International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

On the 2025 German elections

Jakob Schaefer, Promise Li — 2025-03-23T06:33:12Z

Promise Li, a socialist from Hong Kong now based in Los Angeles, interviews Jakob Schäfer for Borderless. Jacob is a retired steelworker, having served on the steering committee of the Network for Fighting Trade Unions (VKG). He is also a member of the International Sozialistische Organization (ISO) and the editor of the magazine Die Internationale. Promise is is a member of Tempest Collective and Solidarity, and has been active in higher education rank-and-file union work, international solidarity and antiwar campaigns, and Chinatown tenant organizing.. The interview was conducted on 25 February 2025 and appeared in Borderless on February 2025.

- Features / Germany

Germany: government breaks up

Jakob Schaefer — 2024-11-15T18:57:53Z

On 6 November, Germany's governing coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democrat Party (FDP) broke up. The break-up came as no surprise, as the three parties are defending totally different concepts for tackling the economic crisis.

- IV598 - November 2024 / Germany

Strikes in the transport sector in Germany

Jakob Schaefer — 2024-03-05T07:10:17Z

“The public sees the high workload of public transport employees and also sees the need to develop public transport.”

- IV590 - March 2024 / Germany, Public services

Mass mobilization against the far-right AfD party in Germany

Jakob Schaefer — 2024-01-28T09:00:53Z

“It is encouraging to see how many people are taking to the streets to oppose this inhumane project of the fascist right.”

- IV588 - January 2024 / Germany, Migration, Far Right

The war in Gaza and the Germany's “raison d'état”

Jakob Schaefer — 2023-11-09T08:08:52Z

“This attitude is accompanied by heavy repression of all organisations and individuals who criticise the Israeli government.”

- IV586 - November 2023 / Palestine, Germany, Israel

The populist right is on the rise in Germany too

Jakob Schaefer — 2023-08-02T19:01:35Z

Against the backdrop of the persistent and increasingly acute economic and political crisis of the capitalist system, we are witnessing across Europe a rise of the populist right and the far right.

- IV583 - August 2023 / Germany, Far Right

Maintaining real wages: a sabotaged fight in Germany

Jakob Schaefer — 2023-03-29T08:40:06Z

“We need a different wage policy, we need a different union leadership, basically we need completely different unions.”

- IV578 - March 2023 / Germany, Trade unions/workplace organizing

A disappointing agreement on engineering wages in Germany

Jakob Schaefer — 2023-01-22T08:14:01Z

“It is all the more important now to highlight the inadequacy of this agreement and to mentally prepare for the fact that we must therefore act ourselves, that this is the most effective way of imposing higher wages and salaries.”

- IV576 - January 2023 / Germany, Trade unions/workplace organizing

Economic crisis only because of the Corona pandemic?

Jakob Schaefer — 2020-04-06T17:24:36Z

With the onset of an economic crisis that has been universally acknowledged since the end of March, two main questions arise: To what extent is the corona pandemic the starting point (or even the cause) of this crisis? And secondly: can the aid programmes that have been adopted prevent a deep and prolonged recession?

- IV543 - April 2020 / Economy, Covid-19 Pandemic

Germany “more determined” v. coronavirus than U.S., but not out of the woods

Jakob Schaefer — 2020-04-02T07:53:49Z

More than 60,000 Germans have tested positive for the coronavirus and 577 have died from Covid-19 as of March 31. Yet, Germany has not yet suffered the terrible casualty rates seen in France, Spain, and Italy where approximately 25,000 people have died in the last few weeks. And while workers have suffered neoliberal cuts, Germany's powerful capitalist class has partially succeeded in forcing weaker states in the European Union to bear the brunt of the long-running economic crisis. But the monster is next door and Germany is not out of the woods. And even if it Germans are spared the worst, the far right is growing and the parties of government may well use this crisis to buttress surveillance powers to strengthen their hand in preparation for the deep recession that will no doubt strike at the heart of the countries manufacturing industries.

- IV543 - April 2020 / Germany, Covid-19 Pandemic