After four years of bloody war of attrition, Aleppo has fallen. For the rebels and their foreign backers this represents a humiliating blow which will have major consequences internationally and domestically. Hamid Alizadeh looks at the stinking hypocrisy of Western imperialism regarding the tragedy of Aleppo.

On Sunday 4th December, the European establishment let out a collective sigh of relief. Following the shocks of Brexit and Trump’s victory, there were grave concerns about the possibility of the far-right candidate, Hofer, winning. In the end, the establishment-backed candidate of Van der Bellen won with 54%. But the situation is far from stabilised.

Renzi lost his referendum and has resigned. The 4th December vote has revealed that there is an enormous anti-establishment tide rising in Italy. It is yet another tremor in a series of political earthquakes that have shaken the ruling class and the political establishment across Europe and America.