Who are we? Reviewing the Foundations of Innovationism

Anti-war rally during the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests.

by M. Stephanie

There is much speculation and misunderstanding about the beginnings of the Center for Political Innovation (CPI) and the vision we uphold. This article is meant to serve as a straightforward summary of our journey. For those seeking a deeper study, nothing replaces the works of Caleb Maupin. His books—To the Marxists: Long Live Innovationism!, What is Innovationism?, and Khrushchevism: A Study in Psychological Warfare—offer thorough explanations of our beliefs and history. But for readers who have not yet explored those volumes, here is an overview of how CPI was built and what it stands for.

Caleb Maupin in 2011.

Caleb Maupin’s Foundations in Activism

In 2011, Caleb Maupin was a leader in Workers World Party (WWP) and acted as press spokesperson for the International Action Center, founded by former U.S. Attorney General and world-renowned human rights lawyer Ramsey Clark. During the Occupy Wall Street uprising, Caleb distinguished himself as a central leader—delivering a speech at the first General Assembly and constantly representing his organization to the movement and the media.

Even before Occupy, Caleb was active in Cleveland, where he became known for exposing police misconduct. He documented officers targeting Black high school students, and his footage was instrumental in courtroom victories. Local outlets covered his work, and he quickly developed a reputation as a bold voice against injustice.

Libya, 2011: A Defining Moment

2011 also marked the U.S.-backed destabilization and NATO bombing of Libya. Once the most developed nation in Africa under the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya had achieved extraordinary progress: the highest life expectancy on the continent, massive infrastructure projects such as the Great Man-Made River, and a booming economy that drew African workers seeking opportunities. The Obama administration’s war reduced Libya to chaos and tragedy. Today, countless Libyans risk drowning in the Mediterranean, desperate to escape the ruins left by NATO’s aggression.

As both a WWP member and an Occupy activist, Caleb strongly admired Gaddafi’s Islamic-inspired socialist model. Yet WWP’s leadership treated Libya with contempt, dismissing it as a “bourgeois nationalist” regime. While technically opposing the bombing, they refused to mount a serious fight. No large-scale protests were organized—only a single meeting at Riverside Church, a couple of symbolic protests, and token visits to Libya by prominent figures.

Caleb’s fury at this betrayal was immense. He saw that WWP functioned effectively as a satellite of the Democratic Party. Because it was Obama’s war, most liberal activists were unwilling to speak against it. Caleb noticed in Zuccotti Park that those who grieved Gaddafi’s death were often Midwestern, working-class, or libertarian, and viewed the Libyan leader as organizing against the Federal Reserve and the globalist system oppressing them—while young coastal liberals cheered the murder. WWP had no interest in organizing ordinary Americans, many of whom identified with Gaddafi and rightly opposed regime change. Its focus was pandering to trendy liberal subcultures while practicing token representation of minority groups, not building a serious mass anti-imperialist movement.

Encounters Across the World

At the 2013 World Youth Festival in Quito, Ecuador, Caleb met delegations from Cuba, China, Vietnam, People’s Korea, India, and other countries. He was struck by their discipline and professionalism. They carried themselves with seriousness, often wearing suits, and urged American Communists to match their dedication.

Caleb Maupin meets with the Kim Il Sung Youth of North Korea in 2013.

In 2014, Caleb traveled to Iran and met anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist organizers from across the globe. He came to understand Iran’s economy as described by Supreme Leader Khamenei: “not capitalism, but Islam”—a system with heavy state planning and regulation that still allowed the market to function, much like China’s path of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” This revealed to him how hollow WWP’s doctrinaire categories were. Their insistence on labeling China and Vietnam “deformed workers’ states,” and countries like Libya, Iran, or Venezuela “bourgeois nationalist,” was simply outdated Cold War jargon with no basis in reality.

In 2015, Caleb accepted an invitation to join an Iranian Red Crescent aid mission to Yemen. Risking his life, he went into the Gulf of Aden with a boatload of Iranian doctors and volunteers to deliver medical relief. The ship sparked an international incident, and the Port of Hodeida was bombed to prevent the ship from docking. During that voyage, he underwent a profound religious awakening, reconnecting with God. He returned to the U.S. a Christian, more determined than ever to build an anti-imperialist movement among America’s working people.

Later that year, he traveled to Venezuela and spoke directly with residents of Caracas about the reality of Bolivarian socialism—again, in stark contrast to WWP’s dismissive attitude that assumed Venezuela couldn’t be fully socialist because it had not established a Soviet-style political system with a violent revolution.

When Caleb left WWP, hoping to part amicably, the party retaliated with vicious slanders, spreading contradictory lies—that he had converted to Islam, joined Mormonism, allied with Lyndon LaRouche, or even turned into a white nationalist. All were absurd fabrications.

Young Communists urged Caleb to create a new party, but he refused, pointing out that the alphabet soup of U.S. “parties” lacked any significance. Instead, he launched Students and Youth for a New America, organizing campus-based study sessions and forums on anti-imperialism.

Caleb Maupin spoke at the 2018 Anti-Globalization Conference alongside Russian Philosopher Alexander Dugin.

At the 2018 “Alternatives to Globalization” Conference in Moscow, Caleb exchanged views with Russian thinker Alexander Dugin about geopolitics and anti-imperialism. The social media haters seized on this to vilify him further, since Dugin is a symbol of Russian illiberalism and his politics are too complex for most 20-year-old internet communists to understand. Dugin rejects both Fascism and Communism, and holds a conservative and traditionalist perspective, drawing from both the left and the right and emphasizing Russia’s unique geopolitical heritage. To declare Dugin, the “scary Russian wizard man,” a “fascist” served to mobilize young woke “communists” to hate Russia in the context of the now-debunked “Russiagate” hysteria spread in Trump’s first term.

Workers World Party leadership had a long history of working with Dugin and his allies going back to their solidarity with former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Yet, they participated in the smears against Caleb, appealing to Russophobia for purely self-serving reasons. After they unleashed these slanders, it wasn’t long before hysteria about “red-browns” and “Nazbols” was used to demonize all voices who did not support the anti-Russian regime installed in Kiev in 2014—including themselves. Alex Reid Ross picked up these smears and was featured in Israel’s newspaper Haaretz, quoting “communists” in America to confirm Caleb was “fascist”—showing that, to some degree, the campaign against Caleb Maupin has been endorsed and promoted by Israel since 2019. Alex Reid Ross was exposed by The Grayzone to be an intelligence asset.

Taryn Fivek, a mysterious individual with Middle East and United Nations connections, joined Workers World Party and later the Communist Party USA, and in both organizations seemed obsessively fixated on Caleb and the need for both groups to “expose” him.

All of the hate resulted in Caleb getting a lot more attention. His books sold by the thousands. His regular YouTube streams increased in viewership. While the narrative was that he was a “white supremacist,” any viewer could tell that his perspective was anti-racist and anti-imperialist, drawing heavily from the history and economics of Marxism. The hate mobilized by Taryn Fivek and Sara Flounders backfired. Caleb Maupin’s audience grew, and he knew it was time to organize.

The Saxton Lectures, a series of educational talks in Pennsylvania, served as the first in-real-life meeting of the Center for Political Innovation.

The Founding of CPI

During the pandemic, Caleb’s regular livestreams on imperialism and geopolitics built momentum. These efforts culminated in the creation of the Center for Political Innovation, launched with the Saxton Lectures in Pennsylvania, where Caleb delivered eight major talks.

In its early years, CPI presented itself as “the City-Building Tendency,” offering an interpretation of Marxism-Leninism centered on hope, construction, and development rather than destruction or despair. Caleb Maupin made clear he was not an adherent of dialectical materialism and was a Christian, but CPI still saw itself as part of “Communism”—even as many self-proclaimed Communists seethed with hatred for the organization. This would eventually change.

Caleb Maupin published Breadtube Serves Imperialism, exposing that the top “socialist” voices on the internet most likely had intelligence backing and were being advised by Dr. Steve Hassan, an admitted kidnapper and former “cult deprogrammer” with connections to military psychologists. The book was highlighted by Jimmy Dore among other important voices, and investigative journalism by Grayzone confirmed that British intelligence was funding prominent BreadTube voices. Natalia “Contrapoints” Wynn has since been endorsed and advertised by Hillary Clinton.

In 2021, CPI organized rallies against the extradition of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, earning praise from President Nicolás Maduro, and observed Nicaragua’s elections as invited guests of the Sandinista government. Caleb held an extended discussion with President Ortega’s son about Nicaragua’s economic model.

When the special military operation in Ukraine was launched in 2022, CPI was the first to mobilize open public support for Russia. The Austin, Texas conference it organized drew hundreds, and its significance was so undeniable that Truthorfiction.com confirmed it was real after doubters called it a hoax.

That same year, when the Uhuru Movement was raided by the FBI, CPI immediately stood in solidarity with the Black activist groups, welcoming them as heroes at a conference in Chicago. Days before the conference in August 2022, Caleb was blackmailed by individuals who told him, “You’re going to have to cancel the conference.” Other guests received similar phone calls, but the group persisted and held the conference anyway. The August 2022 conference was a historic moment bringing together Garland Nixon, Tara Reade, the Uhuru Movement, Nick Brana of the People’s Party, and many other voices to stand against FBI repression and in support of Russia. The conference was featured in Newsweek.

As soon as the FBI raided the Uhuru movement in 2022, the Center for Political Innovation immediately stepped up to offer solidarity.

Afterward, the blackmailers made good on their threats and proceeded to launch a full-on defamation campaign against CPI. It appears associates of Dr. Steve Hassan and the former “Cult Awareness Network” of deprogrammers were involved, as CPI members received text messages and phone calls urging them to speak with “anti-cult” experts.

For a brief time, CPI was forced to suspend activity. This temporary shutdown from August to November 2022 proved to be a positive turning point: careerists and clout-chasers dropped away, while committed cadres returned when CPI relaunched stronger than before. After the relaunch in November, CPI’s level of activity dramatically increased.

The Center for Political Innovation were official sponsors of the Rage Against the War Machine protests in Washington DC in February of 2023. CPI sponsored a special reception for Scott Ritter at a hotel near the White House after the rally. CPI then held a “Summit Against Hypocrisy” in March, opposing Biden’s “Summit for Democracy.” CPI held a joint event with Los Angeles Family Church to support the Peaceful Reunificaiton of the Korean Peninsula and peace talks with North Korea. CPI members confronted Tsai Ing-Wen, the so-called “President” of Taiwan in New York City. In September of 2023, Caleb Maupin held a face-to-face exclusive conversation Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Caleb Maupin sits down to interview Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi face-to-face.

In March of 2024, the Center for Political Innovation led the US delegation to the World Youth Festival. Prior to festival, the organizers held a press conference at the United Nations raising concerns about the prosecution of the Uhuru 3 in light of their upcoming trip. At the World Youth Festival, two CPI members were able to directly interact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CPI hosted a reception honoring anti-war voice Scott Ritter after the 2023 “Rage Against The War Machine” rally in Washington DC.

The Innovationist Turn

By mid-2024, Caleb Maupin declared that CPI could no longer define itself as “communist.” The label had become a trap. Thus began the Innovationist Turn. CPI continues to draw from the lessons of Marx, Lenin, and anti-colonial struggles, but it openly embraces the role of faith in God, optimism, and construction.

For too many in the West, “communism” has become nothing more than a costume. Young people drape themselves in red flags and symbols—guillotines, barricades, firing squads—not because they wish to build anything, but because they are drawn to an aesthetic of destruction. CPI rejects this nihilism. Like the rising BRICS economy and the global anti-imperialist movement, we stand instead for solidarity, community, and nation-building. These sentiments are no longer compatible with “communism” in the Western political context.

Woke-ism has no interest in increasing the productive forces, dismantling globalism and imperialism, celebrating the achievements of the new economy, or pursuing any of the goals once associated with communism. Woke-ism is simply a shrill, combative mindset rooted in dialectical materialism and the political legacy of the French Revolution, concentrated as a vehicle of destruction.

Alongside woke-ism, other intelligence-linked “red flag” operations promoting new “communist” groups—organizations or “parties” with no coherent ideas, engaging in no political education, and no real activism — have begun. They rely on flashy symbols and well-promoted social media antics. They take photos of themselves alongside churches or other community groups doing charitable work to give the false impression they engaged in outreach. They have artificially inflated social media channels, and excessively defame CPI with some of the most extreme, vile language.

These sleeper “communist” gimmicks parallel the “Patriot Front” rallies presented as expressions of the far right. It is very likely that neocons are experimenting with plans for another January 6th or Charlottesville-like event. With “communists” and/or “anti-Semites” as the designated objects of public scorn, the population—particularly the often anti-war Trump base—can be mobilized to support U.S. military interventions in Venezuela, the Middle East, or the Pacific.

CPI seeks to stay far away from these dangerous operations. The endless efforts to pull CPI into various “beefs” among streamers are very suspicious. We have NOTHING to do with any of these toxic Communist groups, or the drama that goes on within them. Their obsession with defaming us, harassing our members, and attempting to draw us into their negativity is pretty much a confession of their intelligence/state links. We believe these organizations were set up, in part, as an intentional effort to undermine the Center for Political Innovation.

“Patriot Front” is a far-right group set up by intelligence agencies for entrapment and propaganda purposes.

To continue calling CPI “communist” would mean being lumped in with either woke-ism or obvious intelligence psyops. At this point, CPI is completely different from the mess of “communist” groups in Western countries, and it does not seek to revive Soviet ideology. Our positive, movement-building community—united in opposition to globalism and imperialism—must pivot in a new direction, away from the past.

Innovationism names what CPI truly is: a movement of optimism, faith, cooperation, and constructive energy, rather than destruction or bitterness.

Our Method of Organizing

CPI recognizes that the U.S.-dominated financial system is collapsing. America’s only way forward is to join the multipolar order and embrace pro-growth, win-win cooperation with the rising economies of the East. To bring this about, CPI pursues two parallel strategies:

• Top operations: intervening in divisions within the ruling class, promoting the interests of working people, opposing war, and pushing forward an anti-monopoly coalition.

• Bottom operations: developing and educating our own cadre, deepening discipline, and strengthening our ranks.

During the 2024 elections, CPI’s book on Kamala Harris soared in popularity after Amazon briefly banned it. The book was featured on Infowars, The Jimmy Dore Show, The Kim Iversen Show, The Mother of All Talk Shows with George Galloway, Due Dissidence, and many other programs. CPI’s #PeaceMAGA campaign in October 2024, featuring banners of Trump and Kim Jong Un shaking hands, gained coverage in New York Magazine.

Caleb Maupin engages with Laureano Ortega, son of the Nicaraguan President, about economics.

CPI was present at Trump’s inauguration, unfurling banners and distributing pamphlets, and having a reception at a nearby hotel. In February, our small workshop in Minneapolis was greeted by 15 Antifa protesters who blocked doors and defamed CPI as a “cult.” In July, the Center for Political Innovation convened its Great Unity Convention with over 200 people gathering in Chicago. The organization has launched street rallies to honor Ibrahim Traoré, the Anti-Imperialist leader of Burkina Faso.

CPI has recently published Khrushchevism: A Study in Psychological Warfare. This book equips members with tools to resist manipulation, understand how liberal ideology undermines anti-imperialist work, and build organizational resilience.

CPI has convened a series of rallies to support African Leader Ibrahim Traoré.

Leadership That Never Backs Down

Caleb Maupin is one of the most brilliant leaders of our time. Still under 40, he has gone from humble beginnings in rural Ohio to becoming a figure of global importance—meeting multiple heads of state, producing influential and widely circulated works, and constructing an organization in America that refuses to bow to attacks and carries out continuous operations to advance anti-imperialism.

What he has accomplished with limited resources, in a confusing political climate, swimming against the current, is nothing short of extraordinary. Under his leadership, CPI has defied smear campaigns, blackmail, and political repression—always coming back stronger to keep intervening, working to usher in a new era of prosperity for all humanity.

His books—Trotsky and the Neoconservatives: The Whole Story, Where Is America Going? (now also circulating in Chinese), and Who Are the Houthis?—are shaping thought and provoking exciting new conversations.

While society teaches us to sneer at leadership, CPI affirms that nothing great is ever achieved without it. We are not ashamed to say we follow a leader. Caleb Maupin is the guide our movement needs, and under him, CPI has become THE anti-imperialist movement in the United States.

If you are ready to grow, learn, and contribute to this historic mission, we invite you to join us.

Timeline of Caleb Maupin’s Leadership

• 2010 – Documents police brutality in Cleveland, aiding victims in court.

• 2011 – Becomes a leader of Occupy Wall Street and spokesperson for Ramsey Clark.

• 2013 – Attends World Youth Festival in Ecuador.

• 2014 – Travels to Iran; protests the Euromaidan coup.

• 2015 – Joins a Red Crescent mission to Yemen; experiences a religious awakening; visits Venezuela.

• 2016 – Launches Students and Youth for a New America.

• 2018 – Meets Alexander Dugin at the Moscow conference.

• 2021 – CPI begins with the Saxton Lectures; defends Alex Saab; observes Nicaraguan elections.

• 2022 – CPI supports Russia in Donbas; organizes Austin conference; resists blackmail and smears; relaunches stronger.

• 2023 – Sponsors Rage Against the War Machine; hosts Scott Ritter; convenes Summit Against Hypocrisy; campaigns for peace with North Korea. Confronts Taiwan “President.” Interviews Iranian President.

• 2024 – Leads U.S. delegation to Sochi World Youth Festival; Caleb speaks with President Putin; CPI launches the Innovationist Turn; Kamala Harris and the Future of America explodes in popularity after Amazon bans it, unveils #PeaceMAGA operation; stand with Uhuru in Tampa Federal Court.

• 2025 – Hosts a reception on Inauguration Day in Washington; Antifa disrupts CPI workshop in Minneapolis; Caleb speaks at the Global Digital Forum in Nizhny Novgorod; CPI organizes the Great Unity Convention in Chicago; Launches campaign to honor support Burkina Faso; publishes Khrushchevism: A Study in Psychological Warfare.

“The Center for Political Innovation… these comrades were some of the first out of the gate when this attack happened, they were first out of the gate. They didn't ask any questions or or anything like that, they were the first out of the gate and not only in words. They began to take actions everywhere they were located, we can see the actions they were involved in defending the Uhuru 3 and opposed to what the FBI was doing to us, trying to do to us. They understood the relationship that it had to the whole question of free speech.”

- Chairman Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

“When I first met Caleb Maupin, he called me a Legend, and I called him one.” - George Galloway, MP

“Caleb Maupin is arguably the most insightful public intellectual on the American Left at present.” - Keith Preston, AttackTheSystem.com

“Caleb, he’s always so insightful, always just got a ton of knowledge…  I just love how knowledgeable Caleb is.” - Kim Iversen

“One of the smartest guys we know.” - Rick Sanchez, TV Host