Even by Pakistani standards the turbulence taking place in the state and society is exceptional. The economy is floundering and forecasts by the experts are bleak and scary. It is not without reason that the economy is hardly discussed in the media networks and amongst the dominant intelligentsia. The experts and the strategists running the economy do not have a clue how to come out of this mess. To be honest, it is not their fault. The prevalent capitalist economic system has reached a state where it is incapable of achieving, never mind maintaining, a steady growth rate or enhancing production.

The year 2011 was perhaps the most turbulent year in recent history. The Arab Spring, the European Summer and the American Fall were an upheaval that traversed the planet. For the first time in history there were demonstrations in more than 900 cities across the world in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement in the US. The main cause that triggered this massive response of the workers and youth throughout the world was the eruption of a rebellion in the very womb of imperialism.

The world’s attention is once again focused on North Korea. This is not due to a new nuclear test, imperialist saber-rattling, or a military clash with South Korea along the world’s most militarized border. This time, the reason is potentially even more explosive: the death of Kim Jong-il.

The annual National Winter Marxist Youth School was held from December 2 to 4 in Multan. In spite of the very long distances and difficult economic situation more than 133 comrades (including 20 females) from all over the country participated in the school with great revolutionary spirit. Debates, discussions and overall discipline at the school demonstrated a high ideological, political and cultural level of the comrades.

The imperialists ‘war against terror’ has terribly gone wrong. The attack by helicopter gunships on Pakistan army posts killing 24 military personnel is yet another blow to the already rocky and febrile relations between US and Pakistan. This comes after the Raymond Davis Affair, the killing of Osama bin Laden and the recent memogate affair in which the wily Hussein Haqqani had to resign as Pakistan’s envoy to the US.

With dedication and hard work, the Indonesian comrades are proud to publish the third edition of their newspaper, Militan Indonesia.