Title is a reference to Resistance imagery about how Israeli soldiers will enter Gaza alive but leave it in coffins - the same is true for American soldiers in the Middle East if the regional war expands.
The image is of the Fattah-1 Iranian hypersonic ballistic missile, which its creators boast can overcome any missile defense system on the planet, has a range of 1400 kilometers (and thus Iran can strike Israel), and has a terminal impact velocity of Mach 13.
Dozens of American soldiers have been injured and 3 have been killed on a base in the Middle East. There has been confused reports about whether the attack was on Syrian territory or Jordan's - the Al-Tanf base is in Syria, but Tower-22 in Jordan is another base that helps supply Al-Tanf, and Tower-22 is the one that is alleged to have been hit. These is the first confirmed deaths of American troops since the conflict began, though it's not likely that this is actually the first deaths after hundreds of drone/missile strikes throughout the region on American bases, unless you think American soldiers are having extremely timely heart attacks just after a missile hits.
The attack is certainly impactful, though it does also have considerably symbolism. Courtesy of John Helmer:
The operational success of the strike for the attackers is strategic. Tower-22 is a logistics, supply, and rear guard post for the Al-Tanf base which US troops are operating thirty kilometres north across the border in Syria. The attack demonstrates that both Tower-22 and Al-Tanf, Jordan and Syria, are newly vulnerable to weapons which the US forces have failed to detect and neutralize. Just as significantly, the massive US airbase called Muwaffaq Salti, 230 kilometres west across Jordan, is also vulnerable now.
It indicates that Iran now possesses Russian expertise in countering American equipment:
“This is a significant accomplishment,” one of the sources said. “Was the bypassing of the US air defence system at Tower-22 pulled off with Russian assistance? US bases generally rely on the C-RAM [Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar] system. It was sent to Ukraine last year where the Russians have been learning to defeat it. What now of American EW [electronic warfare]? They’ve been doing a fair job of knocking drones down up to now. It seems a ‘coincidence’ that, not a week after the meetings in Moscow with Arabs and Iranians, we see this success. It’s a success the circumstances of which, we can be sure, Biden and Austin are not keen to advertise.”
I am putting my take on the table right now: I am 99% certain that the US won't attack Iran directly. I think we are still quite a while away from that being a possibility. Much more likely is that Iranian officials in Iraq or Syria will be hit by a retaliatory strike, as Israel has done recently. It is a significant escalation nonetheless. And it comes as Israel seems to be gearing up for a suicidal war with Hezbollah.
The Country of the Week is Iran! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.
Updates continue to be AWOL - but I am cooking something. Hopefully.
The bulletins site is here!
The RSS feed is here.
Last week's thread is here.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
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.
Kinda funny in a history as a farce way that once again the Singaporean masses are much more progressive than their government.
More and more Singaporeans are upset about the government’s weak statements in supporting unprincipled neutrality towards Zionist Occupation and Palestinian Resistance while at the same time implementing restrictions on outwardly supporting either faction (mostly Palestine) on the streets.
The “Israel”-Palestine conflict resurfaces the colonial scar of the Malaysia-Singapore split back into the forefront. Two nations united in history and culture but separated by politics. How much longer can Singapore try continue sidestepping the “race and religion” issue through their “Confucian Capitalist” governance? How long can they continue sustaining imperialism in Southeast Asia, outwardly proclaiming to be neutral but internally supporting Western Capital (as evidenced by their sanctions against Russia)?
They can act like the “Israel”-Palestine conflict is purely about religion (while superficially rejecting it in their statements) - a conflict that makes the “vocal” muslim minority “act out” - but when the masses down below across racial and religious groups demand support for Palestine, demand support for China, you have to wonder how long can the “old guard” can keep this facade up.
So Singaporean foreign ministers can continue giving out talks and write books praising China, about how they - as part of the Global South - “understand” China, about their “neutrality”, about their “social cohesion and harmony”, about their “secularism” but history isn’t as kind to Singapore as they are to themselves.
Time is ticking for the city state.
Singapore has a major young /old divide where the old are very cucked by archaic British Colonialism laws. I love Singapore. I love the people there.
I've been following Pink Dot from the beginning and it's working, but ever so slowly mostly because stubborn old bastards.
I reject this framing entirely.
Let me address your last point first.
I understand in many online anglophone circles it is acceptable and even encouraged to insult your elders but this isn’t the case in the East.
Especially considering that it is the “stubborn old bastards” that are often the most pro-China, often had the most experience with the pre-independence and early independence labour movements, and those that are the most likely to reject Western imperialism- especially in Singapore.
This is because after the abolishing of local vernacular schools and the elevation of English as the lingua franca, most youth nowadays lack any meaningful skills in their native language, and has succumb to the anglophone elitism found within the British-educated comprador national bourgeoisie.
It is these “stubborn old bastards” that rejected this undemocratic imposition of English, when the left-wing movements at that time called for the establishment of Malay, the indigenous language, to be the main language of Malaya which included Singapore. Now although Singapore officially has Malay as the “national language”, practically it’s just there to not anger the Malay minority (and Malay nationalists abroad).
I am unsure about how much you know about the Malaysia-Singapore dichotomy, but it’s funny how “backwards” Malaysia was able to maintain vernacular schools for Chinese, Indians and Malays (for all it’s faults) while “progressive and liberal” Singapore sacrificed their own cultural legacy and history to use their coloniser’s tongue.
There is a generational gap - but it is not the same as those found in the West.
I cast doubt that an NGO that was funded by Western corporations is able to achieve anything but destabilisation. This article titled “LGBT Advocacy and Transnational Funding in Singapore and Malaysia” may provide you some insight. The most important part of the article, in my opinion, is that it highlights the role of Western and especially US funding into progressive (sounding) causes in Singapore and Malaysia.
I cast doubt that any NGO in general can achieve anything. We need a vanguard party. We need a grassroots movement that is beholden to the masses. Not western corporates, or western “aid”.
NGOs and all other “civil society” organisations the West likes to peddle serves nothing but the valorisation of Capital itself.
Here's the thing yes I'm an anglo so I really don't care about "respecting" discrimatory elders or non elders for that matter. I understand Singapore is a "fine" city, but people shouldn't be fined, jailed, discriminated for being queer.
The language thing is a holdover of colonialism, as are the discrimatory laws. Singapore being a major trading hub has people and cultures of like a dozen Asian countries over there. My comment was about queer rights not the langauge. I'd imagine it is convenience having a common language to speak and the nature of the nation being an international trading hub and finance center. Malaysia has it's own human rights issues. .
Given it was British foriegn colonial laws that are held over past independence there's a bit of irony. As to my own location's conservative colonial past, the original nation has moved far ahead in human rights. I don't care to learn the their language and move because it serves no practical purpose anymore except for reading the scant leftovers of a bygone age - that and languages are difficult for me. That's myself. I could only speculate as to the convience with local Singaporians and all the diverse nations and cultures with their own languages that exist together.
The link you provided is password locked. I will speak as to Pink Dot and it's funding and outside NGOs.
Yes NGOs can be used to "disrupt" nations. We've seen that many times especially with the US and its regime change goals. As for Russia - I do think the Russian Orthodox Church has too much a grip on politics over there, and Russia should catch up to times so the west can't use these wedges to cry for regime change and thus result in local crackdowns on minorities due to the spectre of "foreign influence". At the same time, it is the west's continued harassment of Russia as a target that Russia then leans on it's Russian Orthodox Church to justify crackdown on minorities in a Red Scare type of way. It's always "Putin" or "The Kremlin" from western reports on Russia.
I think queer rights will improve in Russia when the west gives them room to breathe or BRICS becomes more inflential than the west where the west's petty gripes and sanctions become useless. It seemed like they were getting better until this latest assholery from the west at least.
It sucks that a minority's treatment is directly related to foriegn policy events. - well you see that here in the west now how there's a 3rd Red Scare and a 2nd lavender Scare attacks on queers.
A nation under threat or percieved threat will shore up their religous base in nationalist conviction and reduce rights.
A nation not under threat or percieved threat tends to expand rights in relative safety.
Singapore is not under threat or percieved threat and you see less crackdown on minorities and expansion of rights.
For Pink Dot, the compaint about "others disrupting", a "percieved threat", seems to stem from the progress made in local opinion in revoking the old discrimatory British colonal laws originated from the 1880s. Namely section 377A which criminalized queer acts. They weren't aiming to do a regime change, nor was it really highly publicized in international media. You can go look at Pink Dot's videos and realatively how few views they get. Singapore isn't on "The West's" shitlist so to say. The movement as a whole gets some blurbs every now then as case after case made it's way. But it was nothing like the anti Russia BE OUTRAGED media circus. More "hey this Asian nation might make some progress". What kind of impact would that be for Asia as a whole if a major economic center in Asia is to progress on this end?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_377A_(Singapore)
It was local backlash to change in public opinion and laws were made to attempt to stop this change in 2017 by banning any foreigner or company that is not majority Singaporeian held from contributing to Pink Dot or even attending Pink Dot. IMO this backlash has had a Streisand effect. The "percieved threat" seemed to be unfounded. As even with all the anti foreign laws in attempt to degrade the movement, Singaporians showed up in support.
In 2018 India decriminalized gay sex. - not saying Singapore's actions are directly responsible, but it's realtive closeness with India and the region has some parallel. Maybe conicidence. Maybe it's maybealine.
Singaapore copanies formed Red Dot for Pink Dot.
https://reddotforpinkdot.sg/
Last Pink Dot there were 139 major individuals and corporations that fund it.
In January 2023 section 377A finally fell.
Unfortunately Singapore, in another twist of irony, is responsible for some of the major funding on anti LGBTQ movements inside the United States. Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, the Daily Wire, PragerU, and even Ted Cruz and a cadre of other Christian Nationalists zealots have all been enriched because of Singapore's Sovereign Wealth Fund giving billions of dollars to Daily Wire's insane religous fanatical stubborn old bastard founders - the Wilks Brothers.
Also where would we get such wonderful post-Alex Jones YTP material from?
Frac Tech sold to Tamesek
Temasek, is a global investment company owned by the Government of Singapore.
So now we're having to spend lawsuits, deal with hate crimes, suicides, deaths, state sponsored discrimination, and years having to clean up their mess here in the states unfucking their reckless spending "investing" which has unleashed hell on the queer community in the United States. That's in addition to all the anti immigrant, anti Russia, anti China, and pro AUKUS imperalism, which Singapore will be effected by (again ironically) as China and BRICS allies counter, also funded and promoted by the knock on effects from their enrichment of these asshole's meddling in US politics. I'm sure that wasn't what their thinking was throwing that much cash at fanatical oil tycoons in the US. Even as the president of Singapore had to sign off on the deal, but those were the effects and consequences of their "investments". They also own 4% of Blackrock. Don't need to go into length the shitfuckery that company has done to the world.
I still love Singapore, love it's people, love it's uniqueness in the world as a central hub for all things Asia.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Do average Singaporeans support China on this level? I was under the impression most Singaporeans are either neutral or dislike China. Or maybe there's a disconnect between the Singaporean diaspora in the US and Singaporeans living in Singapore.
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Keep in mind all of these numbers, including the Singaporean ones are much more in favor with the US amongst the younger crowd (i.e. the future generations) because of Marvel and Taylor Swift
Classic US comprador diaspora moment I'm afraid.
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I don’t disagree that in the long term that’s their only way out but as for now in the near term, where there is still a sizeable anglophile bourgeosie in power (what I referred to as the “old guard” in my OC), they have to grapple with the contradictions happening in the present.
Unless a revolution probably not. It will be slow-going aswell but inevitable.
Recent news in that regard: Federal govt will fine-tune Johor-Singapore SEZ policies, says Fahmi.