Image: the last sight of many a commie.

Please pronounce his name wrong to make the title pun work better.

Anyway - Javier Milei, a caricature of a libertarian invented deep in the Hexbear Bit Factory, has won the Argentinian general election; and with a 12 point lead over Massa, it wasn't even particularly close. There are several analogies for this situation - Trump beating Hillary, Bolsonaro winning in 2018, or the alternate universe where Le Pen beat Macron. Massa is not a great guy. The last couple years have been difficult for Argentina, facing massive inflation and the same general economic downturns that are happening everywhere.

Milei is an... interesting person. To name just a couple things going on in his deeply bizarre life, he has a very special relationship with his sister, and an even more special relationship with his mastiff, Conan. When Conan died in 2017, he was so utterly distraught that he had him cloned into four new dogs, named Murray, Milton, Robert, and Lucas, for his economist idols. And he uses mediums to speak to his dead dog. This is probably the closest we're ever going to get to having a dog be president of a country.

Milei wants to essentially collapse the economy even harder. Playing off the general public sentiment of "dollar = good, peso = bad", he has vowed to make the national currency of Argentina the US dollar, thus eagerly giving a massive amount of control over the Argentinian economy directly to America. He wants to take a chainsaw to the status quo, cut off trade with communist countries like China, and demolish the Central Bank. Will Argentinian capitalists and the Senate let him do this? Probably not. What happens with their membership in BRICS+? Who knows. Where does Peronism go from here? Who can say.

But he still won, and will now be president. I suppose that every dog has its day.

Friendly reminder: when commenting about a news event, especially something that just happened, please provide a source of some kind. While ideally this would be on nitter or archived, any source is preferable to none at all given.

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.

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

This week's update is here!

Your Thursday Briefing.

Your Friday Briefing.

Your Saturday Briefing.

Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.

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.

  • SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Part 2

    expand

    Africa:

    Russia had begun free shipments of grain totaling up to 200,000 tons to Africa by the end of the yearPD Connecting Ethiopia and Djibouti: a railway built by the Chinese for the African peoplePD Chinese scientists plan to boost cassava yields in AfricaCGTN Can African soybeans help ease China’s reliance on US to feed insatiable demand?SCMP Corruption and Rights Abuses Are Flourishing in Lithium Mining Across Africa, a New Report FindsICN 110 Dead and 770,000 Displaced in Horn of Africa, El Niño RainsTS

    Algeria appoints new ambassador to Spain after nearly 20 months of frictionAN

    Burkina Faso: at least 70 dead, including children, in a massacre in early NovemberAN Russia backing Burkina Faso’s fight against deadly diseaseRT

    New Power Station in the DR Congo Showcases Why Democratically-Elected Leaders in Africa Really Like Working With ChinaCGS

    Ethiopian PM affirms "no plans for invasion over Red Sea ports access"AN

    AfDB lifts financial sanctions off Gabon after Bongo removed in coupAN Gabon: military authorities announce elections for August 2025AN

    Ghana: towards the creation of a reparations fund for slaveryAN

    Trial Resumes in Guinea After Dramatic Jailbreak Raises ConcernsAN

    The trial over a 2009 massacre in Guinea resumed on Monday, following a recent jailbreak that saw armed commandos free ex-dictator Moussa Dadis Camara and three others, leaving nine dead. The incident, which occurred nine days ago, raised concerns about the possible interruption of the trial, which opened in 2022 after more than a decade-long wait for victims. Three of the accused, including Dadis Camara, were recaptured on the same day as the jailbreak, while Colonel Claude Pivi remains at large. The individuals are facing charges related to a massacre committed at a political rally in 2009 during Dadis Camara's presidency, marking one of the darkest chapters in Guinea's history.

    Kenyan and Sudanese Leaders Agree to Speed up Peace ProcessTS

    Malawi: President Chakwera bans himself and his cabinet from foreign travel to cut spendingAN UK aid cuts leave Malawi vulnerable to droughts and cyclonesCCN

    Niger's military regime congratulates Mali on "liberation of Kidal"AN Mali's military seize control of Kidal rebel strongholdAN

    Soldiers from Mali's army, accompanied by partners from Russian military contractor Wagner, have been battling Tuareg fighters for several days in an effort to take control of the town following the departure of United Nations peacekeepers two weeks ago.

    Shades of green hydrogen: EU demand set to transform NamibiaCCN Namibia Launches First Seed Bank for Biodiversity ProtectionTS

    Nigeria unions call for nationwide strike despite court orderAN

    How the United States underdeveloped SomaliaMR

    Turkish power generator Karpowership to start supplying South Africa electricity in 2024BNE

    Zimbabwe capital city declares state of emergency as cholera cases increasePD

    North America:

    The World Will Have to Pry Oil Production From Alberta's Cold, Dead HandsJacobin Canada’s steadfast support for Big Agriculture’s assault on Mexican biodiversityMR

    Domestic:

    U.S. dollar plunges to 2-month low after October inflation reportPD Working more, making less: Life under “Bidenomics”MR Only 14% of US voters say Joe Biden has made them better offFT US credit card debt hits historic highRT US Health Care Strip-Mined for Profit: Primary Care Physicians Becoming Scarce, Poorly Trained Nurse Practitioners Run WildNC San Francisco mocked in China for moving homeless away from Apec summit venueSCMP

    Politics:

    Biden tanks in polls, but media downplays impact of Gaza on votersRNN Why Biden Is in Trouble About the EconomyNC House Speaker launched draft to avoid US gov't shutdownMP Pentagon fails sixth audit in a rowRS Baltimore’s failure to educate Black children is a threat to building Black political powerRNN

    Infrastructure:

    US Regions Will Suffer a Stunning Variety of Climate-Caused Disasters, Report FindsICN Report Charts Climate Change’s Growing Impact in the US, While Stressing Benefits of ActionICN Biden Moves To Reduce U.S. Reliance On Russian Nuclear Supply ChainNC Massive blaze burns at chemical plant north of HoustonWSWS Billions in Federal Assistance after New Mexico’s Largest Wildfire. But Little Money to Repair StreamsCoB

    Latin America:

    Argentina's monthly inflation back to one-digit figuresMP One week Before the Elections in Argentina, Sergio Massa and Far-Right Javier Milei are Neck and NeckRM No favorite between Milei and Massa ahead of runoffMP ‘A normal guy’: Argentina’s radical Milei struggles to rebrand for run-off voteFT “Scholar” Milei praises Thatcher and loses presidential debateMP Argentina and Chile sign key lithium agreementMP

    Russia delivered a record amount of crude to Brazil in October, becoming the country’s third-largest supplier.RT

    Chilean president has 59% disapproval; polls show 42% do not support new constitutionMP Sentenced Mapuche leaders cry 'neo-fascist counter-offensive'MP Hard times ahead for wine in Chile; climate change hits the industry in northern hemisphereMP

    Cuba’s Human Rights Achievements are Highlighted in GenevaRM ‘Economic asphyxiation’: U.S. restricts food supplies in bid to strangle Cuban revolutionPW US Blows Off The Whole World To Punish CubaRM

    Mangroves Can Protect Haiti From Climate Chaos. They’re Disappearing.HL Haiti and Palestine: Small Nations but Symbolically HugeHL

    President Xi calls for expanding China-Mexico cooperation in finance, emerging industriesCGTN

    Ottawa silent as Panama rises up against Canadian copper mineCD Panama: Police Harshly Repress Anti-Mining ProtestersTS

    Paraguayan corn exports fall sharplyMP Paraguay and Venezuela resume diplomatic tiesMP

    Peru: Boluarte is Accused of Genocide of Indigenous PeoplesTS Only 10 Percent of Peruvians Approve of President BoluarteTS

    Fuel shortages expected in Uruguay amid distribution conflictMP Uruguay's Energy Minister Elisa Facio said Monday that there would be no fuel shortages.MP

    Venezuela and Russia Advance in De-Dollarized Payment SystemTS Venezuela Rejects Guyanese Oil Projects in Disputed Sea AreaTS Maduro Addresses Venezuelan Ambassadors Regarding EssequiboTS Will the Next Geopolitical Flash Point Be a Centuries-Old Border Dispute in an Oil-Rich Corner of South America?NC Kellogg’s takes legal action against Venezuela over brand misuseBilaterals

    • SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Part 3

      expand

      War:

      In our lurch toward war in three places, who exactly will fight?RS A piece essentially stating "Either reinstate the draft or reconsider our imperial strategy. The ‘Axis of Resistance’ pushing US to ramp up Middle East defencesFT US running low on air-defense systems – WSJRT

      Palestine:

      Genocide:

      PFLP: Three Updates for November 10, 2023RC Not Getting ItMoA

      US Official Says Gaza Death Toll Likely Higher Than Being ReportedSP Israeli Attack on Hospitals in Gaza ContinuesTS Biden admin justifies Israel’s assault on Gaza hospitals with recycled Israeli ‘intelligence’GZ Macron appears to have backtracked on his comments about Israeli strikes killing scores of civilians in Gaza.RT Aid supplies to Gaza halted again, UN says starvation imminentEuractiv Palestinians believe they can’t coexist with Israel – pollRT I mean, they literally cannot exist alongside Zionists, regardless of whether they believe they can or can't, the same way that the Jews could not co-exist with the Nazis. Palestinians sue Biden for failing to prevent 'unfolding genocide' in GazaMEE German Health Minister Lauterbach: Supporting the Gaza genocide and trivialising the HolocaustWSWS

      Politics:

      Israel’s war debt soaringRT Thousands rally in Israel demanding Netanyahu’s resignation as government seeks to crush dissentWSWS ‘The fear is everywhere’: Israel’s internal crackdownRNN US stance on Gaza ‘paralyzing’ UN Security Council - RussiaRT US will take massive hit in global standing over IsraelRS Why does the US support Israel? A geopolitical analysis with economist Michael HudsonGPE Latin America Is Leading the Way in Standing Up to IsraelJacobin Colombia to Collaborate with Algeria to Denounce Israel’s Crimes before the ICCRM Africans see hypocrisy in US policy on Israel in GazaRS Calls for Gaza cease-fire divide Europe’s SocialistsP Indonesia calls for boycott of ‘pro-Israeli’ goodsRT Such as Coca-Cola and McDonalds. Iran says it hopes to work with China to de-escalate Israel-Gaza warSCMP

      Protests:

      The largest pro-Palestinian protest in U.S. history was “a turning point.” Now it’s spreadingMR Palestinian and Israeli Communists tell U.S. audience: Fight for ceasefire nowPW The mass protest in London and the global fight against Israel’s genocide in GazaWSWS Largest Australian protests against Gaza genocide yet, blacked out by mediaWSWS Thousands march in Cape Town in solidarity with PalestiniansAN People rally to support Palestinians in JordanPD Saudi Arabia detains worshippers praying for Gaza in holy sitesMEE

      Left Critique:

      The issue is not racism but the Pan European White Supremacist colonial/capitalist patriarchy*removed externally hosted image* The demand for a ceasefire is necessary but not sufficient: The demand must be for decolonization and Palestinian self-determination.MR The Pogrom, Indians, and Genealogies of the Israeli Settler-VigilanteMR Team B and the Jerusalem Conference: How Israel Helped Craft Modern-Day “Terrorism”MPN

      China:

      Taiwan rules out invasion from Chinese mainland in near future.RT

      “If China needs to carry out amphibious landing operations to take Taiwan, I don’t think it will have such capabilities by 2027.”

      My brother in christ, they possessed those means years ago.

      ASEAN Defense Chiefs Expand Talks to China, U.S., IndiaCGS China, five Southeast Asian countries to hold joint military exerciseCGTN

      Malaysia Leader Pushes ‘Active Neutrality’ Strategy Toward U.S and ChinaCGS China open to expert-level talks on seafood ban, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says after talks with Xi JinpingSCMP

      US, China need to engage more with developing Apec economies, trade chief of 2024 host nation Peru saysSCMP Apec 2023: China, Japan leaders pledge to ‘coexist peacefully’, manage differences in first meeting in a yearSCMP Apec summit: clashing protesters cheer for Beijing or call for justice in China as leaders gather in San FranciscoSCMP Xi meets Kishida, reaffirming strategic and mutually beneficial relationsGT IPEF: New Cold War weapon backfiresMR

      San Francisco Meeting:

      Biden and Xi meet in San FranciscoFT Xi meets BidenMR Chinese FM Wang Yi says Xi-Biden meeting went well, based on mutual respectCGTN No serious effort to reset US-China relations at San Francisco summitIP Xi-Biden summit: leaders agree to revisit historic science and technology pactSCMP Chinese President Xi Jinping trying to repair damage done by BidenPW US-China relations: Beijing warns companies against selling equipment, precursors for fentanylSCMP ‘Envoys of friendship’: Xi Jinping hints that new pandas are on the way to the USSCMP

      Russia:

      Russia has five million Ukrainian refugees – diplomatRT

      Nebenzia stated Russia has received 730,000 children from Ukraine and Donbass, which has been systematically targeted by Kiev’s artillery since 2014, while rebuffing Western and Ukrainian claims that Russia had been “abducting” minors. “The overwhelming majority of these children arrived with their parents or other relatives,” he said, adding that only 2,000 of them came from orphanages in Russia’s Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, accompanied by educators from their institutions.

      Ukraine's Demographics Dictate To End The FightMoA Russo-Ukrainian War: The ReckoningMR Originally at Big Serge. West sees Ukraine conflict lasting five more years.RT I mean, at this fucking rate... EU has given Ukrainian military €27 billion – BorrellRT Zelenskyy tells Ukrainians to prepare for Russian winter onslaughtEuractiv US Abrams tanks made no difference – ZelenskyRT France to end free weapons supplies to UkraineRT Don’t plan yet for Ukraine reconstructionIP Ukraine’s Kyiv comes under attack for first time in months, mayor saysAJ EU will miss 1mn artillery shell March supply deadline as Ukraine's ammo crisis deepensBNE Germany Set to Double Its Ukraine Military Aid Under Scholz PlanBB Increasing it to $8 billion. US seeks to thwart Russia’s ambition to become a major LNG exporterFT The shadowy network smuggling European microchips into RussiaFT The US-led price cap on Russian oil exports has failed and “almost no Russian oil is being sold for less than $60”BNE Denmark could block Russian oil tankers from reaching marketsFT US charges three more tankers with busting oil price cap sanctions, warns 30 more companiesBNE The Media’s Nord Stream lies just keep comingMR

      • SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Part 4

        expand

        Labour:

        Quelle Surprise! Fast Fashion Exploits Poor Workers; Industry Engages in Empty Virtue-SignallingNC

        Portland teachers enter second week of strike as Democratic politicians refuse to secure more funding for schoolsWSWS

        Temporary workers in Cameroon’s public hospitals continue to fight for permanent contracts with the civil serviceET

        First Avenue workers’ victory: another win for union and worker center collaborationsRNN

        German rail union announces 20-hour train strikeDW

        Half the staff fired after workers at Indie music platform unionizePW

        Auto Workers Ratify New Contracts at the Big 3LN

        Left and Right:

        Internal opposition pulls out of Greek left in heated meetingEuractiv Germany gets a new antiwar party, this time on the leftRS

        LGBTQIA:

        Content Warning - this section is not usually good news.

        Trans murders remain at ‘consistently high level’ as Trans Awareness Week beginsEN Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Drag Ban Can't Be Enforced, Supreme Court RulesAdvocate

        Russia Announces Chilling Move to Label 'International Public LGBT Movement' as 'Extremist'Advocate

        Energy:

        Has the Energy Transition Hit a Wall?NC

        World's largest 18-megawatt offshore wind turbine rolls off assembly lineCGTN

        Climate and Biodiversity:

        Kenya: Nations negotiate terms of plastics treaty in NairobiAN In UN talks for a global plastic treaty, delegates to face off over production limitsEuractiv This Week in Nairobi, Nations Gather for a Third Round of Talks on an International Plastics Treaty, Focusing on Its Scope and AmbitionICN Early progress hours before Joe Biden-Xi Jinping meeting as rare US-China climate accord is announcedSCMP

        The Last 12 Months Were Hottest the World Has Experienced in Last 125,000 YearsSP New study finds overwhelming evidence of harms from frackingMR LNG worse for climate than coal – studyRT

        More than Half of World’s Largest Companies’ Net Zero Pledges Are False Promises, Study FindsDS

        Microgrids Can Bolster Creaky Electricity Systems, But Most States Do Little to Encourage Their DevelopmentICN

        Climate change: Water scarcity worst in South Asia, UN saysDW

        Penguin protection pausedEcologist

        The peasant food webEcologist A piece on agrarian localism vs industrial-scale food production.

        'We want a liveable future'Ecologist

        Nigel Farage’s Reform Party Took £135,000 from Climate Science Deniers and Fossil Fuel InterestsDS UK sued for counting wood burning with carbon capture as ‘negative emissions’Euractiv Californian Factory Captures CO2 Directly From the AirTS

        Heirloom said it has partnered with CarbonCure, a green concrete maker, to inject the captured carbon dioxide into concrete. The company is expected to capture 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year, with a more ambitious goal of removing 1 billion tons by 2035.

        "Ambitious" is understating it a little.

        Why the Belief That Carbon Capture Technologies Can Work at Gigaton-Scale Is a Gigantic GambleDS

        Miscellaneous Analysis:

        The Ideal Amount of Work and LeisureDE

        Western Left and the U.S.-China contradictionMR

        The intimate embrace between Liberalism and the Far Right: The Forty-Sixth Newsletter (2023).MR

        Meridel Le Sueur’s ‘Proletarian Literature and the Middle West’PW

        Dipshittery and Cope:

        Ukrainian military officer coordinated Nord Stream pipeline attackWaPo

        Tens of thousands march in Paris against antisemitismDW

        I Love My Trans Comrades!

      • 420stalin69
        ·
        1 year ago

        In our lurch toward war in three places, who exactly will fight?RS A piece essentially stating "Either reinstate the draft or reconsider our imperial strategy.

        Young people don’t want to fight in imperialist wars? Clutches pearls clearly we need a draft.