Image is of coup supporters in Niamey, waving the flag of Niger and Russia.
While the coup in Niger is an obvious reason for this megathread's subject, the inspiration to focus here rather than somewhere else in the world this week came from @solaranus@hexbear.net's comment here.
Anyway, as a quick introduction to Niger - the country won independence from the French in 1960 and has since been in an alternating cycle of military governments and more democratic arrangements. In 2010, a junta took over the country from the military junta already ruling it, and then successfully transitioned the country to democracy within a year. President Issoufou was elected and then re-elected in 2016. President Bazoum was democratically elected in 2021, and has just been overthrown last week. General Tchiani looks to be the new head of state.
Like many countries that were previously colonies, outright colonialism by its imperial country has been replaced by neocolonialism by that same country. France issues their currency, thus allowing France to do what the US does with its dollar around the world but in miniature. The country is incredibly poor, surviving on subsidence agriculture, with much of its exports being minerals like gold and uranium, which many children under the age of 14 are employed in extracting. Also like other previously French colonies, the new guys in charge appear to be flipping them the bird, with Burkina Faso and Mali relatively recently asking them to fuck off. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that this is happening as internal dissent inside France itself continues to boil. Given the Russian flags being waved and Putin's promises to supply free grain to some African countries (and though Niger isn't mentioned, Burkina Faso and Mali notably are), one imagines that Russia also might have a hand in things.
Burkina Faso's president, Traore, has been talking with Mali and Guinea, and now Niger - all ruled by military governments - and asking if they're interested in federation, with Mali showing some interest. Traore follows in the tradition of Thomas Sankara, and has appointed a Prime Minister who is similarly aligned. Traore has recently met with a Chinese representative and has firmly aligned himself with Russia, saying that Burkina Faso has "one and the same outlook" on building a new world order, saying:
"Russia made great sacrifices to liberate Europe and the world from Nazism during World War II. We have the same history,"
"We are the forgotten peoples of the world. And we are here now to talk about the future of our countries, about how things will be tomorrow in the world that we are seeking to build, and in which there will be no interference in our internal affairs,"
"However, a slave who does not fight [for his freedom] is not worthy of any indulgence. The heads of African states should not behave like puppets in the hands of the imperialists. We must ensure that our countries are self-sufficient, including as regards food supplies, and can meet all of the needs of our peoples. Glory and respect to our peoples; victory to our peoples! Homeland or death!"
Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.
This week's first update is here in the comments.
No update on Wednesday because I am still busy.
Friday's update is here in the comments.
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 July 31st but actually on August 1st because I was too busy and distracted oops
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Global
A dude at Morgan Stanley is arguing in favor of a multipolar world, arguing that global growth will be boosted, intense competition will boost productivity (relating back to cold-war era innovation), and alternative supply chains will bring additional capacity to mitigate higher costs.FT
Pepe Escobar talks about the BRICS and BRI, putting a positive (but unusually fairly realistic) spin on things.MR Naked Capitalism is considerably more negative, this time pouring cold water on the idea of a BRICS+ expansion free-for-fall, saying that China is the one that's really interested in all these new members, while Russia is pretty alright with it but not terribly enthusiastic, while India, always the wet blanket in regards to these developments, is stating their objections. It's likely that a number of nations will join BRICS, but not all of the 23 or however many have expressed interest. It's not clear to me how necessary joining BRICS is per se compared to joining the New Development Bank, however, or the BRI. Not even to mention the SCO, EAEU, and other regional organizations. What matters to me ultimately is that nations are joining together to oppose the US, not the name of the organization they're doing it under.NC On that note, Zimbabwe has requested to join the BRICS New Development Bank.PD Xi has been talking about the BRI with meetings with the leaders of Indonesia, Guyana, and Georgia.SCMP More on Guyana.CGTN More on Indonesia.ANN
Europe
Euro inflation has dipped from 5.5% in June to 5.3% in July, largely due to sinking energy prices.DW
The UK railway sector is experiencing more cancellations over strikes over pay and working conditions.AM UK firms are still exporting mining and fossil fuel extraction equipment to Russia, circumventing sanctions by sending them through subsidiaries; the profits must flow.AM
Denmark (and also Sweden) are pushing back on the Quran-burning because Islamic nations are getting very understandably pissed off at them - of course, fascist groups inside Denmark are getting pissed off at the government for being literally 1984.EN
Workers at Germany's car manufacturers are getting increasingly anxious as the threat of job losses given the shift to electric vehicles (which requires a retraining of workers involved in combustion engines) and the higher cost of energy and raw materials.DW The chairman of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has warned of irreversible deindustrialization in Germany.AM
Poland has approval a law that creates a committee of exprts who can investigate alleged Russian interference in Poland and name politicians who allegedly allow it; presumably the ruling party will use this freely against the opposition to cement their power.EN
Sunwoda, one of China's big battery companies, is building its first European plant in Hungary.BNE
The number of employed people in Spain has reached an all-time record, with an overall 11.6% unemployment rate.TS
Western Asia
Fitch Ratings has upgraded Armenia's rating as tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine "add dynamism" to the economy. We really are living in the future we always dreamed of.BNE
Netanyahu has launched a $27 billion rail expansion to connect to Saudi Arabia and possibly the rest of the Arabian peninsula.MEE
China and the UAE are setting up joint air force training in Xinjiang in August.SCMP
Qatar has offered Ukraine $100 million in humanitarian relief after the Prime Minister went to Kiev on July 28th.AM
Central Asia
The Taliban has burned musical instruments, saying that music leads to a misguidance of the youth and the destruction of society. I honestly think you could outright kill a Taliban member if you forced them to listen to 100 gecs.DW
China has granted Pakistan a 2-year rollover on a debt worth $2.4 billion in total, meaning that they will only have to pay interest rates.AM Nearly 50 people have been killed by a suicide bomber at a political gathering in Pakistan.CGTN
Eastern Asia and Oceania
China's manufacturing PMI is at 49.3, slightly higher than June's but still in contraction. Non-manufacturing came in at 51.5, falling from 53.2.FT The world's first zero-carbon smart port, in Tiajin, has opened a new direct shipping route to South America.CGTN The yuan's share of cross-border payments and receipts rose to a record 49% at the end of June, and the share of the dollar fell to 47%.CGTN Chinese scientists have identified an important genetic code for enhancing rice grain yield by 7 to 15%.CGTN China has launched its first self-deeloped undersea seismic exploration sensor last week, helping them find offshore oil and natural gas.CGTN
The IMF is optimistic about Nepal's growth, which they expect to rebound.ANN
According to a recent poll, Thailand's citizens are most concerned (~40%) about finances, poverty and inequality, and a little less concerned about inflation, unemployment, and criminality (~27%).ANN
Cambodia's trade unions are setting up for their yearly negotiation for next year's minimum wage in various industrial sectors.ANN
Africa
Prigozhin has hailed the Niger coup, saying that they have "got rid of the colonisers".Euractiv ECOWAS leaders have given Niger a one week ultimatum to restore President Bazoum; Burkina Faso and Mali (potentially others) are supporting the new Niger government.AN
Xi has met with Mauritania's and Burundi's presidents, with plans signed on BRI initiatives.AN
Russia's state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, has proposed the creation of a nuclear power fleet with floating nuclear power plants, with several African countries reporting that they're interested - the BRICS NDP has agreed to fund Rosatom projects in Africa.AM Putin has announced that they are reopening their embassy in Burkina Faso and developing cooperation with them.AM Also, Putin has offered Zimbabwe's leader a presidential helicopter, which they seem to have accepted.AN The leader of the South African radical left opposition party EFF has urged China, India, and Brazil to boycott the BRICS summit in solidarity with Putin, and also called Ramaphosa a "coward" and said many other juicy things.AN
North America
The Red Clarion has called on the Teamsters union to reject the UPS agreement.RC Labor Notes is also covering this.LN
Biden last week announced new actions to protect communities from extreme heat, as tens or even hundreds of millions of Americans suffer in heatwaves.TS This heat is worsening insect infestations, with some residents comparing them to a "biblical plague" as insects ravaged crops.PD
The NPP Vogtle unit 3 is finally about to open after going 7 years past schedule, the first reactor that the US has built from scratch in over 30 years - and also perhaps its last.FT
Latin America
Kenya's foreign minister has said that they are ready to lead a multinational force into Haiti to assist the government and deploy police officers.AM
Mexico has complimented the effectiveness of Cuban vaccines as AMLO gets closer to Diaz-Canel.Resumen The Cuban private sector is discussed.Resumen
Bolivia is increasingly using the yuan in foreign trade, with its use reaching 10% in recent moths.AM
Indigenous community members in Argentina are marching for the defense of their territories and natural resources and in rejection of the reforms promoted by the provinicial governor.TS Argentina has been forced to import millions of tons of soybeans this year as a once-in-a-lifetime drought has struck the country.MP
A desalination plant from the US has arrived in Uruguay after taking twice the time it should have to arrive - it will supply drinking water for 150,000 people.MP
Poverty in Chile has hit a historic low, from 10.7% in 2020 to 6.5% this year.MP
Brazil has shipped the world's first green lithium - made with zero carbon emissions, zero wate, and zero harmful chemicals.MP
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The War Against The West
North Korean munitions are confirmed to be in use in the war, with... Ukraine firing them at Russia. They were seized from a ship by a "friendly" country and then given to Ukraine. The Ukrainians are complaining about them.FT
Saudi Arabia is soon to host peace negotiations between western nations, Ukraine, and India and Brazil. Are we forgetting somebody? No... no, I can't think of any other countries involved... oh, shit, Russia*removed externally hosted image* Meanwhile, Putin has backed the African peace initiative on Ukraine, also praising China's efforts, and essentially saying that the ball is in Ukraine's court (and they will obviously never agree to a peace that doesn't give them back their pre-2014 borders).AN
The Russian navy is receiving 30 new ships this year according to Putin.PD
The EU's decoupling from China, also known as "destroying your economy", is gaining momentum.SCMP Italy's defence minister has said that joining the BRI was an atrocious decision.SCMP Meanwhile, France's finance minister is saying that they want improved access to the Chinese market and a more equitable trade relationship, not decoupling.AM
China has accused the US of infecting seismic monitoring devices with malware, allowing them to steal seismic intensity data, which could be used to identify nearby cavernous structures like underground bunkers.SCMP The US is hoping to set up manufacturing of missiles in two years' time, setting up a domestic missile industry nearly from scratch.AM
Retrospectives, Analysis, History, Theory, and Technology
NATO does not, and never did, ‘defend’ democracyCD
Some Thoughts on the Russian End Game in UkraineNC
Nothing in here that's terribly earthshaking but it's a good review of where we currently are.
Build the unity of the youth of the world: The Thirtieth NewsletterMR
NATO failed in Ukraine against Russia. Now it’s targeting ChinaGPE
Desai and Hudson are joined by Pepe Escobar.
LGBTQIA+
The Uruguayan government has announced plans that a sector of a new prison being built will be specifically for transgender inmates.MP
Trans women in Italy have been banned from the Miss Italy Pageant, so about one hundred trans men have signed up to protest.Advocate
The US Senate has passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act without any of the anti-LGBTQIA+ or abortion provisions added in the House version by Republicans; they must agree on one version for it to become law.Advocate
Climate and the Environment
Sahara’s Dust Will Impact the Caribbean Marine EcosystemTS
Rishi Sunak to expand UK’s North Sea drilling and carbon captureFT
Extreme Rain From Atmospheric Rivers and Ice-Heating Micro-Cracks Are Ominous New Threats to the Greenland Ice SheetICN
Deep-sea mining not green-lit, talks postponed till 2024AM
I Love My Trans Comrades!
FT:
That's a new one. So now they're admitting the conflict started in 2014 but ignoring the Maidan coup and still insisting it was all just
unprovoked Russian aggression