Image is from @Parsani@hexbear.net, who got it from @RNAi@hexbear.net, who got it from Discord.
Thread update: Prigozhin's fucking dead.
The BRICS summit will begin on Tuesday and end on Thursday, with various world leaders, politicians, and representatives meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.
America's anxiety about the summit has been obvious. They have been complicating the event by pushing for the arrest warrant for Putin to be upheld if he steps foot in the country. While this is a remarkably dangerous and unhinged thing to do - even by America's standards - to the leader of a nuclear superpower who could end the world within an hour, it does betray their desperation. Unfortunately, for those of us who wanted to see Putin surrounded by an army of security guards fending off people holding handcuffs, he has sent his Foreign Minister, Lavrov, in his place. Additionally, America has likely been spreading rumors about the lack of interest in gaining new members in the organization.
With apparently 20 countries formally seeking membership and another 20 informally doing so, the bloc has been elevated, whether they like it or not, to the position of the international vanguard of the non-western world. It is extremely important to say that this is not the same as it becoming an anti-American bloc, and many of them (including original members Brazil and India) wish to keep a friendly relationship with the United States. Nonetheless, with the United States' policy of "if you are not with us, you are against us," and as the US seeks to weaken China, in coming years many of them might find themselves under hostile pressure.
BRICS has to try and solve many problems if they are going to chip away at America's stranglehold of the world economy. These problems - like mitigating the dollar's status as a global reserve currency, and America's dominant role in the world economy - are extremely complicated, and will takes years, even decades, to be overcome. Therefore, one should temper their expectations and excitement for this summit. It took tens of millions of deaths in cataclysmic wars, and then several more decades, for America to reach its current position. I see no reason to believe why its downfall will be any less bloody and elongated.
To end on a less depressing note, I've been searching for appropriate anagrams given the list of countries that seek to join BRICS. Obviously not all of them will make it in, but even so. The best I've come up with is HIBISCUS EMANCIPATES BBBBKKRVV.
(also, "bulletins and news discussion" can be rearranged to "libidinous newsstands uncles".)
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.
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.
expand
North America
Challenges are marring the semiconductor boom in the U.S.CGTN
Failing to find buyers not afraid of Iran, US unloads stolen oil cargoAM
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
Museum Workers Are Tired of Being paid in Cultural Cachet - So They're UnionizingJacobin
Trump not to partake in Republican primaries, citing 'legendary' leadAM
Folks, it's humongous. It's the best lead anybody's ever had. Believe me. (honestly it probably is, Meatball's not doing so great.)
Hurricane Hilary downgraded as Mexico, California brace for 'catastrophic' impactCGTN
Russian firm escalates dispute with Canada over seized cargo planeBilaterals Wildfires in Canada's BC intensify, doubling evacuations to over 35,000CGTN
Latin America
Leftist Gonzalez leads Ecuador polls, heads to runoff with businessmanAM
Leftist Arevalo with anti-corruption program Guatemala's new PresidentAM
Kenya deploys reconnaissance mission to HaitiAN
Ecuador: Government Rejects Accusation of Villavicencio MurderTS
Javier Milei plans to give a “prominent role” to Mauricio Macri in his future governmentMP
Brazil to restore trade, political ties with Cuba, says Lula aideAM
The War Against The West
Ortega reportedly allowing Russian military to establish bases, cruise missile batteries in NicaraguaBNE
West not willing to negotiate with Russia: Russian FMCGTN
US ‘Fears’ Ukraine Is Too ‘Casualty Averse’SP
Is Erdogan’s High-Wire Act Running Out of Rope?NC
Ukraine, Sweden ink statement for cooperation on CV90 infantry vehicleAM
Outgoing Dutch PM criticised for F-16 deliveries to UkraineEuractiv
The left's statement should have been as strong if not stronger than the right's, but alas.
New trilateral partnershipANN
Canberra inks $1.3bln Tomahawk deal, goes off-coast eyeing ChinaAM
Taiwan, US commence second-round trade talksBilaterals
PLA's sudden, swift joint drills around Taiwan island highlighted by live munitions, multi-source intelligence supportGT
Documents Show Taiwan Working With FBI to Prosecute Chinese Americans, Intimidate US PoliticiansMPN
Poll: Two in five Americans believe direct conflict with China likelyRS
Retrospectives, Analysis, History, Theory, and Technology
A Russian Paper on New Currency/International Reserve Options Finds No Magic BulletsNC
No way out but through.
Shawn Fain Is Right: The Workweek Should Be ShorterJacobin
The US Destroyed Iranian Democracy to Uphold British ImperialismJacobin
Uncommon Jacobin Ws.
70 years after Iranian coup, the British still won’t confess to their crimesRNN
How Privatization Robs Us of Our Most Precious AssetsCA
Ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which humans and whose rights still matter?ET
LGBTQIA+
LGBTQ+ Ethiopians flee in the face of sudden crackdownDW
Climate and the Environment
‘Bidenomics’ aims for global green transition, but it’s hampered by anti-China strategyPW
WOW! It's almost like there's a contradiction between what they're stating vs what they're actually doing! The Democrats would NEVER do this to me!
Climate change: China’s hydrogen sector faces overcapacity risk as ambitious production plans outstrip demand, say analystsSCMP
Suffering from success.
Unusual Pacific Storms Like Hurricane Hilary Could be a Warning for the FutureICN
Frustrated by a Lack of Details, Communities Await Federal Decision on Protecting New York From Coastal Storm SurgesICN
For Florida’s Ailing Corals, No Relief From the HeatICN
India government sets emission limit for hydrogen to qualify as ‘green’Euractiv
Regardless of whether that's a good limit, at least they're actually fucking stating it, y'know? The hydrogen colors have really just turned into "It means whatever I think it should mean".
I Love My Trans Comrades!