We haven’t had an antiwar movement in the United States for a long time. So, when Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was assassinated on orders from President Donald Trump on January 3, it immediately raised the prospect of a real shooting war between the United States and Iran. It also caught many of us flat-footed and scrambling to respond.

I was heartened to see a significant number of younger people and Democratic Socialists of America members turn out for “No War on Iran” demonstrations across the country last weekend. Though still modest in size, rallies and demonstrations took place in seventy to ninety cities, ranging from a few dozen to five to six hundred people. Pre-planned canvasses for Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign were cut short so DSAers could attend.

Although some antiwar groups, such as ANSWER, were quick to declare a “new movement,” we should be more sober in our analysis. We are in the very early stages of recreating a new antiwar campaign. Most local and national antiwar groups such as ANSWER, United for Peace and Justice, and US Labor Against the War (USLAW) have devolved into largely website groups with few active members and resources, and haven’t done anything significant or even met in years. We need to have a political assessment of these and other potential collaborators.