There's way too much going on right now for me to really focus on any one country this week. The aftermath of the fall of the Nepal government has, somewhat surprisingly, reverberated around the world, and not only in countries that are enemies to the West as you'd expect; for example, Morocco's government battle fiercely with Egypt's and Jordan's to be first in line to lick the dogshit off the boots of Zionists, and yet Morocco is currently embroiled in a large protest wave based primarily around a youth unemployment crisis (though their population is also remarkably pro-Palestinian, which generates additional friction). We're also seeing similar protests in Madagascar, Peru, and Paraguay, and perhaps more will come. I'm personally fairly doubtful in the potential for meaningful economic results from these protests (the current imperialist system seems too deeply embedded for a movement that isn't explicitly communist and anti-imperialist to alter conditions), but it is quite possible for new political results at least.
Outside of the developing world, it appears that the unpopularity of western leaders, such as in the UK, France, and Italy, is creating new levels of unrest. In Britain, the political system has become so utterly moribund that even the artificial democracy of a two-party system (more-or-less; the Lib Dems do exist I suppose) no longer suffices, with both Conservatives and Labour gradually sinking. The Reform party appears like it may become the new standard-bearer of the capitalists and petit-bourgeois - that is, the historical wellspring of fascism - and the Left Party (whatever name they eventually choose) may or may not rise to meet the occasion. In France, they're on their fifth Prime Minister in two years, after Lecornu lasted about a month, attempting the liberal classic: promising change, and then appointing the exact same people who have ruled for the last few decades. And pro-Palestinian protests and general strikes have erupted in Italy, in defiance of their rightwing government under Meloni.
While there's plenty of other events (e.g. continuing aggression against Venezuela that might soon erupt into a war) it would be remise of me not to mention the very much ongoing events vis-a-vis Palestine and a potential peace deal there, seemingly supported to some degree by Trump. It could be legitimate, and it could be some big act (very likely the latter, IMO). Both Trump and Netanyahu seem to believe that they're very talented political masterminds, producing manoeuvres and feints that would make Machiavelli blush. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I trust the militant organizations inside Palestine to outplay these American failsons. Hamas and similar groups are not nearly as gullible as the Iranian reformist faction - though few people are!
Last week's thread is here.
The Imperialism Reading Group is here.
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The RSS feed is here. Also currently not used.
The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on Israel's destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
I worry that, just like the wave in the 2010s, this wave is uncoordinated and leaderless. Yet again we have an outpouring of public resentment, in most cases without an organizing force to seize the revolutionary moment.
The majority of spontaneous uprisings will burn out, some will result in revolution like Yemen because there was a pre-existing revolutionary movement that could seize the moment, and others will result in disaster like Libya and Syria because there was pre-existing counterrevolution that could also seize the moment.
It's exciting and terrifying.
You are absolutely right. There is no mass uprising today that has real organization or leadership from a revolutionary party and so all of them will be sure to fail.
Still, it's no cause for despair, but to rally and start creating better organized party structures that will be able to lead the masses in the next moments of social upheaval.
You don't think any of the Latin American movements meet this or something close to it? While MAS imploded, that honestly seemed like a controlled demolition carried out by the mass base and Evo's leadership faction, not a defeat of the movement. That segment looks to me like a strong possibility for the rapid emergence of a popular revolutionary organization with mass support in society's key revolutionary classes. I think there are signs of similar potential in Peru and Ecuador? Or the necessary seeds for one if Petro is ousted in the next election, though less well developed? That's my analysis why I think those countries all have genuine revolutionary potential in the short to medium term. I also think MST in Brazil is well positioned for this, but conditions there don't seem to have as much revolutionary potential to me.
Also, I'd say both France (LFI) and Italy (Potere a Popolo and the radical unions) have potential to move meaningfully in that direction, but I think revolutionary victory in the imperial core is probably too high a bar in this immediate wave, regardless of the organization involved.
My logic for Africa is different, as I believe the current conditions there are not generally conducive to successful vanguard revolutions but that progressive and popular military coups like the AES are the leading revolutionary tactic on the continent.
Nah man, at least in latinoamerica all uprisings you see are spontaneous and unorganized.
All communist parties in the region are insignificant, and I say that while being part of the communist party of Colombia. Only exceptions are maybe the communist and socialist parties in the leftist countries like Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
We are still a looooong way from something that starts to resemble a more organized popular movement.
That is not to say that hope is lost. I think the potential for true revolutionary work is growing every single day. But the amount of work to do is still huge.
"A controlled demolition carried out by the mass base and Evo's leadership faction" that's one way to put it
I'm referring specifically to the election. Obviously the destructive power struggle between Evo and Arce doesn't fit that description, but once that had ended with Evo thoroughly out of power and off the ballot, a controlled demolition is exactly what took place. One fifth of all votes cast were blank or invalidated. That was an orchestrated mass protest by MAS's traditional base to snuff out the party which had abandoned them as its source of power and political orientation. How else would you characterize those results? They were unwilling to accept the dramatic revisionism and compromises Arce's faction pushed on them and so made sure it was absolutely obliterated in the election. That degree of organization demonstrates the ability to carry out major political action going forward, but MAS the party structure has been left behind as defunct and outmoded.