Image is of the American military during their occupation of Haiti at the beginning of the 20th century, taken from this NYT article from 2022: Invade Haiti, Wall Street Urged. The U.S. Obliged.
In the aftermath of the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and his replacement by Western comprador Ariel Henry, the situation in Haiti is the most dire it has been in decades - by some metrics, even worse than the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake (CW: rape, violence including against children). Millions do not have enough food. Outbreaks of disease are rampant. The government - such that it still exists, which is becoming increasingly debatable - has only a minority control over the capital city, with some estimates putting the influence of armed groups at 80%.
America's search for somebody, anybody, to intervene in Haiti has ended, with Kenya answering the call. President Ruto has announced that he will send 1000 police officers to Haiti. Kenya's Foreign Minister has tried to sell this intervention as pan-Africanism. Other Caribbean states, like the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, have offered to send police officers too.
I can't really say it any better than the Black Alliance for Peace's own statement:
Kenya has offered to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police, ostensibly to “restore order” in the Caribbean republic. Yet, their proposal is nothing more than military occupation by another name; an occupation of Haiti by an African country is not Pan-Africanism, but Western imperialism in Black face. By agreeing to send troops into Haiti, the Kenyan government is assisting in undermining the sovereignty and self-determination of Haitian people, while serving the neocolonial interests of the United States, the Core Group, and the United Nations.
There is an urgent need for clarity on the issue of occupation in Haiti. As described in a recent statement on Haiti and Colonialism, Haiti is under ongoing occupation. No call for foreign intervention into Haiti from the administration of appointed Prime Minister Ariel Henry can be considered legitimate, because the Henry administration itself is illegitimate. BAP has repeatedly pointed out that Haiti’s crisis is a crisis of imperialism. Haiti’s current unpopular and unelected government is propped up only by Haiti’s de facto imperial rulers: the unseemly confederacy of the Core Group countries and organizations, as well as BINUH (the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti), and a loose alliance of foreign corporations and local elites.
Henry and the UN have made a mockery of sovereignty by mouthing the slogan “Haitian solutions to Haitian problems,” yet finding the only solution in violence through foreign military intervention. After repeated failed attempts to organize an occupying force to protect their interests and impose their will on the Haitian people (including appeals to the multinational organization, the Caribbean Community [CARICOM] for troops), they have now found a willing accomplice in Kenya, an east African country with its own set of internal problems.
Indeed, what’s in it for Kenya? An opportunity to both train and enhance the salaries of local police forces and garner a patina of prestige, or at least bootlicking approval, from the West. And for Haiti? White blows from a Black hand and a further erosion of their sovereignty.
And, by the way, here's the Black Alliance for Peace's statement calling for no intervention by ECOWAS in Niger, calling the organization a Western comprador organization similar to CARICOM's role in Haiti.
Welcome to our friends throughout the Lemmyverse!
Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.
This week's first update is here in the comments.
This week's second update is here in the comments.
This week's third update might not happen because I'm busy dunking.
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.
Update for August 7th
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Global
Prices for cocoa have jumped to their highest level in 12 years due to low supplies and bad harvests in West Africa, particularly as El Nino threatens to reduce rains there.^RT^
China is increasingly moving away from large-scale construction projects in the BRI and is now moving onto high quality, smaller deals, and ones to do with metals in developing countries for the green transition.^SCMP^
Europe
The UK is getting very scared that Chinese electric vehicles could gather their information to... uhh... well, that's not the point, the point is that the Chinese government is very scary and very communist. The fact that they carry around a phone that gives all their location and personal data to their own government and listens in on their conversations and UK citizens are monitored by one of the largest CCTV networks in the world outside of China is causing them less anxiety for whatever reason.^RT^ 8000 Afghan refugees are being kicked out of government hotels, with three months to find alternative housing, with many becoming homeless.^AM^
Germany's industrial output^AM^ is still not looking good.^DW^ Die Linke may be about to split - people more attuned to German politics can comment on how right or wrong this Jacobin article is^Jacobin^ Nazi symbols and child pornography has been found in German police chats.^EN^ The French government has warned that AfD is perilous for European stability.^Euractiv^
Over 600 people have been evacuated due to wildfires in Sardinia.^EN^
Slovenia's flooding has been described as the worst disaster in its modern history, with at least four deaths, over 500 million euros of damage so far, and two-thirds of the country being affected in one way or another.^EN^
Baltic countries are looking to detach from the Russian electricity network and attach to the Western one by 2025.^RT^
Lithuania is to close two border crossings with Belarus due to their fear of Wagner.^AM^
Western Asia
The Road That Could Ignite a War in the Caucasus^NC^
An explosion - possible caused by grain dust - at the port of Derince in Turkiye has injured at least 10 people.^RT^
The US has dispatched 3000 military personnel aboard two warships to the Red Sea, due to recent tanker seizures by Iran, without mentioning that the US has also been seizing tankers.^AM^ The US is also considering to deploy troops to commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf.^MEE^
Saudi Aramco's profits are down by nearly 30% in the first half of 2023.^AM^ China and Saudi Arabia are in talks to cross-list their stock markets, allowing investors in either country to trade stocks or bonds on their countries' stock exchanges.^MEE^
China's potential role in Israel-Saudi diplomacy is discussed.^SCMP^
Central Asia
The ruble has weakened to 96 rubles-per-dollar due to seasonal changes in foreign currency supply and trade, but also due to the goddamn neoliberals.^RT^ The domestic car market has dramatically improved since last year.^RT^ Truck drivers are in ever shorter supply, growing from a 15% shortage to a 21% shortage in the last five years.^RT^ Russian universities are increasingly partnering with Chinese peers as the war heightens tensions with their western peers.^SCMP^
A train crash in Pakistan has killed at least 30 people and injured over 100.^PD^ The Pakistan industrial manufacturing sector, based largely on textiles, is in a critical condition - 25 to 30% of all textile factories have closed and 700,000 jobs have been lost in the last year or so.^DS^
Kazakhstan has signed $200 million in contracts with Afghanistan.^EN^
Eastern Asia and Oceania
China is building the highest bridge in the world across the Huajiang river, set to finish construction in 2025. It will reduce transit times across the canyon from 70 minutes to 1 minute.^CGTN^ China is also building the world's largest span road-rail bridge, 3118 meters long with a designed train speed of 250 km/h, in Zhejiang province.^CGTN^ Foreign envoys from a variety of countries have concluded their visits to Xinjiang at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with no forced labor or human rights violations seen, and with compliments to Chinese development projects.^CGTN^ China is leading the company count on the Fortune Global 500 list again, including those in Taiwan.^ANN^
Modi has launched a program to modernize India's railways, two months after nearly 300 people were killed in a rail accident.^RT^ As India, Thailand, and Vietnam limit rice exports, food markets might get a bit chaotic in the near-to-mid future.^MP^
The DPRK remains unresponsive to the US's pleas to bring Travis King home.^ANN^ A group of hackers secretly breached networks at a major Russian missile developer for at least five months last year, but is unknown what - or even, if - they stole anything. The release of this news is obviously timed for the Russian visit to the DPRK.^Euractiv^
Bangladesh inflation has slowed down slightly, but the cost of living crisis continues.^ANN^
Timor Leste will reconsider its accession bid to ASEAN if the bloc cannot handle the Myanmar issue, saying that they cannot accept military juntas anywhere.^ANN^
Africa
Russian energy company RusHydro is considering 15 projects in 11 African countries, including geothermal energy and the water structures for nuclear power plants.^RT^
Mali and Burkina Faso have sent a delegation to Niger to show solidarity.^AN^ Malian soldiers were killed in a very conveniently timed jihadist ambush while heading to Niger.^AN^ Niger has shut down its airspace and warns of an imminent attack as ECOWAS's one week deadline for the military government to reinstate Bazoum comes and goes.^AN^ Benin has pledged support for a potential ECOWAS mission into Niger.^AN^ The Niger coup is not good news for Italy's Mattei plan, which seeks to reinforce energy partnerships with African partners.^Euractiv^
North America
Naked Capitalism looks at the current US economy (and how that affects Biden's chances in 2024).^NC^
A state district judge in Texas issued a temporary injuction against an abortion ban in the case of unsafe pregnacies; the Texas Supreme Court instantly blocked the injuction by filing an appeal.^SP^
Jacobin takes a bold stand by saying that Donald Trump being prosecured for his crimes is good, actually.^Jacobin^
The UAW leader has demanded wage hikes and an end to two-tier wages, citing large profits by GM, Stellantis, and Ford.^PW^
Latin America
An article that covers the recent history of Nicaragua since the 2018 coup attempt.^MR^
Maduro has criticized the European response, or lack thereof, to the burning of the Quran, and has expressed his solidarity with Muslims worldwide.^AM^ America's long-running plan to steal Venezuela's oil company, CITGO, which provided oil at a discount to countries in the Caribbean and allowed Venezuela to provide healthcare to its citizenry, will reach completion in October.^MR^ Lula has signed a decree that guarantees the purchase of energy from Venezuela.^TS^
China's ambassador to Argentina has once again expressed support for the Argentine government's claim of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, as well as expressing support for Argentina to join BRICS.^MP^ Argentina has paid the IMF with a loan from Qatar.^MP^
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The War Against The West
Scott Ritter has claimed that Zelensky came to power in a carefully planned operation co-ordinated by British intelligence services, and that he is in touch with British handlers and surrounded by British security guards. Sure, why not.^MR^
Ukraine has used French long range missiles to strike civilian infrastructure in Crimea.^RT^
Australia is allowing America to establish a command center in Darwin, with the intent of conducting aggressive military operations in the region.^WSWS^
Chinese scientists have suggested that a "rods from god" space weapon might not be very effective in practice, as the tungsten rod disintegrates extremely quickly at hypersonic speeds after impact, making it not very good at penetrating things. Nonetheless, studies continue, with China accounting for 80% of world tungsten production.^SCMP^
Retrospectives, Analysis, History, Theory, and Technology
Prabhat Patnaik argues against UBI from the left, essentially saying that a) any UBI worth its salt would require vast amounts of money; and b) if that money was actually supplied, it would be at the detriment of other services, rather than being a bonus to those already existing services. He instead argues for instituting a set of positive rights - like a right to healthcare, a right to education, a right to employment, a right to food, a right to disability benefits, etc, though concedes that creating this welfare state is also beyond current liberal conception.^MR^
There are enough resources in the World to fulfill human needs, but not enough resources to satisfy capitalist greed: The Thirty-First Newsletter (2023)^MR^
A study has concluded that police drug seizures doubled in the week following that seizure within 500 meters.^SP^
Climate and the Environment
Winter sea ice in the Antarctic is at a historic low, with an area of ice the size of Greenland missing, due to a whole range of climatic effects - with one scientist suggesting:^MP^
Climate conservation monitoring technologies might be being increasingly used in human surveillance.^Mongabay^
Could Chinese researchers crack the code of earthquake prediction?^SCMP^
Yes. No. Kinda. The results in the article are intruiging if true, saying that they get readings in very general areas in the days before an earthquake (with 100% accuracy above magnitude 7) but cannot pinpoint the time or location. As the article suggests, more data is required, but whether that will be forthcoming in an increasingly protectionist world, who can say.
I Love My Trans Comrades!