17 February 2026 - What a start to the year! 2026 is less than eight weeks old, and events are unfolding at a fast pace such as not seen in years. In workplaces, neighborhoods, families, and movements, people are discussing: What will come next? Are we facing a world war? Will fascist governments continue to spread? What will happen to my pension in the future, or how will I pay my rent? Is it worth fighting? What are the causes and what is the outlook? Many things are in flux.

February 28, 2026 - The fascist Trump administration and the fascist-Zionist regime in Israel have lit the fuse on the powder keg that is the Middle East, because this war is directed against a new-imperialist country, Iran. Iran, in turn, is the closest ally of the new superpower China, and of Russia, in the hotly contested Middle East. This war thus significantly increases the acute danger of a world war.

1. On February 28, the fascist countries USA and Israel began a war of aggression against Iran. For the first time in the postwar order, the USA is attempting to bring another imperialist country to its knees with an open war. Its war aim is regime change in Iran to a government by the grace of the US. The main warring parties are all fascist—their war aims and methods correspond. The targeting and execution of government officials of other countries without trial, or forced regime changes, are fascist methods. These also include wars of aggression without any legitimation by their own parliaments or international institutions! Fascism and war act as mutual accelerants. Without fascism, such a war could not be waged. Because then there are no more inhibitions. The fascists Trump and Netanyahu will stop at no war crime. Even now we must assume that there are thousands of deaths in Iran and the other affected countries.

Dear colleagues, those in power hypocritically talk about “security,” “prosperity,” and “peace”— while at the same time setting the world on fire! Never before have we been so close to a Third World War. In more and more countries fascist governments are ruling. The global environmental catastrophe is gaining momentum. And daily life is becoming more difficult: Hundreds of thousands of jobs are being destroyed, factories and training workshops are being closed. Retirement benefits and wages are falling, while rents and gasoline prices are rising.

On May 18, the editorial staff of our newspaper Rote Fahne conducted an interview with MLPD Party Chairwoman Gabi Fechtner. She takes a broad view and, for the first time, delves more deeply into the thesis that a worldwide pre-revolutionary process of fermentation has begun.