Articles in a newspaper or an entry in an encyclopedia usually bear the mark of the ephemeral and the fate of the outdated. However, the articles by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the New York Tribune on the role of the Great Powers of the West in Asia and the conflicts between them and the peoples of the giant continent, or the entry on Afghanistan written by Engels for the New American Cyclopedia at the same time, surprisingly resonate with their prophetic spirit and relevance.

Written about 150 years ago, they shed light on today, in an era where, after September 11, 2001 and the declaration by the American Empire of a global 'endless war against terrorism', the human drama is played out once again in the highlands of Central Asia and in occupied Mesopotamia.

What is the secret of this rare journalism that, from the mid-19th century, can illuminate the beginnings of the 21st century in a way that today's all-powerful media cannot and do not want to? The latter fetishize and manipulate the impression of the image and the shock of the moment.

In contrast, the unexpected relevance of the articles by Marx and Engels is primarily due to the fact that they seek and capture the Present as History, the vibrant conjuncture in all its historical density and depth, in the contradictory trends towards future developments.

They capture History in the making because they approach it by probing its material ground, actively and methodically, with reason and with dream, from the perspective of the struggle for universal human emancipation.

The colonial woes and social changes in the Indian subcontinent, the stubborn and victorious resistance of Afghan tribes to the invasion of British imperial armies, the revolutionary uprisings and the people's war in China are related to the future of social revolution in Europe and globally.

[Excerpt from publisher or edition presentation]