Analysis

Peter Mertens at the Havana International Conference For World Balance

The return of German militarism, the arms race in Europe and Washington's war rhetoric: all point to escalation. But as always, the power of peace lies below: with those who pay the price. Let's make the workers' movement a central force for disarmament, social justice and a socialist alternative, once more. Peter Mertens, General Secretary of the PVDA-PTB

Good evening. It’s a distinct honor to stand before you in London tonight. We gather at a time when the very foundations of our world seem to be shifting beneath our feet. The subtitle of my book, written in September 2023, was simply: 'How Our World is Tilting'. Little did we know then just how dramatically that tilt would accelerate. Over the past few months, through a series of writings, I’ve tried to make sense of the converging crises we face: the re-emergence of Donald Trump, the escalating militarization across Europe, and the ever-looming threat of war. Tonight, drawing on these reflections and the insights they offer, I want to paint a picture of this turbulent present and, perhaps, glimpse a path towards a more hopeful future.

The situation of industry in Europe is alarming, and its future is at stake. This dossier from lavamedia.be looks at the key issues for understanding the current crisis, and puts forward 9 principles for saving our industry.

Peter Mertens, General Secretary of the PVDA-PTB (Workers’ Party of Belgium) and author of the book “Mutiny”, discusses the turbulent meeting between Trump and Zelensky on Friday, February 28. He analyzes its consequences for Ukraine and Europe, as well as the dangers of calls for further militarization.

At the start of February Belgium finally has a new federal government. It took 236 days of negotiations. They call it Arizona, in reference to the colours of the flag of the state of Arizona, which reflect the 5 parties of this coalition government: N-VA (Flemish right-wing nationalist party), CDenV (Flemish Christian Democrat party), Vooruit (Flemish Socialist party), MR (French-speaking liberal party) and Les Engagés (French-speaking Christian Democrat party). The Prime Minister is Bart De Wever, historic leader of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA.

Eastern Congo is the dramatic scene of a war that has claimed 6 million lives over the past 27 years. Today, itʼs the city of Goma - one of the largest cities in the Congo - that is threatened to fall into the hands of Rwanda via the armed militia M23 and the regular Rwandan army present on Congolese soil. Hereʼs a behind-the-scenes look at an invasion that threatens millions of people. [Below find an explainer video by our MEP Marc Botenga in French]

Peter Mertens, Havana, January 31, 2025, 6th International Conference for World Balance. Below is the full text of his speech.

In response to the demonstration for our industry that brought more than 10,000 people to Brussels in September, Pieter Timmermans, head of the FEB (Federation of Enterprises in Belgium), presented his vision for relaunching Belgium's industry. For him, cutting wages and eliminating the recognition of overtime is the way forward... In other words, the proposals emanating from the future Arizona government coalition (named after the U.S. State that has in its flag the five colors of the coalition’s composing parties). Harmful measures that have already proved ineffective.

Donald Trump has again been elected president of the United States. His victory is the victory of the US billionaire class who lavished hundreds of millions of dollars on his election campaign. It is also the defeat of a Democratic Party that no longer offers any prospects to young people and to the working class. Trump's election ushers in a new phase of authoritarianism in the US, and of hostility and tension around the world. But there is hope: a new generation of activists is ready to lead the resistance.