Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians can be read as a prophecy concerning the current situation in the West. The apostle evokes here “a mystery of anomia”, of “lawlessness”, which is already at work, but which will not be consummated with the second coming of Jesus Christ unless “the man of lawlessness (ho anthropos tes anomias), is revealed [first], the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” However, there is a power that restrains this revelation (Paul simply calls it, without further definition, “that or the one that withholds”, “the restrainer – the katechon”). It is therefore necessary for this power to be removed, for it is only then that “the lawless one (anomo) will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”
Theological-political tradition has identified this “restraining power” with the Roman Empire (as in Jerome and, later, in Carl Schmitt) or with the Church itself (in Tychone and Augustine). In any case, it is clear that the power that restrains is identified with the institutions that sustain and govern human societies. That is why its elimination coincides with the advent of the anomos, a “lawless one” who takes the place of God and, “with signs and false wonders”, leads to perdition “those who have renounced the love of truth”.
It is possible to see in the mystery of anomie not so much a supratemporal arcane, whose sole meaning would be to put an end to history, but rather a historical drama (mysterion in Greek means “dramatic action”), which corresponds perfectly to what we are experiencing today.
The dominant institutions seem to have lost their meaning and are literally falling apart, giving way to an anomia, an absence of law that purports, so to speak, to be legal, but which has in fact abdicated all legitimacy. The State (the principle that restrains) and the “lawless one” are in reality two sides of the same mystery: the mystery of power. As the United States is demonstrating today without any scruples, the “man of anomie”, the “lawless” one, designates the figure of state power which, abandoning the constitutional and ethical principles that traditionally limited it and, with them, “the love of truth”, entrusts itself to the “signs and false wonders” of weapons and technology. This confusion of anarchy and legality in a state of emergency that has become permanent is what we must unmask and render inoperative in all areas.
“A World Governed by Force”
From the CrimethInc. collective (01/06/2026)
The Attack on Venezuela and the Conflicts to Come
“We live in a world that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power,” Stephen Miller told CNN host Jake Tapper, on January 5, 2026, spelling out the fascist program as he justified seizing Greenland by force. “These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.”
Early in the morning of January 3, the Trump administration carried out a made-for-TV raid on Venezuela, bombing at least seven targets in Caracas and kidnapping president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores. This was the culmination of a year-long pressure campaign during which the administration designated Venezuelan immigrants in the US as “narco-terrorists,” attempted to employ the Alien Enemies Act, bombed alleged “drug boats,” seized oil tankers, and deployed the US navy to blockade Venezuela.
The Trump regime initially accused Maduro of heading “Cartel de los Soles,” a construct as concocted as “antifa.” Though they revised this accusation yesterday in order to formulate a less tenuous legal case, it is typical of their method that they begin with a false narrative and seek the means to impose it on reality. One of Donald Trump’s chief objectives was to post a photograph of Nicolás Maduro in chains, echoing the photographs that federal agencies have circulated of people abducted by ICE. Rather than offering improvements in anyone’s economic conditions, Trump offers his supporters the vicarious thrill of identifying with jailers and torturers. His goal is to dehumanize his adversaries and desensitize everyone to the kind of violence that will be required to sustain his reign and capitalism itself in an era of declining profits.
Corporate media is performing its classic role of loyal opposition, raising questions about the legality of the action while demonizing Maduro and lionizing his right-wing opponent, María Corina Machado. For anarchists and others who aim to oppose imperialism, it’s necessary to situate the attack on Venezuela in a larger context, reflect on what effective opposition could look like, and identify how we can take action in response.
Continue reading →