Germany’s Far Right, China, and Trump

Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner

“The 44 percent support for the neo-Nazi Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the small east German state of Saxony-Anhalt has produced great anxiety about the causes of a new turn to fascism in the nation that produced Hitler. Call me an economic determinist, but for the most part it’s the economy, stupid. And absent drastic changes in the global economic order and the role of China, Germany and the West are headed for much worse. This story comes in three parts. Part One: Hitler came to power due to the collapsed German economy following the draconian terms of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. During the post–World War II boom, with over-full employment and the return of prosperity, there was virtually no support for neofascists.” (09/11/26)

https://prospect.org/2026/09/11/germanys-far-right-china-and-trump/

Steve Trinward

David Cobb, 1962-2026

Source: Independent Political Report

“David Keith Cobb, a longtime organizer within the Green Party of the United States who helped the party secure federal recognition as a national committee before going on to become its 2004 presidential nominee, died Monday at the age of 63. The national Green Party announced Cobb’s passing this week, confirming that he died on Labor Day. … The Green Party nominated Cobb for president at its 2004 national convention, with Maine activist Pat LaMarche selected as his running mate.” [editor’s note: I was a few feet away when Cobb and 2004 Libertarian presidential nominee Michael Badnarik got arrested together while attempting to serve a lawsuit to Presidential Debate Commission in St. Louis; he was an opponent, but not an enemy – TLK] (09/11/26)

https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2026/09/former-green-party-presidential-nominee-david-keith-cobb-dies-at-63/

Thomas L. Knapp

Sweden: Party blocs tied after Sunday vote, projections say

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“Sweden’s general election remains too close to call, early results suggest.
With 50% of the votes counted, the two main blocs were separated by only 20,000 votes, Sweden public broadvasteer SVT said. Exit polls had given the left-wing political bloc led by Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson a small lead over the rival four-party coalition put together by current conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Kristersson has been supported in government by the hard-right Sweden Democrats (SD), which have neo-Nazi roots. He has promised cabinet jobs for the SD if he stays in charge, but partial results suggest the party was losing support for the first time since 2010 when it entered parliament. Sweden has two major political blocs featuring four parties on the right and four on the left – meaning coalition and minority governments are relatively common.” (09/13/26)

https://archive.is/7o3Jg

Thomas L. Knapp

Guatemala: Judge clears deputy minister, three leaders of terrorism charges

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“A Guatemalan court has cleared a deputy minister and three other Indigenous leaders of terrorism charges, brought over their role in leading protests against a prosecutor accused of trying to block President Bernardo Arevalo from taking office. The Third Criminal Court judge, Mynor Moto, dismissed the case on Friday at the request of prosecutors, who concluded after their own investigation that the four had not broken any laws by organising the protests in October 2023.” (09/12/26)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/12/guatemalan-judge-clears-deputy-minister-three-leaders-of-terrorism-charges

Thomas L. Knapp