States, particularly in major cities, and confirms that Trump is neither crazy nor deviant, but rather responds to the interests of his ruling class and his imperialist nation. I would like to highlight four points.

The first point is that all empires fall due to internal crises, as we have known at least since the fall of the Roman Empire two millennia ago. Therefore, it is essential for capitalism to control the population living in the United States.

The second point is that the famous American (and global) democracy, if it ever truly existed, is now a thing of the past, something that no longer serves to sustain capitalism. In the democratic process, rights crumble and only elections remain, because they learned long ago how to manipulate public opinion.

The third, perhaps the most important, point is that the powerful have identified the collective subjects capable of resisting domination and becoming the empire’s gravediggers. They are the ones who can repeat the history of the invading “barbarians” who destroyed Rome: those who today have nothing to lose but their chains, that is, the millions of undocumented migrants.

Fourth, it’s no longer surprising that progressives and left-wing parties are the last to grasp these realities. Could it be that they’re already part of the attempt to conceal reality, because they somehow collaborate with the oppressors? I know it’s an uncomfortable question, but I feel this isn’t the time to play dumb or naïve.