Image is of President Hakainde Hichilema and President Xi Jinping on September 15th, from this article.
Zambia is a country of 20 million people, located in southern Africa. Breaking free from British rule in the 1960s, the new government was a one party state ruled by the socialist UNIP party with its leader Kenneth Kaunda, who was a strong supporter of the Non-Aligned Movement (and was its chairman from 1970-73). Its economy has been and remains characterised by copper exports - it is the second-largest copper exporter in Africa - and the economy deeply struggled in the 1970s due to the price of copper plunging. After the fall of the USSR, and due to violent protests, Kaunda stepped down and instituted a multiparty democracy, which has been maintained without (successful) coups to this day, though there are warnings by the leader that some are plotting a coup, given the trend right now.^AA^
Earlier this year, in June, Zambia struck a deal to restructure the $6.3 billion in debt that they are burdened with, of which China is the single largest creditor.^Reuters^ Though he has typically been more West-friendly, last week, President Hichilema traveled to China for two days, meeting with various companies, and Xi Jinping himself. They elevated their relationship to that of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.^Xinhua^ He and Xi have agreed to the increased use of local currencies in trade.^BB^
Hichilema said Zambia thanks China for supporting the African Union's entry into the G20 and China's positive role in resolving the Zambian debt issue. The Zambian side abides by the one-China principle, highly appreciates the guiding philosophy and principles of Chinese modernization, and hopes to learn from China's development experience.
Hichilema has also said:^AN^
"We can do more, faster, because the needs are tremendous in Zambia. I heard some of the solutions are here. All we need to do is to combine the two together."
Check out @Othello@hexbear.net's discussion of The Wretched of the Earth!
The Country of the Week is Singapore! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.
Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.
The news summary for last week is here!
Links and Stuff
The bulletins site is down.
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Add to the above list if you can.
Resources For Understanding The War
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.
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.
Telegram Channels
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
Pro-Russian
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
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.
Last week's discussion post.
Part 5
expand
The West:
Antony Blinken and the diplomacy deficit: His remarks to students this week shows how much American exceptionalism and Great Power competition have taken over the craft.^RS^
Air Force misses recruitment goal for first time since 1999.^RS^
How the UK’s arms trade funnels public cash into private pockets.^OD^
Labour:
Kaiser Permanente workers have voted to authorize strike action to fight for safe staffing and fair wages.^WSWS^ Auto Workers Strike Plants at All Three of the Big 3.^LN^ ‘No Justice, No Jeeps!’ Scenes from the Auto Workers Strike.^LN^ ‘We’re looking for the means of production’: Bakehouse workers in Chicago fight for independent union.^RNN^
New Zealand doctors hold second strike.^WSWS^ Sri Lankan railway union calls off drivers strike, after government threats and bogus promises.^WSWS^ Sri Lankan government begins looting workers’ pension funds.^WSWS^
Don’t Do the Boss Any Favors.^LN^
Australian billionaire real estate developer Tim Gurner has said that unemployment needs to rise "40 to 50%" to discipline workers into working again, saying that “people decided they didn’t really want to work so much anymore through COVID, and that has had a massive effect on productivity.”^PW^
Left and Right:
Beneath the polycrisis is the singular dilemma of humanity called capitalism: The Thirty-Seventh Newsletter (2023)^MR^
The Black Working Class Can No Longer Be Ignored.^Jacobin^
Nazis Swarm Florida But Whew At Least No Trans Kids In Sight^CD^
Argentina shuts down Nazi and antisemitic publisher.^DW^
Far-right AfD's Björn Höcke faces trial over Nazi slogan.^DW^
LGBTQIA:
Content Warning - this section is not usually good news.
Florida City Declares Itself LGBTQ+ Sanctuary.^Advocate^ Judge Won't Block Florida's Restrictions on Care for Trans Adults.^Advocate^ Who could have possibly seen this coming? GOP Sen. John Kennedy Reads Queer Sex Excerpts at Cringe-Worthy Senate Hearing^Advocate^ Alabama Families Continue to Appeal to Block Transgender Care Ban.^Advocate^ Olivia Hill of Nashville Council Is First Trans Person Elected in Tennessee.^Advocate^ California Becomes First State to Declare Transgender History Month.^Advocate^
Mausoleum for Trans Women Inaugurated in Mexico City.^Advocate^ Czech companies urge PM to ensure equal rights to LGBT+ people.^BNE^ Rwanda: Activists want trans and intersex legal rights.^DW^
‘Standing up for trans people is self-defense for every worker’^MR^
Climate:
New Documents Show Exxon Executives Cast Doubt on Climate Science to Protect Profits.^CD^ New Research Exposes 5 Global North Countries Responsible for 51% of Planned Oil and Gas Expansion Through 2050.^CD^ Revealed: How Big Dairy Is Milking Net Zero.^DS^ ‘There is nothing green about economic growth in high-income countries’.^MR^ Only 11 countries are reducing emissions and all will miss Paris targets.^BNE^
Hundreds of Scientists Endorse Demands of March to End Fossil Fuels.^CD^ 400+ Actions to End Fossil Fuels Planned Around the World.^CD^ Latin America, most dangerous region for environment defenders, Global Witness report.^MP^ Electric vehicles aren't enough.^Ecologist^
Small islands slam ‘endless’ climate talks at landmark maritime court hearing.^CCN^
Overshoot Commission calls for research into solar geoengineering.^CCN^ All planetary boundaries mapped out for the first time, six of nine crossed.^MR^
Stop calling people ‘climate refugees’.^CCN^
Highly invasive fire ant reaches Europe, scientists call for urgent action.^Euractiv^
Miscellaneous Analysis:
FDIC Releases a New Problem Bank List: It’s an Exercise in Fantasy^WSoP^
Financial Statecraft and its Limits in the Semi-Periphery.^DE^
Maha Hilal on Innocent Until Proven Muslim.^FAIR^
IIPPE 2023 Part Two – China, profitability and financialisation, Michael Roberts.^MR^
Dipshittery and Cope:
The Left's Electoral Strategy Is Working. Let's Keep Building It.^Jacobin^
Together, we can combine and amplify our struggles, and enhance solidarity. Together, we can crush strikes across America, as well as cry after voting for reactionary policies.
I Love My Trans Comrades!