At the recent 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, President Xi Jinping took the opportunity to let the world know that China is a “mighty force” soon to reclaim its rightful position on the world stage. Behind all the bluster, however, one could detect an unease at the prospect of growing internal instability within China, which flows from the impending crisis of capitalism.

Earlier this week, coalition negotiation talks in Germany between Chancellor Merkel and the right-wing Free Democratic Party collapsed. The failure to reach an agreement leaves Germany without a government. Merkel’s future hangs in the balance. As Hans-Gerd Öfinger discusses, a period of instability lies ahead.

Robert Mugabe, the 93-year-old dictator of Zimbabwe, interrupted parliament’s impeachment proceedings this afternoon with a letter announcing his resignation. This follows a week of pressure on the senile president, both from other factions in the ruling elite and from the masses on the streets. But, as Ben Morken explains in an article written earlier this week, Mugabe’s downfall will lead to even greater instability and crisis for the regime.