UAF announced complete withdrawal from Avdeevka

https://twitter.com/CinC_AFU/status/1758642687417417845

We need more of this energy https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k2XWTXpn1ug&feature=youtu.be

if i was Navalny I would simply not have returned to Russia after almost dying from getting poisoned

BadEmpanada got banned from twitter, AGAIN

Primary Challenger Bankrolled by AIPAC Says Jamaal Bowman Takes Money From Hamas

LMAO we are days away from tunnel accusations

The Putin Insider is going right for the jugular with this headline:

Ukraine's military is shifting to a defensive strategy that failed Nazi Germany in WWII

https://archive.is/kBEt6

But inside contains the usual cope about "massive Russian losses" that you've all seen a thousand times before. Not a very interesting article overall apart from the headline.

Somehow I missed that Sam Altman of OpenAI is attempting to con the UAE out of $7 trillion dollars. Absolutely incredible levels of astronomical grift.

Superbowl victory parade gets shot up

Why Iran is hard to intimidate

DETERRENCE IS A simple concept: using the threat of force to stop an enemy from doing something. America ought to have no trouble restraining Iran thus. The former has a globe-striding army; the latter relies on warships and fighter jets that predate the Moon landing. In practice, though, Iran has proved devilishly difficult to deter. It is hard to put off insurgents and militias with air campaigns; their goals are attrition and survival, not well-ordered governance, and they are willing to take casualties. Full-scale invasion may be the only sure way to deter them but the history of such interventions is salutary.

Hehe, they have SHIT PLANES and SHIT WARSHIPS, this should be like a walk in the park . Also their tech being from before the Moon landing is just not true lmao, they might not have the most advanced weapons out there but they're far from being Iraq in the 90s, especially when it comes to their missile and drones tech.

Also they have no interest in reliable "governance" (neither does the US then), they want chaos and their militians running wild through the region. Yes, this is pure orientalism. We must deter them, the future of mankind depends on it, we must have all options in the table and that includes FULL SCALE INVASION.

Since October the Islamic Republic’s proxy militias in Syria and Iraq have carried out more than 160 attacks on American troops. Some were harmless—more theatre than threat—but not the one on January 28th, which killed three American soldiers at a base in north-eastern Jordan. The Houthis, meanwhile, an Iranian-backed militia in Yemen, have for months waged a campaign of missile and drone attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea, choking off a waterway that handles perhaps 30% of global container trade.

Once again, western media lies about the Houthis and their motivations. They just attack random ships because they're "an iranian-backed militia".

America has begun to hit back. On February 3rd it bombed more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, the first round of what Joe Biden, America’s president, promised would be a multi-stage response to the drone attack in Jordan. It struck the Houthis the next day and again on February 5th. Two days later an American strike in Baghdad killed a leader of Kataib Hizbullah, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq. Yet the attacks from Iran’s proxies continue.

Common gringo L

Mr Biden’s hawkish critics think they know why: American threats are not credible because America is unwilling to strike Iran itself. They point to Operation Praying Mantis, during the “tanker wars” of the 1980s, in which America sank five of Iran’s warships and destroyed two of its oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.

Critics on the left make a different argument. They see talk of deterrence as misguided warmongering and instead offer what they say is a simple solution: end the war in Gaza. If Israel stops killing Palestinians, Iranian-backed militias might stop their own violent acts.

Correct.

Both arguments miss the mark. It is true that hitting Iran’s navy in 1988 compelled it to reduce its attacks on oil tankers (and to stop targeting Americans altogether). But the Iran of 1988 was exhausted from a ruinous eight-year war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and bereft of strong allies. It had no choice but to back down. The Iran of today, by contrast, has a powerful network of proxies and a degree of support from both Russia and China. A round of American strikes might make it even more inclined to use those proxies—and, perhaps, to dash for a nuclear bomb as insurance against future attacks.

They absolutely hate the idea of Iran going for the nuke lol, they hate it that Iran has ways to deter the United States, their enemy, from doing something. A nuke-armed Iran will put the entire US presence in the ME at an existential risk.

As for the Gaza war, many of Iran’s proxies cite the conflict as justification for their acts. But history did not start on October 7th. Militias in Syria and Iraq have carried out dozens of attacks against American troops in the past decade. The Houthis, too, have a record of attacks on shipping; the war is merely an excuse to escalate what they were already doing.

What the fuck is this take lmfao? Suddenly and finally, western media acknowledges "history didn't start on October 7th" but they spin it in a pro-"israel" way. Yes, gringos were getting attacked in the Middle East before BECAUSE THEY'RE AN OCCUPYING FORCE.

America’s struggle to deter Iran stems from deeper contradictions in its Middle East policy, namely its desire to pivot away from the region while still keeping troops in it, leaving a military presence big enough to present a menu of targets but too small actually to constrain Iran. This reverse-Goldilocks arrangement had deadly consequences on January 28th. The drone attack in Jordan hit an outpost known as Tower 22, a logistics hub for nearby al-Tanf, a remote American garrison in Syria. Established during the campaign against Islamic State, no one can quite explain why al-Tanf still exists. American officials cite a range of missions, but in practice it mostly serves as a bull’s-eye for Iranian-backed groups whenever they want to lash out at America.

The Iranian regime views its proxies as vital for its survival: they are fighting a long war of attrition to drive American troops from the Middle East and hobble Israel and America’s allies in the Gulf. Deterrence can work only if that perception changes.

Perhaps Iran could be dissuaded from using its proxies if it thought America was prepared to topple its regime. After two decades of failed American adventures in the Middle East, though, neither Americans nor Iranians believe that is on the cards. America’s allies in the region do not believe it either. A decade ago, Israel and some Gulf states might have cheered American strikes on Iranian proxies. Then as now, the region was ablaze: Iran was helping Bashar al-Assad turn Syria into a charnel house, and the Houthis were sweeping down from their northern redoubts to seize control of most of Yemen’s population centres. A sustained campaign of American strikes might have changed the course of civil wars in both countries.

Today, though, those wars are basically settled—in favour of Iran’s allies. The regime has its hooks deep in four Arab countries. A few scattered sorties will not dislodge it. That is why Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have tried to improve their relations with Iran: if America cannot protect its partners, they reckon detente via diplomatic engagement and economic incentives is a safer alternative.

In a briefing with reporters after the strikes in Syria and Iraq, American officials talked not of deterrence but of trying to “degrade” the capabilities of Iranian-backed groups. That might be more realistic: if America blows up enough Houthi anti-ship missiles, they will have to stop firing (at least until Iran can deliver more). But that would require a prolonged campaign of the sort that Mr Biden may wish to avoid, which gets back to the crux of the problem. In the Middle East, America is torn between leaving and staying and cannot decide what to do with the forces it still has in the region. The status quo is not working—and, paradoxically, it is Iran that has deterred America from changing it.

Death to AmeriKKKa.

Been dealing with more unhinged Bukele supporters getting increasingly angry at me. It’s weird to say but I enjoy dealing with them more than liberals. Bukele supporters are mostly staunch nationalists who don’t cowardly hide behind police like the libs do and get rabid over their country as opposed to getting rabid for the US or EU.

Just kind of wish they didn’t channel that aggressive energy into showing up at my place and forcing me to take the shotgun out to scare them away.

They’re mostly mad about my criticisms of him during the election. Some Salvadorans have a chip on their shoulder with Guatemala and our influence on the country. So hearing a leftist Guatemalan loudly criticizing their God makes them furious.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putins-suggestion-ukraine-ceasefire-rejected-by-united-states-sources-say-2024-02-13/

Exclusive: Putin's suggestion of Ukraine ceasefire rejected by United States, sources say

"Everything fell apart with the Americans."

well yeah, no shit. sacrificing Ukraine is important to them

Comrade Prigozhin. Welcome to the resistance.

Angloland and Nippon in recession lmao

US Navy aircraft carrier going head-to-head with the Houthis has its planes in the air 'constantly,' strike-group commander says - Jake Epstein, Business Insider

"It's a huge effort," Rear Adm. Marc Miguez told Business Insider during an interview on the Ike in the Red Sea this week. "We're going at it constantly," he said, adding that the crew is "launching airplanes every hour to hour and a half."

Dozens of planes may take off from the carrier during a typical day, which can include multiple launch and recovery cycles over a period that can last up to 12 hours, if not longer. [...]

The aircraft can be tasked with various missions once they're airborne, from training to defending commercial vessels and US Navy ships from Houthi attacks. They always have to be ready to strike rebel assets in Yemen if needed, Capt. Marvin Scott, the commander of the Eisenhower's carrier air wing, said.

Preemptive strikes, which are aimed at effectively eliminating Houthi missiles and drones before they can even become a threat to international shipping lanes, have become a regular occurrence in recent weeks. Before this shift in tactics, the US spent months shooting down Houthi threats in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after they had already been launched by the rebels.

US Central Command has announced preemptive military actions on multiple occasions over the past few days. These have destroyed a handful of unmanned surface vessels, which are drone boats that can be packed with explosives, and anti-ship missiles.

So it seems that after one of the US ships intercepted an anti ship cruise missile launched by the Houthis using it's CIWS, after it evaded interceptor missiles, the US has been forced to change tactics. CIWS is a last line of defence, a missile intercepted by CIWS is a few seconds from landing a direct hit on a ship, and can still land an indirect hit, or spray shrapnel all over the targeted ship. CIWS cannot be relied on to continuously intercept missiles, it's a last line of defence. So the US now has to have jets in the air 24/7, to take down any missiles Ansar Allah/the Houthis are about to launch against US Navy ships, before they are launched from their launch sites. This has to be done because US Navy ships cannot rely on their air defence and missile interception systems to intercept the missiles anymore. Ansar Allah has figured out a way to bypass that layer of defence on occasion. I predicted such a change in tactics a few weeks ago.

This is going to be a very costly exercise for the US Navy. Ansar Allah can also use this change of tactics to manipulate the US Navy, for instance by putting out some defunct warheads or missiles, or fake/"blank" missiles, which the US Navy will be forced to launch airstrikes at to ensure the safety of their ships. I'd consider this a strategic win for Ansar Allah here, the US Navy now has to waste millions of dollars to launch airstrikes against potential fake missiles to ensure that their Navy is safe. Yes the US still has the overwhelming force advantage, but at what cost?

Ancap Update:

The UCA (Catholic University of Argentina) estimates that Milei's government increased poverty from 44.7% to 57.4% and extreme poverty from 9.8% to 15%.

Many news orgs in Canada are now sharing headlines about Canada, Australia, and New Zealand ordering an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to prevent further crises in Rafah, but of course the fine print buried in the article is that a ceasefire has to be on "both sides", meaning that Hamas has to surrender, disarm, and release all hostages... Of course they won't mention anything about israel withdrawing their forces or releasing Palestinian hostages.

Am I being cynical, or is this nothing new? I figured imperial core countries that have been aiding and abetting israel's genocide of Palestinians would have always supported a ceasefire based on conditions they knew were impossible, and which would make sure that israel is the victor (e.g., for Hamas to completely secede and surrender). Am I wrong?

Either way it's still and always will be.

Another Canadian happening this week is Trudeau breaking his recent silence about the israeli genocide of Palestinians, but this time it was to condemn pro-Palestinian protestors who marched by a hospital near downtown Toronto (which he claims is antisemitic targeting). Not a peep from Mr. "International Rules Based Order" about the thousands of Palestinians that israel has butchered since the ICJ's ruling that israel needs to take immediate steps to prevent collective punishment and the killing of civilians more than two weeks ago. israel has tripled down on their genocidal mission since this ruling, and the cowardly "progressive" Canadian PM will only speak up to smear a pro-peace protest.

Diplomatic and consular relations established between the Republic of Cuba and the Republic of Korea

Article

The establishment of diplomatic and consular relations between the Republic of Cuba and the Republic of Korea took place on February 14 through an exchange of Diplomatic Notes between the Permanent Representations of the two countries to the United Nations in New York, United States.

This milestone in bilateral history took place in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the spirit and norms of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba.

The study Centralidad de Asia para Cuba, published in 2021 by the Center for International Policy Research, shows that both nations had economic and commercial ties in areas such as the automotive industry, air conditioners, refrigerators, high-definition televisions and cell phones.

i wonder if this will cause problems between the DPRK and Cuba since they dont see peacefull reunification as posible anymore

Death to America, of course, but at least we sometimes had the guts to send our own guys into enemy tunnels with a pistol and a flashlight like Yaldabaoth intended instead of using hostages wired with explosives and cameras like our farcical imperialist failsons the IOF

So Bakhmut, Marinka, and Avdiivka are all gone. Does Ukraine actually have any other super defensible fortresses along the line of contact? As I understand it some of the fallen positions have been fortified since 2015. Doubt they can replicate them in a few weeks or months.

Every dead IOF soldier brings a little joy back into my life. Anyone got any?

lol Germany announced their plans to combat the rise of the far right

they aren't banning AfD

Looks like one of the candidates in the indonesian elections todays is indonesian hitler

Massacres, invasions, and anti-communism. This is Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia's next President, involved in numerous atrocities from his days as a henchman of General Suharto.

Tweet looks like he claimed victory before the result but he is doing good in the polls

A bit late on the story but last month the Army HR department made an offer to infantry and armor branch officers that graduated and commissioned in 2021 to transfer into the Adjutant General, Finance or Signal Corps branches on the grounds that there's an "imbalance" in the number of personnel that needs to be corrected before it begins to effect unit readiness.

So they need like 250 people for what sounds like 1st lieutenant to captain positions, which is a decent number of people concidering the fact it's for officer positions.

From what I hear in the grapevine they got that imbalance because those branches have the most real-world equivalent jobs that are both available and pay a hell of a lot better than what an officer gets paid. So basically they get the training and some experience under their belts then dip out. Also throw in the shitty work culture and bosses the army has, and you have a recipe for a systemic retention problem.

OpenAI just released actually good AI-generated video. The samples are actually holy fucking shit.

https://openai.com/sora

How will this affect disinformation, now that photorealistic videos can now be fabricated from a text prompt?

Also note that OpenAI is now presumably licensing its technology to the US military.

https://hexbear.net/post/1604077

I predict that in the next few months, we are going to see AI-generated videos of completely fabricated atrocities.

Prigozhin and Navalny are probably up in heaven right now having the time of their lives

(Testing material I'm gonna use to annoy liberals later)

Neoliberal Dabiq at it again

The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor clarified that, based on the received testimonies, groups of Israeli civilians, ranging from 10 to 20 individuals, were allowed to witness and record Palestinian prisoners stripped of their clothes while soldiers used metal batons and electric rods to beat them:

https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1756950353424068929

https://nitter.mint.lgbt/QudsNen/status/1756950353424068929

Redditor asks how Russia is surviving despite bajillion deaths from covid and war

Most of the responses are just “because propaganda”, “because authoritarianism”, “because mass wave horde”, “they’re barely surviving because sanctions are striking the country!”

Few people, outside of a Russian residents, actually talk about the financial situation inside the country lol

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1as2dyf/how_is_russia_still_functioning_considering_they/

Xi and Putin make dumplings

Xi and Putin make pancakes

I saw the Israeli twitter account posted a Memri TV video. Extremely funny considering Israeli government funds them. I'm just thinking about them responding to one of the fake memes we see saying something like: "Wow, this terrorist wants to be strapped to a rocket and fired at Tel Aviv! Still support Hamas?" or something like that

In the inscrutable authoritian US regime today news has leaked that Lindsey Graham, a dissident voice in the Senate state organ, has come out against further state-funded support of Ukraine thereby foiling the goals of the bloodthirsty despot Joe Biden.

Independent USian experts have regretfully concluded that execution by anti-aircraft guns will be the likely punishment doled out by the vengeful leadership of the rogue state, as is tradition.

Norm tweet...

Will the NY Times win a special Oscar for "Best Supporting Role in Israel's Genocide"?

Nitter

Ian Miles Cheong, twomad, Navalny in one month.