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 9th
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Global
South Africa has said that 67 countries and 20 international organizations' representatives have been invited to the BRICS summit (though "only" 23 of them are apparently planning on joining). France is not among them.^AM^
Europe
The European Right's "Pro-Family" Turn Is Just Austerity in Disguise^Jacobin^
Vacation for Me, Not for Thee: European Workers’ Hard-Won Summer Vacation Tradition Is Slowly Being Taken Away^NC^
EU gas tanks are at nearly 90% full well ahead of schedule and storage in Ukraine is being used increasingly.^BNE^ Gas prices are still 2 to 3 times higher than the pre-war historical averages.
UK's Electoral Commission says 'hostile actors' had access to voting registers^EN^
Yeah, those "hostile actors" are called "Tories".
Yet another union sellout at Deutsche Bahn?^WSWS^ TSMC is building an $11 billion chip manufacturing plant in Germany which will begin production by the end of 2027.^SCMP^ Volkswagen has retaken the lead in electric car sales from Tesla, those these sales are well below those for gas or diesel cars.^DW^ Germany expects major investments worth 80 billion euros despite the economic slowdown; do not go gently into that good night.^Euractiv^
Germany's Model for European Capitalism Is Exhausted^Jacobin^
Romania has cancelled a French contract to build Black Sea warships after they failed to finalize the agreement in time. Man, France is really not having a great time these days.^AM^ The French trade balance deficit has fallen very significantly over the last 6 months due to energy prices falling and increasing imports to China.^Euractiv^
Western Asia
Erdogan has called on the West to comply with Russia's demands for their side of the grain deal, as he works to try and restart the grain deal.^TS^
Australia has reinstated the term 'occupied Palestinian Territories' for the West Bank, after reverting from that position in 2014.^MEE^
Central Asia
Russia has cancelled tax agreements with most Western countries, which are designed to protect citizens against their income being taxed twice in both countries.^RT^ Smuggling Korean pine nuts into Russia might now result in 12 years in prison, which means my side hustle is now over. Thanks, Putin.^RT^
Pakistan's Prime Minister is dissolving the federal government, allowing a caretaker government to be put in place until the next general election.^TS^ Imran Khan has been banned from politics for five years and has been sent to prison for three years.^AM^
Eastern Asia and Oceania
Flood relief and reconstruction efforts in China are being intensified as flooding begins to recede.^CGTN^ China's Foreign Minister is going to visit Singapore, Malaysia, and Cambodia soon.^CGTN^ Trade with Russia is up 36% in Q1 and Q2 2023, and trade with the US is down by 15%.^AM^
The Australian Labor party's welfare reforms have been described as a "parachute with holes" by the Greens.^GL^
Africa
ECOWAS is holding a summit on intervention in Niger tomorrow.^WSWS^ Blinken has warned that Wagner is taking advantage of the instability in Niger, but has said that Russia and Wagner were not behind the coup.^AN^ Nigerian businesses on the Nigerien border are being badly affected by the sanctions against Niger.^AN^ Mali and Burkina Faso have called on the UN to prevent an armed intervention in Niger.^AM^ Niger has appointed its prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, who has experience as finance minister in previous Nigerien governments.^AN^
The president of the Central African Republic, Touadéra, has won a vote to override a constitutional bar on running for a third term; the country is seen as a Russian "client state" due to Wagner presence.^FT^
Uganda is building two new nuclear power plants with the help of Russia and South Korea; Uganda has uranium deposits that could supply them.^BNE^ Also, a piece on Ugandan nurses that go overseas rather than staying in the country, due to poor conditions and overworking.^AN^
South Sudan has joined the International Convention on Cluster Munitions, the 112th country to do so.^CD^
North America
The governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles have said that they're willing to try and assist in brokering a deal between executives and the striking writers and actors, due to their concern about the strike's impact on the economy.^WSWS^
Bernie has unveiled a $17 federal minimum wage bill by 2028.^PW^
57% of Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of climate change, and 71% of voters know basically nothing about the Inflation Reduction Act. 39% support the IRA, 20% oppose, and 39% have no idea.^ICN^
DeSantis in NH calls for slitting the throats of federal workers^PW^
Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men can now donate blood, as policies switch towards risk-based assessments - instead, people will now receive a questionnaire, and you can now no longer donate blood if you've had anal sex with new partners within three months (so, not in a monogamous relationship).^Advocate^
The 25 Largest U.S. Banks Are Seeing the Largest Fall in Deposits in 38 Years With No Signs of Letting Up^WSoP^
Canadian dockworkers in British Columbia have agreed to a deal with their employers, ending the strike.^GL^
Latin America
AMLO has dispelled rumors that Mexico has applied to join BRICS, saying that he's prioritizing strengthening ties with the US and Canada.^RT^
Colombia's President, Petro, has suggested during a speech in Belem^MP^ that an international environment court should be created to prosecute crimes in the area, in addition to an "Amazon NATO" to defend the region.^MP^ Perhaps comparing it to "NATO" isn't the best idea, though calling it the "New Amazon Tree Organization" would be a good bit.
Brazil's central bank has launched its digital currency plan, with the currency called the "drex".^MP^
Jamaica is joining in on sending police forces to Haiti.^TS^ The US embassy in Haiti has been closed temporarily due to gunfire.^CGTN^
The War Against The West
‘The war changed everything’: Hungarians in Ukraine turn against Orbán^FT^
Putler puppet Orban has said that maybe, perhaps, potentially we should try and maybe make peace with Russia rather than continuing to send hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to their deaths for literally no reason whatsoever. We will never forgive him for this. This is just like when Vladimir Mao-Marx Stalin personally strangled a hundred billion Ukrainians to death while the lovely Germans tried to rescue them and put them in... uh... refugee camps.^FT^
NATO training leaves Ukrainian troops ‘underprepared’ for war^OD^
Dozens of Leopard 1 tanks are being sent from Belgium to Ukraine for their role of being blown up in minefields.^Euractiv^
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Retrospectives, Analysis, History, Theory, and Technology
New book reveals Tiananmen square massacre, others fabricated by US^AM^
Can social democracy solve poverty?^CD^
The Nordic countries are brought up, which is really all you need to know about the arguments here. Boy howdy, it sure is easy to have healthcare if you just exploit foreign countries a bunch instead of your own populace!
NBC Cites Balloon ‘Threat’ in Fawning Coverage of NORAD^FAIR^
It's difficult to believe that the balloon thing happened this year.
Eleven Objectives of Neoliberalism^MichaelHudson^
Renewing political Marxism^MR^
...
Jewish supremacy won’t end from within. BDS is still the only hope.^MR^
LGBTQIA+
LGBTQ+ Community Centers: Invaluable, Imperiled^Advocate^
Climate and the Environment
Large parts of South America are experiencing elevated temperatures, reaching 10 or even 20 degrees Celsius above what it should be during their winter, with temperatures up to 38.9 degrees C.
I Love My Trans Comrades!
Smuggling Korean pine nuts out of Russia, not in; it also sounds like a very good thing:
...that they also form an important food base for animals in the region. The governor noted that at the top of the local food chain sits the endangered Amur tiger species. According to Kozhemyako, the volume of pine nuts harvested in the region is consistently close to the limits of its cedar forests. He pointed out that due to gaps in the current legislation, the forests are subjected to virtually uncontrolled industrial harvesting. Additionally, those collecting the nuts often do so using “predatory methods” without waiting for the cones to properly ripen, and often cause damage to the crowns and trunks of trees while harvesting.