After the recent failure of coalition talks between Austria’s conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) and demagogic right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ), the ÖVP again approached the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos to revive talks of a three-way coalition, which had initially failed in early January after the elections late September. This coalition – which has aptly been formed just in time for Austria’s Carnival celebrations – has now been sworn in, with the ÖVP's Christian Stocker becoming the new Chancellor.

This week's row in the Oval Office between Trump and Zelensky served to dramatically underscore the fact that we are passing a seismic shift in world history. The old alliances and institutions are breaking down, and a realignment, reflecting the changed balance of forces, is taking place for all to see.

The burgeoning U.S.-Canada trade war has become the central question in Canadian politics. Whichever way this situation plays out, the relationship between the two countries is irreparably changed. This will have far reaching consequences for the economy, politics and the class struggle.

Today, Netflix has released a new series, The Leopard, based on the 1958 book of the same name by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which follows the last days of a dying Sicilian prince in the time of Italian reunification. We publish below a review of that 1958 classic by Stan Laight. [Note: the following review contains spoilers.]

Once again, the students have put themselves at the forefront of a movement against the government’s attacks on the people. On 17 February, tens of thousands of university students across Indonesia took to the streets to protest the government’s recent austerity measures. A series of demonstrations followed over the next few days, spreading from one city to another. The movement culminated in a national day of action on 20 February.

The Chinese have an old saying: the greatest misfortune that can befall a man is to live in interesting times. The truth of that ancient wisdom has now suddenly dawned on the rulers of the western world. 

We publish below the initial political assessment by the Revolutionary Communist Organisation, Greek section of the RCI, of the historic mass rallies that took place on Friday 28 February, on the second anniversary of the Tempi rail crash that killed 57 people.

What we have seen today in the Oval Office was shocking. A shouting match between Trump, JD Vance and Zelensky. The monkey is not usually supposed to go off the script set by the organ-grinder, and if it does it will be put in its place, sharply.

Art has accompanied us throughout the history of our species. And while it has its own laws of development, the history of art also reflects the fundamental, revolutionary changes that have shaped human society. In this article, Alan Woods examines some of the great revolutions in art and society, and the role of art in the emancipation of the working class.

The Palestinian issue has reignited Egyptian politics. Since Trump proposed the plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Sinai, it has become the main preoccupation of the Egyptian public and the most important topic of conversation, in café discussions among friends, on social media, in the workplaces and at school.

This week, after claiming victory in the German election, Friedrich Merz declared that Germany would now stand up to the USA, Russia and China and make the EU into a ‘great power’.

The recent approval of the mining law by Bukele’s government in El Salvador, which overturns a 2017 ban on all metal mining in the country, has generated a strong reaction, especially amongst the youth, rural communities and environmental activists. A good part of the Salvadoran youth, now conscious of the severe implications that this law has on the environment, have taken to the streets to reject this destructive project. This could become a decisive conflict between Bukele and a large portion of Salvadoran society.

Oxfam’s latest study into contemporary inequality – produced while the ruling class and their minions were rubbing shoulders in Davos – revealed that in 2024, each of the world's 2,640 billionaires increased their wealth by $2 million daily. Meanwhile, since 1990, there has been no improvement in the number of those living on less than $6.85 a day, which still represents 3,600,000,000 people.

Friedrich Merz, leader of the right-wing Christian Democrats (CDU), will be Germany’s next Chancellor. On election night, he declared that a government should be in place by Easter, claiming that his mission is to unite Europe and that everything depends on leadership from Germany. Merz wants to be the ‘European Chancellor’ who will stand up to the USA, Russia and China and, as Der Spiegel has demanded, make the EU into a ‘great power’.

Farage’s Reform UK recently overtook Labour and the Tories in the polls. Some on the left claim that Reform’s rising popularity is down to British workers becoming racist and far-right. But what is really behind the rise of right-wing populism?

With its message of human progress and defiance in the face of oppression, Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound has inspired revolutionaries for thousands of years. In this article, Jesse Murray-Dean explores the main themes of the play, the historical context in which it was written, and the influence it has had right up to our own time.

The fifteenth edition of the Marxist Winter School took place in the midst of a storm. A record snowstorm rocked Montreal on the weekend of February 14 to 16 delaying the arrival of many of the 600 or so participants. But this storm was nothing compared to the chaos currently gripping global capitalism. It was to help us navigate through these tumultuous events that we held this School under the theme of “The Pillars of Communism”.

This week, Trump went over the heads of Zelensky and the European leaders to embark on peace talks with Russia. At a stroke, the western order that has prevailed for over half a century has fractured.

A single phone call last week signalled the death of the so-called western alliance and the collapse of the system of world relations that has held sway since the Second World War. That phone call was, of course, between Trump and Putin.

The following is the third of a three-part serialisation of a speech on world perspectives, given on Tuesday 28 January at a meeting of the International Executive Committee of the Revolutionary Communist International.