The Russian war in Ukraine comes as a shock to many Western politicians and commentators. They are surprised and openly express their disappointment with Putin. They declare that they were mistaken. Putin is just unreliable. Various television editorial departments compete in explaining Putin's unpredictability with his biography. Third-rate psychologists speak of his loss of reality and his disturbed personality. Journalists and politicians declare him to be an isolated, mentally disturbed maniac. A madman who is not only overrunning the peaceful and democracy-loving Ukraine with war, but dragging the world to the brink of nuclear war. Putin is thus becoming a medical phenomenon.

Ukraine, NATO, the so-called Western community of values, are the good guys. Putin and Russia are the embodiments of evil. Putin and with him Russia must be put to an end. Morality takes precedence over analysis...

We, cultural workers, academics and activists, Jewish and Israeli, who reside or are active in Berlin, take a stand against statements made by organizations, newspapers and politicians that undermine the right to freedom of expression regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict...

The prevailing sections of the national ruling classes of the EU-European countries are unanimous: they want Britain to remain in the European Union. This applies to continental as well as to British insular Europe...

We proudly present this small contribution from an eyewitness and participant in the historic strike against the persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands to our readers. The author is Maurice Ferares and in the footnotes that accompany his testimony, you can find more information on him.

Translation by ”Permanent revolution” (http://forum.permanent-revolution.org/)

. The publication of the diaries serves for the information of our readers.

We document a declaration of Egypts revolutionary youth organizations...

Iranians und Israelis against Germanys contribution to escalation of conflicts in Near and Middle East...

Doro-Mito Strikes Against Highly Radioactive Trains and Rails...

The Philippine Airlines Employees' Association (PALEA) appeals to all union brothers and sisters, as well as all who support just wages, job security and safe work conditions, for solidarity as it continues its struggle against an outsourcing plan that will lay off 2,600 employees and downgrade them from regular to contractual hires...

Still waiting for the German Change! Close all Refugee-Camps, integrate the Refugees! Close the Camp Möhlau in Sachsen-Anhalt – no Prolongation of the Leasing-contract!

• CLOSE ALL CAMPS IN GERMANY!
• DEMONSTRATION IN LUTHERSTADT WITTENBERG
• SATURDAY 14 th NOVEMBER 2009
• Starting at 1 pm from the railway station Lutherstadt Wittenberg

Down with the clerical dictatorship!

• For full democratic rights in Iran,
• for the right of self-determination of the oppressed nationalities in Iran,
• for an independent Constituent Assembly!
• Solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian workers for trade union freedom and socialism!

Zionism, Fascism and the Discussion about Old and "New Anti-Semitism":

Lenni Brenner's rich and thoroughly researched study of the relationship between Zionism and fascism will provide German readers with material which will influence the debates in this country about anti-Semitism. It is inevitable that current political debates shape our view of the past, but it is equally vital that with every political debate the respective positions are placed into their respective historical contexts so that debates do not lose touch with reality. Lenni Brenner's work casts light on an area of history that has been tabooed by many authors, particularly in the German discussion. The results of his research will make it clear to readers that there is a key element the current debate that must be put right — the false assumption that the Zionist movement up until 1945 made a serious contribution to the fight against anti-Semitism and fascism and that Israel is continuing this fight. This book sticks to facts, and this is why it will help to dispel some well-preserved, ahistorical myths that abound in the current debate.

SUPPORT WORKERS INTERNATIONAL VANGUARD LEAGUE:

For the past 15 years all the parties in parliament have made false promises to the people, from national to local level. Millions are starving, millions are homeless and millions are unemployed. The monopoly capitalists have never had it so good; their stomachs are always full, they live in mansions and they receive billions of Rands of profits without working. It is election time and these capitalist parties are coming around again to lie to the masses. Workers International Vanguard League believes that parliament is part of the problem; parliament is a tool for making sure that the giant monopolies continue to exploit us. So we believe in exposing parliament.

The first fundamental flaw of the Freedom Charter is that it is based on the assumption that in the current period there can be a purely national development of capitalism. Anglo American, Liberty Life, Sanlam, Rembrandt and Old Mutual control the overwhelming bulk of the SA economy. All these monopolies operating in South Africa are themselves controlled by big capital from the imperialist centres. For example, the biggest operating monopoly, Anglo American was set up in 1921 with major shareholding by the US bank, JP Morgan. This same bank, along with other imperialist banks, have major shareholdings in the SA Reserve bank, in effect controlling it. The development of capitalism in South Africa is thus determined by imperialist finance capital. Of this major feature, the Freedom Charter is silent. This means that the Freedom Charter does not envisage a struggle against the control by imperialism.

The perspectives of Pan Africanism is still being used across Africa as a means to objectively justify the continued enslavement of the masses. On the other hand many honest fighters subscribe in various ways, uncritically, to the ideas of Pan Africanism. The political exposure of it is thus an important task.

Lenin, in his ”Imperialism-The highest stage of capitalism“ describes how in the period around 1900 the world had been divided up among all the major imperialists and that inter-imperialist rivalry for greater profits would open up a new period. This period would be that of the degeneration of capitalism, one of wars, civil wars and revolutions. Out of this period would arise the birth of Socialism. The achievement of Socialism is not automatic but would involve a life and death struggle between the working class and the capitalist class of the world. This period of capitalist decay, Lenin described as the era of imperialism. One of the key characteristics of this period is the dominance of finance capital. Finance capital is the result of the merger of banking capital and industrial capital. Put in simple terms: The banks control major industrial monopolies while at the same time, major industrial monopolies control the banks. The more than 100 years that has passed since the writing of Lenin’s work on imperialism, has confirmed his conclusions.

Editorial note:

The following text has been written as a letter of Leninist Trotskyist Tendency to the Italian group Voce Operaia, aiming at a discussion on the thesis written by that group on the world political situation. Very soon Voce Operaia stopped all relations. The LTT consisted at that time of some German, Belgian and British comrades and later South African comrades. The LTT was dissolved in the mid-nineties.

We publish the text, because the debate about the chracter of the present era ist still of actual interest. In addition the part on the collapse of the workers states of the COMECON passed through the test of events.