The result of Sunday’s Turkish general elections and the clear defeat of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AK Party mark a qualitative change in the situation in the country and bear important consequences for the whole of the Middle East. Francesco Merli analyses the reprecussions of this political earthquake for Turkey and beyond.

As the Syrian civil war drags on into its fourth year, the war is entering a new phase. US imperialism is losing control in the Middle East as old allies distance themselves and begin to pursue their own interests more forcefully. This is a recipe for inreased instability and turbulence in the region.

The spectre of default is now being raised as a serious possibility by the international bourgeoisie for Ukraine, where the economy – ravaged by over a year of war and decades of corruption – is in a deep crisis. Default on a capitalist basis would be a catastrophe for ordinary people in this war-torn country.