2016 was the most unstable year since the end of the Second World War. Rising discontent is reflecting itself in different ways. In particular, with Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, we learned to expect the unexpected. 2017 – the centenary of the Russian Revolution – is set to be even more turbulent.

We publish here the second instalment of our update to the perspectives for the class struggle internationally. In this second and final part, we look at the latest developments in the Middle East and the decline in US imperialism that these events reflect. Most importantly, we analyse the biggest political shock of 2016: the election of Trump.

On Monday, a truck ploughed through a Christmas market in Berlin, killing twelve and injuring at least 49. All the attention is focussed on such acts of terrorism. But what the media conveniently leaves out is who is responsible for the mess in the Middle East in the first place: the imperialists and their meddling.