As Congress enacts huge “border security” bill
Trump to declare national emergency to build wall

By Patrick Martin, 15 February 2019

The emergency declaration is an authoritarian move that overrides the constitutional separation of powers, elevating the executive branch above the legislative.

Union shuts down Denver teachers strike

By Trévon Austin, 15 February 2019

The Denver Classroom Teachers Association cut a deal in the early hours of Thursday morning and told teachers to return to work before voting on the contract.

Union rushing to end Denver teachers strike

Wright State University reaches tentative agreement with faculty enshrining health and pay cuts

By Alexander Fangmann, 15 February 2019

The agreement codifies most of the demands made by the university’s administrators and board of trustees, and should be rejected by faculty.

Munich Security Conference overshadowed by rising great power conflicts

By Peter Schwarz, 15 February 2019

The conference will be dominated by the preparations of the US and its allies for war against Russia and China, and the deepening conflicts between the Western allies.

Wealth concentration increases in US and globally

By Nick Beams, 15 February 2019

The top 1 percent in the US now owns about 40 percent of household wealth, increasing its share by at least 10 percentage points since 1989.

The Last Survivors: A testament to the Holocaust
A documentary film by Arthur Cary, first shown on BBC Two

By Margot Miller, 15 February 2019

Cary has captured the testimony of some of the last generation who were children in the camps, most of whom saw the genocide of their parents, siblings, relatives and friends.

OSHA fines XPO $10,347 for the deaths of two workers

By Steve Filips, 15 February 2019

OSHA reached a settlement with XPO Logistics imposing wrist-slap fines for the company’s negligence relating to the deaths of two workers in June 2018.

GM and union use shutdown threat to slash wages of Brazilian autoworkers

By Eduardo Parati and Gabriel Lemos, 15 February 2019

The betrayal of GM workers came as Brazil’s largest union federation, the CUT, sought an accommodation with the fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro’s government.

Sri Lankan president denounces opponents of the death penalty

By Vijith Samarasinghe, 15 February 2019

Sirisena not only wants reinstatement of executions but the endorsement of all human rights organisations.

New Zealand housing crisis intensifies under Labour government

By John Braddock, 15 February 2019

The Labour government’s KiwiBuild scheme to address the deepening housing crisis has seen just 47 of 1,000 new homes promised by July completed.

New in Norwegian

Den iranske revolusjonen – Førti år senere

Keith Jones, 14. februar 2019

Det er det stalinistiske Tudeh-partiet og stalinisisk politikk som er hovedansvarlig for den tragiske avsporingen av Den iranske revolusjonen.

Nasjonal 24-timers streik i Belgia i går

Will Morrow, 14. februar 2019

Mens streiker og protester vokser over hele Europa er det voksende sinne blant belgiske arbeidere mot lave lønninger pålagt av statsdrevne forhandlinger mellom business og fagforbundene.

Tyskland: Sosialdemokratene moderniserer innstrammingene

Peter Schwarz, 14. februar 2019

SPD vedtok «Hartz IV»-lovene for 14 år siden, implementerte velferdsreformer og la grunnlaget for en enorm lavtlønnsektor og utbredt fattigdom.

Streikende arbeidere i Matamoros i Mexico støtter Detroit-demonstrasjonen mot oppsigelser i bilindustrien

14. februar 2019

I denne videoen melder streikende bildel-arbeidere ved Fisher-Dynamics-fabrikken i Matamoros i Mexico, sin støtte til sist helgs demonstrasjon kalt av Socialist Equality Party mot masseoppsigelser i den amerikanske bilindustrien.

New in French

Une grève nationale de 24 heures paralyse la Belgique

Will Morrow, 14 février 2019

Alors que les grèves et manifestations s’étendent en Europe, la colère monte aussi parmi les travailleurs belges sur les bas salaires imposés dans les pourparlers entre entreprises et syndicats, encadrés par l’Etat.

La révolution iranienne – Quarante ans après

Keith Jones, 14 février 2019

Ce sont le parti stalinien Tudeh et la politique stalinienne qui ont été les principaux responsables du déraillement tragique de la révolution iranienne.

La recrudescence internationale des luttes de la classe ouvrière en 2019

Niles Niemuth, 14 février 2019

Cette année connaît une résurgence de la lutte de classe qui exprime l'unité objective des travailleurs dans toutes les régions du monde.

Contre la chasse aux sorcières #MeToo des Démocrates contre le lieutenant-gouverneur de Virginie, Justin Fairfax

Barry Grey, 14 février 2019

Une fois de plus, des allégations sexuelles non fondées et douteuses sont utilisées dans le cadre d'une opération #MeToo motivée par un programme politique de droite.

New in German

Vierzig Jahre seit der Iranischen Revolution

Keith Jones, 14. Februar 2019

Für die tragische Entgleisung der iranischen Revolution von 1979 war vor allem die Politik des Stalinismus und der stalinistischen Tudeh-Partei verantwortlich.

Zehntausende streiken in Berlin gegen schlechte Arbeitsbedingungen

unseren Reportern, 14. Februar 2019

Am Mittwoch beteiligten sich in Berlin zehntausende Beschäftigte des öffentlichen Dienstes an einem Warnstreik. Über 10.000 Menschen marschierten zum Brandenburger Tor.

Britischer Verteidigungsminister fordert größere „Reichweite und Letalität“ des Militärs nach dem Brexit

Robert Stevens, 14. Februar 2019

In einer Rede vor dem Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London unterbreitete der britische Verteidigungsminister Gavin Williamson am Montag Vorschläge für eine massive Eskalation des britischen Militarismus nach dem Brexit.

New in Spanish

La farsa de juicio a los nacionalistas catalanes y el peligro de la extrema derecha en España

Alex Lantier, 15 febrero 2019

Alineándose con la política oficial de toda Europa, la clase gobernante en España toma medidas para construir un Estado policial y defender el legado del fascismo del siglo XX.

Huelga nacional de un día paraliza Bélgica

Will Morrow, 15 febrero 2019

Gran parte de Bélgica estuvo paralizada el miércoles, cuando decenas de miles trabajadores participaron en una huelga nacional de 24 horas para exigir aumentos salariales.

Cómo el WRP traicionó al trotskismo:1973-1985
31. La distorsión idealista de la dialéctica materialista

Declaración del Comité Internacional de la Cuarta Internacional, 15 febrero

Este es el texto del análisis realizado en el verano de 1986 por el Comité Internacional de la Cuarta Internacional sobre el colapso de su sección británica, el Workers Revolutionary Party.

Washington intensifica las amenazas militares a falta de cambio de régimen en Venezuela

Bill Van Auken, 15 febrero 2019

La pieza central del intento para derrocar el Gobierno venezolano es una charada cínica en torno a la entrega de asistencia de USAID a través de la frontera del país.

Presidente mexicano López Obrador reprime a migrantes centroamericanos

Don Knowland, 15 febrero

Los inmigrantes centroamericanos detenidos en Piedras Negras, Coahuila, junto a la frontera con Texas, están rebelándose contra su detención en manos de López Obrador.

La incertidumbre se cierne sobre el acuerdo fronterizo en Estados Unidos a medida que se acerca el plazo de cierre

Patrick Martin, 15 febrero

El presidente Trump no ha garantizado que firmará el acuerdo de $1.375 mil millones para financiar el muro fronterizo.

New in Portuguese

Halil Celik, um lutador pelo socialismo (1961 – 2018)

Por Peter Schwarz, 12 fevereiro 2019

Em 31 de dezembro de 2018, Halil Celik, fundador e líder do grupo Sosyalist Eşitlik, que apoia o Comitê Internacional da Quarta Internacional na Turquia, morreu de câncer aos 57 anos. Este obituário apresenta uma visão geral de sua vida.

New in Russian

Боритесь с увольнениями на автозаводах Ford! Создавайте комитеты действий для объединения рабочих автомобильной промышленности по всей Европе!

Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei и Socialist Equality Party и Parti de l’égalité socialiste, 7 февраля 2019 г.

Рабочий класс не может признать за корпорациями «права» закрывать заводы, уничтожать целые сообщества и разрушать жизни десятков тысяч рабочих.

New in Bengali

চতুর্থ ইন্টারন্যাশনাল-এর ৮০তম প্রতিষ্ঠাবার্ষিকী পালন উপলক্ষ্যে আয়োজিত কলকাতার সভার প্রচার করছেন ভারতীয় ট্রটস্কিপন্থীরা

অরুণ কুমার এবং ঋত্বিক মিত্র, ২৬ জানুয়ারী ২০১৯

চতুর্থ ইন্টারন্যাশনালের ৮০তম প্রতিষ্ঠাবার্ষিকী উপলক্ষ্যে আয়োজিত আগামী ১০ই মার্চের জনসভাকে সফল করার জন্য চতুর্থ ইন্টারন্যাশনালের আন্তর্জাতিক কমিটি (আই-সি-এফ-আই)-এর ভারতীয় সমর্থকরা পশ্চিমবঙ্গের রাজধানী কলকাতায় বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ছাত্রছাত্রীদের মধ্যে প্রচার চালাচ্ছেন।

Other Languages

Perspective

War summit in Warsaw

15 February 2019

While Netanyahu’s statement that this week’s conference in Warsaw was called to discuss “war with Iran” was treated by the media as a gaffe, it was nothing of the kind.

Earlier Perspectives »

History of the ICFI

From the arsenal of Trotskyism
The Political Report by David North to the International Committee of the Fourth International—February 11, 1984

12 February 2019

Thirty-five years ago this week, David North, then the national secretary of the Workers League (predecessor of the Socialist Equality Party), presented at a meeting of the International Committee of the Fourth International a critique of the British Workers Revolutionary Party’s abandonment of key theoretical conceptions and programmatic principles of Trotskyism.

Free Julian Assange!

Sydney meeting opposes persecution of Julian Assange

By our reporters, 15 February 2019

The event was addressed by Consortium News editor Joe Lauria, SEP national secretary James Cogan and other prominent WikiLeaks defenders.

Human rights advocate Professor Stuart Rees supports rallies for the freedom of Julian Assange

15 February 2019

“Julian Assange follows in the footsteps of a long tradition of journalists and whistleblowers who have made significant contributions to civil societies.”

SEP (Australia) national secretary James Cogan to speak tomorrow on Unity4J online vigil

By our reporters, 15 February 2019

Cogan will be interviewed about the demonstrations called by the Socialist Equality Party to demand the freedom of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, and the broader campaign being waged by the WSWS against internet censorship.

Acclaimed musician Roger Waters calls on people to demonstrate in Australia to defend Julian Assange

By the Socialist Equality Party (Australia), 11 February 2019

Australian students endorse rallies to free Julian Assange

Rally to demand the Australian government acts to free Julian Assange!
Sydney Martin Place Amphitheatre, 2pm, March 3! Melbourne State Library, 1pm, March 10!

By the Socialist Equality Party (Australia), 25 January 2019

John Pilger to speak at March 3 Sydney rally to defend Julian Assange

More on the campaign to free Julian Assange »

Commentary

ISO and DSA bar Socialist Equality Party panel on the fight against fascism from upcoming Historical Materialism conference

By Joseph Kishore, 15 February 2019

The conference organizers censored a presentation by Christoph Vandreier, deputy national secretary of the Sozialistiche Gleichheitspartei, who has played a leading role in the fight against the resurgence of neo-Nazism in Germany.

Mexican union apparatus, government scramble to suppress growing strike across Mexico

By Andrea Lobo, 12 February 2019

Inspired by the wave of wildcat strikes by maquiladora workers in Matamoros, Mexico, militancy and opposition to the trade unions and the AMLO administration are growing.

More on the Matamoros Strike »

The show trial of the Catalan nationalists and the far-right danger in Spain

By Alex Lantier, 14 February 2019

One year since the Parkland high school massacre: A political balance sheet

By Genevieve Leigh, 14 February 2019

Washington escalates military threats as Venezuela regime change falters

By Bill Van Auken, 14 February 2019

Hands off Venezuela!

The international upsurge of working class struggle in 2019

By Niles Niemuth, 12 February 2019

The working class and socialism

The Strategy of International Class Struggle and the Political Fight Against Capitalist Reaction in 2019

By James Cogan, Joseph Kishore and David North, 3 January 2019

Arts Review

69th Berlin International Film Festival—Part 1
Between identity politics and opposition against the far right

By Stefan Steinberg, 15 February 2019

The fact that festival director Dieter Kosslick decided on short notice to include the film Who Will Write Our History? is a reflection of the growing opposition in the artistic community to the growth of the far-right in Germany.

The 2019 Grammy Awards: The music industry’s love affair with itself

By Matthew Brennan, 14 February 2019

At St. Ann’s Warehouse Theater in Brooklyn
The Jungle: A makeshift society within the global refugee crisis

By Owen Mullan, 13 February 2019

Velvet Buzzsaw: The horror of the art world

Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage detained by ICE agents in “targeted operation”

Science

Opportunity rover ends 15 years of Martian exploration

By Bryan Dyne, 15 February 2019

The Mars rover has provided an immense wealth of scientific knowledge and served as the eyes for tens of millions of people to view the landscapes of another world.

IYSSE

Climate change and the fight for socialism

By International Youth and Students for Social Equality (UK), 15 February 2019

Young people are organising across national boundaries in recognition that climate change has global causes and global consequences. In doing so, they are meeting up with an international resurgence of the class struggle.

Oppose political censorship and fascist threats against the ISO and DSA in Portland!

Successful election result for IYSSE at Humboldt University in Berlin

Workers Struggles

UK rail strike at South Western Railway, Sibanye gold and platinum miners’ strike continues
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa

15 February 2019

Rail workers at South Western Railway voted by a near 90 percent majority to continue strikes in opposition to the extension of the use of driver only operated trains.

Sri Lanka: SEP and Abbotsleigh workers’ committee organise picket to oppose witch hunt in plantations

By our reporters, 14 February 2019

Sri Lankan plantation companies rule out further wage increases after union sellout

Tens of thousands strike in Berlin against poor working conditions

By our reporters, 14 February 2019

One-day national strike paralyzes Belgium

By Will Morrow, 14 February 2019

Union federation stages national strike in South Africa

By Eddie Haywood, 14 February 2019

Flight attendant paralyzed after Delta ordered flight through tropical storm
The workers’ compensation nightmare at Delta Airlines: Part three

By Tom Hall, 14 February 2019

Delta planted GPS tracker in car of disabled flight attendant
The workers’ compensation nightmare at Delta Airlines: Part two

Injured flight attendants speak to the WSWS
The workers’ compensation nightmare at Delta Airlines: Part one

Steve McDowell, campaigner for Australian paramedic rights, speaks with WSWS

Strike action in the US hits a 32-year high

History

The Iranian Revolution—Forty Years On

By Keith Jones, 13 February 2019

One hundred years since the Seattle General Strike

By Kayla Costa, 11 February 2019

100 years since the Seattle General Strike—Part 2

One hundred years since the murder of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht

By Peter Schwarz, 15 January 2019

February 9 demonstration against GM plant closings

Autoworkers must prepare fight as UAW plans new givebacks in 2019 contracts

By Shannon Jones, 14 February 2019

Striking workers in Matamoros, Mexico support Detroit demonstration against auto layoffs

In this video, striking auto parts workers at Fisher Dynamics in Matamoros, Mexico send their support to last weekend’s demonstration against mass layoffs in the US auto industry called by the Socialist Equality Party.

“It is necessary to base our struggle not on one company or on one nation, but by mobilizing the workers of the world”
Maruti Suzuki workers in India send greetings to February 9 protest

Autoworkers, supporters demonstrate in Detroit to oppose GM closures and layoffs

February 9 demonstration against auto plant closures in Detroit
The program and strategy to defend jobs

Obituary

Daniel Freeman, a founding member of the Workers League, dies at the age of 84

By Fred Mazelis, 13 February 2019

Mehring Books

Attend March 17 London Book Launch of Why Are They Back?

12 February 2019

The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century published in Tamil

Socialist Equality Party

The way forward to win wages and social rights
Workers Action Committee in Sri Lanka calls plantation workers’ conference

By the Abbotsleigh Estate Workers Action Committee, 12 February 2019

The conference will discuss the lessons of the recent plantation workers’ struggle and the political strategy needed to win their demands.

Sri Lankan SEP public meetings to launch Tamil edition of The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century

7 February 2019

This week in history: February 11-17

25 years ago: NATO sets bombing ultimatum in Bosnia

This week in 1994, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization began a 10-day countdown to carry out airstrikes against Bosnian Serb forces, demanding they withdraw weapons and artillery from around the city of Sarajevo, capital of the former Yugoslav state of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

More »

50 years ago: Police attack student demonstrations in US and Canada

Police and troops were mobilized this week across North America to attack protests against racism on college campuses.

More »

75 years ago: Stalin orders deportation of Caucasus nationalities

On February 11, 1944, the Politburo of the Soviet Union met to discuss the fate of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

More »

 

100 years ago: Ebert chosen as first president of German republic

On February 11, 1919, the National Assembly meeting in Weimar chose right-wing Social Democrat Friedrich Ebert as the first president of the newly formed German republic.

More »

New in Arabic

استراتيجية النضال الطبقي الدولي والنضال السياسي ضد الرجعية الرأسمالية في عام 2019

٢ شباط فبراير ٢٠١٩

في مطلع العام الأخير صرحت اللجنة الدولية للأممية الرابعة :" إن عام 2018 الجديد- وهو عام الذكرى المئوية الثانية لمولد كارل ماركس- سيتسم في المقام الأول بتركيز هائل للتوترات الاجتماعية وبتصاعد النضال الطبقي في أرجاء العالم".

Halil Celik, 1961-2018

Halil Celik, a fighter for socialism (1961-2018)

By Peter Schwarz, 1 February 2019

On December 31, 2018, Halil Celik, founder and leader of the group Sosyalist Eşitlik, which supports the International Committee of the Fourth International in Turkey, died of cancer at the age of 57. This obituary presents an overview of his life.

In memory of Halil Celik (1961–2018)

ICFI meeting announcement

Indian Trotskyists campaign for Kolkata meeting to mark the 80th anniversary of the Fourth International

By Arun Kumar and Ritwik Mitter, 26 January 2019

Indian university students discuss the rising danger of war and the betrayal by the Stalinist parties of the working class.

Indian Trotskyists in Kolkata to celebrate 80 years of the Fourth International

7 January 2019

The Kolkata meeting will review the essential political lessons of the protracted struggle of the Fourth International and their relevance to the fight for socialist internationalism today.

Security and the Fourth International

New book now available
Agents: The FBI and GPU Infiltration of the Trotskyist Movement

By Mehring Books, 21 January 2019

The WSWS announces the release of a new book, Agents: The FBI and GPU Infiltration of the Trotskyist Movement, by Eric London.

The origins and findings of the Security and the Fourth International investigation

By Eric London, 14 November 2018

Seventy-eight years since the assassination of Leon Trotsky

By Eric London and David North, 21 August 2018

Socialist Equality Party (Germany)

Socialist Equality Party takes legal action against surveillance by German secret service

By the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, 10 January 2019

Dr. Peer Stolle, the lawyer for the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, has submitted formal notice in writing to the German Federal Agency for the Protection of the Constitution. The text of the letter is published here.

International Committee of the Fourth International

The 50th anniversary of the founding of the SEP (Sri Lanka)
Victory of the Trotskyists in the 1985–1986 split in the ICFI

By Saman Gunadasa and K. Ratnayake, 29 December 2018

David North addresses New Zealand meeting celebrating 80 years of the Fourth International

By our reporters, 11 December 2018

80th anniversary of the Fourth International celebrated in Melbourne with public lecture

Eighty Years of the Fourth International: The Lessons of History and the Struggle for Socialism Today

By David North, 9 October 2018

On the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Fourth International

Book Review

Rohini Hensman’s Indefensible: The ISO discovers its muse—the CIA

By Alex Lantier, 14 December 2018

Rohini Hensman’s book, issued by the International Socialist Organization’s (ISO) Haymarket Books publishing house, is an endorsement of imperialist war.

Part one | Part two | Part three | Part four