Greece & Macedonia: Regarding the Prespes Agreement and the nationalist rallies

By OKDE-SPARTAKOS Greek section of the Fourth International Τhe Prespes agreement between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia imposes in the clearest manner the hegemony of the Greek state over the neighboring Macedonian state and constitutes an overwhelming diplomatic and political victory for the Greek bourgeois class. According to the agreement, the Republic of Macedonia … Continue reading Greece & Macedonia: Regarding the Prespes Agreement and the nationalist rallies →

‘Tsipras is saving Greek capitalism’

The following interview is with Kostas Skordoulis, a leading member of OKDE-Spartakos. The OKDE is Socialist Action’s sister party and the Greek section of the Fourth International. The interview was conducted by Josefina L. Martinez; it first appeared in English in the on-line journal Left Voice (October 2015), associated with the Trotskyist Faction-Fourth International. Socialist … Continue reading ‘Tsipras is saving Greek capitalism’ →

Syriza wins, Greek workers lose

By MARTY GOODMAN The Sept. 20 Greek national election, held in a rush, resulted in the reelection of the Syriza party’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. The election occurred merely 30 days after its announcement. It was timed cynically to take place before the onset of a new wave of punishing austerity conditions—the worst ever—agreed to … Continue reading Syriza wins, Greek workers lose →

Greece: Syriza splits after sell-out to banks

By MARTY GOODMAN Since being elected in January, Greece’s Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) was for a time the most followed movement on the international left and the hope of millions of long suffering Greek workers. But those wishful sentiments were buried in July with the most brutal “loan” and austerity package yet, finalized … Continue reading Greece: Syriza splits after sell-out to banks →

Greece 2015: Lessons of the defeat

By JEFF MACKLER The classic definition of Greek tragedy from the times of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides 2500 years ago applies with a vengeance today. The Greek working masses have suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of Europe’s imperial economic and political powers—tragically, with the full complicity of the reformist, that is, pro-capitalist, Syriza … Continue reading Greece 2015: Lessons of the defeat →

Greek Syriza folds to EU demands

By MARTY GOODMAN (Updated Aug. 5) The new $93 billion (86 billion euros) economic bailout deal in Greece is a shameless act of international capitalist piracy. The July 13 proposal—approved by the Greek parliament two days later—wielded cuts to pensions, including special aid to the poorest; a hike in taxes on food and other goods … Continue reading Greek Syriza folds to EU demands →

Interview with Greek socialist

As we go to press, on Sunday, July 12, Greece’s Syriza government has just submitted a new proposal to EU leaders and financial institutions that contains significant concessions to their demands for austerity. This proposal follows by days the referendum vote by the Greek people that strongly rejected any further austerity measures. As background to … Continue reading Interview with Greek socialist →

Greece votes against austerity

By OKDE-SPARTACOS The class struggle has sharply intensified in Greece since June 27, when Greek Prime Minister and Syriza Party leader Alexis Tsipras called on the people to vote NO in a referendum against blackmail and humiliation by Greece’s capitalist creditors. On Sunday, July 5, nearly 62% voted NO, and only about 38% voted YES. … Continue reading Greece votes against austerity →

Greece: NO! End the negotiations

By OKDE-Spartacos — ATHENS, June 28 — The Greek government, despite its persistent efforts, failed to win the confidence of the institutions (EU, IMF) and the favor or the hegemonic bourgeois classes of Europe. The vows of loyalty to the repayment of the debt “fully and timely” and the renunciation of unilateral actions, as well … Continue reading Greece: NO! End the negotiations →

Greece: Class struggle has no intervals

Statement by OKDE-Spartacos (Greek section of the Fourth International) 1) Αll hopes that the working class can get rid of austerity by voting and electing a “government of the left” collapsed very soon. SYRIZA won the election and formed a government. Not a government of the left, of course, but a collaboration government along with … Continue reading Greece: Class struggle has no intervals →

Will SYRIZA fight the Euro-bank bully?

By MARTY GOODMAN On election day, Jan. 25, working people in Greece stood up to the bloodsucking European banks and said, “No more!” The 36.3% vote for the SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left) party made it the highest vote getter in a crowded field. For the first time in many decades, an ostensibly anti-capitalist … Continue reading Will SYRIZA fight the Euro-bank bully? →

Lessons from the Greek elections

By KEITH LESLIE The results of the national election in Greece, which produced a government led by the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), hit European capitalism like a sledge hammer. With Western European nations facing the prospect of tumbling into recession, SYRIZA’s demand for a “significant moratorium” on debt payments was the last thing … Continue reading Lessons from the Greek elections →

SYRIZA victory raises many questions

By ANDREAS SARTZEKIS — ATHENS, Jan. 26 — The Syriza electoral victory is a historic event for Greece, of course, but still more for Europe, and it is almost amusing to see socialist leaders being pleased with this success, alongside a total collapse of PASOK, which in 2009 had won more than 3 million votes … Continue reading SYRIZA victory raises many questions →

Europe: News from the frontlines

By STAN MILLER Europe has been experiencing major recession since 2008. All figures point out that we’re in it for the long haul. In the United States, strong attacks against the working class combined with a policy of quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve and the ability of the U.S. to borrow money almost indefinitely … Continue reading Europe: News from the frontlines →

Cyprus bank crisis rocks Europe

By ANDREW POLLACK The outrage of workers in Cyprus against a plan to “save” the country’s finances by seizing cash in small depositors’ accounts forced the country’s parliament to vote unanimously in late March against it. The plan was intended to avert the wrath of the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank, and the … Continue reading Cyprus bank crisis rocks Europe →

The socialist answer to capitalist crisis

We present below the first of a series of resolutions on key issues in U.S. and world politics that were approved by the elected delegates to the 15th National Convention of Socialist Action, held in Minneapolis last Aug. 16-19. Socialist Action is the fraternal U.S. section of the Fourth International, founded by Leon Trotsky and … Continue reading The socialist answer to capitalist crisis →

European workers mobilize against austerity

By MICHAEL SCHREIBER Last month saw huge street mobilizations in several European countries in which the working class has been besieged by austerity demands by their governments and the European Union. Demonstrations and general strikes took place in Portugal, Spain, and Greece. On Sept. 26, over 100,000 people marched in Athens as workplaces closed down … Continue reading European workers mobilize against austerity →