2025 saw the increasing instability and danger of the international situation, with the world seeing a new phase in the crises of capitalism. These crises are now often described as a polycrisis, with economic instability, the widening gap between poor and rich, increased poverty and unemployment, increasing conflict between the different capitalist powers, alongside the ongoing climate crisis. What were once seen as enduring rights and liberties are increasingly under attack. This comes amidst increasing repression and the moves towards militarisation, rearmament, and the introduction of conscription. In addition, in many countries, austerity measures by governments of both right and left have seen attacks on pensions, unemployment insurance, and labour rights. Privatisation has accelerated, as has labour deregulation, accompanied by repression and the criminalisation of struggle and the right to strike.
In the USA, the Trump regime is becoming increasingly authoritarian and pursues racist, misogynist, and anti-working class policies. It is increasingly belligerent in its foreign policy in Latin America, practising murder of fishermen and piracy on the high seas with its capture of Venezuelan oil tankers and reported on drone attacks on Venezuelan soil. Across the USA immigrants are kidnapped on the streets by the paramilitary ICE, and the Trump administration gives encouragement to far right and fascist groups around the world, whilst its enablers like Elon Musk and the tech billionaire Robert Shillman finance the same groups.
Militarisation and imperialist aggression are important features of the situation. Across Europe, political leaders are increasing their war rhetoric, calling for the strengthening of NATO, increased military spending, and a drive towards the introduction of military service. At the same time, they and the USA support the murderous regime in Israel, where 63,000 Palestinians were killed in 2025, and where hospitals are destroyed and health workers routinely murdered. Meanwhile, in Ukraine the horrendous war drags on.
However, alongside this gloomy scenario, we see the mass mobilisation in many countries against the genocide in Palestine. Millions have come out in the streets against austerity and repression. 2025 saw a wave of struggles in Nepal, Indonesia, Madagascar, Morocco, Peru, and Kenya. In addition to this, there were revolts in Togo, Timor-Leste, Paraguay, and Mongolia. There is an ongoing movement against the government in Serbia. There were strikes and there are escalating demonstrations by workers, pensioners, and students against the theocratic regime in Iran. There were massive general strikes in Belgium, Greece, Portugal, and Italy, with resistance to austerity being increasingly linked to resistance to war fever and militarisation. In Germany school and university students came out on the streets to protest against the war plans of the government and the threat of conscription. There were also massive strike movements in France, and huge demonstrations and blockades against government austerity plans.
Even here in Britain, workers have increasingly taken strike action – bin workers, TEFL teachers, museum and gallery staff, cleaners, tube workers and bus drivers, hospitality workers, oil refinery workers, university lecturers, and doctors all on strike in recent months.
Opposition to the plans of the ruling class are growing on a mass scale. There are signs that the international working class is beginning to awaken.
Against the plans of the boss class we should advance the ideas of class unity, social justice, internationalism, and uncompromising resistance to austerity. We should offer the vision of a world without States, without classes, a world free of wars and of exploitation and hierarchy.
With the coming of the New Year, the Anarchist Communist Group sends it warmest wishes to all those in struggle, and its hope for a forthcoming year of solidarity and struggle. In the long term the Anarchist Communist Group looks towards the ending of capitalism and an advance to a higher stage of human development: Anarchist Communism.