In the Presidential elections held at the beginning of June, Assad was declared the winner with 88.7% of the vote. Whilst the election result is clearly exaggerated, it is still the case that a significant section of the population is backing Assad. Why is this?

India has seen two very powerful general strikes in the past two years, revealing a sharp class polarisation in the country, and yet we have the disastrous result in the recent Indian elections for the Communist and left parties. This apparent contradiction has brought into sharp focus the role of the leaders of these parties and their total inability to offer a way out of the impasse they themselves have been responsible for creating.

The defeat of the attempts by the counter-revolutionary opposition to overthrow the Venezuelan government by force has given way to a wide debate amongst the Bolivarian rank and file about economic policy. Jorge Martin of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign analyses the latest events and debates in Venezuela.