Image features Haitian Creole, meaning in English: "Let's Join Hands To Remove Haiti From The Boot Of Domination-Occupation!"

Welcome to the first news megathread of 2024! Last year saw rather little territorial movement in Ukraine (though shocking levels of attrition), and while BRICS has made some important moves, such as the upcoming expansion, there's no massive anti-imperialist offensive yet for us to really analyze. Instead, a lot of things have been going on behind the scenes, with the anti-hegemonic axis of China, Russia, Iran, and others forming a lot of bilateral currency deals as they distance themselves from the dollar. This all culminated in a rather boring year, or so I had thought until October 7th. The courage and heroism of the Gazan Resistance showed us that the imperialists truly are paper tigers, and Ansarallah demonstrated that American naval control is more illusory than the likes of John Bolton would like to admit.

This year will almost certainly be even more interesting and horrific. Debt across the developing world is at record levels, and the incoming hurricane that is the global recession not just on the horizon, but rapidly moving inland. Russia seems to once again be escalating in Ukraine with the return of large missile strikes, and the Zionist entity is failing to make much progress against Hamas, let alone Hezbollah, let alone Iran - instead vying for civilian bombings and propaganda campaigns (e.g. wedding proposals and drawing stars of David in Gaza to prove just how not mad and not owned they are, as their soldiers shit their pants due to insufficient military preparation and brigades are withdrawn due to the tremendous casualties they are experiencing). I'm sure there will be other sudden events that will occur this year. Here's my bingo grid:

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In the midst of all this, it's easy to forget the other underdog nation on the other side of the world from Palestine - Haiti. Since I last covered them, about half a year ago, the UN was on the verge of allowing a Kenyan police force to enter Haiti to "restore order", as the country is in a chaotic, perhaps potentially revolutionary situation. This has been described by various Haitian analysts and experts as essentially a US military force in blackface - white blows from a black hand - and Kenya's president, Ruto, has received a lot of aid from the US because of their willingness to step up, including a five year military deal. It took a while longer than I thought for the vote to occur, but on October 2nd, the UNSC allowed Kenya to do this (Russia and China abstained). However, the Kenyan Supreme Court needs to confirm that this is constitutional, and will give their verdict by January 26th. Many Kenyan lawyers and opposition leaders say that this is blatantly not constitutional, but given all the US aid on the line, breaking the constitution might be worth it to Ruto, whatever the backlash.

From the article from which much of the above information has been sourced:

But Washington now has its hands full with other problems. Its proxy war against Russia via Ukraine is going very badly, a fact that even the U.S. mainstream media is now forced to acknowledge. Meanwhile, the successful Oct. 7 uprising by Palestinian fighters against Israeli occupiers has apparently blindsided both the U.S. empire and its foremost client state. The entire Arab world and Global South are both horrified and outraged by Israel’s ever-growing war crimes, as over 20,000 Palestinians, half of them children, have been slaughtered and starved. Meanwhile, the dysfunction in Washington is deepening, Biden’s approval rating is plummeting, and the U.S. economy is lurching toward another crash.

All this means that Haiti may finally catch a break. The desperation in Haiti is very intense but so is the apprehension of and indignation against another foreign intervention. That resistance continues in the streets of Haiti and its diaspora.

Viva Haiti!

The weekly update is here on the website.

Your Tuesday briefing is here on the website and here in the comments.

The Country of the Week is Haiti! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.

The bulletins site is here!
The RSS feed is here.
Last week's thread is here.

Israel-Palestine Conflict

If you have evidence of Israeli crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:

UNRWA daily-ish reports on Israel's destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.

English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news (and has automated posting when the person running it goes to sleep).
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.

English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.

Various sources that are covering the Ukraine conflict are also covering the one in Palestine, like Rybar.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Sources:

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.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

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 Telegram Channels:

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.

  • Alaskaball [comrade/them]MA
    ·
    11 months ago

    https://archive.is/zD5NS

    Almost All Leopard-2 Tanks “Gone”; German Lawmaker Says Only A Few MBTs Supplied To Ukraine Operational

    Lol. Lmao even

    A prominent German lawmaker and key decision-maker in defense budget allocations, Sebastian Schäfer, has revealed that only a limited number of the modern Leopard 2 tanks supplied by Germany to Ukraine are currently operational.

    According to Schäfer, who holds influential roles in the Bundestag’s defense and finance committees, the primary cause behind this operational shortfall is the scarcity of essential spare parts needed for repairs.

    Schäfer, an economist and member of Germany’s Green Party, recently communicated his concerns in a letter, urging weapons manufacturers to address the challenges in the repair process and expedite the supply of spare parts for the damaged Leopard tanks, reported Der Spiegel, a prominent German media outlet.

    The lawmaker and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited a repair workshop in Lithuania in late December, discovering that repairs were being significantly delayed.

    The shortage of spare parts has led to only a “very small number” of the originally delivered Leopard tanks remaining operational in Ukraine, as highlighted by Schäfer.

    “Unfortunately, it has to be noted that only a very small number of the main battle tanks delivered can still be used by Ukraine,” the politician said.

    The urgency of the matter was underscored by the lawmaker, who emphasized the need for swift action to reinforce the supply of spare parts. Additionally, he pointed out that attempts by Ukrainian forces to conduct repairs have, in some instances, further exacerbated the damage to the Leopard tanks.

    In proposing a solution, Schäfer suggested that Germany engage in discussions to provide additional training or instructions for Ukrainian mechanics.

    Adding another layer to this predicament, representatives from the industrial repair shop in Lithuania disclosed to German media that the repair processes are protracted due to a pronounced scarcity of essential spare parts.

    This revelation underscores a critical challenge in maintaining the operational readiness of military assets, necessitating urgent attention from relevant stakeholders.

    Nonetheless, Berlin remains committed to providing ongoing support to Ukraine. In November, Germany’s defense ministry announced a substantial support package for Ukraine, totaling around $1.1 billion and encompassing a diverse array of new weapons.

    Leopard Tanks In Ukraine

    Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the international community, led by the United States and Germany, among other NATO countries, swiftly rallied to reinforce the Eastern European nation’s defenses.

    While the US has assumed the role of Ukraine’s primary supporter since the conflict’s inception, Germany has emerged as the second-largest contributor.

    Responding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s persistent appeals to replace aging Soviet-era weaponry, Western allies, notably Germany, heeded the call for advanced battle tanks, with the German-made Leopards topping the list.

    The green light for deliveries was granted in January 2023 following prolonged deliberations. US President Joe Biden pledged to send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, prompting Germany to dispatch 18 Leopard 2 MBTs.

    Joining Germany in support, countries like Canada, Poland, and Portugal also contributed Leopard tanks to Ukraine’s defense efforts.

    Germany authorized a European coalition to dispatch a large fleet, including 88 Leopard 1 tanks and approximately 80 Leopard 2 tanks, addressing Ukrainian President Zelensky’s plea for modernized military equipment.

    While Leopard 1 tanks are relics from the Cold War era, discontinued by Germany in 2000, Leopard 2s are acknowledged as some of the most advanced tanks deployed by Ukraine in the ongoing conflict.

    However, the ambitious arsenal promised by the international supporters faced setbacks, primarily attributed to supply chain challenges and the need to refurbish the aging Leopard 1 tanks.

    Complicating matters, Ukraine previously rejected 10 Leopard 1 tanks due to poor condition upon arrival, coupled with the technical challenge of repairing them.

    Moreover, before Germany committed to dispatching Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the head of German military manufacturer Rheinmetall highlighted the necessity of dismantling and rebuilding stocks of Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks.

    Besides that, reports suggested that many of the 18 Leopard 2 tanks provided by Germany suffered significant damage during the battle, reflecting the intensity and extended duration of combat.

    Meanwhile, as Ukraine confronts its second winter of the conflict, there has been a notable shift in the utilization of Leopard 2 tanks. Instead of offensive maneuvers, these tanks are now employed defensively as long-range artillery.

    This adjustment aligns with Ukraine’s recent shift towards a more defensive stance, attempting to hold positions against escalating attacks as part of its ongoing efforts to counter Russian aggression.

    • FALGSConaut [comrade/them]
      ·
      11 months ago

      German tanks being abandoned in Ukraine due to maintenance difficulties and a lack of spare parts? Now where have I seen this before soviet-hmm

    • SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him]
      ·
      11 months ago

      they can't maintain a supply chain and repairs for less than 200 tanks. world war 2 generals are rolling in their graves. except the German ones I guess. they probably understand the predicament.