Book Peter Mertens (3/3): Monopolies, Militarization, and How Imperialism Gets Stuck in Iran

Sunday, 12th of July - 10:00 - 13:00

Peter Mertens

Language: English (translation provided)

Free competition inevitably leads to monopoly – and monopolies need an armed arm. Peter Mertens shows how the military-industrial complex feeds itself: through think tanks, media, and an ecosystem of perpetual armament. Yet invasion plans for Iran reveal the limits of unipolar power and the vulnerability of the imperial project. Come learn how to unmask and break the logic of war.

This training is part of a three-part series at the Marxist Summer School on the new book The Last Days of the Old Normal (EPO, 2026). This session covers the third part of his book.

Peter Mertens is general secretary of the PTB/PVDA and a leading voice on the European left on militarization, peace and socialism. He previously wrote Mutiny (Leftword, 2024), an international bestseller translated into seven languages. His latest book, The Last Days of the Old Normal, was published by EPO in May and will be released in English in 2027.