Second Ben Norton fanboyism of the day for me.

Always excellent Moderate Rebels podcast brings the in-depth analysis of the political landscape of Ecuador, and WTF is going on with the elections.

They also cover the US intel / NGO complex's co-option of anarcho-socialist-environmentalist elements in Ecuador and wider LA, it's history, and how it's becoming the way that the US is exerting control there.

I'm not politically educated enough to have a struggle session on this, and don't think it's constructive. Left unity. However, is it fair to say that certain US intel elements are co-opting nominally Anarchist/Environmentalist figures/movements to further foreign policy aims in certain circumstances?

The examples that spring to my mind are the above and Bellingcat-associated journalists (who are extremely quiet on fascist movements in Ukraine while decrying fascists at home).

This episode is essential listening.

edit: couple of edits to get back up onto the fence a bit more.

  • congressbaseballfan [she/her]
    ·
    edit-2
    4 years ago

    They’re both sidesing this one too (well both sides that are not the left candidate - so the right wing guy and the environmentalist). The Ecosocialist candidate is a fucking Trojan horse. Backs the coups in Bolivia (lol), Venezuela (lmao), and is aligned with all the bad NGOs

    • late90smullbowl [they/them]
      hexagon
      ·
      4 years ago

      Exactly. It's unreal. The right wing ex banker guy said he would support the US backed eco socialist against the real socialist, Andrés Arauz.

      The ecosocialist guy was a neoliberal who rebranded recently as a long haired cyclist FFS.

      • congressbaseballfan [she/her]
        ·
        4 years ago

        This is some of the CIA/NED/OAS best work yet tbh, and it’s scary. Putting a mestizo against an indigenous (shill) at a time when indigenous have been trampled on by the government and are looking for representation. Fucking sucks

        • late90smullbowl [they/them]
          hexagon
          ·
          4 years ago

          The indigenous environmentalist protests against Evo pre coup are starting to make a lot more sense now. I'm listening to the pod again rn to try and get it all straight tbh.

          • congressbaseballfan [she/her]
            ·
            4 years ago

            Yes, it’s all tied together. The worst thing is that evo did himself no favors in that regard, and there were things to be critical of him for, but the CIA is woke now. Did you hear they are celebrating black history month?

            • late90smullbowl [they/them]
              hexagon
              ·
              edit-2
              4 years ago

              Course I knew they are now woke. It became clear when the guy from the office became an operator in Libya, did an anti-abortion scifi movie with his clearly liberal wife, and then joined them, IRL and on an amazon TV show.

                • late90smullbowl [they/them]
                  hexagon
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  4 years ago

                  Shut up. I wasn't watching it the last couple of days. They actually had a decent guy on speaking the grim truth about corona. Nomiki was making jokes about not being a NATO shill too.

                  Posted this the other day: Why isn't there something on twitch/youtube in the trad majority report news show format, but communist/socialist/anarchist? Something that's on every day. NEWS. There's a massive opportunity there imo.