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Like many countries that were previously colonies, outright colonialism by its imperial country has been replaced by neocolonialism by that same country.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 August 4th
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Global
Venezuela has formalized its application to join BRICS.TS Bolivia has announced its plan to join BRICS and attend the summit this month.AM Brazilian diplomats are reportedly not very eager to accept new membersRT; Lula has come out against them and clarified that Brazil is fine with new countries entering so long as they comply with the rules of the organization, and that it will be discussed with the rest of BRICS.AN South Africa's ambassador to BRICS has confirmed that an announcement on enlarging its membership will be made at the summit.CGS China's Global Times is pushing back on these recent stories of division inside the organization.GT
165 million people have been thrown into poverty (defined as living on less than $3.65 per day) since 2020, now reaching 1.1 billion.WSWS
Europe
THe EU's LNG imports are down to a two-year low due to more lucrative Asian markets.RT
The Bank of England has followed the EU and US in raising its interest rates, now at a 15 year high.DW
Anti-Eritrea protestors forcefully entered a festival in Stockholm organized by Eritrean government supporters and set booths and vehicles on fire before being arrested.AM
The bombing of Ukraine's sea and river ports, combined with Romania's lack of capacity, might severely slow down any attempt to get Ukrainian grain out of the country.BNE
Western Asia
De-Dollarisation in Trade Between Russia and the Arab WorldVC
Georgia has banned the re-export of Western imported cars to Russia and Belarus, but loopholes are still probably present.EN Georgia and China have inaugurated a strategic partnership.EN
Azerbaijan's opposition parties have been denied registration by the government and face the possibility of being disbanded.EN
The Akkuyu NPP in Turkiye is expected to be generating energy as of October 2024.RT
China is strengthening defense co-operation with Saudi ArabiaCGTN
Central Asia
Putin has said that Russian manufacturing may grow 12% this year if trends continue.RT Russian manufacturing PMI is still above 50 but growth is slowing down.BNE Russian grain exports have hit a record high in July.RT
Iran and Pakistan have created a five-year plan with a $5 billion trade target.ANN Pakistan is also seeking to boost Russian oil imports, with new refineries needing to be built.RT
Eastern Asia and Oceania
China's commitment to the Belt and Road Initiative is still going strong, with cumulative spending over the past decade now above the $1 trillion mark.CGSThree nuclear power projects in China have won approval, the first time nuclear power projects have been granted approval this year.ANN The Chinese government has replaced two leaders of an elite unit managing its nuclear arsenal.MP Hebei Province has relocated over a million people from flooded areas.GT
Mongolia's Prime Minister met with US VP Harris and discussed obtaining minerals which mostly go to China currently.AM
Japan presented its annual military white paper which presents a justification for Japan's remilitarization and makes it clear that China is the target.WSWS
Ursula von der Leyen has gone to the Philippines and is talking shit about China.CGS
New Zealand's government has admitted that its military is plagued by problems and unprepared for conflictsAM and needs to bolster its defense capabilities, and thus has presented its first national security strategy and the first stage of a defense review.DW
Africa
Ethiopia's government has announced a state of emergency after battles with local militia in the region of Amhara.DW
The UK foreign minister is in Ghana for a regional tour, also going to Nigeria and Zambia.AN Ghana is suffering from an economic crisis with soaring inflation and debt defaults, with electricity bills doubling for some people, and plans to import LNG from Shell might make things even worse.CCN
China has urged the parties fighting within Niger to settle their differences peacefully through dialogue.CGTN Senegal has stated that its troops will join an ECOWAS intervention in Niger if it happens.AN The $13 billion gas pipeline project taking natural gas from Nigeria to Europe via Niger and Algeria is now under threat due to the coup and the potential war to come.BNE Sanctions sanctions sanctions.PW
Nigerian labour unions have marched against the soaring cost of living, saying that Tinubu's economic incentives announced this week are not enough.AN
In Guinea, bauxite workers and their families fight for access to their pensionsET
North America
Americans' trust in their military has fallen to 60% this year, down from 70% in 2021 and 80% a decade ago, and is relatively bipartisan (Republicans at 68%, Democrats at 62%, Independents at 55%). The last time that it dipped to 60% or below was in 1997, and the last time it stayed below 60% was in the late 1970s in the post-Vietnam phase.RS
Amazon workers have been inspired by the wage gains at UPS.LN
Global Times has taken an optimistic view about the US's credit rating being downgraded, stating that it chips away at its global dominance.GT Naked Capitalism is much more dismissive of it, as they tend to be about most things.NC Wall Street on Parade actually talks about what it means.WSoP
Latin America
The United States really wants somebody to get involved in Haiti to crush skul-- I mean, uh, help them, with the uh, gang violence.PW
A community is fighting to stop gold mining firms polluting Ecuador's riversOD
The War Against The West
Germany is still against sending its long range missile system, the Taurus, to Ukraine.RT
Ukraine Turns to Inexperienced Mercenaries from Latin America in the Face of Heavy CasualtiesResumen
The day Australian sovereignty diedMR
French Invasion of Niger Could Turn into All-Out Franco-African WarNC
pretty sure that was in 1975 when Gough Whitlam was deposed
You have to switch to American LNG, but also we are going to send it all to Asia, anyways. Enjoy your blackouts!
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Retrospectives, Analysis, History, Theory, and Technology
Fascism is the Western Answer to Class StruggleNC
Unlike China, India will not become an economic superpower: ReportAM
China: consumption or investment?MichaelRoberts
Wheel has come full circle in MyanmarBhadrakumar
Former FBI Agent Prepared to Testify that JPMorgan Had Jeffrey Epstein Account for 28 Years – Not 15 Years – and “Impeded” Criminal Investigation of EpsteinWSoP
No such thing as a "former" FBI agent of course.
Imperial disintegration: What’s happening in West Africa?PW
People’s Republic of Walmart: A Salvageable TrainwreckRC
As somebody who read the book, I wholeheartedly agree with this. It feels like the authors somehow managed to be both pro-planned economy and yet also firmly on the side of the Democratic Party rather than just denouncing the whole lot of these ghouls. It's a bizarre position to be in. It's almost as if they believe that free market vs planning is one of those things that they could convince the Democratic Party to take on as a platform position, without realizing that the entire American political project is specifically designed to maximise profit for a select few and a planned economy - in the way that is usually defined, along socialist lines - is the absolute antithesis of that and would never be permitted by Western oligarchs in a liberal democracy. You might as well say "Maybe, just maybe, we could convince Biden to implement full socialism. The only way to know is to keep voting and Putting Pressure™ on Biden to go left!" as he breaks up unions and makes deals with the Republicans. But despite - and maybe even because - of those things, it's an alright book for baby leftists.
LGBTQIA+
Oklahoma Governor Orders State to Use Anti-Trans Definition of GenderAdvocate
Kentucky Allowed to Enforce Trans Care Ban, Appeals Court RulesAdvocate
Erie, Pennsylvania, Declares Itself LGBTQ+ Sanctuary CityAdvocate
Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against Ohio School District’s Pro-Trans PoliciesAdvocate
Climate and the Environment
Talks on deep sea mining continue, with governments agreeing to put it on the agenda for international talks next year despite Mexico, Nauru, and China not wanting to ban the mining.CCN
Western media organizations are largely not covering the new peer-reviewed Nature study that claims that an Atlantic Ocean cirulation system might collapse in the near-future.FAIR
The right wing has a plan to undo climate progress if Trump wins in 2024, which I assume would just be all the stuff Biden is currently doing with giving out oil and gas licenses to fossil fuel companies like candy and banning Chinese green technology that could help the US, but with none of the "Yeah bro, we'll uh, totally get on that climate thing. Get some electric vehicles on the road!"ICN
Climate Denial May Escalate Into a Total Rupture With RealityCA
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A great piece. This applies to a very wide range of contemporary topics. You can really feel the sense of mass delusion being perpetuated around us as reality comes knocking and people pile furniture in front of the door and increase the volume on their podcasts and radios reassuring them that reality isn't real, it can't hurt you. "No, climate change isn't real. Russia is about to collapse. China is about to collapse. We'll make it to Mars. You'll buy your own house. The brown skinned or blue haired people outside will go away or grow up. Don't worry." It's the endstage of liberal individualist idealism, and it all has to come crashing down. Though I think the final breaking point still lies many years in the future.
I Love My Trans Comrades!