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Like many countries that were previously colonies, outright colonialism by its imperial country has been replaced by neocolonialism by that same country.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.
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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!