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R: 69 / I: 9 (sticky)

/leftypedia/

Leftypedia lived - Leftypedia lives - Leftypedia will live!

Greetings, comrades. Leftypedia, the radical encyclopedia, should be back in a usable state. We have more moderators, which will help with spam from now on, and images are slowly being repopulated for your viewing pleasure. The new domain has been up and running for a while at https://wiki.leftypol.org, and we've imported the vast majority of content that was on the old site while adding a lot of new stuff. I hope that Anons can come back and fill in any content that was lost.

For those unaware, Leftypedia is an original /leftypol/ project dedicated to combating the disinformation of mainstream media and academic sources, as well as discussing leftist history, theory, and practice from a multi-sectarian viewpoint. We welcome additions from different leftist perspectives provided that they are properly sourced and well argued. In addition, we maintain a separate space, tentatively titled "Essays", for more subjective or polemic work.

The original thread is here: >>>/edu/3780
You can find Leftypedia at: https://wiki.leftypol.org
Help for new editors: https://wiki.leftypol.org/wiki/Leftypedia:Community_portal
R: 274 / I: 30 (sticky)

Welcome Thread and Feedback (New Constitution Edition)

This thread is for feedback related to administration and management. For technical issues use >>>/tech/6724
Dispute bans using the ban appeal form or >>>/meta/
Search the catalog before starting a new thread to avoid duplicates: https://www.leftypol.org/leftypol/catalog.html
An FAQ including formatting and style guide and simplified rules can be found here: https://leftypol.org/faq.html & https://leftypol.org/rules.html

Old welcome topic saved at: >>>/leftypol_archive/498099

Read This Before Posting:
If this is your first visit, lurk for a while before posting. /leftypol/ is an imageboard for non-sectarian leftist political discussion. The staff aims to allow everything within these bounds. To that end there are some critical rules (for /leftypol/):
* No Spam
* No New Threads for Topics with an existing General thread (e.g. USA politics, COVID-19, online personalities, etc.)
* No Reactionary or Identity Politics
* No Explicit Images including Porn without spoiler warning
Low quality threads are subject to be anchored or locked at volunteers discretion.
More detailed rules, and rules governing staff can be found in the /leftypol/ Constituion PDF (attached)
You may dispute actions taken by the staff or offer suggestions in this thread. Alternatively use >>>/meta/

Useful Links:
Search function - Find your favourite (or least favourite) posts!
https://leftypol.org/search.php

Leftypol Twitter - Follow us on Twitter for status updates and leftist memes
https://twitter.com/leftypol_org

Leftypol Twitter Community - It's /leftypol/… but on Twitter!! Awful! Go join it, anyways
https://twitter.com/i/communities/1670222653255217152

Android app for leftypol.org
https://github.com/PietroCarrara/Clover/releases/latest

/leftypol/ Cytube Community - Watch news, riot porn, or movies with comrades!
https://tv.leftypol.org

Onion Link - Connect anonymously via Onion!
76i2c3hn55fcj5nut3tqlboqqbbh23zvphv7lefk3vftpx6wketlanyd.onion

Board Logs - Global and /leftypol/ logs
https://leftypol.org/log.php?board=leftypol

Matrix Congress - Public Moderation Room
NOTE: Due to recent cyber-attacks, please ask for an invitation to the congress in the public waiting room: https://matrix.to/#/#leftypol-antechamber:matrix.org
https://matrix.to/#/!nTwQxlnWchxZsgDAgE:matrix.org?via=matrix.org

Matrix General Chat - Leftypol General Chat
https://matrix.to/#/#leftypol-antechamber:matrix.org
If you don't want to use matrix you can interact with the chat through #[email protected] too.

Leftybooru - To upload, tag, and organize images
https://lefty.booru.org/index.php?page=post&s=list&tags=all

Leftypedia - A wiki project
https://wiki.leftypol.org

Unofficial Leftypol video channel - also posts audio and PDFs
https://archive.org/details/@the_leftypol_video_archive

New Multitude - Notes, theory and shitposts from the worldwide left via leftypol and elsewhere
Website: https://newmultitude.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/newmultitude
R: 565 / I: 123

/cybersoc/

This thread is for the discussion of cybersocialism, the planning of the socialist economy by computerized means, including discussions of related topics and creators. Drama belongs in /isg/

Reading
Towards a New Socialism by Paul Cockshott and Allin Cottrell: http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/
Brain of the Firm by Stafford Beer
Cybernetic Revolutionaries by Eden Medina
Cybernetics: Or the Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine and The Human Use of Human Beings (1st edition) by Norbert Wiener
Economic cybernetics by Nikolay Veduta
People's Republic of Walmart by Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski
Red Plenty by Francis Spufford
Economics in kind, Total socialisation and A system of socialisation by Otto Neurath (Incommensurability, Ecology, and Planning: Neurath in the Socialist Calculation Debate by Thomas Uebel provides a summary)

Active writers/creators
Sorted by last name
>Paul Cockshott
https://www.patreon.com/williamCockshott/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVBfIU1_zO-P_R9keEGdDHQ (https://invidious.snopyta.org/channel/UCVBfIU1_zO-P_R9keEGdDHQ)
https://paulcockshott.wordpress.com/
http://paulcockshott.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/PaulCockshott (https://nitter.pussthecat.org/PaulCockshott)
>Cibcom (Spanish)
https://cibcom.org/
https://twitter.com/cibcomorg (https://nitter.pussthecat.org/cibcomorg)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCav9ad3TMuhiWV6yP5t2IpA (https://invidious.snopyta.org/channel/UCav9ad3TMuhiWV6yP5t2IpA)
>Tomas Härdin
https://www.haerdin.se/tag/cybernetics.html
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fDgA_eHleDiTLC5qb5g8w (https://invidious.snopyta.org/channel/UC5fDgA_eHleDiTLC5qb5g8w)
>Victor Magariño
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJJwfW0R3Lv486AjwUWxIYw (https://invidious.snopyta.org/channel/UCJJwfW0R3Lv486AjwUWxIYw)
https://twitter.com/Victormagajr (https://nitter.pussthecat.org/Victormagajr)
https://www.patreon.com/victormagarino
>Elena Veduta
http://www.strategplan.com/en/about/veduta.php
Various videos on YouTube but no channel of her own
>Dave Zachariah
https://www.it.uu.se/katalog/davza513
One video on Paul Cockshott's channel

Podcasts
>General Intellect Unit
Podcast of the Cybernetic Marxists
http://generalintellectunit.net/

Previous threads in chronological order
https://archive.is/uNCEY
https://web.archive.org/web/20201218152831/https://bunkerchan.xyz/leftypol/res/997358.html
https://archive.ph/uyggp
https://archive.is/xBFYY
>>1158221
R: 92 / I: 8

/career/

Previous thread: >>1263434

Talk about job/career advice and other related stuff from a leftist perspective. EX: How to get a job, promotion, skill, switch companies, resume, life hacks, etc.
R: 15 / I: 2

/mrg/ Muslim Resistance General - Gaddafi's Ghost Edition

Discussion about the Muslim/Arab world, MENA, and it's intersection with the Capitalist/Colonialist west. Muslim resistance in the nations of the West as well. I'm not a Muslim but I've been studying it for years and have an appreciation for it and many of it's 20th and 21st century figures have taken a great deal of their inspiration from Communist thought. I'm studying Arabic at university and would love it if there was a Muslim imageboard but I don't know of such a thing.
R: 2 / I: 1
Ungern-Sternberg, chevalier romantique, tu attends la mort comme un amant sa promise
Ungern-Sternberg, chevalier romantique, les rêves les plus fous sont les seuls que l’on réalise
R: 26 / I: 12

NICKLAND HAPPY : )

Private economy thriving in DPRK, but still with great difficulty, of course. How many more years until DPRK becomes capitalist like China?
R: 500 / I: 146

/ukraine/ - Russia-Ukraine war general #168: The Greater Canadien Reich Edition

REMEMBER: слава Канаді! Slava Klanadi!

>european officials say they'll stop buying russian energy

>russian officials say that if europeans stop buying russian energy they will freeze
>european officials keep buying russian energy despite the posturing
<UHHHH Y ISN'T YUROP FREEZING? HELLO, GENERAL WINTER?? DUMB ZIGGERS

>McConnell: American support for Ukraine is not charity. It’s in our own direct interests – not least because degrading Russia helps to deter China.

<China: LE NEUTRAL, LE OPTICS, LE EUROPEAN OUTREACH

>america could grind china to a stalemate against taiw-ACK


>"why isn’t russia building epic wunderwaffen during a war instead of sticking to the more reliable and available models they already have??"

<putting the pathetic nazi faggots who lost WW2 in charge of NATO did irreparable damage to your militaries, jesus christ

>You will eat the vkusno i tochka burger.


>"Belarus is closer to socialism and revolution than any other European country."

<Lassalle vindicated again.

>Truckers are petite bourgeois since they own their trucks which are their means of production.

>Actual proletarians like Starbucks cashiers don't even own their own cashier stands.
<Patsocs btfo
>The real proletarians are the Hollywood writers.
<Hollywood writers are actually lumpenprole because they're all hired by the CIA to churn out propaganda garbage. That and they all do a lot of drugs and visit prostitutes.

>Putin is true communist prolerarian revolutionary because owns every single mean of production in Russia (is like Stalin) so is embodiment of higher stage communism. Is the dialectic materialism himself.


>✔️No respect for private property

>✔️Communal sharing of the means of production
>✔️Hatred for wage slavery
>✔️Environmentally-friendly solutions to modern problems
<Are Romanians
<OUR GUYS
<?

>Don't do this again mods someone started a fake thread with porn as the header


<did you really think you could post on reddit and not have it removed? Even if it stayed up it would have been shadowbanned. When the war started I made an effortpost on r/dankmemes which got no responses or even downvotes. I logged out and found my post disappeared. I went to the moderators with screenshots proving how my post disappeared when logged out, or logged in as a different account, and they said that this was a consequence of shadowbanning because I used non-American news sources and used certain terms which triggered administrative policies that were beyond their control. you cannot reeducatedredditors because all attempts at educating people will be removed or hidden from everyone but you.


>was a Ukrainian journalist and writer known for his criticism of Ukrainian politics and for the support of closer ties of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

>He was found killed by a gunshot on 16 April 2015, near his residence in Kyiv. The murder case remains unsolved.
<it_is_a_mystery.webm

>I got called Indian on reddit for posting about the Canada Nazi debacle. Person said I am trying to distract from what India did in Canada. It's no longer Russian shill now you are Indian shill too


<Absolute state of canada. They acted like the worst strawmen from this thread.


—————————————————–

Evidence of the influence and origin of neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine
https://archive.ph/44B9Q
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323637
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323658
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323663
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323688
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323729
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323733
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323731
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323735
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323740

—————————————————–

ALWAYS APPROACH SOURCES CRITICALLY

Developments of multipolarity timeline
https://www.pacemaker.global/multipolar-transition-timeline (Note: Dead link. Update with new link, por favor.)

Live maps and updates
DeepStateMap: https://deepstatemap.live
Events in Ukraine: https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/
SouthFront: https://southfront.org/category/all-articles/world/europe/ukraine/

Watch Together
📺 News/events: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/HappeningsviaKlash
📺 Hangout/chill: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/bloodcast

Watch By Yourself
>Video Essays / Historical Background
📺 Ukraine: The Avoidable War - Boy Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4eNy4FCs8

📺 America, Russia, and Ukraine's Far Right - Gravel Institute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0pyVJG7_6Q

📺 Crimea vs Taiwan: Who Gets Self-Determination? - BadEmpanada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_UH4fmyj0

📺 The Nature of Putin's Russia and Its Causes (3-Part Series) - 1Dime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d6Vzi7zYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zODWTfMwFGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN1KK9Mzuo

<Current Happenings

📺 Defense Politics Asia: https://www.youtube.com/@DefensePoliticsAsia
📺 The Duran: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeMVChrumySxV9N1w0Au-w
📺 The News Atlas: https://www.youtube.com/c/thenewatlas
📺 Military Summary: https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary

—————————————————–

Social media
>Twitter
https://nitter.net/GeromanAT
https://nitter.net/wargonzoo
https://nitter.net/plnewstoday
https://nitter.net/RALee85
https://nitter.net/MarQs__
https://nitter.net/KofmanMichael
https://nitter.net/IntelCrab
https://nitter.net/NotWoofers
https://nitter.net/michaelh992
https://nitter.net/Suriyakmaps

<Telegram

https://t.me/milinfolive
https://t.me/hueviykharkov
https://t.me/conflictzone
https://t.me/vorposte
https://t.me/intelslava
https://t.me/grey_zone
https://t.me/AussieCossack
https://t.me/asbmil
https://t.me/Slavyangrad

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇨🇦
Thread guidelines:
• Please remember to add a spoiler to NSFW and extreme content such as graphic violence and gore.
• Try your best to not derail discussion too much from the main events and relevant places where the war is taken place, as well as other happenings, groups and public figures related to it.
• Meta discussion of the historical, philosophical and ideological background of the war is fine as long as its done in good faith and comradely.
• In the event the meta discussion overstays its welcome, participating users will be referred to take the conversation to the /multipolar/ general thread: >>>/leftypol/1590991
• Quality shitposting and original content is encouraged! Spamming glowie memes is low effort.
• Remember to take your meds! It helps mediate schizoposting and foot fetishism
• this is /isg/ for people who treat geopolitics like shitty map games
R: 500 / I: 157

/isg/ - Internet Spectacle General

A thread focused on discussing the parasocial relationships cultivated by the Almighty Algorithm to generate profit off of our atomization and society's hyper-normalization of petty internet drama.
Make sure to check and consider to read the reading list!

Reminder That None of This Is Real!

—————————————————–

CORE THEORY
>The Society of the Spectacle (1967) by Guy Debord
📖 • https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/debord/society.htm
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEww2oeqWuoI3wL-PyJmo2Vbv

<The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1936) by Walter Benjamin

📖 • https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwynPKHnsxfdpM7jq68JN8vL

>The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception from Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944) by Theodore Adorno & Max Horkheimer

📓 • https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/adorno/1944/culture-industry.htm
📖 • https://libcom.org/article/dialectic-enlightenment-philosophical-fragments-theodor-adorno-and-marx-horkheimer
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwxFYWxXQ3mhdPFAqzaC5d2z

<Discipline and Punish (1975) by Michel Foucault

📖 • https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/michel-foucault-discipline-and-punishment
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwxr7D9HUhMnbam2Yh9rxPin

>Simulacra and Simulation (1981) by Jean Baudrillard

📖 • https://libgen.is/book/index.php?md5=DBF3E860993373223D72E98FADF0F2DC
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEww4BP9g03lhoAL79zf_qZMX

<Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (1988) by Edward S. Herman & Noam Chomsky

📖 • https://libcom.org/article/manufacturing-consent-political-economy-mass-media-noam-chomsky-and-edward-s-herman
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwyWgXldbUfHRU2C7G_pnmfh

>The Sublime Object of Ideology (1989) by Slavoj Zizek

📖 • https://libgen.is/book/index.php?md5=054E022C8BD24EE2C5595B575BCED7DC
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwyYw_qleRMbG_ButG5cXLSe

<Postscript on the Societies of Control (1990) by Gilles Deleuze

📖 • https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/gilles-deleuze-postscript-on-the-societies-of-control
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwzT37X6qTM9aprSsZwfIVGB

>Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991) by Fredric Jameson

📖 • https://libgen.is/book/index.php?md5=5BD20E0E22FC8BC2CB4F8A7760D57027
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwwpfwZshVw631SUuXI0T5tw

<Spectres of Marx (1993) by Jacques Derrida

📖 • https://libcom.org/library/specters-marx-jacques-derrida
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwxwyxbQE4oQ_zFAOm00VlBy

>Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative (2009) by Mark Fisher

📖 • https://libcom.org/article/capitalist-realism-mark-fisher
📺 • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oEabMTmEwy0syEzQU81XRAeHtHZBCQ1

—————————————————–

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

>Precursor Material to Post-modernity and Critical Theory

📖 • Karl Marx - Book 1, Chapter 4 of Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (1844)
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/labour.htm
📺 • Why Marx Was Right: Alienation - PlasticPills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPRxxN4Kh30

📖 • Antonio Gramsci - Book 1, Chapter 1 of Selections from the Prison Notebooks (1929)
https://www.marxists.org/archive/gramsci/prison_notebooks/problems/intellectuals.htm
📺 • Hegemony: WTF? An introduction to Gramsci and cultural hegemony - Tom Nicholas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LI_2-qsovo

📖 • Louis Althusser - Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (1970)
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm
📺 • Althusser's Concept of Ideology: A Discussion with Anthony Gavin - Acid Horizon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtOqXxkKwvw

<On Neo-Liberalism and Post-Fordism

[Work in progress]

>Documentaries

Manufacturing Consent (1992) by Mark Achbar & Peter Wintonick, with Noam Chomsky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li2m3rvsO0I

The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006) by Sophie Fiennes, with Slavoj Zizek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYuI4SFw4g0

HyperNormalisation (2006) by Adam Curtis
https://youtu.be/thLgkQBFTPw

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (2012) by Sophie Fiennes, with Slavoj Zizek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBcFLmu_tlc


<Easy-Bake Breadtube (for absolute beginners)

We're All Fake Now - Wisecrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTW1mPOJJ_Y

Are Cell Phones Replacing Reality? - PBS Idea Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AXIAM7dTTg

The Cultural Significance of Cyberpunk - Cuck Philosophy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvor7hhDKTs

—————————————————–

RECOMMENDED OP-EDS
I Don’t Want to Be an Internet Person by Ginevra Davis
https://www.palladiummag.com/2022/11/04/i-do-not-want-to-be-an-internet-person/

Pluralistic: Tiktok's enshittification by Cory Doctorow
https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

Facebook's Threads is so depressing by Jason O. Gilbert
https://jogblog.substack.com/p/facebooks-threads-is-so-depressing
R: 11 / I: 0

History of work

YouTube historian destroys the myth that capitalism has made people work less hours that pre-industrial societies. Why is this myth perpetuated? Anthropology has demosntarted that humans have worked for most of our history in bursts. (8 hours a day but 2 hours the next day). The mean is 4 to 6 hours per week. I think it is the best time to push for 6 or 5 hour workdays. Thoughts?
R: 177 / I: 27

Why don't leftists care about the potential second Armenian Genocide?

Since losing the 2020 Artsakh war to Azerbaijan, the Armenian nation has faced an intense existential crisis over its very existence. Azerbaijan was able to win because Israel sold it advanced weaponry that it used to flatten the Artsakh forces. Since the end of the war, Azerbaijan has been blockading what's left of the Artsakh Republic, and threatening to invade Armenia proper. The ultimate goal of Turkey and Azerbaijan is to take the Zangzeur Corridor from Armenia, thereby connecting Turkey to Azerbaijan to Central Asia. This was the exact same goal the Turks had in 1915, to wipe out the Armenians and create a Greater Turan.

Russia has abandoned Armenia as punishment for the 2018 color revolution. Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia is a traitor and almost probably a Turkish agent. Iran is the only country that has said it would back Armenia if Armenia proper is invaded, because the Islamic Republic hates Azerbaijan for being anti-IRI and pro-Israel. But there's also a huge Azeri population in Iran that could spoil things.

A lot of leftists, especially those who endorse multipolarity, seem to see Turkey as an ally even though it is literally in NATO and can never be trusted.
R: 500 / I: 114

/USApol/

🗽United States Politics🦅

Absolute State of America Edition

Thread for the hellish discussion related to the greatest, best country God has ever given man on the face of the Earth.

🏈💵💸🍔

State mandated propaganda livestreams:
CNN: https://www.livenewsnow.com/american/cnn-news-usa.html
MSNBC: https://www.livenewsnow.com/american/msnbc.html
FOX: https://www.livenewsnow.com/american/fox-news-channel.html
Bloomberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp8PhLsUcFEegalitarianism
R: 57 / I: 4

Marxism curriculum

Hey comrades. College senior here. I’ve often been told that in order to be a good Marxist one must simultaneously be a good philosopher, good economist, good psychologist, and good historian.

So, what would you recommend if I were to ask you for six books on philosophy from a Marxist perspective, six books on economics from a Marxist perspective, six books on psychology from a Marxist perspective, and six books on history from a Marxist perspective?

Hard mode: NO Marx and Engels, Lenin, or any of the “classics” but more secondary sources by scholars in the Marxist tradition.
R: 6 / I: 0

Mass production kills off spectacles

I’ve been thinking about advertising under capitalism and how much of society today revolves around constant consumption on goods alongside services that function as commodities and spectacles. However I’ve noticed a trend, one that commonly occurs in industrialized states where spectacles should have the most influence. An inverse relationship can be seen between the industriousness of a settlement with respect to how many spectacles occupy the minds of its civilians. Just take a walk in a bigger city and compare the density of advertising to a sparse small town, or how much less eye catching modern clothing is despite how unprofessional most of it is. Even by historical standards the vast majority of modern clothing is on par or even as visually boring as peasant attire in the Middle Ages. Commodities themselves as products are slowly losing their visual intrigue, take cars. Modern cars thanks to global pushes towards mass standardization have seen centralization in their design and aspects of their visuals become consolidated to the point where the distinction between one car and another is their immediate function and lifespan. Another are the modern day homes and stores built today, younger generations will grow up seeing less or even no street vendors, small shops with bright and colourful logos but rather similarly designed blocks of concrete and brick meant to efficiently house and support as many small businesses in smaller amounts of space. Many in my city are hard to distinguish from one another without direct viewership of the logos representing each company. I can keep going on about how the increased infrastructural and industrial development of the planet had led to visual homogeneity of commodities, thus ending critical aspects of spectacle society, but what’s important is to recognize that this is even a trend. What’s the capitalist world gonna look like now that were in its final years? Will fascism be even more boring and repetitive before a socialist revolution towards mass standardization of all that’s produced? Will media be the only spectacle left in a homogenizing planet?
R: 6 / I: 0

The Lesser of Two Evils is a Democracy for Psychopaths

<The Lesser of Two Evils is a Democracy for Psychopaths

>Donald Trump has to be stopped. The man is a menace to democracy with an insatiable appetite for debauchery, a geriatric career gangster with a rap sheet longer than his Freudian phallic tie. The bastard has left a gruesome trail of mutilated corpses in shallow graves from Atlantic City to Jerusalem and has grievously molested nearly as many institutions as he has teenage sex workers with his greasy little orange pussy grabbers. His crimes have all been absurdly well publicized and flamboyantly brazen, yet somehow all the available polls seem to indicate that this Hammer House monster of a political supervillain could very well take the White House back with a vengeance again in 2024. The mind boggles at such madness. How? How could any sane human being possibly justify voting for such an unapologetically revolting sewer mutant?


>The answer is actually pretty simple, because Joe Biden has to be stopped. After all isn’t he also a geriatric career gangster with an insatiable appetite for debauchery? Pretty much every mortal sin that Donald Trump has ever committed, Joe Biden has committed at least twice. The man is a barely veiled racist sexual predator and serial plagiarist who has built a seemingly endless career pushing Black children in front of armored police trucks before posing for selfies with Bono and telling a crowded Baptist church that he was the first white member of the Jackson Five.


>And now that crusty old bitch has added full-blown dementia to his routine. This is why the Democrats store him in a warehouse freezer in Delaware for most of the year and only cart him out when the wreckage of his administration needs to be publicly surveyed in order to prevent an all-out riot. The reasonably dire need to stop a creature like Donald Trump is the only reason why a creature like Joe Biden is even in the White House and the equally reasonably dire need to stop Joe Biden is simultaneously making Donald Trump’s seemingly unthinkable return to the scene of the crime a very real possibility.


>This, ladies and gentlemen, is American democracy in 2024 and everybody is doing it. While polls show the two grabbiest perverts in the convalescent home neck in neck in their crawl to the White House, they also show a country horrified by these options with CNN finding more people who despise both of these candidates than anybody who actually likes either one of them. This is the rotten fruit of the lesser of two evils, that despicably American fetish shoved down ever bored teenager’s throat by jingoistic civics teachers since Jefferson was in nipple clamps.


>“There are only two monsters to choose from and you have to vote for whichever one nauseates you the least, otherwise you forfeit the right to bitch about getting raped by one of them at your local drinking hole for the next four years.” Fuck you, Mr. Fitzgerald, stop living in my skull. This is the twisted reasoning that has led us to a contest between the two most hated and depraved plutocrats since the last two war criminals who ran for Duce and Americans are beginning to resemble what they vote for.


>In every living room, bar, and hair salon across the country you will find perfectly decent working-class human beings mounting passionate defenses for increasingly heinous crimes in the name of American democracy. You will find loving stay-at-home moms defending Donald Trump’s attempts to shred the votes of other loving stay-at-home moms because Joe Biden had his flunkies in the media kick sand over the latest escapades of his crackhead son. You will hear hippie peaceniks justify Biden sending cluster munitions to Ukraine because Trump sold worse to the Saudis. This is sick and it just keeps getting worse. The lesser of two evils is nothing more than a mask of sanity to place on the face of an insatiable imperial beast, the kind of moral parlor trick that serves as the cornerstone for any psychopath and that is precisely the path that Americans have chosen.


>We are a country of descent people living comfortably in a spacious ranch house in the suburbs of the first world but there are bodies rotting in the basement and they have been there for a very long time. The imperial killer who built this house for us has done a masterful job of keeping its occupants detached from the crimes committed in our name across the globe but the chickens always come home to roost and the killers we sanction with our votes are increasingly bringing their work home with them, behaving like the dictators they sponsor in the third world while we all smile politely and wash the blood from our dishes before shouting “Everything’s fine!” over the screams and power tools. We are living in a horror movie. We aren’t the victims in this story yet, but we will be shortly if we don’t find a way to flip the script and retake our dignity.


>Had they stuck to politics, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy would have had a running shot at winning this game by 2028. After all, Ted was a handsome and charming Rockefeller Republican who worked as an assistant to the chairman of the Wahington state Republican Party and Gacy was a successful Chicago businessman whose work for the local Democratic Party earned him an audience with then First Lady Rosalyn Carter. So, which is the lesser evil? I’m fucking serious here, this is the system, isn’t it? If it’s Bundy vs Gacy 2028 then which is the responsible choice for American democracy? Bundy is great on taxes but pretty vile on women’s lib but hey, at least he’s straight and most of his victims are over the age of consent and somebody has to stop that killer clown.


>Do you feel sick yet? Are you ashamed of yourself? Good, that’s a start. It’s a sign that you still have a functioning conscience but mark my words, you won’t for long if we continue to use democracy as an excuse to avoid the uncomfortable fact that America is a fundamentally evil institution, one built on genocide and slavery, one that exports mass murder and fascism to every corner of the globe, and both parties are in on it. The candidates are irrelevant. They all serve the same masters, but they are getting worse because America is getting worse, and America is getting worse for the simple reason that evil is not sustainable. Human beings are not designed to live in an amoral cesspool indefinitely. We all crack eventually beneath the weight of our sins.


>So, what do we do? Who do we vote for? Here’s a radical idea, how about no one? This is a rigged system, and we all know it, so, let’s stop justifying its increasingly demented existence by refusing to participate in it. Even if some knight in white shining armor from a third party managed to jump the barricade, what difference would it make? You could put Eugene goddamn Debbs in charge of a slaughterhouse, and it would still be a fucking slaughterhouse. So, let’s boycott the slaughterhouse and demand something better as loudly as humanly possible. Let’s protest the debates. Let’s hold sit-ins outside the polling stations and demand direct referendums on the war in Ukraine and the runaway police state instead of ferrying these responsibilities out to known psychopaths.


>Or just simply stop engaging the American government at all. Use your campaign donations to buy a patch of dirt in the sticks and start your own goddamn government. Turn the nearest abandoned box store into a squat and turn that squat into a commune. Do what the real hippies and the Amish did, drop out of a sickening system and start living like human beings again. But whatever you do, stop making excuses for people that we all know are evil just because the other guy sickens you more. That kind of relationship is abusive and believe it or not, you deserve better than to be governed by a democracy of psychopaths. We all do.


https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/09/29/the-lesser-of-two-evils-is-a-democracy-for-psychopaths/
R: 4 / I: 1

News 9/29/23

European unions call for solidarity ahead of Turkish health workers union officials' trial
In May 2021 police carried out a dawn raid against the SES and arrested officials Selma Atabey and Gonul Erden. Both were accused of terrorism, but the unions believe that both officials were arrested because of their trade union activities. Ms Erden, former chair of the SES, was sent to prison in September 2021 but released after a hearing in March of this year.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/european-unions-call-solidarity-ahead-turkish-health-workers-union-officials-trial

Protesters confront security forces as Iran marks anniversary of crackdown
The clashes came on the heels of an incident at a facility in southwest Iran in which prisoners started a fire to protest against a death sentence issued against a fellow inmate, and shots were heard, an Iranian news agency reported. “Following the announcement of the death sentence of a prisoner in Ramhormoz prison, several prisoners have started a riot by starting a fire,” the semi-official news agency Mehr reported on Friday. “Gunfire could be heard from outside the prison.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/29/protesters-confront-security-forces-as-iran-marks-anniversary-of-crackdown
https://archive.ph/b2bfQ

A journalist and four HDP politicians sentenced to one and a half years in prison in Bursa
An appeal trial against several members of the Kurdish democratic opposition ended at a criminal court in the western Turkish province of Bursa on Thursday with a verdict of one and a half years' imprisonment each. The defendants were Aynur Yılmaz and Mehmet Akbaş, the former co-chairs of the provincial association of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Bursa, Halis Şanlı responsible for the Mudanya district, and the HDP activist Ismail Hakkı Gökçe. Journalist Emrah Çaçan was the fifth defendant to appear in court.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/a-journalist-and-four-hdp-politicians-sentenced-to-one-and-a-half-years-in-prison-in-bursa-69549

Libya’s coast guard rams into a dingy with some 50 migrants. Many onboard get thrown into the sea
A Libyan coast guard boat rammed into a dingy carrying some 50 migrants just off Libya’s coast on Friday, partially sinking the vessel. Many of those onboard were thrown into the Mediterranean Sea and had to swim to another Libyan ship nearby for safety, a rescue group said.
https://apnews.com/article/libya-migrants-boat-rammed-2947c449355bd007747698ee5f347700

France's Macron backs ‘autonomy’ for Corsica ‘within the French Republic’
The French president set a six-month deadline for the government and Corsican political parties to agree on a proposed revision to the Constitution, which would then be examined by parliament in Paris. “This will not be autonomy against the state, nor autonomy without the state,” he warned. Macron’s government had floated the prospect of autonomy for Corsica in the run-up to France’s presidential election last year, hoping to calm days of violent protests sparked by the death in jail of Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230928-%F0%9F%94%B4-france-s-macron-backs-autonomy-for-corsica-within-the-french-republic
https://archive.ph/nDADf

Councillors and MSPs join carers and parents fighting against nursery's ‘fire-and-rehire’ plans
After earlier closure plans were put on ice in May, New College Lanarkshire told parents and staff earlier this month that it planned to shut the nursery at its Cumbernauld campus on December 31. The college stated that the running of the nursery at the site would be transferred to Amcol, a charity wholly owned by the college, and would resume in August next year.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tory-low-growth-economics-clobbering-workers-with-biggest-tax-hike-since-second-world-war

Russia to Draft 130K Young Men in Fall Military Call-Up
Russia’s military will enlist 130,000 young men for compulsory service this fall, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Combined with the 147,000 men drafted during the spring draft, Russia’s Defense Ministry will field 277,000 conscripts in 2023. From Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, Russia’s military will be allowed to call up men aged 18-27 for their 12-month training period.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/09/29/russia-to-draft-130k-young-men-in-fall-military-call-up-a82616
https://archive.ph/jSnZm

Mob Tries to Attack Manipur CM's Ancestral House; Manipur IPS Officer Brought Back from J&K
A mob tried to attack Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s empty ancestral house on Thursday night, despite a security clampdown and curfew in the Imphal valley where protesters have been holding violent demonstrations after photos of bodies of two youths missing since July surfaced on social media earlier this week. Security forces, however, were successful in foiling the attempt and stopping them 100-150 metres from the residence after firing several rounds of tear gas shells.
https://www.newsclick.in/mob-tries-attack-manipur-cms-ancestral-house-manipur-ips-officer-brought-back-jk

Mainland China consumer market still holds appeal for Taiwanese investors, despite tensions
About 4,200 Taiwanese companies have set up shop in mainland China – the world’s second largest economy – since the 1980s to make a host of goods, such as sports gear and consumer electronics. Taiwanese investors typically re-export those wares to Western countries, but since 2018 they have been daunted by US import tariffs targeting China and Western pressure to shift production outside the mainland. “In recent years, the overall business environment in mainland China has deteriorated, and the US-China technology and trade wars have caused the supply chains of some Taiwanese businessmen engaged in triangular trade to move overseas,” the council said.
https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3236319/mainland-china-consumer-market-still-holds-appeal-taiwanese-investors-despite-tensions?module=lead_hero_story&pgtype=homepage

9 years after mine spill in northern Mexico, new report gives locals hope for long-awaited cleanup
Summarizing a 239-page report, officials also confirmed, using satellite images, that the spill was not solely caused by dramatic rainfall, as was initially reported, but by the “inadequate design” of a dam at Buenavista del Cobre mine, owned by the country’s largest copper producer, Grupo México. Locals and environmental advocates say the report offers the clearest view yet of the catastrophic scale of the accident and, with it, new hope that Grupo México may finally be held financially accountable after almost a decade of legal battles and broken promises.
https://apnews.com/article/copper-mine-sonora-mexico-spill-pollution-eff24daec766d4944ed2e990355ea43a
R: 61 / I: 8

Kronstadt Anarchists BTFO

<1. In view of the fact that the present soviets do not represent the will of the workers and peasants, to re-elect the soviets immediately by secret voting, with free canvassing among all workers and peasants before the elections.
The soviets that existed in 1921 represented the dictatorship of the proletariat, which was necessary to defend the revolution from internal and external enemies. Re-electing the soviets by secret voting would have allowed the influence of counter-revolutionary parties and sabotaged the workers’ power. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to restore the bourgeois democracy and weaken the proletariat state.

<2. Freedom of speech and press for workers, peasants, Anarchists and Left Socialist Parties.

Freedom of speech and press for the proletariat was already guaranteed by the Soviet constitution, but not for Anarchists and Left "Socialist" Parties, who were agents of the bourgeoisie and sought to overthrow the Soviet state. They had to be suppressed by the proletarian dictatorship. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to give a platform to the enemies of the revolution and spread their propaganda.

<3. Freedom of meetings, trade unions and peasant associations.

Freedom of meetings and worker associations was also guaranteed by the Soviet constitution, but only for the proletariat. Any organization that opposed the proletariat state was a tool of the bourgeoisie and had to be banned. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to create a network of fascist opposition and bourgeois resistance to the Soviet authority.

<4. To convene, not later than 1 March 1921, a non-party conference of workers, soldiers and sailors of Petrograd City, Kronstadt and Petrograd Province.

A non-party conference of workers, soldiers and sailors was unnecessary and dangerous, as it would have created a parallel bourgeois power to the soviets and the Communist Party, which were the only legitimate representatives of the working class. Such a conference would have been infiltrated by counter-revolutionaries and used to undermine the Soviet authority. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to challenge the leadership of the Communist Party and divide the workers’ movement.

<5. To liberate all political prisoners of Socialist Parties, and also all workers, peasants, soldiers and sailors who have been imprisoned in connection with working-class and peasant movements.

Political prisoners of Socialist Parties and workers’ and peasants’ movements were not innocent victims, but traitors and enemies of the revolution. They had been tried and sentenced by the revolutionary tribunals, which were the expression of the workers’ justice. They did not deserve any mercy or amnesty. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to free the subversives and conspirators who had plotted against the Soviet state.

<6. To elect a commission to review the cases of those who are imprisoned in jails and concentration camps.

A commission to review the cases of the reactionaries who were imprisoned was unnecessary and harmful, as it would have questioned the legitimacy and validity of the infallible revolutionary tribunals and their verdicts. It would also have created an utterly false impression of injustice and repression by the Soviet state. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to discredit the revolutionary justice and undermine the confidence of the masses in the Soviet power.

<7. To abolish all Political Departments, because no single party may enjoy privileges in the propagation of its ideas and receive funds from the state for this purpose. Instead of these Departments, locally elected cultural-educational commissions must be established and supported by the state. This is the reason for the inclusion of this document in a collection otherwise devoted entirely to official publications.

Political Departments were essential to ensure the economical and political education of the proletariat, and to combat the influence of the bourgeois and petty-bourgeois ideology. They were funded by the proletariat as a part of the cultural and educational work of the Communist Party. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to abolish the Political Departments and replace them with locally elected cultural-educational commissions, which would have been dominated by the anti-communist elements and served their interests.

<8. All ‘cordon detachments” are to be abolished immediately.

Cordon detachments were necessary to prevent the desertion and defection of the soldiers and sailors, who were under the constant pressure and temptation of the counter-revolutionary forces. They were also needed to maintain the discipline and order in the army and navy, which were vital for the defense of the revolution. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to abolish the cordon detachments and encourage the disintegration and demoralization of the armed forces.

<9. To equalize rations for all workers, harmful sectors being excepted.

The rationing system was based on the principle of socialist distribution, which gave priority to the most productive and useful sectors of the economy. The workers in the harmful sectors were compensated by extra benefits and privileges. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to equalize the rations for all workers, regardless of their contribution and role in the socialist construction. This would have undermined the basis of socialist production and led to the waste and inefficiency of the resources.

<10. To abolish all Communist fighting detachments in all military units, and also the various Communist guards at factories. If such detachments and guards are needed they may be chosen from the companies in military units and in the factories according to the judgment of the workers.

The Communist fighting detachments and guards were necessary to protect the factories and military units from the attacks and sabotage of the counter-revolutionaries. They were also needed to ensure the loyalty and commitment of the workers and soldiers to the Soviet state and the Communist Party. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to abolish the Communist fighting detachments and guards, and replace them with detachments and guards chosen by the workers and soldiers themselves. This would have exposed the factories and military units to the danger of infiltration and subversion by the enemies of the revolution.

<11. To grant the peasant full right to do what he sees fit with his land and also to possess cattle, which he must maintain and manage with his own strength, but without employing hired labor.

The kulaks had the right to use the land and the cattle as they saw fit, but they had to respect the collective and state ownership of the land and the cattle, which were the property of the whole people. They also had to refrain from employing hired labor, which was a form of exploitation and a remnant of the capitalist system. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to grant the peasants full right to do what they saw fit with their land and cattle, and also to possess cattle, which they could maintain and manage with their own strength, but without employing hired labor. This would have encouraged the development of the private property and the class differentiation among the , and weakened the unity of class interests between the agricultural and industrial proletariat.

<12. To ask all military units and also our comrades, the military cadets, to associate themselves with our resolutions.

The military units and the military cadets had to support the resolutions of the Soviet state and the Communist Party, which were the only legitimate and justified expressions of the will of the proletariat. They had to reject the resolutions of the Kronstadt rebels, which were counter-revolutionary and harmful to the interests of the socialist society. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to persuade the military units and the military cadets to associate themselves with their resolutions, and to create a rift and a conflict between the army and navy and the Soviet state and the Communist Party.

<13. We demand that all resolutions be widely published in the press.

The resolutions of the Kronstadt rebels had to be suppressed and censored by the Soviet state and the Communist Party, as they were dangerous and misleading for the workers and peasants. They had to be exposed and denounced as the manifestations of the bourgeois and petty-bourgeois ideology, which aimed to overthrow the Soviet power and restore the capitalist system. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to publish their resolutions widely in the press, and to spread their lies and illusions among the masses.

<14. To appoint a traveling bureau for control.

A traveling bureau for control was unnecessary and harmful, as it would have interfered with the work and the decisions of the local soviets and the Communist Party organizations, which were the only legitimate and competent organs of the proletariat's power. It would also have created a confusion and a distrust among the proletariat, and undermined the authority and the unity of the Soviet state and the Communist Party. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to appoint a traveling bureau for control, and to challenge and criticize the actions and the policies of the Soviet state and the Communist Party.

<15. To permit free artisan production with individual labor.

Free artisan production with individual labor was a form of petty-bourgeois production, which was incompatible with the socialist mode of production. It was also a source of the private property and the class differentiation, which had to be eliminated by the proletarian dictatorship. The Kronstadt rebels wanted to permit free artisan production with individual labor, and to encourage the survival and the growth of the non-socialist elements in the economy.
R: 24 / I: 6 (sage)

Kurdistan General

This will be the official for all things pertaining to the Kurdish plight and struggle against the imperialistic forces of Iran, Türkiye and Syria. I know Rojava and YPG are a touchy subject for some communists, but in no way is it a good idea to be against them. If we can manage to establish an independent Kurdistan, it will be the sole Marxist nation in the Middle East and that only bodes good things for the region long-term.
R: 422 / I: 82

/strike/ - Labor organizing and activism general

Protests, Strikes & Labor News Thread
A strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances.

—————————————————–

🛠️ Recent Developments 🛠️
>A few minutes ago, thousands of UAW members at Ford, GM, and Stellantis walked out, marking the beginning of the Stand Up Strike.
https://uaw.org/stand-strike-begins-big-three/
<UAW members at GM Wentzville Assembly, Local 2250 in Region 4 are ON STRIKE.
<UAW members at Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex, Local 12 in Region 2B are ON STRIKE.
<UAW members at Ford Michigan Assembly Plant – Final Assembly and Paint, Local 900 in Region 1A are ON STRIKE.

🛠️ Labor Action Tracker 🛠️
https://striketracker.ilr.cornell.edu

🐈‍⬛🌹 • Solidarity! • 🌹🐈‍⬛
WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!

—————————————————–


(PS: The >>1598813 UAW strike and the >>1536945 WGA-SAG strike threads were merged to this general)
R: 464 / I: 198

/brg/ - Brazil General

QUALQUER MOMENTO edition

🚨URGENTE: O Ministro Alexandre de Moraes, do STF, acaba de acatar o pedido da PF de cooperação internacional junto aos Estados Unidos. Com isso, haverá as quebras de sigilos bancários das contas de Jair Bolsonaro, Frederick Wassef e Mauro Cid. Agora, os três passam a ser investigados pelo FBI

Previous thread: >>1531166
R: 500 / I: 100

/crisis/ General

💰️DOW/Market Watch Thread💰️
monitoring the market, trends, fluctuations, etc.
🎩
👀
🐽
👄
R: 90 / I: 15
Are there any "reverse Orwell" cases, like British conservatives or American republicans or straight up fascists who became communists or socialists later in life?
R: 49 / I: 11

Overpopulation vs Pop Collapse

NOOOOOO! THE BIRTHRATES ARE FALLING!!!

WTF is the truth about population boom vs bust? And why are so many rightoids and porkies like Musk obsessed with the birth rates? It makes me suspicious that the porkoids just want us to make more wage slaves? OTOH you have people claiming the WEF/ "elites" are malthusian and want population decrease? which one is it? Wont population collapse be better for the environment, plus doesn't population decline make the rate of profit decline since human labor is the source of value?
R: 33 / I: 10

Do reserve armies actually do anything to harm workers?

I know this question sounds redundant but it’s one I found rather important because of the implications of having them, paired with labour division. I find equating reserve armies as harming the prospects of workers the same as using AI as a threat to people’s employment, it’s a contextual threat not a guaranteed one.

Most jobs, even the ones requiring the lowest amount of training, involve some sort of division these days. This often times means employers, especially ones working for the largest corporations typically need to hire a lot of people to get everything done on time since most people aren’t working on everything at once but one or a set of things to keep everything in check. This also means that having reserve armies of unemployed, experienced, migrants, students, inexperienced you name it can mean pretty little to someone else’s position, especially if that role requires some kind of advanced training or education which alone acts as a massive filter for many job seekers.

Wouldn’t it be far more convenient for most governments to simply subsidize employment programs and job fairs like what corporations and businesses of all lower sizes already do by constantly advertising their vacancies and training offers? It’s something I feel is worth keeping in mind about Marx’s and Engels’s theories on capitalist implications on workers compared to what’s seen in real life.
R: 500 / I: 84

/QTDDTOT/ - Questions that don't need their own thread

Dump all the seemingly pointless, dubious, and frivolous questions that don't deserve their own shitty threads.

Got a question that's probably been asked a million times before? You're in the right landfill, buddy. Post it here.

Threads that otherwise might go in here will eventually find themselves become merged to this thread.
R: 20 / I: 4

Zmiena režymu ŭ Bielarusi

JA chaču papiaredzić svaich lievych tavaryšaŭ ab nastupnych źmienach, jakija adbuducca, kali ja zhvaltuju Lukašenku i vaźmu na siabie kantroĺ:

>Ja ŭstanaŭliu kamunizm

>Ja ŭvajdu va Ŭkrainu i Poĺšču z metaj ich źniščeńnia
>Za zdradnika spravy pucina paklapočusia
>Budu pravodzić ekspiedycyi ŭ Antarktydu
>Ja stanu pracoŭnym manarcham, jak Stalin

Usio heta adbudziecca praz dvaccać dvaccać piać (2025).
R: 82 / I: 49 (sage)

FAGGOTS BURN IN HELL

IF YOUR GAY YOU ARE A REPROBATE AND ON YOUR WAY TO HELL! GOD HATES FAGGOTS, HELLFIRE WHEN YOU DIE. GOD HATES YOU, GOD HATES YOU, GOD HATES YOU, CHANGE OR KILL YOURSELF, CHANGE OR KILL YOURSELF.
R: 4 / I: 1

/leftybritpol/ - pet genocide edition

First they came for the cows, and I did not speak out - because I was not a cow
Then they came for the pitbulls, and I did not speak out - because I was not a pitbull
Then they came for the American Bully XLs, and I did not speak out - because I was not an American Bully XL
Then they came for the cats, and I did not speak out - because I was not a cat
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me

Previous thread: >>1549803
R: 7 / I: 1

Does anyone know anything about South Yemen?

It seems to be horribly understudied. But they BTFO the British in a guerilla war and were the only Marxist Arab state. America labeled them a "sponsor of terrorism" so they must have been doing something right. I don't much about them otherwise. Are the southern separatists in Yemen today, who want to recreate South Yemen, communists or not?
R: 1 / I: 0

what the fuck is going on with wikipedia

whats with all the weird white washing going on in English wikipedia, especially when it comes to anything involving the ukrainian ss or the guy who was given a standing ovation in canadian parliament recently, it's kinda surreal with how much they're just letting slide.
R: 15 / I: 2
Would you rather live in a capitalist state where capitalists own the means of production with one giant monopoly but the economy is planned? Or would you rather live in a society where workers own the means of production but worker owned companies compete on the market?
R: 15 / I: 2

What is the correct position on Kosovo?

Brief blogpost before I get into the meat of things. I am a Serb living in Serbia and practically everywhere I look, everyone from far-right neonazis to the handful of communists, even a significant number of liberals, is against the independence of Kosovo. A recent incident has sparked a wave of what I could describe as schizophrenia.

Serb gunmen battle police in Kosovo monastery siege; four dead
>Ethnic Serb gunmen in armoured vehicles stormed a village in north Kosovo on Sunday, battling police and barricading themselves in a monastery in a resurgence of violence in the restive north that killed four people.
>The siege centred on a Serbian Orthodox monastery near the village of Banjska in the Serb-majority region where monks and pilgrims hid inside a temple as a shootout raged.
>One police officer and three of the attackers died, according to authorities in Kosovo and Serbia.
[…]
>A group of Kosovo Serbs positioned trucks on a bridge into the village, shooting at police who approached them, before the battle moved to the nearby monastery, according to accounts by both Kosovo police and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
>The gunmen had left the monastery by night, the Serbian Orthodox Church said, though it was unclear where they went.
>Vucic said the action was a rebellion against Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who has refused to form an association of Serb municipalities in north Kosovo. “Serbia will never recognise independent Kosovo, you can kill us all,” he said.
>Two Serbs were seriously injured and a fourth among them may have died, Vucic said. He condemned the killing of the police officer and urged restraint from Kosovo Serbs.
>The Serbian Orthodox Church’s diocese of Raska-Prizren, which includes Banjska, said men in an armoured vehicle entered the monastery compound, forcing monks and visiting faithful to lock themselves inside the temple.
>The Kosovo police later said they had entered the monastery and were checking for possible infiltrators among worshippers. Three of their personnel were also injured, as well as the fatality in their ranks, police said.
>Kosovo’s Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said police found a large number of heavy weapons, explosives and uniforms “that were enough for hundreds of other attackers”, indicating preparations for a massive assault.

Reactions in Serbia walked the thin line of, shall we say, reactionary sentiment and hysteria. With a good dose of double standards. Albanian gunmen kill Serbian police officers? Terrorism. Serbian gunmen kill Albanian police officers? Freedom fighters. The old dichotomy. Let's ignore that they kept the monks basically hostage and endangered their lives, since that would be bad PR given that Serbs love The Faith. Or The Heritage, whichever you prefer.

There have been rumors, understandably, that the Serbian ruling party was involved in this incident. I cannot verify these rumors but what I can tell you is that it is a public secret, as we would say, that Kosovo is a central route for drug smugglers. The ties of the Serbian ruling party with drug cartels are very well known at this point. The biggest cannabis plantation in Europe was discovered in Serbia and the president, Mr. Vucic, went live on TV to defend the owner of the plantation, saying weed isn't a big deal, that Germany is planning to legalize it. Nevermind that Serbian coppers harass and beat kids for possessing a quarter of a gram. But I digress.

Anyhow, this incident and the reactions to it made me wonder: what IS the correct position on Kosovo? In Serbia, committing to anything short of the forcible re-integration of Kosovo is political, let alone social, suicide. The ruling party ensures its European friends that the Kosovo situation will be peacefully solved, yet mysterious benefactors have gifted the walls of Belgrade ominous messages, that popped up overnight, about the return of the Army to Kosovo ("When the Army returns to Kosovo…", pictured in OP). Only a fool would think these ominous messages are of an organic character, as typically political graffiti are made by football hooligans with explicit signature from said hooligans, which these ominous messages lack. Whether that is a feature or a bug (intentional or a mistake), in this case leads to the same conclusion. It wouldn't be the first time, as there have been several such recent events (graffiti "calling out" certain politicians in the opposition, graffiti glorifying war criminals, etc. all showing up overnight at several locations and mysteriously lacking signatures from their authors.)

An interesting statistic concerning Kosovo: of the 1.8 million people living in Kosovo, 92% are ethnic Albanians and only 6% are ethnic Serbs. Let's say I follow the line of the handful of Serbian communists, self-declared anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninists, and agree that Kosovo is an inseparable part of Serbia. What, exactly, would they do with over 1.7 million Albanians that, if I were to take a generous guess, want nothing to do with Serbia after the Milosevic saga?

Well?
R: 27 / I: 15

1% Motorcycle clubs

>Be an adult man wealthy enough to own a harley
>Join a weird group with a bunch of rules that they will treat you like shit when you are a prospect
>Get into fights with other riders and take part in all shorts of illegal activities
>Get a case cause the boss you elected ratted you out

What drives people from all over a the world to become edgy freemasons?
Like i understand intercity gang crime but why do this people ruin what in theory could be good lives?
there are plenty safer ways to act like a macho man
R: 599 / I: 100

/leftybritpol/ - By-election blowout edition

Previous thread: >>1488281

In the news:
Scottish Labour would defeat SNP at general election, poll suggests
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-labour-would-defeat-snp-30261588

Radiographers in England stage two-day strike over pay and staffing
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jul/25/radiographers-england-two-day-strike-pay-staffing

Grimsby man wrongly jailed for 17 years may have to pay prison service 'board and lodgings'
https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/grimsby-man-wrongly-jailed-17-8633060

NatWest CEO resigns after admitting to be source for inaccurate story on Nigel Farage
https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20230726189/natwest-ceo-resigns-after-admitting-to-be-source-for-inaccurate-story-on-nigel-farage

Rail ticket office mass closure consultation extended after more than 170,000 responses submitted
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66311238
R: 500 / I: 170

/prc/ - People's Republic of China general

A general thread for all China related discussion.

Original threads:
https://archive.ph/S2XYA
https://archive.ph/Ytckv
leftypol.org archives:
https://archive.is/https://leftypol.org/leftypol/res/30501.html
bunekrchan.xyz archives:
https://archive.is/https://bunkerchan.xyz/leftypol/res/8925.html
https://archive.is/yrBUN
R: 6 / I: 1

How to Make School Admin Afraid They're Going to Be Held Accountable?

Hello, I'm an activist in several somewhat influential advocacy groups and other things, including environmental, Native Land related, and Palestinian related groups. I'm a semi-influencer, and I've been having a problem with my school, so much so that I'm making it my area of focus and leveraging all the things I can and gathering other motivated students to help. I had some unique things happen to me, but I'm a top student now so I've been speaking in front of audiences of hundreds of people for the last 2 years, and now I've even been invited to be a guest on a show to talk about it and college in general, in the topic of the student debt crisis, and I want some good input how to threaten these administrators to start taking me seriously. I've been emailing them back and forth for months very cordially, but it hasn't worked, so now I'm transitioning the carrot to the stick. I plan to tell them about the upcoming T.V. appearance and how I won't be saying any names the 1st time, then I will email them the clip of me actually on T.V. talking about the way the school takes advantage of students, they will really realize "holy shit, he's serious about this."

Obviously I want to drop some good words like "marginalized students" and talk about "no wonder they care, the schools on stolen land anyways" etc. They are loading students up with debt by arbitrarily making them take classes they've already taken at another school, just to make more money. They don't give a fuck how ridiculous it sounds saying "Transferology said X" so I guess that's that! Even though that's against their policies and state Dept of Higher Ed. guidelines. I also want to sound very litigious, I've tee'd this up very well, and I want as much insight as you can think up. Everything short of illegal threats, I mean I'm PISSED.
R: 11 / I: 1
https://erikhoudini.com/houdini_blog/literary_and_cultural_commentary/plasmaticvampires

Anyone here ever given plasma? What are your thoughts on the whole thing?
R: 149 / I: 43

Study Fascism General

Glasses edition.

The Purpose of This Thread
I've seen about a dozen threads asking about Fascists: "Why are they like this?" "What is Fascism?" "Is Fascism Far Right?" "Is the modern KPRF Fascist?" "Why do laymen Nazis hate America?" "How did Hitler organize the Nazis?" "What does /leftypol/ think of <insert random Fascist here>"

These repetitive threads get a lot of attention and people end up retreading the same few questions, so I figured I'd make a general for all questions and inquiries into Fascism. Consider it a study group for a niche subject. Whether it be out of genuine curiosity or means of countering Fascist ideology, I'm hoping people can point to this thread instead of starting new ones or bumping a dozen different old ones.

Links and Fascist Literature
>Biblioteca Fascista
https://bibliotecafascista.blogspot.com/
<Collection of translated articles from Italian Fascists, useful as a historical source.

>Fascism: One Hundred Questions Asked and Answered

https://ia804600.us.archive.org/11/items/fascism-100-questions-asked-answeredoswald-mosley/Oswald%20Mosley%20-%20Fascism%20100%20Qs%20and%2010%20Points.pdf
<Pamphlet written by Oswald Mosley. It was famous enough that Fascist parties in other countries imitated it. He outlines in detail the British interpretation of the Fascist Political and Economic system.

>The Doctrine of Fascism

https://sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/2B-HUM/Readings/The-Doctrine-of-Fascism.pdf
<Pamphlet by ᴉuᴉlossnW where he lays out the basic beliefs of Fascist ideology.

>The Concept of The Political

https://tomatdividedby0.gitlab.io/resources/references/schmitt_concept-of-the-political.pdf
<Work by a German Nazi-Jurist elaborating his view on authoritarianism and politics. Influential enough to be studied by neocons, Pinochet's regime, and even by scholars in China.

>Reflections on Violence

https://assets.cambridge.org/052155/117X/sample/052155117XWSC00.pdf
<George Sorel's infamous work outlining his philosophy of revolutionary syndicalism. It was instrumental for the foundation of Fascist ideology.

Closing Statement
This thread is not for the propagation of Fascist ideals or apologism for Fascism. However, in some instances, I may practice a neutral tone when describing Fascism or give it the benefit of the doubt to better understand the Fascist psyche and its stated ideals. In that regard, I'll be treating Fascism as an alternative theory of social, political, and economic organization no more incapable or insidious than any other and not dismissing it out of hand.
R: 11 / I: 2

WE NEED YOU IN THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT

>WE NEED YOU IN THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT

>BY COCO SMYTH

>SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

>Why is Socialism Weak in the United States?


>It has long been a popular observation that the socialist movement never took root in the United States as deeply as it has in other countries. This view is not entirely accurate — we have the history of the Socialist Party, the Industrial Workers of the World, the Communist Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Black Panthers, and many other revolutionary organizations and radical working class trends to look to in our history — but the kernel of truth behind it has been explained in number of fashions.


>Some of the more popular explanations include that the U.S. working class has been bought off by imperialism or has living conditions which don’t require it to struggle in a radical manner, that racism has broken the basis for working class solidarity, or that deep-rooted individualism and adherence to America’s “democratic tradition” have created infertile soil. There are elements of truth in these explanations; in some more than others. But, a key dynamic that needs to be understood is that living in an unjust society does not automatically produce organization and militant resistance to oppressive conditions. This divergence between experience and action is more acute here than in most countries.


>The U.S. working class doesn’t lack things to complain about: ballooning rents, insurmountable debt, declining real wages, precarious employment, abuse on the job, and a daily life dominated by alienation and scarred by racist violence, patriarchal relations, anti-queer political campaigns, and a whole host of other oppressive dynamics. Nonetheless, the nature of resistance to these injustices expresses itself more often than not in short periods of mass explosion rather than as concerted movements to organize our fight for liberation. These explosions, like the riots and mass demonstrations in 2020 demanding justice for George Floyd and an end to racist violence, are inspiring shows of force by the masses.


>However, as we saw in the aftermath of this struggle, these explosions can cause fear in the ruling class and their police lackeys, but they can be contained. When the masses' energy was spent, the Democratic and Republican Parties commenced their ideological clampdown on the demands for racial justice and an end to police repression. They manufactured a panic around the so-called “crime wave” and blamed anti-police rhetoric for it. While the Republicans blamed the defunding of police in cities (which in fact never took place), the Democrats distanced themselves even further from defunding the police and reaffirmed their belief in the centrality of police repression in maintaining “order.”


>When the two wings of the U.S. ruling class commenced their campaign of co-optation and ideological attack on the movement, there was no one left to fight back. The spontaneous energy was spent, and discontent fell back into its normal expression — festering underground.


>Organization and Your Role in the Struggle


>In the United States our tradition of organization generally leaves much to be desired, and the situation has, in the main, only gotten worse in the 4 decades of the ruling class offensive known as neoliberalism. The ruling class here encourages a culture of atomized individuals who only participate in the country’s political culture once every 2 or 4 years by voting, and even that group is a small minority of the population. The problem goes even deeper: true communities are rare in the United States, and few Americans feel empowered to build them. We have school, work and family, but beyond that, many millions in this country are not part of any social community which can provide them support and purpose. Even organized religion has seen a sharp decline. What’s left of these communities is often either actively reactionary or has little to offer people who are seeking change in society.


>This is the hurdle to be overcome. You know that this society is run by a criminal clique with little support from the people which oppresses not only the 332 million in this country, but many times more worldwide. You know that capitalism is dependent on the exploitation of the working class, that imperialist violence is an inextricable part of the system, and that racism, sexism, and all the other forms of oppression are a tool the ruling class uses to oppress us all even further.


>When faced with the enormity of these problems and the strength of the oppressors, it is natural to feel that resistance is futile. However, it is you and others like you who are the key to building the organizations which can begin the concerted struggle needed to vanquish them.


>What our organization and others like ours can offer you is a community, a vehicle for fighting for your rights, an education in the nature of our oppression and the methods of fighting it, and a structure for using your energies effectively. What you can offer us is your skills, your unique experiences and insights, and your dedication to the liberation of all people. It is up to people like you to get involved in organizations so you can train yourself and bring more people into the protracted struggle against capitalism.


>As the revolutionary Amilcar Cabral once proclaimed, “Tell no lies, claim no easy victories.” Our organization is weak, and all organizations like ours are as well. We do not have the numbers and the collective experience to advance the struggle in the ways which are needed. This is why we need you and why you need us. What we and other organizations like ours can offer you is a supportive community, a vehicle for fighting for your rights, an education in the nature of our oppression and the methods of fighting it, and a structure for using your energies effectively. What you can offer us is your skills, your unique experiences and insights, and your dedication to the liberation of all people. In this era of weakness, it is necessary for passionate individuals like you to seek out and organize within revolutionary organizations so as to train yourself and bring more people into the protracted struggle against capitalism. We need the commitment of people like you today so we can transform the movement from one of thousands into one of millions.


>Our Place in History and Your Potential


>There is purpose and meaning in struggle. Since thousands of years ago when human societies first began to develop classes, there has always been resistance. Rebellions, riots, strikes, and mutinies have been a common theme running through each new form of class rule which oppresses the majority in any given epoch.


>What is unique in the modern era however is that we have the means to bring humanity back to the equality which existed before classes and before the gendered and racist oppression that we know today through moving forward. Capitalist society has produced the technological capacity and social forces necessary to provide for every human being on this planet. Yet, our antiquated social relations accrue the labor of billions into the hands of a gang of thousands. Capitalism has produced efficiency and plenty, but it has also produced the class that can dig its grave and the grave of all exploiters.


>From the narrow standpoint of our individual lives, world capitalism seems to be an eternal force: unshakeable, deeply rooted. But the past 200 years have been the most unstable, the most transformative. We live in the age of revolutions, even though the lull we’ve lived in appears to us as eternal.


>This is why we need you. It is the masses who make history, and it takes scattered individuals in a period like this to create the channels by which millions can eventually take destiny into their own hands. Through our revolutionary organizations, our unions, our tenants unions, and the variety of forms waiting to be built, we can turn our individual energy into a collective vehicle in the service of total liberation.


>We need to educate, agitate, and organize today. The struggle continues until final victory. And it is our collective duty today to lay the groundwork for every worker and oppressed person on this planet to accomplish our collective interest — to initiate the world revolution and wipe away every last bit of exploitation and oppression which is the order of the day. The communist future is ours for the taking if only we reach out to grasp it.
R: 60 / I: 19

Was the Soviet Union a failure?

Was the Soviet Union a failure? I mean it failed to establish a communist society and completely collapsed in on itself. And before you mention Gorby and accuse him being the reason the union fell apart, for him to do that he would have needed massive dictorial powers, which if had that power shows a failure of the state to be a workers run one, or the entire bureaucracy was a corrupt bloated entity. And what can be done in the future to prevent this from happening?
R: 371 / I: 104

Esoteric Hitlerism General: All Fascists Are Still Pedos

This is the thread dedicated to researching, discussing, exploring, and laughing at, that element of the far right which we have come to term "esoteric hitlerist" but more broadly a thread for documenting the extreme right.

To sum up, as it says in the title, this entire strand of thought is more or less an intelligence operation carried out mostly by pedophiles, with a strong satanic/ esoteric influence. On top of this, there are several interesting connections to these operations and operatives and Zionism.

The purpose of these operations, as are the purpose of all CIA operations, is to suppress and destroy the real movement that abolishes the present state of things, the mass movement of organised workers, the socialist and communist movement.

What follows is a series of links, references and thoughts which document this feature of capitalist hegemony.


Link to last thread archive:

>>>/leftypol_archive/498722

https://web.archive.org/web/20220213224836/https://leftypol.org/leftypol/res/56299.html


the one before:

https://web.archive.org/web/20210109172410/https://bunkerchan.xyz/leftypol/res/1059488.html

the one before that:

https://bunkerchan.net/leftypol/res/702127.html (oh fuck this archive is dead now, how can we get it back? )
[mod edit: https://web.archive.org/web/20210124080840/https://bunkerchan.net/leftypol/res/702127.html ]

The thread from which it was born:

https://archive.fo/GSZBb
R: 325 / I: 165

Right Wing Cringe Thread

Its been to long scene we had a thread about this important subject. I'll start with a post about this nazi group in Ohio called "blood tribe" they are super larpy and retarded. They are all cowards who wear masks except their leader who has a retarded facetats. They are constantly harassing the LGBTQ+ community and protesting drag shows.
R: 242 / I: 51

Hilo Latinoamericano 6.0

Hilo latino flacos, tratemos de mantenerlo mas activo que el hilo pasado. Ameribros as always we allow you to speak english, we are not Ukrainian fascists.

Para luego buscarlo en el catálogo:
Latinoamérica, Latin America, LATAM, /lat/, latinoamérica, latino américa, hispanoamerica, /ñ/
R: 68 / I: 36

BASED ALERT

"This person does not grasp class struggle; he has never referred to this key link. Still his theme of ’white cat, black cat’, making no distinction between imperialism and Marxism."

And:

"He does not understand Marxism-Leninism, he represents the capitalist class."

https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/uk.hightide/red-star-mao.htm

Mao on dengbeetle
R: 31 / I: 19

post banger quotes

let's get back to our roots. post banger quotes from marx, engels, lenin, stalin, mao etc.

>Bakunin has become a monster, A HUGE MASS OF FLESH AND FAT, and is barely capable of walking any more. To crown it all, he is sexually perverse and jealous of the seventeen year-old Polish girl who married him in Siberia because of his martyrdom. He is presently in Sweden, where he is hatching 'revolution' with the Finns.

Marx to Engels. 12 September 1863 (Marx and Engels Collected Works, Volume 41, page 492)
>Liebknecht is growing more and more imbecile in his South-German stupidity. He is not enough of a dialectician to criticise both sides at the same time.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1868/letters/68_06_24a.htm
>Jennychen [Marx's daughter] was driven to anger by that disgusting article in the Daily News, the officious paper of the Gladstone Ministry, in which this bitchy publication turns to the “liberal” brothers in France and cautions them not to confuse the cases of Rochefort and O'Donovan Rossa.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1870/letters/70_03_05.htm
>Ignorant louts like Heinzen, who deny not merely the class struggle but even the existence of classes, only prove that, despite all their blood-curdling yelps and the humanitarian airs they give themselves, they regard the social conditions under which the bourgeoisie rules as the final product, the non plus ultra [highest point attainable] of history, and that they are only the servants of the bourgeoisie. And the less these louts realize the greatness and transient necessity of the bourgeois regime itself the more disgusting is their servitude….
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1852/letters/52_03_05-ab.htm
>So far established right and the right of man “have amounted to the same thing”, so that Saint Sancho [Max Stirner] could reduce to nothing a struggle that exists outside his mind, in history. Now our saint proves that he is as keen-witted in drawing distinctions as he is all-powerful in heaping everything together, in order to be able to bring about a new terrible struggle in the “creative nothing” of his head.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/ch03i.htm
>[…]a French army was marched into Spain, in order to overturn the Constitution of that country, and to deliver it up to the merciless revenge of the Bourbon idiot and his suite of bigot monks[…]
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1853/palmerston/ch02.htm
>This is no longer an attack upon individual persons, but a dragging of the whole German labor movement through the mud. At the same time it grotesquely shows his absolute lack of understanding of the doctrine he formerly dealt in. It is babbling so silly, so illogical, so degenerate, that it finally dissolves into nothing, viz., Johann Most’s boundless personal vanity. As he was unable to accomplish anything in Germany in spite of all his ranting, except among a certain Berlin mob, he has allied himself with the younger generation of Bakuninists in Paris[…]
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/letters/80_11_05.htm
>I quote this little work because it is a very sink of all long-ago-rotten, apologetic commonplaces.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch21.htm
> The finance aristocracy, in its mode of acquisition as well as in its pleasures, is nothing but the rebirth of the lumpenproletariat on the heights of bourgeois society.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1850/class-struggles-france/ch01.htm
> The relative productivity of labour necessary before a profit-monger, a parasite, can come, into being is very small.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1863/theories-surplus-value/ch08.htm
> Particularly in France, whose total production is sufficient only in Bastiat’s fantasy to give anyone at all very much to eat, Mr Bastiat could have found convincing testimony that a mass of parasitic bodies come to cluster around capital, and, under one or another title, they lay hands on so much of the total production as to leave little danger of the workers being overwhelmed by abundance.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1857/grundrisse/ch15.htm
>William Cobbett was the most able representative, or, rather, the creator of old English Radicalism. He was the first who revealed the mystery of the hereditary party warfare between Tories and Whigs, stripped the parasitic Whig Oligarchy of their sham liberalism, opposed landlordism in its every form, ridiculed the hypocritical rapacity of the Established Church, and attacked the moneyocracy in its two most eminent incarnations — the “Old Lady of Threadneedlest” (Bank of England) and Mr. Muckworm & Co. (the national creditors).
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1853/07/22a.htm
>[Modern natural science] was the greatest revolution that the world had so far experienced. Natural science also flourished in this revolution, was revolutionary through and through, advanced hand in hand with the awakening modern philosophy of the great Italians, and provided its martyrs for the stake and the prisons. It is characteristic that Protestants and Catholics vied [competed] with one another in persecuting it. The former burned Servetus, the latter Giordano Bruno.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx//works/1883/don/appendix3.htm
R: 44 / I: 13

Opinons on Gabriel Boric?

As a Chilean I am immensely disappointed with how he has run the country, he has completed none of his promises including the most important one of rewriting the fascist constitution of Pinochet and now the people who are supposed to rewrite the constitution as now all fascists due to his many blunders. I want to be hopeful that this can be turned around so we can at least see some social reform or socialist policies enacted but it seems that this is a far dream now. I am hoping that someone else here from Chile is optimistic
R: 2 / I: 0

News 9/28/23

Bolivia faces water shortage as winter heat wave drives drought
A prolonged drought in Bolivia and one of the hottest winters on record is threatening to leave parts of the South American country short of water, including in the high-altitude city of El Alto, some 4,000 meters above sea level. Climate change is affecting glaciers in the Bolivian Andes that provide fresh water to the surrounding wetlands, springs and dams, with residents of El Alto, perched above La Paz, now only able to access water at certain times of the day.
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/bolivia-faces-water-shortage-winter-heat-wave-drives-drought-2023-09-28/

Brazil’s Amazon rainforest faces a severe drought that may affect around 500,000 people
Many are already struggling to access essential supplies such as food and water, because the principal means of transportation in the region is waterways, and river levels are historically low. Droughts also impact fishing, a means of subsistence for many riverside communities.
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/brazils-amazon-rainforest-faces-severe-drought-affect-500000-103504812

Indigenous people march on Bogota to demand justice for killings
A six-month ceasefire with the largest remaining rebel group in Colombia, the National Liberation Army (ELN), which was celebrated as a political victory in August, has so far held. But a number of informal ceasefires with other armed groups this year have since collapsed, and violence in rural areas has largely continued unabated.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/27/indigenous-people-march-on-bogota-to-demand-justice-for-killings
https://archive.ph/7LSb5

Protests against mining concession given to Canadian company intensify in Panama
Since early August, Panamanian trade unions, Indigenous groups, and people’s movements have been taking to the streets in different parts of the country in rejection of a concession contract signed in March between the government of President Laurentino Cortizo and Minera Panamá S.A., a subsidiary of the Canadian multinational mining company First Quantum Minerals Limited.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/28/protests-against-mining-concession-given-to-canadian-company-intensify-in-panama/

Rights watchdog accuses the World Bank of complicity in rights abuses around Tanzanian national park
A rights watchdog is accusing the World Bank of enabling the Tanzanian government’s violent expansion of a national park through financing from the global lender. The World Bank has failed to hold Tanzanian authorities accountable for serious rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and sexual assaults, relating to the expansion of Ruaha National Park in the south of the East African country, according to a new report by the Oakland Institute.
https://apnews.com/article/world-bank-tanzania-rights-abuses-national-park-88b64aac6dc64f4f8e3098d020ee094a

Sudan and Niger discuss RSF ‘mercenaries’, Khartoum clashes continue
The Sudanese FA Ministry reported yesterday that El Sadig met with Sangaré to talk about alarming reports concerning the presence of RSF .mercenaries’ from Niger in Sudan. These ‘mercenaries’ are allegedly also engaged in acts of theft and plundering in areas occupied by the paramilitaries. During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, on Monday, as reported by the Sudan News Agency (SUNA), El Sadig underscored the imperative of prompt and effective action.
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudan-and-niger-discuss-rsf-mercenaries-khartoum-clashes-continue

Lebanese Armenians scuffle with riot police during protest outside Azerbaijan Embassy
Hundreds of Lebanese Armenians scuffled with riot police on Thursday outside the Azerbaijan Embassy in northern Beirut during a protest against the Azerbaijani military offensive that recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh from the enclave’s separatist Armenian authorities. Protesters waved flags of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and burned posters of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the demonstration in the Ein Aar suburb of the Lebanese capital.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/nagornokarabakh-ap-armenia-beirut-recep-tayyip-erdogan-b2420424.html

Over half of Nagorno-Karabakh's population flees as the separatist government says it will dissolve
The separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh said Thursday it will dissolve itself and the unrecognized republic will cease to exist by year's end after a three-decade bid for independence, while Armenian officials said over half of the region's population has already fled.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/separatist-government-nagorno-karabakh-dismantle-january-2024-103554471

Germany bans far-right group that tried to indoctrinate children with Nazi ideology
The German government on Wednesday banned a far-right, racist group known for its indoctrination of children as police raided dozens of homes of its members and other buildings early in the morning. A statement from the German interior ministry said it banned the Artgemeinschaft group, an anti-democratic association with around 150 members. All of its sub-organizations, including the Gefaehrtschaften, Gilden, Freundeskreise, and Familienwerk e.V., were also banned, the ministry said.
https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-ban-artgemeinschaft-8c89cb28cc607c9e9379cf6cf2a577de

Living wage should rise to €14.80 an hour, says lobby group for unions and charities
The living wage should rise to €14.80 an hour from its current rate of €13.85 per hour to compensate workers for inflation, an advisory group has said. The Living Wage Technical Group (LWTG) was set up in 2014 by trade unions and charities to lobby for a wage it believes allows a full-time worker (without dependants) to afford the goods and services that people have agreed are essential for enabling a life with dignity. The recommended living wage of €14.80 per hour represents a 6.9 per cent (€0.95 per hour) change from the 2022/2023 rate of €13.85 per hour.
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2023/09/27/living-wage-should-rise-to-1480-an-hour-says-lobby-group-for-unions-and-charities/
https://archive.ph/D6I5r

Shipping companies profit from exploitation of Bangladeshi workers, says new report
The scathing 90-page report, called Trading Lives for Profit, Human Rights Watch and the Shipbreaking Platform, said that Bangladeshi ship-breaking yards often take shortcuts on safety measures, dump toxic waste directly onto the beach and the surrounding environment. It also says that they deny workers living wages, rest or compensation in case of injuries. The report outlines how ship owners have created a network to by-pass international regulations that prohibit the export of ships to facilities like those in Bangladesh that have weak environmental and workers’ protections.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/shipping-companies-profit-exploitation-bangladeshi-workers-says-new-report

The Student Deaths That Have Manipur on the Boil Again
On Monday, 25 September, around 300 students thronged outside Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s house demanding justice and quick action against the perpetrators. Soon, the agitation spread to different parts of Imphal. On Tuesday, an already tense situation escalated into a confrontation between students and security forces. Tear gas and pellets were used to disperse the crowds. But it only angered people more. “Seeing police firing tear gas and bullets at students hurt me. It is shocking,” says Phijam.
https://www.newsclick.in/student-deaths-have-manipur-boil-again
R: 233 / I: 70

Anti-imperialist progress in West Africa

Last month big news came from Niger. The military announced it had seized power and arrested the ProFrench President Mohamed Bazoum. The Constitution has been suspended and power transferred to a military junta. This was caused by increased unrest in the country, caused by the failure of the government to fight the ISIS insurgency and the endemic poverty that has gripped the country since independence from France.
Many nigeriens rightfully resent French neocolonialism over the country, especially since 2022 when huge amounts of French soldiers established bases in the country after they were kicked out of neighbouring Mali by a proRussia military junta.
After the coup was announced today, hundreds of procoup civilians came out in the center of the capital, waving flags of Russia and Wagner PMC and chanting antiFrench slogans. This seems to be signaling that Niger might be joining their neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, who broke free of French control and established alliances with Russia after their French puppet governments were overthrown by military juntas.
Indeed, Mali recently removed French as an official language, demoting it to a "working language", while promoting only local languages to the official status. Like in Mali and Burkina Faso, this coup in Niger was followed by harsh western condemnation, and if the junta doesnt cave in to western demands, sanctions might soon follow like in Mali and Burkina Faso.
This is especially a problem for France, since Niger supplies up to 35% of its uranium. If Niger takes control of its natural resources like uranium, this could spell big trouble for French nuclear energy.

Previous thread >>1549685
Archives of previous thread
https://web.archive.org/web/20230821113934/https://leftypol.org/leftypol/res/1549685.html
https://archive.is/Jl6tP
R: 26 / I: 5

I don’t like these guys

I’m worried about this stupid ass country because I live here and am too poor to move out. Knowing these twats are gaining any kind of influence over the situation here only has me even more shaky considering I went out of my way to see what they advocate for and avoided anything related to their leader so I could see what they actually do versus what they advertised. Unfortunately my suspicions were correct and they’re just another shitty corrupt neoliberal party advocating for socialist policies they’ll never move forward with to appease millionaires and trick wagecucks like me into thinking things are ever gonna get better.

I’m glad voter turnout and emigration rates among wealthier Canadians are so high here since they at least have the awareness that the country sucks and isn’t gonna suddenly become less shit on a state level in a single new term. What the fuck do I do to survive the coming years despite this knowing what’s about to happen?
R: 24 / I: 2
Here's why I think Trotskyism became so popular in the west. I'm interested in responses/criticisms/clarifications. I don't think I'm smart or anything, just trying to better understand.

(not a trotskyist either, this is not a defense of trotskyism but rather an attempt to understand how it became so appealing in the first place)

1. molotov-ribbentrop. we know now that the USSR was doing this for strategic reasons, but in 1939 this move came as a shock to many communists in the west when it happened

2. the assassination of trotsky. this made trotsky a martyr, and came only 1 year after the above. people back then didn't think like sociopathic internet posters "haha he got owned, god stalin is such a gigachad, i'm gonna draw him as a wojack getting icepicked!!!" they thought more empathetically, "wow stalin's main political opponent, a communist, and a jew, got killed in the middle of the holocaust, right after stalin teamed up with hitler!"

of course this isn't the truth, but this is how things looked to many people

3. the great purge. the number of bolsheviks who shed their blood to overthrow the tsar but made the shit list and got purged was many. seeing this, communists in the west easily got the impression that stalin and hence "stalinism" was some kind of soviet equivalent of the thermidor reaction, killing the revolutions' children.

combine this with the conspiracy theories that stalin poisoned lenin, lenin's testament, the NKVD poisoned yakov yurovsky, stalin was a wrecker who made it to the top, etc etc.

4. stalin teamed up with the american and british bourgeoisie to defeat hitler, then settled a negotiated peace with this bourgeoisie after WW2, complete with "spheres of influence." Even with fascism defeated, it was looking like Stalin was willing to compromise with the bourgeoisie. Everyone in WW2 had played their part in enabling Hitler. Even if Stalin only signed MR pact for strategic reasons, many in the west thought this was bad.

5. stalin actually brought american and german bourgeoisie into the USSR during the late 20s to assist in rapid industrialization

6. the commodity form was never abolished in the USSR

7. the trotskyists were always great organizers and propagandists, doing as much outreach as possible, nonstop. To this day many of us rely on a trotskyist website, marxists.org, just to read key marxist works going back to the 1st international, including stalin's works.

these are the reasons I think trotskyism became popular in the west, even if its popularity has massively decreased since 1991.
R: 28 / I: 5

Multipolarism is left-communism

>The positions of Bordiga on the war seemed clear from an internationalist point of view, what we can judge by some testimonies of the time. At the beginning of the years 1940, Bordiga had affirmed, discussing with the socialist lawyer Mario Paone, that the enemy for the proletariat was always capitalism, in particular its most developed form, the North-American Capitalism: "Dear Paone, remember that Fascism and Nazism are the completely contingent and transitory forms of capitalist and bourgeois conservation, and that the enemy who is to be beaten is always the American imperialism."

Left-communists vindicated again - the opportunist Stalin rolling in his mausoleu- oh wait lmao
R: 138 / I: 75

Glowiepedia thread

post instances of Wikipedia glowing, that is WP displaying blatant US/NATO propaganda or disinformation as facts
discuss ways of making WP glow less, including sharing sources that counter the glow. meta studies by reliable institutions are best
what to do if you discover radioactive material on WP:
>do NOT edit without logging in. otherwise your IP will be displayed. IP edits are viewed with more suspicion by editors. VPN or Tor IPs even more so
>DO register an account
>do NOT register more than one account per IP. sockpuppetry is not difficult to detect
>DO edit more articles than just those that glow. this helps build good reputation
>DO complain loudly on Talk pages. some articles are restricted, but Talk pages generally are not
>DO familiarize yourself with WP's bureaucracy. lib editors love referring to WP:OR, WP:SYNTH and similar to try and shut down discussion
WP editors are autistic, but not as autistic as the average poster here is. dedicated comrades can de-glow pages given sufficient numbers and patience
R: 23 / I: 8

SOLZHENITSYN WAS A TROTSKYITE!

BOMBSHELL DISCOVERY FROM RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED SOVIET ARCHIVES SHOW SOLZHENITSYN WAS A TROTSKYITE!
From Trotsky to the 'reformed' trot Kruschev to George "Rapey" Orwell to Solzhenitsyn, Trotskyism reveals itself to be the most sinister enemy of revolutionary socialism.
The Soviet 'Yeonmi Park,' Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, regarded as a hero by the American Right-Wing for defecting to America in order to make money off defaming his homeland, has finally been exposed as a complete fraud.
Adored by midwits like Jordan Peterson for supposedly representing 'traditional Russian & Orthodox Christian values' against 'Soviet totalitarianism,' Solzhenitsyn has always presented himself as a kind of traditional Russian peasant resisting brutal Soviet modernization.
Yet the truth just recently unveiled from Soviet secret archives reveals he was anything but that. Solzhenitsyn was bourgeois to the core - completely urban and cosmopolitan in his real outlook. He was a follower of none other than LEON TROTSKY.
After his arrest in 1945, he was interrogated by Soviet police, in which the following was revealed:
>QUESTION: During a search, a portrait of the enemy of the people, TROTSKY, was confiscated from you. Where did you get it and for what purpose did you keep it?
>ANSWER: I tore out the portrait of Trotsky from the book "Welt Krieg" (World War) of the German edition. I took this book in one of the settlements of East Prussia, in the region of Liebstadt. I must admit that I had the intention of writing an anti-Soviet work in which I was going to praise the enemy of the people, TROTSKY. For this purpose, I kept his portrait.
>QUESTION: Under the influence of what reasons did you come to such criminal intentions?
>ANSWER:It seemed to me that Trotsky and his associates were right in matters of the development of the Soviet state and the building of the party. According to my anti- Soviet convictions, TROTSKY stood on Leninist positions and I wanted to prove this in my literary works, contrasting Leninism with the teachings of the party leader.
>QUESTION: With whom did you share these criminal plans of yours?
>ANSWER: I shared my intention to write an anti-Soviet work with Nikolai Dmitrievich VITKEVICH and Kirill Semenovich SIMONYAN.
<(FSB Central Archive. Archival investigative file R-20699. Sheet 21.)
Solzhenitsyn explained that he possessed a portrait of Trotsky because he believed "Trotsky and his associates were right in matters of the development of the Soviet state and the building of the party."
Why is this fact important? Because Trotsky stood for the complete opposite of everything Solzhenitsyn claimed to believe in.
Trotsky was fanatically anti-traditional. He was far more militantly atheistic than Stalin, and deplored traditional Russian peasant culture, and the peasant majority in general.
Trotsky's 'plan of development' for the Soviet state consisted in a policy called 'super-industrialization,' where he believed in turning the Soviet Union into a militarist-fascist dictatorship of the urban population, who would impose militarized slavery on the 80-90% peasant majority, more brutal even than War Communism during the civil war years, where grain was simply requisitioned at gunpoint.
Trotsky vehemently opposed Lenin and Stalin's notion of 'democratic dictatorship of the Proletariat & Peasantry,' and was VIOLENTLY OPPOSED to the idea of 'backward, Asiatic' Russian peasants participating in the governance of the Soviet state.
Trotsky was fiercely anti-Russian, and his agents within the Soviet Union - who would not be fully purged until the late 1930's - were responsible for the overwhelming cases of brutality against the Soviet peasant population.
For Solzhenitsyn to be a follower of Trotsky means unequivocally that he was lying about everything he was telling naive gullible westerners - that he was a 'conservative' who wanted to defend 'traditional Russian values' against 'godless communism.'
For those who want to call into question the reliability of his testimony, here he mentions his collaborator, Nikolai VITKEVICH. That he was a collaborator of Solzhenitsyn was confirmed by TIME MAGAZINE in 1974 as you can see here:
>In reality, Solzhenitsyn and Vitkevich had exchanged letters criticizing Stalin when both were Red Army officers in World War II. Solzhenitsyn writes in Gulag that this was the cause of their imprisonment in 1945. After being confronted with the letters, Solzhenitsyn was sentenced to eight years of hard labor, plus "perpetual exile"; Vitkevich got ten years, without exile. But last week Vitkevich claimed that Solzhenitsyn had betrayed him and three other people, including the writer's own wife, in order to get "a lighter sentence." As proof, Vitkevich alleged that when he was released in 1957, he was shown part of the record of Solzhenitsyn's 1945 interrogation, bearing notes in Solzhenitsyn's handwriting.
To speak even worse of the rodent Solzhenitsyn's despicable character, he sold out his friend in order to get a lighter sentence!
Moreover, VITKEVICH's interrogations are illuminating. In them, he references how he and Solzhenitsyn were attempting to disseminate a propaganda narrative called 'Resolution No. 1.'
In line with Trotskyite beliefs, they attempted to sew demoralization among the ranks of the Red Army, telling them - in accordance with Trotsky's dogma, that the Soviet Union cannot win the war with Nazi Germany, and that the victory of the Nazis must be welcomed as a precondition for 'true world revolution:'
>In 1941, we assessed the beginning of the war as a war that would inevitably develop into a series of European revolutions. Events (the insufficient strength of the USSR to win an exhaustive victory over Germany in single combat; the establishment of a real military alliance with England and the USA; the dissolution of the Third International; the consistent - from the moment of the German attack on their countries - the removal of all international slogans not only by the Russian, but also by the European Communist Parties and the replacement of these slogans with slogans of national liberation, support for one's government - exclusively in the interests of the already victorious revolution in Russia, which did not happen in 1914) showed that a different end to the modern war in Europe is possible and very likely… The emerging outcome of the war will not mean the defeat of the world or European proletarian revolution, but only its postponement instead of the threatened defeat.
Some 'Russian patriot!' Solzhenitsyn was willing to facilitate the defeat and conquest of his own homeland by the Nazis, in order to fulfill Trotsky's cosmopolitan vision of 'world revolution.'
This fully corroborates the known connections between Trotsky and international fascism, and Nazi Germany in particular.
But Solzhenitsyn's involvement in this conspiracy is a bombshell revelation, that is sure to exposure the fraudulent nature of the American right-wing. For so many years Neo-Nazis have regarded Solzhenitsyn as a hero for his attacks on so-called 'Jewish Bolsehvism.'
Little do they know, the was a follower of the ideas of none other than Leon Trotsky! This just proves that fascism, the dog of international monopoly capital, has no principles, and has no problem allying with 'Jewish conspirators' like Trotsky as long as it serves the goals of their capitalist masters to destroy the first worker's dictatorship in history.
R: 500 / I: 180

/DPRK/ - Democratic People's Republic of Korea General

Thread for news and discussions of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, its material conditions, the status and health of its socialist tradition, disproving common myths about it, etc.

Archive of the previous DPRK thread:
https://leftypol.org/leftypol_archive/res/12395.htmldprkDPRK
R: 25 / I: 3

/Leftypol/ on AI

What does /leftypol/ think about artificial intelligence and its potential implications for the future of humanity as well as the future of the economy and work?

(pic very much related)
R: 68 / I: 36

/prc/ - People's Republic of China general

A general thread for all China related discussion.

Original threads:
https://archive.ph/S2XYA
https://archive.ph/Ytckv
leftypol.org archives:
https://archive.is/https://leftypol.org/leftypol/res/30501.html
bunekrchan.xyz archives:
https://archive.is/https://bunkerchan.xyz/leftypol/res/8925.html
https://archive.is/yrBUN

Non-cucked map edition

I assume bump limit is 500, no idea what it actually is
R: 398 / I: 277

OC Thread 15.0

Thread dedicated to /leftypol/ original content.
>Post original content you've made, or OC someone else recently made which you want to share.
<Or ITT collaborate on improving content already made.

If your original content is good enough, it would most likely be shared on the /leftypol/ twitter account!
Make sure to follow us and feel free to leave suggestions on this thread~
https://twitter.com/leftypol_org
https://nitter.net/leftypol_org

previous thread: >>1209465
>>>>/leftypol_archive/1209465

Leftypol memes and other undesirables:
https://lefty.booru.org/

MAKE SURE TO UPLOAD YOUR OC TO THE BOORU SO IT DOESNT GET PRUNED FOREVER
R: 6 / I: 1

Iceberg thread

It's been a while since the last one and we didn't really ever reach a great iceberg. I've only got a couple downloaded but please post more if you have them. Also, suggest topics to include that aren't on the list. I don't think Marxist Matey is on either of these ones for example.
R: 578 / I: 251

/SEA/ - Southeast Asia and Oceania General

7th Edition: Bolehland GE15!SEA edition.

Discuss anything on Southeast Asian politics. Elections, open orgs, People that should be dead for different reasons running in Malaysia's elections or just random shit. There are still dozens of us… hopefully! South Asia and Oceania posters can come in to discuss their regional politics too!

Matrix room: https://matrix.to/#/#!YeYeuZuLSYkegWssey:matrix.org

Last threads:
https://archive.ph/5rqox
https://archive.is/Jlc7A
http://archive.is/0NhJH
http://archive.is/nDq1K
https://archive.vn/cxwty
https://archive.is/ayshz
R: 8 / I: 3

News 9/27/23

Nigerian unions announce new indefinite strike over cost of living
NIGERIA’s biggest trade unions have announced an indefinite strike to begin next Tuesday in protest over the government’s response to the rising cost of living. The National Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress accused the government of failing to support the public and voiced anger at its austerity measures. In a joint statement, they said: “It’s going to be a total shutdown until government meets the demand of Nigerian workers, and in fact Nigerian masses.”
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/nigerian-unions-announce-new-indefinite-strike-over-cost-living

South Africa’s Operation Dudula vigilantes usher in new wave of xenophobia
Dudula means “push out” in the Zulu language. For years, people from neighbouring countries have come to Africa’s most industrialised economy seeking economic prosperity. Many are Black, like most of South Africa, where the 7.7 percent white minority still control the levers of wealth. During the last two decades, tensions have arisen between Black South Africans and these migrants. Locals say they have taken jobs that should belong to them and have accused many migrants of running thriving drug trades within townships.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/9/26/south-africas-operation-dudula-vigilantes-usher-in-new-wave-of-xenophobia
https://archive.ph/RuC8z

Egypt listed by US for use of child soldiers in military operations
The US is a major donor to Egypt, but its Child Soldiers Prevention Act contains provisions halting any US military or security assistance to governments found guilty of employing child soldiers. However, exceptions can be made if the White House considers it paramount for American national security interests to override these conditions.
https://www.newarab.com/news/egypt-listed-us-use-child-soldiers-military
https://archive.ph/XDSSc

Bahrain: Court sentences 13 who protested prison conditions during Covid
The men were among more than 60 prisoners abused and held incommunicado for more than a month after security forces and prison officers broke up the April 2021 sit-in in Jau Prison, according to accounts documented by the UK-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD). Middle East Eye has seen copies of notes made by Bahrain's Public Prosecution Office after interviews with three prisoners following the protest, detailing abuse including being struck repeatedly in the head with metal objects and held for days in handcuffs.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/bahrain-court-sentences-protested-prison-conditions-covid

Mexico’s López Obrador moves ahead with his crusade for lithium, revoking nine concessions from Ganfeng Lithium, a Chinese firm
The Mexican government has redoubled its commitment to gain control of lithium, a strategic mineral considered to be new white gold. The General Directorate of Mines has canceled nine lithium concessions that were previously held by the Chinese firm Ganfeng Lithium, under the argument that the mining company failed to meet the minimum investment requirements.
https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-26/mexicos-lopez-obrador-moves-ahead-with-his-crusade-for-lithium-revoking-nine-concessions-from-ganfeng-lithium-a-chinese-firm.html
https://archive.ph/j0lql

Canada’s House speaker resigns over inviting a man who fought for a Nazi unit to Parliament
“That public recognition has caused pain to individuals and communities, including to the Jewish community in Canada and around the world in addition to Nazi survivors in Poland among other nations. I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he added.
https://apnews.com/article/canada-house-speaker-nazi-invite-ukraine-zelenskyy-d4ca05841193409e455cee3b19fcee6b

Poland may seek extradition of Ukrainian Nazi WW2 veteran Hunka from Canada
A Polish government minister has launched a bid to extradite Yaroslav Hunka, the 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian man who fought in a German-Nazi division during World War Two and last week received a standing ovation in Canada’s parliament. “In view of the scandalous events in the Canadian parliament, which involved honouring, in the presence of President Zelensky, a member of the criminal Nazi SS Galizien formation, I have taken steps towards the possible extradition of this man to Poland,” announced education minister Przemysław Czarnek.
https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/09/26/poland-may-seek-extradition-of-ukrainian-nazi-ww2-veteran-hunka-from-canada/

6 young climate activists take European governments to court over climate change
Six young adults and children argued that governments across Europe aren’t doing enough to protect people from climate change at the European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday in the latest and largest instance of activists taking governments to court to force climate action.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/landmark-court-case-6-young-activists-32-european-103517472

‘Morally Obscene’: UK Approves Massive Undeveloped Oil and Gas Field in North Sea
Regulators in the United Kingdom on Wednesday greenlit the Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea, which campaigners warn contains enough oil and gas to match the yearly emissions of 28 low-income countries. The U.K. government said it welcomed the approval, in a statement that comes one week after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he was delaying some elements of the country's net-zero plan.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/rosebank-oilfield

Sweeping attacks on Labour Party democracy set to be pushed through
SWEEPING new attacks on democracy and equality within the Labour Party were set to be pushed through by Sir Keir Starmer today. Rule changes placed before the national executive (NEC) would remove the right of constituency parties to submit policy motions of their choice to Labour’s annual conference. They also sought to drop the obligation for local parties to elect BAME, LGBT, youth and disabled officers, despite the party being mired in allegations of indifference to racism against black people.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/sweeping-attacks-on-labour-party-democracy-set-to-be-pushed-through

IMF says Sri Lanka needs to boost reforms and collect more taxes for its bailout funding package
“Despite early signs of stabilization, full economic recovery is not yet assured,” the statement said, adding that the country’s accumulation of reserves has slowed due to lower-than-projected gains in the collection of taxes. “To increase revenues and signal better governance, it is important to strengthen tax administration, remove tax exemptions, and actively eliminate tax evasion,” the statement said.
https://apnews.com/article/sri-lanka-economic-crisis-imf-6b45a7c87384f56a9ffcc26df693ce8e

Thai pro-democracy activist jailed for speaking out at monarchy protest
The sentence handed down to Arnon on Tuesday is the first of 14 lese-majesty cases he faces. He is requesting bail while he appeals against the court’s decision. As he arrived at court on Tuesday, Arnon told Reuters he had no regrets for what was “a worthwhile personal sacrifice for the greater good”. “The youth protest has created a phenomenon that has changed Thailand to the point of no return,” he said. “I believe that the people are becoming more confident in their freedom and equality and are ready to transform the country to be more progressive.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/26/thai-pro-democracy-activist-arnon-nampa-jailed-monarchy-protest
R: 47 / I: 27
8values/dozenvalues thread, starting with yours truely apparently emulating Gorbachev. Fucking Gorbachev.
R: 31 / I: 8

weather underground

I was looking up insurgent groups in the US and stumbled upon the Weather Underground. It's quite amusing to note that all their members hailed from very privileged backgrounds. Not surprisingly, when they were apprehended, only a handful faced any consequences or retribution from the government. Their grand "revolution" against the United States turned out to be a decade-long spree of meaningless bombings and vandalism. Law enforcement dubbed them the "toilet bombers" due to their penchant for targeting government building bathrooms. The pinnacle of their incompetence was when they accidentally blew up one of their own safe houses. Some of their members managed to evade capture for years(cause no one was actually looking for them), only to be astounded by the lenient punishment they received upon surrendering. It seems law enforcement simply didn't deem them worth prosecuting. Astonishingly, the majority of them are still alive and continue to enjoy their wealth to this day and are college professors and social activists
R: 497 / I: 136

/leftydeutschpol/ - Deutschland General

Letzter Pfaden wurde dank der /Pol/acken vom Brett gepusht. Deshalb ein neues Deutschland General.
R: 34 / I: 12

YUGOSLAVIA and TITO appreciation thread

<the green feared the orange, a story
>during WWII, Soviet Union hesitates to support the Yugoslav partisans, not wanting to piss of its Western allies
>Soviet Union sends military support to partisans in 1944, after they've been helped by the UK since 1942
>Red Army helps liberate north Yugoslavia (Vojvodina) and Belgrade
>during six months of Red Army presence, civil administration in Yugoslavia received reports of the Red Army: 1219 rape cases, 359 rape attempts, 111 murder, 248 attempts to murder and 1204 robberies with injured individuals
>Tito brought this up with Stalin, Stalin ignored it
>Soviet Union, to suck up to Britain, refuses to support Greek communists, who were supported by Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria
>1948 Soviet Union imposes an embargo on Yugoslavia, and the whole Warsaw Pact follows
>Warsaw Pact countries start purging "Titoists"
>unable to trade with the Warsaw Pact, and fearing war, Tito looks to the West for economic support
<American suburban "leftists" today: Tito betrayed the Soviet Union and allied with the West!
>while Stalin and Soviets seethed, Tito rallied the rest of the world into the Non-Aligned Movement
>young leaders around the world idolised Tito, as warrior and statesman
>Stalin was so angry he pissed and shat himself and died alone in a pool of his own waste, the whole world celebrated
>Tito died surrounded by loved ones, in a comfortable bed, the whole world cried

Yugoslavia… what a country!
Yugoslavs… what a people!
Tito… what a man!
R: 236 / I: 33

omegacities are pretty cool to think about

It’s crazy knowing how many mega cities there are these days(cities with populations over 10 million) and today I’m going to be providing a term for cities that cross 30 million, omegacities. Currently there’s only 4, Shanghai - China, Guangzhao - China, Delhi - India and Lagos - Nigeria(this year its metro passed 30).

It’s crazy knowing that even under capitalist inefficiencies humanity can still prevent excessive construction of multiple different cities in favour of a planned hub space for many that’s easier to maintain than what’s implemented by North Americans and some parts of Europe where sprawl can cover almost all forested available in the country even if they’re not necessarily that populated. It’s crazy knowing that at least 2 of these cities are set to house even more of their countries respective populations and how many communities are fostered and mingle with one another under these conditions.

Personally I just find the skylines stunning.
R: 316 / I: 60

Inside 4chan’s top-secret moderation machine

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/inside-4chans-top-secret-moderation-machine/

<Internal documents show how chaotic moderation allowed racism and violence to take over.


<The way in which 4chan is managed and moderated is of growing interest among US government officials. The US House of Representatives' January 6 committee subpoenaed 4chan over its role in facilitating the assault on the US Capitol, while investigators with the New York Attorney General’s Office ordered the company to turn over thousands of records to better understand its role in Gendron’s terrorist attack. WIRED obtained a number of internal 4chan documents through a public records request.


<Those documents show how 4chan’s team of moderators—janitors, in their own nomenclature—manage the site. Internal emails, chat logs, and moderation decisions reveal how the site’s janitors have helped shape it in their own image, using their moderation powers to engender 4chan’s particular brand of edgelord white supremacy. In particular, the documents show how the site’s moderators responded to a wave of attention as their website had, once more, been cited as an ideological driver for an act of mass murder.


<More than that, the documents lay bare the degree to which 4chan’s toxic influence is a design, not a bug.


<Another rule, technically, bans racism—except on /b/, 4chan’s “random” board. There, racism is both allowed and encouraged. 4chan leadership confessed to the New York Attorney General’s Office that they take a permissive attitude towards racism on the /pol/ board as well.


>At one point, 4chan had been organizing raids on the notorious neo-Nazi forum Stormfront. But around 2010, Poole was reckoning with the fact that some of the boards on his website had essentially “become Stormfront,” as Dale Beran writes in It Came From Something Awful.


<In 2011, Poole created /pol/ explicitly to contain this growing far-right attitude, hoping it would spread no further. It didn’t work. “Rather, 4chan’s new neo-Nazi section thrived,” Beran writes.


>Poole would keep trying, in vain, to stem the growing vitriol. In 2014, the anti-feminist Gamergate movement took hold on 4chan. Poole tried to ban all discussions of Gamergate, but the reactionary ethos of the movement seeped into the website just the same.


>Soon after, Poole lost his stomach for the fight. In 2015 he sold the site to Hiroyuki Nishimura, a Japanese Internet tycoon and founder of 2channel, on which 4chan is based. Nishimura, backed by millions of dollars in investment from Japanese toy company Good Smile, became the sole owner of 4chan. But his involvement has been largely hands-off. To help manage, moderate, and cultivate the imageboard, he enlisted the help of one of its most senior janitors: RapeApe.


<The senior moderator, sometimes referred to as “GrapeApe,” has exercised an enormous influence on 4chan over the past decade. As one former moderator told Motherboard in 2020, “RapeApe has an agenda: He wants /pol/ to have an influence on the rest of the site and [its] politics.”


<Documents turned over to New York investigators reveal that 4chan signed an agreement to pay RapeApe $3,000 a month for their services in 2015. By May 2022, that fee had risen to $4,400 a month. (RapeApe is one of very few 4chan staff who receive a salary.)


>Tasked with compiling these records for the New York attorney general, Nishimura offered them some overtime. “Could you add $1000 with an invoice for next month?” Nishimura wrote to RapeApe in 2022. “New York Attorney General paper works takes so much [of] your time. Thank you so much for you work!”


<After the Buffalo terrorist attack, one user posted a link to the Motherboard story to multiple sections of 4chan and laid the carnage at RapeApe’s feet. “I’ve been saying for years that rapeape’s /pol/tardation would result in severe consequences, and the mass shooting in Buffalo has proven me right,” they wrote. “Therefore, the only possible way to save this website is to have him doxxed, hunted down, and murdered.”


>The user was banned for violating US law.
R: 6 / I: 0
<1. Affirm Hu Yaobang's views on democracy and freedom as correct.
How could the People affirm the views of Hu Yaobang, who was a traitor and a deserter of the socialist struggle? He betrayed the principles of Marxism-Leninism and followed the path of capitalism and imperialism. The Party rightly denounced and removed him from his post in 1987 for preaching liberalism. His views on democracy and freedom, the separation of the Party and the State, and "human rights" were reactionary and counterrevolutionary, they were nothing but poison and harm to the People.

<2. Admit that the campaigns against spiritual pollution and bourgeois liberalization had been wrong.

The campaigns against "spiritual pollution" and bourgeois liberalization were not wrong, but necessary. They were launched by the Party to eradicate the rotten and backward ideas and values that endangered the socialist society and culture. They aimed to raise consciousness and provide scientific morality of to the masses and the cadres, and to defend the socialist system and the Party’s purity. This ludicrous demand was a negation of the historical necessity and the scientific validity of the ideological struggle against the class enemies.

<3. Publish information on the income of state leaders and their family members.

This was a blatant violation of the privacy and security of the state leaders and their family members. Their income was not a matter of public interest, but a personal matter. They were not corrupt or privileged, but noble and skilled. They served the People and the Party with loyalty and courage, and did not seek personal benefit or wealth. The Party controlled and guided them, and they could not be subject to the interference or slander of the bourgeoisie.

<4. Allow privately run newspapers and stop press censorship.

This was a menace to the unity and stability of the socialist society and the Party. The privately run newspapers were weapons of propaganda and subversion for the bourgeoisie and the imperialists. They lied and spread rumors, stirred up dissatisfaction and turmoil, and sabotaged the socialist system and the Party’s authority. The press censorship protected the truth and the interests of the People. It ensured that the media served the socialist cause and the Party’s scientific line, and educated and mobilized the masses for the construction and defense of socialism.

<5. Increase funding for education and raise intellectuals' pay.

This was a manifestation of the selfishness and greed of the intellectuals, who were not content with their current status and treatment in the socialist society. They were not a special or superior class, but a part of the working People. They should have contributed more to the socialist development and the People’s well-being, instead of demanding more funding and property. They could not have been allowed to become a newly formed petty-bourgeois class.

<6. End restrictions on demonstrations in Beijing.

This was a provocation and a challenge to the authority and the order of the dictatorship of the proletariat. The demonstrations in Beijing were not peaceful or rational, but violent and illegal. They disturbed the public security and the social harmony, disrupted the normal life and work of the People, interfered with the smooth functioning of the government and the institutions, and created chaos and confusion in the capital. They were manipulated by a minority of troublemakers and conspirators, and not supported by the People.

<7. Provide objective coverage of students in official media.

This was a distortion and a falsification of the reality and the facts. The official media was not biased or hostile, but objective and fair. It reported the truth and the facts, exposed the errors and the crimes, and criticized the class antagonists and their evils. It revealed and analyzed the situation and the problems, and did not conceal or distort them. It educated and persuaded the students, and did not slander or attack them.

1. 制止动乱,人人有责!
It is everyone's duty to stop the turmoil!

2. 团结起来,恢复首都正常秩序!
Unite and restore normal order in the capital!

3. 维护安定团结,保证改革和建设的顺利进行!
Safeguard stability and unity, ensure the smooth progress of reform and construction!

4. 不要让“十年内乱”的悲剧重演!
Don't let the tragedy of "ten years of chaos" recur!
("Ten years of chaos" is a euphemism for the Cultural Revolution)

5. 坚决拥护李鹏同志的重要讲话!
Resolutely support comrade Li Peng's important speech!

6. 坚决拥护杨尚昆同志的重要讲话!
Resolutely support comrade Yang Shangkun's important speech!

7. 坚决拥护国务院在北京市实行戒严的命令!
Resolutely support the State Council's order to impose martial law in Beijing!

8. 坚决执行北京市人民政府的各项命令!
Resolutely implement all orders of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality!

9. 军队来首都是维护治安,保护人民的,不是对付学生和群众的!
The army has come to the capital to maintain law and order, and to protect the people, not to deal with students and the masses.

10. 同志们,提高警惕,不要受人挑拨,请协助和支持军队!
Comrades, raise vigilance, don't be provoked, please assist and support the army!

11. 坚决支持公安干警和武警部队强化社会治安!
Resolutely support the Public Security police and the People's Armed Police to strengthen public order in society!

12. 共产党员,共青团员要响应党中央的号召,站在制止动乱的前列!
Members of the Communist Party and members of the Communist Youth League must respond to the call of the Party Central Committee to stand in the forefront to stop the turmoil!

13. 工人同志们,要发扬国家主人翁的精神,坚守岗位,努力生产!
Comrade workers, you must develop the spirit of being masters of the nation, stick to your posts, and make great efforts for production!

14. 同学们要尽快复课,坚持正常的教学秩序!
Students must resume classes as soon as possible, and uphold the normal teaching order!

15. 首都的全体公民,人人都要顾全大局,维护安定!
All citizens of the capital, everybody must take the overall situation into consideration and safeguard stability!

16. 坚决打击各种违法犯罪活动!
Resolutely crack down on every kind of illegal criminal activity!

17. 坚持四项基本原则,坚持改革开放的总方针总政策!
Uphold the Four Basic Principles, uphold the general policies of reform and opening up!

18. 坚决维护党中央,国务院的权威!
Resolutely safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee and the State Council!

19. 坚定不移地同党中央保持一致!
Unwaveringly remain in line with the Party Central Committee!

20. 为把社会主义现代化事业不断推向前进而奋斗!
Continiuously push forward and strive for the cause of socialist modernization!
R: 65 / I: 6

Support for Post-Stalin USSR?

Was Khrushchev's domination over the state not an implementation of a Dictatorship of the Bourgeoisie? Obviously, the appearance of this dictatorship had to be concealed for decades, but the overall content was clearly an empowerment of the bourgeois forces, the idea that struggle against rightism is no longer needed, the empowerment of the "2nd economy", etc.
Just look at how the "planning commission" barely had to adhere to their plans with Khrushchev breaking them up, and how they competed with profit motives. And because it was a structural change and not just Khrushchev personally, Brezhnev followed suit with the Liberman reforms.
For foreign policy, the Khrushchevites bent over backwards to suck the dick of that capitalist backstabber Tito, who empowered capitalism in Yugoslavia and offered his country as a base for foreign imperialists to attack the socialist bloc. After this, he slandered and attacked Hoxha for the crime of pointing out how Tito was still trying to smash the People's Socialist Republic of Albania and gobble it up into a 7th republic. Obvious rightists like Tito were embraced and bowed to, whereas honest Communists like Hoxha were spat on. Is this not proof that Khrushchev was a rightist himself and was following a bourgeois, rightist line?
That being the case, why would the USSR not have been in a similar role to WWI's Germany throughout the Cold War? Merely a competitor to the Anglos in wanting to plunder the rest of the world. After all, with a dominant bourgeois dictatorship, imperialism must follow. Why would anyone "critically support" the USSR but reject Plekhanov's worship of the Tsardom during WWI? Why should anyone support a bourgeois state in imperialist competition?
R: 17 / I: 4

Catalyzing a Linguistic Awakening in Kazakhstan

>Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Biybarıs Seitak said, “there was not a serious debate about the role of the Kazakh language in society.”

>Seitak is the founder of the Kazak Bubble Instagram channel, which posts content in and about the Kazakh language.


>“After the war began, many people switched from words to actions. They attended language courses and understood that speaking Kazakh was a matter of national security. We realized that we urgently need to speak Kazakh when we are bordered by a belligerent, imperial country.”


>The war in Ukraine has precipitated significant social movements across Eastern Europe and Eurasia, if not globally. It has united the European Union on an unprecedented scale and catalyzed NATO expansion, with Finland recently joining the alliance and Sweden slated to follow suit. It has inspired greater diversification of trade and energy networks and isolated Russia as a cultural pariah.


>As Russian forces fight a physical war in Ukraine, a shadow war is being fought across Eastern Europe and Eurasia: a war against the legacies of Russian imperialism. In countries such as Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Ukraine, the Russian imperial and Soviet past are increasingly being reconsidered through the lens of European colonialism. Social media channels promoting decolonial thinking have garnered thousands of subscribers since the war began. Clubs promoting the study of national languages have swelled in ranks. According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, “the war has led some scholars and intellectuals to reevaluate the imperial and colonial dimensions of Russia’s presence in Central Asia.”


>Language has emerged as a key offensive in this war, as thinkers, writers, activists, and politicians across the post-Soviet space speak out against the primacy of the Russian language and advocate for the rights and privileges of national languages, which were historically suppressed during the Russian imperial and Soviet periods. Language activism has become an increasingly charged topic in Kazakhstan, where the young urban middle class “increasingly uses the Kazakh language, looks for Kazakh-speaking content, and discusses… national identity, which had previously been a largely marginal debate,” as Marie Dumoulin, director of the Wider Europe program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in a policy brief earlier this year.


>I traveled to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, to learn more about how Russia’s war in Ukraine is catalyzing the linguistic debate in Kazakhstan, and what this debate indicates about decolonization in the post-Soviet space more broadly.


>“Before the war began… people generally agreed that the Kazakh language should be promoted, but people disagreed on the means to do so,” Seitak told me. After the war began, interest in learning and speaking the Kazakh language surged. This heightened interest in the Kazakh language caused by the war is indicative of a broader development in Kazakhstan — as one of the creators of the Qazaq Grammar initiative, Nursultan Bagidolla, told Mediazona in May 2022, “the war has had a wake-up effect on Kazakh national self-consciousness.”


>Kazakhs and Kazakhstani citizens are increasingly reclaiming their national histories and rethinking their national identities in light of the imperial and colonial dimensions of Russia’s presence in Central Asia. Maqsat Mälik, a language activist who delivered a TedX talk on transforming the Kazakh language into the language of interethnic communication, told me “if the choice is between preserving our identity and reading Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in the original language, I would rather preserve my identity.” Botakoz Kassymbekova, an assistant professor in modern history at Basel University, concurs: “Russian literature teaches us to love Russia and despise ourselves.”


>Alexander Morrison, a professor of Central Asian history at Oxford University, connects this new national configuration to broader postcolonial trends across Eurasia. “The war has generated a sense of solidarity across the post-Soviet space, which is facilitated and catalyzed by common fluency in the Russian language.” This shouldn’t surprise us, Morrison added. “The dynamic resembles the Indian anticolonial movement, in which English was used as a lingua franca between decolonial thinkers and activists fluent in various regional languages.” Morrison sees the Russian language, at least temporarily, being activated as an instrument of anticolonialism across post-Soviet states.



>Kassymbekova, however, highlights the difficulty in holding decolonial conversations with Russian scholars and in the Russian language. “There is no hope for a better Russia because it is a brutal colonial empire that suppresses non-Russians and does not see it. Russian scholars are unwilling to recognize the need for decolonization and colonially appropriate the discussions. They still think they are in the position to speak rather than ask and listen. This is why the most profound decolonial discussions will have to take place in national languages.”


>Kassymbekova’s experience with Russian scholars is not atypical. Colonial amnesia suffuses most Russian scholarship, with some notable exceptions. Many social media channels have posted content attempting to help Russian citizens migrating to Kazakhstan assimilate to their new environment. In one such post by the Qazaq Grammar account, a line reads: “In Kazakhstan, the historical term ‘Kazakh accession into the Russian empire’ is not used. In Kazakhstan, this event is called ‘colonization/capturing of Kazakh land by the Russian Empire.’”


>The post’s explicit use of the term “Kazakh accession into the Russian empire” references a language of imperialism consistently reproduced in Russian historiography that obscures and denies the history of Russian colonialism. To this end, Russian scholars have used language such as “voluntary integration” or “peaceful assimilation” to portray Russian imperial expansion as a peaceful, natural process of “reincorporation” of lost territory to its historically rightful homeland. However, as Morrison reminds us, “Central Asia and the Caucasus were conquered violently, and not ‘peacefully assimilated.’” He specifically references “the most notorious massacre coming in the taking of Gök-Tepe in 1881, where 14,000 Turkmen were killed.”


>That this offensive and racist language is accepted in Russian academic circles indicates a general ignorance toward Russian colonialism and an unwillingness to seriously and publicly consider the issue in Russian national consciousness. If Russian scholars are unwilling to debate the history of Russian colonialism, where does that leave the future of decolonization in the post-Soviet space?


>Kamila Smagulova, a Kazakh researcher of nationalism and decoloniality, offers one answer. “Since language issues affect peoples’ day-to-day realities – their opportunities, rights, ability to find work – I see the future of decolonization in negotiating language politics,” she told me. Kassymbekova concurs. “Decolonial debates are still taking place via the Russian language, but in order for decolonization to be successful, these debates will have to shift to national languages.”


>In addition to the myriad social movements that the war in Ukraine has impacted, it has also catalyzed a mass reconfiguration of linguistic, cultural, and national identities across the post-Soviet space. As decolonial discourse moves into the mainstream and national histories and identities are reclaimed, the Kazakh decolonial movement may serve as a guide to better understand the many expressions of decolonization across Eurasia.


https://thediplomat.com/2023/08/the-war-in-ukraine-is-catalyzing-a-linguistic-awakening-in-kazakhstan/
R: 4 / I: 2

News 9/26/23

Philippine army preparing charges against 2 environmentalists over abduction, coercion claims
The activists, Jhed Tamano, 21, and Jonila Castro, 22, who have been protesting China-backed reclamation projects in Manila Bay, resurfaced Tuesday after they were reported missing early this month. They took the military and a government anti-communist task force by surprise that same day when they recanted their allegedly coerced statements during a live news conference. Later, Tamano and Castro were reunited with their parents.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/possible-charges-09212023123018.html
https://archive.ph/wfLoI

CHR announces probe into killing of rebels, driver in Negros Occidental
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Negros will initiate a motu proprio investigation into the killing of alleged noncombatant rebels and a tricycle driver in Sitio Lubi, Barangay Tabugon, Kabankalan City on September 21. Vincent Parra, CHR-Negros Occidental chief, told Rappler on Monday, September 25, that the commission will start its investigation into the case within this week to gain a deeper understanding of the situation.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/visayas/commission-human-rights-investigation-killing-rebels-driver-kabankalan-negros-occidental/
https://archive.ph/i4Qbu

Anti-Muslim hate speech in India spikes around elections, report says
About 70 percent of the incidents took place in states scheduled to hold elections in 2023 and 2024, according to the report. It added that 80 percent of the hate speech events took place in states governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat states witnessed the highest number of hate speech gatherings with Maharashtra accounting for 29 percent of such incidents, the report found. The majority of the hate speech events mentioned conspiracy theories and calls for violence and socioeconomic boycotts against Muslims.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/26/anti-muslim-hate-speech-in-india-spikes-around-elections-report-says
https://archive.ph/RFeC8

J&K: Mehbooba Mufti Demands Accountability on the Allocation of Lithium Reserves
The former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state raised concerns after reports claimed that the lithium reserves would be auctioned soon. The PDP leader expressed concerns that the mineral reserves will be "exploited" and offered to the "crony capitalists" associated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), she argued, that will potentially deprive the people of the region of their fair share in the wealth generated from these resources.
https://www.newsclick.in/jk-mehbooba-mufti-demands-accountability-allocation-lithium-reserves

Australian Communist Party and Community Union Defence League head to Coffs to fight housing crisis
They will discuss upcoming campaigns, including announcing a student-run “Long March For Housing”, a walk of more than 200km to Lismore to raise awareness about the housing crisis in both communities. CUDL Volunteer Zeek Mattarollo said this is an opportunity for Coffs Harbour residents to become aware of student activism with some of the most downtrodden and misunderstood people in Coffs Harbour.
https://www.newsofthearea.com.au/australian-communist-party-and-community-union-defence-league-head-to-coffs-to-fight-housing-crisis
https://archive.ph/JXbTd

Finnish trade unions strike as right-wing government attacks workers' rights and welfare benefits
FINNISH trade unions began a series of strikes today in opposition to proposals from Finland’s right-wing government to trash workers’ rights and impose cuts to welfare benefits.The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) said that today’s strike was the first in a series of “walkouts, protests and demonstrations” to oppose government proposals. The walkouts lasted an hour and involved workers in the regions of North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Lapland.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/finnish-trade-union-strike-right-wing-government-attacks-workers-rights-and-welfare

One day French rail strike disrupts train services
The strike comes after three of France's major unions representing national rail service (SNCF) workers - CGT, Sud-Rail and CFDT - had issued a joint strike notice calling on workers to walk out from 7pm on Monday until 8am on Wednesday. The unions are calling for better pay and conditions.
https://www.thelocal.fr/20230925/nationwide-french-rail-strike-to-disrupt-train-services-on-tuesday
https://archive.ph/nbVyf

No sign of departing French envoy after Macron announces Niger retreat
Two days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his envoy in Niger would return within several hours after deciding to withdraw his troops from the country, the whereabouts of Ambassador Sylvain Itte are unclear. In a sudden about turn on Sunday, Macron said France's 1,500 counter-terrorism troops would finally withdraw from its former colony after a two-month stand off since a military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
https://www.reuters.com/world/no-sign-departing-french-envoy-after-macron-announces-niger-retreat-2023-09-26/

Saudi envoy links Israel normalisation talks to land-for-peace offer
Saudi Arabia’s first Ambassador to the Palestinians described a decades-old Arab land-for-peace offer on Tuesday as a pillar of any normalisation of ties with Israel, an apparent attempt to signal that Riyadh has not abandoned the Palestinian cause, Reuters reports. Expectations of a landmark US-brokered Saudi-Israeli deal have grown over the last week, though the timing and terms remain murky.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230926-saudi-envoy-links-israel-normalisation-talks-to-land-for-peace-offer/

Syria: Dozens dead in clashes between pro-government and Kurdish-led forces
Speaking to news outlet Al-Majalla last week, SDF military commander Mazloum Abdi said it was ready to compromise with Damascus in Deir Ezzor but so far the government had shown no willingness to do so. "We asked the Russians to help reach a political solution that would end the growing Syrian crisis," he said. "We ask that Damascus accept a realistic political solution… and Damascus still insists on its policy of stubbornness and rejects any realistic proposals that will end the crisis and contribute to peace and stability."
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-deir-ezzor-clashes-kurdish-pro-government-dead
R: 18 / I: 4
This foppish petty bourgeois queen has done more damage to Western Marxism than any other save only for Alain Badiou.
R: 26 / I: 2

Marxism and LAND

How does Marxism justify making the primary division between proletarians and bourgeoisie when landholders, who produce no value as per the LTV, still extract a rent on both labor and capital?

Also proles that own land become more reactionary as well

There needs to actually be 4 classes:

A - Worker (landless)
B - Worker (with land/home)
C - Capitalist
D - Landlords

Workers with ownership of land/home become more reactionary and adopt a petit bourgeois like mentality, the difference in class consciousness in a renter vs home/landowner is just as significant as worker vs capitalist. A worker with ownership of a land/home is essentially a petty landlord.

It's no coincidence that the most reactionary western nation i.e. burgerland has "home ownership" and lack of renting vs europe, as an ideal.

related threads:

>>1413203
>>1598101
R: 69 / I: 15

Porky is confused, delusional, deranged, and NOT as class conscious as we make them out to be

Porky is confused, delusional, deranged, and NOT as class conscious as we make them out to be!

I think most proletarians, even in the imperial core, have been disabused of the notion that capitalism benefits them, even if they believe in the wrong solution to capitalism (such as a reactionary return to pre-capitalist traditions, etc.) or come to the wrong conclusion (such as aspiring to become a capitalist).

In short: Most people know that capitalism does not benefit most people.

But I think the most powerful myth of capitalism isn't the myth that it benefits the proletariat. I think the most powerful myth of capitalism is the myth that it benefits the bourgeoisie. Capitalism is only in the short term interests of the bourgeoisie. Because the internal contradictions of capital, as well as its ecological unsustainability, make its eventual overthrow not only inevitable but necessary, then how could the bourgeoisie view capitalism as in their own best interests? If they were at all as class conscious as we pretend they are, there would be a million Friedrich Engels running around, which is to say, bourgeois class traitors. The bourgeoisie organize to protect their own interests, but as it has been said, they sell the rope with which they will eventually be hanged. That is not the behavior of a class that is conscious of themselves or their historical role. If they were conscious of themselves and their historical role, the would have realized that they have already outlived their historical role of breaking up feudalism and industrializing modern society. Rather than grasping onto their dying power and trying to murder-suicide the entire planet, they should instead be organizing to bring capitalism to an end.

>but anon, that's not in their short term interests, even if it's in their long term interests. They aren't going to be hanged tomorrow, so many of them are betting that they'll die before revolution/the worst effects of climate change comes.


But many of them are trying desperately to extend their lives, increasing the chances that they do live to be overthrown, and besides that, do they not care about their children? They accumulate more wealth than they can possibly spend or enjoy in a single life time. Ostensibly they do all this so their children can enjoy the fruits of their labor through inheritance. If they want their children to enjoy that wealth, then they aren't simply betting they'll die before revolution. They're betting revolution won't happen at all. Which means they are not class conscious, because if they were, they would see that their class has a historical role which it has outlived. For the proletariat to become class conscious, it is clearly outlined in Marxist-Leninist theory that the proletariat must not simply become aware of itself as the working class, but it must become aware of its revolutionary historical role, of its historical purpose of overthrowing the bourgeoisie and instituting class dictatorship. By that same measure, for the bourgeoisie to be class conscious, they must also be aware of their revolutionary historical role, of their historical purpose of overthrowing the feudal order and instituting the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. They have already fulfilled that historical role, but they do not seem conscious of this fact at all. They seem to have lost their class consciousness, and also, their instincts of self preservation.

If the bourgeoisie do not wish to see themselves or their children executed, they must turn their property and power over to the proletariat as quickly as possible, become proletarian themselves, and take part in the new society. But they won't do that, which means they will be executed, which means they are not actually class conscious or pursuing their own best interests. Rather, they are sealing their own fate, which is the behavior of someone who is fighting to preserve a system that doesn't benefit them. In short, capitalism does not benefit the bourgeoisie in the long run, it dooms them to violent overthrow by the proletariat. You might say they don't have any other option, but they do. They should realize this as quickly as possible, and become bourgeois class traitors like Friedrich Engels. Not simply poverty cultists who sell off everything they own and choose to live among the poor, but they should leverage their massive privilege to bring about revolution.

>Anon never in history has a ruling class taken part in its own overthrow


On the contrary, there were always pockets of previous ruling class who realized which way the wind was blowing. In Socialism: Utopian and Scientific Engels says the following:

< Fortunately for England, the old feudal barons had killed one another during the War of the Roses. Their successors, though mostly scions of the old families, had been so much out of the direct line of descent that they constituted quite a new body, with habits and tendencies far more bourgeois than feudal. They fully understood the value of money, and at once began to increase their rents by turning hundreds of small farmers out and replacing them with sheep. Henry VIII, while squandering the Church lands, created fresh bourgeois landlords by wholesale; the innumerable confiscation of estates, regranted to absolute or relative upstarts, and continued during the whole of the 17th century, had the same result. Consequently, ever since Henry VII, the English "aristocracy", far from counteracting the development of industrial production, had, on the contrary, sought to indirectly profit thereby; and there had always been a section of the great landowners willing, from economical or political reasons, to cooperate with the leading men of the financial and industrial bourgeoisie.


If parts of the feudal nobility realized that feudalism was coming to an end, and the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie was beginning, and that they had better change what horse they were riding, then does it not follow that the bourgeoisie should realize the same about capitalism, that the bourgeoisie should read Marx, and come to the conclusion that they are a moribund class, and that they ought to surrender to the proletariat now, while they can, rather than guarantee their own execution?
R: 3 / I: 0

False dichotomies? Idealism/Materialism, Reform/Revolution

Just got done reading this excellent book, Elementary Principles of Philosophy, by Georges Politzer, who was killed in 1942 by the nazis. It's an introduction to materialism, dialectical materialism, and historical materialism, which are foundational philosophical pillars of Marxism-Leninism. I had a few thoughts and questions on it. Fairly early in the book, Politzer quotes Engels, denouncing Agnosticism as "shame-faced materialism" which paves the way for the return of idealism. This is part one, section five, regarding agnosticism, which he presents as a "third philosophy" and an alternative to both materialism and idealism. I've never thought of agnosticism this way before. I've always thought of agnosticism as simply recognizing that metaphysical questions posed by idealists have no real answers because they do not concern things that are within material reality. i.e., to put forward the idea of a God who exists outside the universe, one cannot answer this question in the positive or the negative, because the domain of investigation is entirely outside of our reach, which is material reality, and that it is therefore better to shrug at such questions than to try and confidently answer them in the positive or the negative. Atheists say that if something can't be investigated then it simply doesn't exist. Which is fine. I get that. Bear with me because this isn't about theism vs. atheism. This is just background.
Politzer says the following:
>We have seen that, in order to prove their assertions, materialists use not only science but also experience, which enables us to control science. Thanks to the “criterion of practice,” we can know, we can take cognizance of things.
>Agnostics tell us that it is impossible to declare that the outside world exists or does not exist.
>Yet, in practice, we know that the world and things exist. We know that the ideas which we have about things are founded, that the relations which we have established between things and us are real.
He presents agnosticism as a "third philosophy" as wrong precisely because one cannot be a materialist and an idealist at the same time. Makes sense.
Earlier in the book he says:
>To conclude this chapter unambiguously, we see that to answer the question “How is it that man thinks?” there can be only two quite different and totally opposed answers:
>First answer: Man thinks because he has a soul.
>Second answer: Man thinks because he has a brain.
>According to which answer we give, we will be led to give different solutions to the problems which flow from this question.
>According to our answer, we are idealists or materialists.
So he is presenting idealism and materialism as a totally all-encompassing dichotomy that can have no synthesis. This also makes sense. If an idealist is someone who believes consciousness as being a byproduct of immaterial souls, and a materialist is someone who believes in consciousness as being a byproduct of material circumstances, then one cannot be both at the same time, and the "agnostic" trying to find a middle ground between opposites, is fundamentally logically contradicting himself. Bear with me however, because I want to connect this to material later in the book. In part three, the study of metaphysics, Politzer says that logic is intertwined with metaphysics:
>Logic and metaphysics are, consequently, intimately linked; logic is an instrument, a method of reasoning which proceeds by classing each thing in a very defined way, which consequently compels us to see things as being identical to themselves, which, then, obliges us to choose, to say yes or no, and, in conclusion, which excludes a third possibility between two cases, such as life and death.
Politzer says that logic is a form of pre-Marxist Materialism, i.e. Materialism that was not dialectical, and not had yet shed its idealist cocoon:
>We should notice that pre-Marxist materialism differs from Marxist materialism in the same way that metaphysical materialism differs from dialectical materialism.
>This is why we must now learn what this “metaphysical” method is in order to examine what, on the other hand, the dialectical method is.
He also says that logic is a metaphysical method built on 3 principles:
>1. The principle of identity: this, we have already seen, is the rule which states that a thing is identical to itself and does not change (a horse is a horse).
>2. The principle of noncontradiction: a thing cannot be at the same time itself and its opposite. You must choose (life cannot be both life and death).
>3. The principle of the excluded third—or exclusion of the third case, which means: between two contradictory possibilities, there is no room for a third. You must choose between life and death, there is no third possibility.
Makes sense… Politzer goes on…
>Indeed, in the example of life and death, there can be no third possibility. We have to choose one or the other of the possibilities which we have singled out. We regard a third possibility as a contradiction and we consider this contradiction to be absurd and, hence impossible.
>[one of the fundamental characteristics] of the metaphysical method is, therefore, the abhorrence of contradiction.
>The practical consequences of this line of reasoning can be seen, for example, when one speaks of democracy and dictatorship. The metaphysical point of view requires that society choose between the two, because democracy is democracy and dictatorship is dictatorship. Democracy is not a dictatorship and dictatorship is not a democracy. We have to choose, otherwise we are confronted with a contradiction, an absurdity, an impossibility.
>The Marxist attitude is completely different.
>We, on the other hand, think that the dictatorship of the proletariat, for example, is both dictatorship by the masses and democracy for the exploited masses.
>We believe that the life of living beings is only possible because there is a perpetual struggle between cells and because there are continually some which die only to be replaced by others. Thus, life contains death within itself. We think that death is not as total and separate from life as metaphysics believes, for on a corpse all life has not disappeared, since certain cells continue to live for some time and from this corpse other lives will be born.
So he is saying that Marxism is dialectical, and does not abhor contradictions, and rather views reality as constantly in contradiction with itself, and reality is full of things being transformed into their own opposites through a dialectical process, and that reality can have aspects of opposites be true simultaneously. I actually agree with this. He is saying Marxist materialism, unlike pre-Marxist materialism, fundamentally rejects the metaphysical logical principle of the excluded third, listed above. However, does this not put Politzer in contradiction with what he said earlier in the section on idealism vs. materialism? Why is it impossible to reconcile idealism and materialism? Why do we apply the metaphysical logical principle of excluding the third option when it comes to idealism vs. materialism, and saying it's impossible to be agnostic on this question, or synthesize the two opposites, but everything else is allowed to be a dialectical synthesis, capable of being two things at once? Maybe I don't understand. I was also confused by how he presents reformism vs. revolution. He has 3 arguments against reform. The political argument, the historical argument, and the scientific argument. He points out that gradual changes do accumulate in a system, but that revolution is the inevitable outcome of the accumulation of gradual changes. He then makes an analogy to a change in the state of matter to revolution. He calls this a scientific argument against reformism:
>Let us take the example of water, if we start at 0° Centigrade, and raise the temperature of the water from 1°, 2°, 3° up to 98°, the change is continuous. But can it continue indefinitely? We can go again up to 99°, but, at 100° Centigrade, we have an abrupt change: the water is transformed into steam.
>If, inversely, from 99° we go down to 1°, again we have a continuous change; but we cannot lower the temperature like this indefinitely, for, at 0° Centigrade, the water is transformed into ice.
>From 1° to 99° the water still remains water; only its temperature changes. This is what is called a quantitative change, which answers the question “How much?”, i.e., “How much heat is there in the water?”. When the water changes into ice or steam, we have a qualitative change, a change in quality. It is no longer water: it has become ice or steam.
He is saying that revolution is a qualitative change in society, a transformation that inevitably happens after many small changes… but how does this contradict reformism? If it is possible to arrive at 100, i.e. the point of transformation, by gradually changing the temperature, does that not demonstrate that the transformation, however sudden its implementation can be gradually prepared for?

TL;DR
Aren't materialism and idealism a false dichotomy that are just as subject to dialectical synthesis as anything else? If not, why?
Aren't reformism and revolution a false dichotomy that are just as subject to dialectical synthesis as anything else? If not, why?
For the record, I am in favor of revolution over reform, and materialism over idealism, but I am unable to answer these questions yet, so I think my learning is incomplete.
R: 23 / I: 2

Disgusted apathy

Have you guys ever taken a moment to fully acknowledge the scale of contemporary violence we see on a day to day basis in the imperial core and between neo fascist countries like France, America and Israel and occasionally get hit with a tired feeling of disgusted apathy?

Every fucking day there’s a new atrocity that’s somehow worse than the last one: children murdering each other in the dozens each month in America’s schools, saudis being documented to kill migrants randomly with now hundreds of casualties being reported, war hungry maniacs cheering on the mass deaths brought about in Ukraine hoping the conflict escalates and devastates more lives, mass and public deaths and drug abuse seen in cities across Canada, Britain and the Midwest of the USA, random civilian killings by Israeli soldiers not in the name of religion but to satisfy their barbarity, narcissism, violence against those unable to defend themselves and psychopathy glorified in reactionary spaces and in the MSM, mass homeless for profit production with NIMBYs, this fucking shit is endless. I try to ignore this shit when it comes up in the media so I can read properly researched books to get a better understanding of what’s going on, but when I do I then get hit by a feeling of despair that has had me curl up and sleep to forget what’s happened. It never really does because I’m not in a position to do anything meaningful, but when I see a new atrocity come up, I just get hit by that pang of disgusted apathy.

A feeling of extreme tiredness and despair of seeing something awful you know you’ve already seen, and will only come to see more of as you get older with no end in clear sight.
R: 143 / I: 29

Canada-India diplomatic crisis thread

>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government had "credible allegations" linking Indian agents to the slaying of the exiled Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

>Canada on Monday (Sep 18) accused India's

government of involvement in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader near Vancouver last June, prompting tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions after New Delhi rejected the charge as "absurd".

>The accusations sent already sour relations between Ottawa and New Delhi to a dramatic new low.


>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told an emergency parliamentary session that his government had "credible allegations" linking Indian agents to the June slaying of exiled Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.


>"The involvement of any foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Trudeau said.


>He called "in the strongest possible terms" on the Indian government to cooperate in clearing up the matter.


>Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the Trudeau government had taken immediate action.


>"Today we have expelled a senior Indian diplomat from Canada," she said, without naming the official.


>Joly said the expelled Indian is the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's foreign intelligence agency, in Canada.


>India's foreign ministry on Tuesday rejected claims of involvement in Nijjar's death and said it had ordered an unnamed senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country within five days.


>"Allegations of government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd," the ministry said in a statement, adding: "We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law."


>It said Trudeau - who visited New Delhi this month for the G20 summit - had already made similar allegations to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, and that they had been "completely rejected".


>The ministry's decision to expel a Canadian diplomat reflected its "growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities", it added.


>Nijjar, whom India had declared a wanted terrorist, was gunned down on Jun 18 in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver that is home to a large Sikh community.


>Canada has the largest population of Sikhs globally outside of India.


>Nijjar advocated for the creation of an independent Sikh state to be carved out of parts of northern India and perhaps part of Pakistan.


>New Delhi had accused Nijjar of carrying out terrorist attacks in India, a charge he denied.


>Tensions between India and Canada have been simmering over the unsolved slaying and Indian unhappiness over how Ottawa has handled right-wing Sikh separatists.


>A former adviser to Trudeau, Jocelyn Coulon, asserted that Canada's accusation would have "the effect of a bomb around the world."


>India will join "the group of nations that assassinate political opponents" abroad, much as Saudi Arabia orchestrated the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018, said Coulon, who is now an independent researcher.


>Tensions between the two nations flared during the G20 summit.


>Modi expressed "strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada" during a meeting with Trudeau, according to an Indian government statement.


>India has often complained about activities of the Sikh diaspora abroad, particularly in Canada, which New Delhi believes could revive a Sikh separatist movement.


>The Indian state of Punjab, which is 58 per cent Sikh and 39 per cent Hindu, was rocked by a violent separatist movement in the 1980s and early 1990s, in which thousands died.


>Canada also recently suspended negotiations for a free-trade agreement with India.


>Trudeau later told the media that Canada would always defend "freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and freedom of peaceful protest" while acting against hatred.


https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/india-dismiss-canada-accusation-sikh-separatist-leader-murder-absurd-3781491
R: 35 / I: 4

How have your political views changed after seeing them in practice?

My country has been through capitalist, communist, socialist, and islamist phases. My father told me about all the coups and system changes he saw and how not a single one of them worked out. For this reason I started to read about African anarchism (Sam Mbah) and believe in anarchy. However, the country fell apart 6 months ago and has been in a state of war since. With the absence of government, my anarchist dreams should've been fulfilled but it… did not work out. I still believe in anarchy but from my personal experience the lack of government has only made it easier for individuals to steal, exploit, kill, etc with little punishment. The community in my rural town comes together to make decisions from time to time but there is no obligation to follow them so nothing changes as people are understandably more concerned about their personal circumstances. No one trusts one another anymore and everyone's on edge at least in my area. Have you anons had a similar experience? How have your political ideas changed after seeing them applied in practice?
R: 40 / I: 2
What was the most comfy period in the history of the Soviet Union? I think it was Brezhnev times. Although it preceded the fall, I am sure of it. What do you think?
R: 499 / I: 163

MULTIPOLARISM

WHAT IS MULTIPOLARISM
Multipolarism, in its most basic form, posits a world where multiple powers (countries or entities) exist in a state of relative equilibrium, challenging the unipolar hegemony led mainly by the United States post-Cold War. The emergence of China, the reassertion of Russia, the rise of regional powers like India, Brazil, and South Africa, among others, suggest a move towards this multipolar world.


BUT is it rly just Capitalism 2: Electric Boogaloo - Neo-Dengism Edition? To what extent is multipolarism just capitalist nationalism for people not in green on this map? If the whole thrust of socialism is now just "America bad" what becomes of the classical socialist goals of workers control of the means of production, and abolishing class society?


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R: 61 / I: 8
Is Taliban considered a genuinely anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist force? Can they be considered as progressive bourgeois nationalists? Should leftists seek to reach out to them and build an alliance the West and Israel?
R: 22 / I: 2

Syriza is dead

>Stefanos Kasselakis, an outsider with no previous experience of politics in Greece, has emerged the victor of an electric race to lead the leftwing Syriza, the country’s main opposition party.
>The Greek-American entrepreneur, who announced his candidacy for the post barely four weeks ago, attained 56.69% of the vote against 43.31% for Efi Achtsioglou, a former labour minister who had long been viewed as the favourite. Kasselakis’ win now makes him one of the most powerful people in Greece.
>…
>A shipping executive in the US, Kasselakis stepped into the race when Aléxis Tsípras, the party’s president for the past 15 years, announced he would be stepping down after Syriza’s double defeat in general elections held in May and June.
>Kasselakis, who is not known to have had any links with Syriza before this year, moved to Athens only months ago, settling in the capital with his American husband Tyler McBeth.
>…
<The Greek-American has signalled that he will apply root-and-branch change to Syriza, a progressive alliance that includes Marxists, Euro-communists, ecologists and social democrats. He has stated that if the party ever wants to taste power again it should “just copy the US formula as soon as possible” by transforming into a “big tent” US-style Democratic party.
>In an opinion piece published in July the entrepreneur, who moved to Massachusetts as a teenager, called his decision to engage in Greek politics “a brief interlude between two chapters in my business career”.
>“We support Kasselakis because he wants to move the party towards the centre, the ground that Syriza lost in the last election. It will be re-established with open minds and open doors.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/24/political-outsider-stefanos-kasselakis-wins-race-to-lead-greeces-syriza
R: 5 / I: 1

News 9/25/23

Parents of disappeared Ayotzinapa students begin indefinite sit-in protest outside military camp in Mexico City
Carrying large banners that read “Where are our children?”, “We are missing 43”, and “Because they were taken alive, we want them back alive,” among others, the parents demanded that the Mexican Armed Forces hand over all available information about the mass kidnapping and disappearance of their loved ones. The parents and relatives of the students, with the help of students from different rural colleges, set up a camp outside the camp and began an indefinite sit-in protest. They announced that they wouldn’t move until they received the information withheld by the army. Human rights and social organizations announced that they would support the parents and provide them with food and other essentials in solidarity with their struggle.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/23/parents-of-disappeared-ayotzinapa-students-begin-indefinite-sit-in-protest-outside-military-camp-in-mexico-city/

Chilean Communist Party elects new general secretary
The party is considering the current political situation in Chile and how best to strengthen its leadership to tackle the situation. Ms Figueroa resigned as Chilean ambassador to Argentina to take up her new role. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked her for her work and wished her success in her new role.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/new-chilean-communist-party-general-secretary-elected

Chevron readies new oil drilling push in Venezuela to boost output
Chevron Corp (CVX.N) plans to add 65,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Venezuelan oil output by the end of 2024 through its first major drilling campaign in the nation since Washington allowed it to restore production clipped by U.S. sanctions, three people familiar with the matter said. The effort could help Venezuela keep lifting crude production and speed Chevron's goal of recouping $3 billion in unpaid dividends and debt from its projects in the country.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/chevron-readies-new-oil-drilling-push-venezuela-boost-output-2023-09-25/

Argentine Candidate Massa Promises a National Unity Government
On Sunday, Sergio Massa, the Peronist presidential candidate and Economy Minister, pledged to form a "government of national unity" should he win the elections on December 10. "Don't be surprised if there are people from other political parties in our government. I will call for a government of national unity. I am not afraid to collaborate with those who think differently because Argentina is all of us," stated Massa. He made these remarks at an event in the province of Salta, where Massa signed energy agreements with governors from a dozen provinces, including opposition leaders.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Argentine-Candidate-Massa-Promises-a-National-Unity-Government-20230924-0007.html

Palestinians decry Israel army's 'barbaric' university raid and student arrests
Palestinians have condemned the Israeli army's storming of a leading West Bank university and the arrest of student activists. Around 10 military vehicles violently raided Birzeit University's campus at dawn on Sunday before dozens of special forces disembarked and surrounded the student council building, according to student Basil Barghouti. Troops assaulted university guards, vandalised the council's office and arrested eight of its members.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-israel-decry-army-barbaric-university-raid-student-arrests

HPG: Seven Turkish soldiers were killed in Zap
According to the HPG Press Center statement on Sunday, seven soldiers of the Turkish invading forces have been killed and two grenade launchers destroyed as a result of actions by the guerrillas since yesterday.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/hpg-seven-turkish-soldiers-were-killed-in-zap-69482

Erdogan meets Azerbaijan’s Aliyev as thousands flee Nagorno-Karabakh
Several days after the fighting, the first refugees arrived in Armenia on Sunday and 6,650 people have so far entered, Yerevan said on Monday. Valery Airapetyan, a Nagorno-Karabakh resident who spoke to Al Jazeera, was among those fleeing to Armenia. “We found a litre of gasoline, ran away and came here,” he said in the middle of his journey out of the region. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that he expected about 120,000 civilians to leave the region for Armenia due to “the danger of ethnic cleansing”.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/25/erdogan-meeting-azerbaijans-aliyev-as-thousands-flee-karabakh
https://archive.ph/RKxIp

Anti-fascists in Germany protest persecution of leftist activist
Leftists and anti-fascist groups in Germany are protesting continuing attempts to persecute activists in the country. The German Communist Party (DKP), Socialist German Workers Youth (SDAJ), German Education Union (GEW) and youth-students groups affiliated to Die Linke (The Left) and others expressed solidarity with a 27-year-old school teacher from Frankfurt, Luca, who is being persecuted by the state and faces a career ban for participating in a demonstration two years ago. Luca is part of the SDAJ leadership and a trade unionist in the GEW.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/25/anti-fascists-in-germany-protest-persecution-of-leftist-activist/

Tories accused of treating northerners like ‘second-class citizens’ over HS2
THE government was accused of treating the people living in northern England as “second-class citizens” today after doubts surfaced about the future of the HS2 rail link from Birmingham to Manchester. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said abandoning the Manchester link would turn the north-south divide into a chasm. The link from Birmingham to Leeds was already cancelled two years ago, he pointed out.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/tories-accused-of-treating-northerners-like-second-class-citizens-hs2

Political outsider Stefanos Kasselakis wins race to lead Greece’s Syriza
A shipping executive in the US, Kasselakis stepped into the race when Aléxis Tsípras, the party’s president for the past 15 years, announced he would be stepping down after Syriza’s double defeat in general elections held in May and June. The prime minister from 2015 to 2019, Tsipras had kept a “neutral” stance, refusing to endorse either candidate after Kasselakis’ unexpected win in the first round last week.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/24/political-outsider-stefanos-kasselakis-wins-race-to-lead-greeces-syriza

South China Sea: Philippines vows to remove Beijing’s 300-metre floating barrier in disputed lagoon
Philippine officials vowed on Monday to remove a floating barrier placed by China’s coastguard to prevent Filipino fishing boats from entering a disputed lagoon in the South China Sea. They said the 300m (980-foot) -long barrier at the entrance to the lagoon at Scarborough Shoal – known locally as Bajo de Masinloc – is “illegal and illegitimate”.
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3235731/south-china-sea-philippines-vows-remove-beijings-300-metre-floating-barrier-disputed-lagoon
https://archive.ph/AQOWs

Buxar Power Plant Indefinite Strike Enters 3rd Day
The indefinite strike by nearly 3,000 workers of the under-construction Buxar Thermal Power Project in Bihar’s Chausa village entered the third day on Saturday. The protesting workers have demanded increased wages and only eight hours of work. … The workers struck work suddenly on September 21 to protest low wages and 12 hours of work. On Saturday, they started protesting in their residential colonies. “We will not end the strike and protest unless power plant officials, L&T and contractors give us a written assurance about fulfilling our demands,” Gaurav Rai, a worker leader, told Newsclick.
https://www.newsclick.in/buxar-power-plant-indefinite-strike-enters-3rd-day
R: 39 / I: 16
Is India the most hitlerite country in the world? I mean goddamn, the caste system, oppression of muslims, the wide class disparity, eape cases etc. Insanity. Kind of makes me feel ashamed to be Indian tbh.
R: 77 / I: 24

/Climate/ #3 Off the charts edition

This thread is dedicated to our accomplishment of having broken the upper limit of sea surface temperature and the lower limit of antarctic sea ice amount charts this summer, hence ushering our species firmly into the capitalocene. Good job guys! Welcome to the future.

Here's an article about that:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/28/crazy-off-the-charts-records-has-humanity-finally-broken-the-climate

As for the news, there is a drought blocking shipping at the Panama canal, bad wildfires in North America and Greece, persistent heatwaves in eastern Europe and northern Africa, and floods in central and eastern China.

Here's the latest report from the IPCC
<AR6 Synthesis Report Climate Change 2023
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/

The website of NASA about climate is great for getting data and visualizing climate change
https://climate.nasa.gov/

Last thread: >>1332129
R: 38 / I: 3

Why and how did Eastern Block fall?

What factors led to its fall, what was the character of 1989 revolutions? I heard them described as middle class revolt, or even inter-party one. Id appreciate some short-ish reading recommendations of the topic.
R: 45 / I: 32

Study Lassallism General

State funds edition.

The Purpose of This Thread
I've seen dozens of comments about Ferdinand Lasalle: "The jewish uyghur Lassalle," "I realize now that he - his head form and his hair growth are evident enough - is a descendant of uyghurs, who joined Moses' exodus from Egypt", and "The intrusiveness of this chap is also very uyghur" "Lassalle is Monbol gang" "What does /leftypol/ think of <insert Marx quote jewish uyghur Lassalle here>"

These repetitive comments and people end up repeating the tired, old Marx quotes, so I figured I'd make a general to study wholeheartedly into who Ferdinand Lasalle really was. Consider it a homage to Ferdinand Lasalle and an inquiry into his character. Whether it be out of genuine curiosity or means of countering Lassallean ideology.

Links and Lassallen Literature & Speeches
>Open Letter to the National Labor Association of Germany
https://www.marxists.org/archive/lassalle/1863/lassallesopenletter.pdf

>On the Essence of Constitutions

https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/fi/vol03/no01/lassalle.htm

>The Working Man’s Programme

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lassalle/1862/04/programme.html

>Lassalle a Reactionary!?

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lassalle/revolt/12-reactionary.html

>No Compromise

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lassalle/revolt/8-no-compromise.html

>Coalition or Revolution? The Body Politic

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lassalle/revolt/9-body-politic.html

>Spartacus or Saturnalia

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lassalle/revolt/10-spartacus.html

>The Class Struggle

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lassalle/revolt/11-class-struggle.html

The core principle of Lassallism
As an organizer, Ferdinand Lassalle placed his effort behind universal suffrage: but the core tenet of Lassallism is grafting the popular working classes into the State form or constitution. By advancing them into the State, the State constitution will adapt to them. Any movement to make popular reform or put the workers into the core of the State to manifest the actual forces forming the State constitution. Like for the USA looking to reform the electoral college or abolish it. This is explained in Lassalle's Open Letter to the National Labor Association of Germany and Lassalle's On the Essence of Constitutions
R: 513 / I: 418

/webm/ Thread 5

First thread: >>>/leftypol_archive/9920
Second thread >>>/leftypol_archive/481354
Third thread >>>/leftypol_archive/492596
Fourth thread >>>/leftypol_archive/561028

WebMConverter by WebMBro: https://github.com/WebMBro/WebMConverter "WebM for retards."
R: 500 / I: 159  

/ukraine/ - Russia-Ukraine war general #167: The Curse of Assad Edition

REMEMBER: Kyiv was founded in 1918, 1941, 1991 and 2013

>be from ukraine

>unironically use reddit
>war is shit and stuff
>make a picture of my morning view with ukrainian breakfast, some positivity
>posts it
>it gets removed for being offtopic
>the entire subreddit is just about the war
>99% of the people are westerners just talking about russia all day
>they give each other awards for saying "Fuck Putin"
>these people dont give a shit about ukrainne

<Adviser to the head of office of the President of Ukraine Mikhailo Podolyak:

>"China and India don't know what they are doing, by helping Russia's war. Unfortunately, the intellectual potential of those countries is low. India might have a lunar mission, but that doesn't mean they understand what is going on in the world!"
<Chinese online posters:
>"We have maglev trains while people on Ukrainian trains still shit in holes dumping their feces straight on the tracks. Intellectuals!"

>Multipolarity thread is abysmal and full of burgers screeching about how le hecking unwholesome red-brown nazbol duginites think communism is when you support OLIGARCHIC DICTATORSHIPS!!!

<Meanwhile I check /isg/ and there is a post about how pro-NATO nazis like Spencer are "correct" and better than "red-brown third worldist nazbols"

>Anons, give it to me straight: has Ginjeet been LARPing as a Ukrainian ML emigre this entire time?


<Y'all need to stop UKRAINESPLAINING to this angry Russian citizen who 100% knows what's going on better than anyone else does. So take a step back, relax, clear your mind of Western chauvinism (which includes the annoying urge to lecture others on how to be "better" when you're a joke even in your own country) and try to LEARN from this wise man.

>this. intersectionality is key. you clowns haven't earned your LIVED EXPERIENCES through the ukraine crisis and are still reflexively apologizing for western backed nazis. it's time to do better sweaties.
<Western chauvinism" is when you help your neighbouring country to defend from genocidal invaders. Russian chauvinism is when you want to add another colonial province to your already huge colonial empire while eradicating entire nations from existence with forced russification.

>Fuck off Gunther. Words cant describe how fucking shameless it is to claim that Russia colonized all of its territories and must return the land to the natives. What sort of twisted meaning of "colony" is that?

<Russia never did such things that Europeans and Americans did. It is really shameless for the westerners to spell Russian history as a brutal imperislism as it is simply not true. The whole idea that Russia right now, after the USSR fell and the horrible 90s happened, is somehow an "empire" that occupies nations living within its borders is just amazing, without even considering the political entities who are making these claims (the West), and the irony implied by that. You're nothing but a cocksucker of the "Free Nations of Postrussia Forum" and other glowie NGOs. So what happens when people actually decide that Russia must be decolonized? Look at all of the maps that these glowie NGOs draw up. Various maps of Russia, with entirely different flags and borders, which bear no representation of actual ethnic boundaries of any people, and no relation to their tradition or culture. This is pure wet dream psychosis by imperialists and their lackeys like you. KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF

>Should the word "zigger" be submitted to the racial slur database?


>be from Poland

>tired of Russians and others calling you a toilet worker who deals with piss and poo online
>voting time comes
>have to choose between a party named PISs and a party named POo
<life is funny like that.

—————————————————–

Evidence of the influence and origin of neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine
https://archive.ph/44B9Q
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323637
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323658
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323663
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323688
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323729
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323733
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323731
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323735
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323740

—————————————————–

ALWAYS APPROACH SOURCES CRITICALLY

Developments of multipolarity timeline
https://www.pacemaker.global/multipolar-transition-timeline (Note: Dead link. Update with new link, por favor.)

Live maps and updates
DeepStateMap: https://deepstatemap.live
Events in Ukraine: https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/
SouthFront: https://southfront.org/category/all-articles/world/europe/ukraine/

Watch Together
📺 News/events: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/HappeningsviaKlash
📺 Hangout/chill: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/bloodcast

Watch By Yourself
>Video Essays / Historical Background
📺 Ukraine: The Avoidable War - Boy Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4eNy4FCs8

📺 America, Russia, and Ukraine's Far Right - Gravel Institute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0pyVJG7_6Q

📺 Crimea vs Taiwan: Who Gets Self-Determination? - BadEmpanada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_UH4fmyj0

📺 The Nature of Putin's Russia and Its Causes (3-Part Series) - 1Dime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d6Vzi7zYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zODWTfMwFGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN1KK9Mzuo

<Current Happenings

📺 Defense Politics Asia: https://www.youtube.com/@DefensePoliticsAsia
📺 The Duran: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeMVChrumySxV9N1w0Au-w
📺 The News Atlas: https://www.youtube.com/c/thenewatlas
📺 Military Summary: https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary

—————————————————–

Social media
>Twitter
https://nitter.net/GeromanAT
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<Telegram

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Thread guidelines:
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R: 19 / I: 1
>Andropov and the KGB had known, however, that “national” Party cadres and the “national” intelligentsia could become a nucleus of national movements in separate Soviet republics.
>Andropov, recalls his aide Arkady Volsky, was obsessed with the idea of downplaying the role of nationalities in the constitutional structures of the Soviet Union. He knew the power of nationalism and during his years as head of the KGB had received information that the republican branches of the Party were becoming increasingly ethnic-nationalist clans that barely camouflaged their true leanings under the veneer of communist “internationalism” in which they no longer believed. Andropov also realized that Russian and Ukrainian nationalism could be particularly dangerous for the Union.
>The General Secretary gave his aide a secret order: “Let’s get rid of the national partition of the country. Present your ideas on the organization of states in the Soviet Union according to population and economic rationale, so that the title nationalities would be faded out. Draw me a new map of the USSR.” Volsky recalled that he drew up fifteen drafts, but Andropov rejected all of them. The devil was in reapportioning industrial objects across the states in such a way that the notion of “states” would make economic and budgetary sense.
>“I shudder, when I recall this mission,” Volsky remembered. Andropov and his aide redrew the borders and reshuffled the lists of enterprises that “belonged” to one region or another. Volsky turned for help to his friend, the nuclear physicist Yevgeny Velikhov. “We came up with forty-one states. We finished the project, with all proper charts, but by that time [Andropov] got very ill.” The idea of radical constitutional reform was shelved.
>Volsky was convinced that Andropov could have pushed reform down the throats of the republican elites, at least to a certain extent. “Had he had time to approve ‘the project,’ I can say with full confidence: Party secretaries who later would become heads of independent states would have applauded this wise decision of the Party.”
Could they have done it?
R: 10 / I: 8

Different type of crimes theory

Being in the Bay Area, and having grown up around Chicago, I've developed a theory of crime in American cities. Not sure if it's true, but I haven't heard anyone make this observation before, and I think it explains a lot.

Sometimes, the media points out that for all the complaints about San Francisco, the murder rate is quite low. And they're right about that.

There are basically two types of cities in the US when it comes to crime. There are Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern cities like Chicago where there are pockets of extreme violence and everything else is left alone.

Then you have the West coast cities - SF, Portland, Seattle - where homeless are everywhere, including weird homeless subcultures, but actual serious violence is low. Nonetheless, the homeless intrude on the lives the upper class in a way they don't so much in Chicago, through noise, littering, and other nuisances.

Why do cities tend to fall into one of these patterns? Either Chicago or SF? I think that having a Chicago criminal underclass makes SF impossible. The SF homeless subculture can only exist when people can live on the streets and not be constantly robbed, killed, or harassed by a stronger predator. The Chicago criminal is a violent gangbanger, who is impulsive and risk-taking but not mentally ill in the schizophrenic sense. To survive, the SF schizo needs a soft environment, where white liberals don't have the heart to push him away and there aren't more dangerous criminals to compete with.

Upper class urbanites won't tolerate the Chicago criminal in their neighborhood due to fear. So even the most soft-hearted liberal will support policies that keep violence and disorder segregated in certain areas. But the SF homeless who just yells at the top of his lungs, poops on the ground, and doesn't have the mental focus or ambition to get a gun and rob someone is more tolerated. So you end up with bums intruding on normal life in SF in ways that the Chicago underclass doesn't as much.

In one way, then, high levels of serious violence in Chicago might be a blessing, as you can have nice things in at least certain parts of the city. Perhaps some ambitious mayor can consider a kind of underclass exchange program? It seems that Chicago could stand to lose a few of their violent criminals, while SF might gain from having them, in the way that you might release one predator into an environment to eliminate another. But our urban leadership hasn't shown that they're capable of that kind of creativity.
R: 19 / I: 8

CASTROISM—DEADLY DANGER TO THE CUBAN REVOLUTION- Marxist.org 1962

In the June-July 1961 issue in dealing with Castro’s ransom proposals we wrote: “Castro may be denounced as a communist stooge, but he can never be acclaimed as a Marxist. He is a mere Jacobin, a man who has attached himself to the people from the top and who essentially looks at them from the mountain peak of his intellectual contempt and Spanish pride as a rabble without great brains or historic initiative.” The article concluded: “Let the Cuban revolutionary workers and peasants learn the bitter lessons from this episode. Let them put a bridle on Castro and force him to act not like a catholic savior but like a modest leader of the working class training and developing them for leadership and decision making in a Marxist manner.”

We followed this up with a longer article entitled “Perspective of the Cuban Revolution” appearing in the December-January 1962 issue: “… . it is absolutely essential to raise the question of general elections in which the workers and toilers will be entirely free to vote to make their choices and to participate actively in all government and political activities.

“There is now only one party in Cuba, why should not there be elections? There is now a new proletarian state (supposedly, A.W.) in Cuba, why should not there be a new constitution? Why should not SOVIETS be formed in Cuba as proletarian organs of power? . . . But the proletariat must now be allowed to vote and express its will. What is Cuba waiting for? To wait further is a major crime against the people of Cuba? Working class elections can no longer be delayed! An advancing proletarian revolution can no longer tolerate this dictatorship OVER the working class.”

Another year has gone by and still there are no worker’s elections. Why? Because both the Soviet leaders and Castro are opposed to them. The Soviets know that working class elections to the organs of state power will also mean working class elections within the governing party and once such a collective party is formed and developed it will not allow Cuba to be dictated to by an outside force not motivated by international proletarian considerations. Such a situation would spoil the game by which the Soviet leaders want to use Cuba as a tool for their own international maneuvers rather than for the interest of the world working class. Castro is opposed to elections because he knows such elections both in Cuba and within the ruling party then formed would be the best guarantee that the Cuban Revolution would go forward in its mission to carry out the interests of the working class to the end. Castro wants to use the working class for his own purposes not necessarily identical with working class rule and development.

It is now time to make a thorough analysis of this Castroism because the Cuban Revolution is in deadly peril not only from the United States and Latin American reactionaries but also from within. Either Castroism as described herein is ended and replaced by a working-class rule or the Revolution stands in danger of death.

THE HISTORY of Latin America is filled with Castro type “revolutionists” whose policies and histories, springing from the conditions peculiarly prevailing in this part of the world are very clearly distinguishable. We can enumerate these features as follows:

1. Upper class leadership, often on the “colonel” level;
2. Reliance on tiny conspiratorial military (the “Junta") initiative, often launched from exile bases;
3. Caudillism in military affairs;
4. Personalism in political matters;
5. General program very vague, concentration on “Patria” as against “foreign interests,” vague statements of being for the “people,” the “shirtless,” the “humble";
6. No attack against the native bourgeoisie or top wealthy groups unless absolutely necessary;
7. Vague stand for economic improvements, for greater wealth for the nation, for forced industrialization, resulting in more efficiency by the masses who in turn are to have greater security and stake in the social order.

The early Latin American “revolutionary” leaders were of the George Washington type who in their fight for independence against Spain used the vague phrases of the French enlightenment popularized by the French Revolution so that they could get the people to fight for them and their top group. To this category belonged such “liberators” as Bolivar, Belgrano, San Martin and others. They represented wealthy families which wanted to rule the Western Hemisphere countries for themselves rather than the Spanish aristocracy who looked down on them. Their victories cemented the rule of the landed oligarchical group amassing the huge vacant lands for themselves. Establishing vast latifundias with large numbers of peons and slaves working for them, the strong ones among the oligarchy formed their own private armies (caudillism) and ruled their regions with an iron hand no longer held responsible by others for their actions. Some of these regions actually became artificially created independent States as for example in Central America. The fact that the countries were so new with all social controls absent led to fights among the ruling families themselves as to who should control. In each family were sons with self-given title of “colonel” or “general” who staged one governmental revolt after another. So far as the masses of toilers were concerned their lot was improved not at all.

About the middle of the last century new trends of capitalism entering Latin America changed some of the formulas of the “revolutionists.” The entrance of commercial and financial capital and the rise of a bourgeois world made increasingly felt the need for definite rules. This called for constitutional government that would allow for the interplay of bourgeois forces and would permit the newer wealthier elements to become fused with the old oligarchy. The formation of constitutions entailed a division of labor between the executive and the legislative branches of government. While the army tended to become professionalized within it there was still room for the tiny military conspiracy. The military coup d’etat with personal parties gathered around some military conspirator remained to dominate the workings of the constitution.

Between the middle and the end of the 19th century. Latin America saw not only a vast increase in the influence of foreign capital but also a vast influx of foreign labor and immigration. Millions of people came from Spain and from Italy to seek home and fortune in the countries of this Hemisphere. Some became farmers and agricultural laborers, others small business men, professional men, workers in the cities, and such. Some of them even went into the army to play a role there as “majors” and as “colonels.” Now the nation was faced not only with the matter of establishing basic rules in a constitution but of allowing these middle class elements and immigrants the right to vote. Hence new military conspiracies, new vague general programmatic phrases and new promises with a multitude of personal parties arising controlled by this or that strong individual and his clique combined with the military to take over power. It become appropriate to take on a radical coloration, radicalism in the name of the “people.”

Jose Marti of Cuba does not go much beyond this, or Carranza in Mexico, or Batista in Cuba.

Finally, with the advent of the Russian and Fascist Revolutions, the great depression of the 1930’s, and the great world wars, the Latin American military revolutionary cliques had to take on new guises of a social kind. They had to speak against foreign imperialism and foreign interests (partly to force the foreigners to take the native wealthy into partnership with them into the new corporations and to induce bigger bribes from these foreign corporations). They had to speak in the name of the “humble” (los humildes) and to promise them job security and Christmas gifts (Peron in Argentina and Vargas in Brazil aping ᴉuᴉlossnW and Hitler). They expanded totalitarian principles in the name of social justice and threatened even the bourgeoisie with unleashing the masses against them if they did not fall in line. Using the demagogic forms of “plebiscite” and open meetings rather than political party discussions of policy and program they manipulated the masses at will.

None of them permitted honest regular elections, especially in so far as the workers and toilers are concerned. None of them failed to make every effort to control the workers organization, whether it be the trade union, the cultural association, the mutual aid group, the cooperative, or the political party. They withheld elections for years at a time until such elections could be safely manipulated and controlled. They formed a permanent State within the State for their own benefit.

AND NOW we can turn to Castro and see how he fits into these classical types of Junta revolutionists. If it is true, as claimed, that he was a “Marxist-Leninist” from the beginning, then he certainly concealed his character pretending to be just another ordinary Latin American hidalgo, military “revolutionist,” and hiding his social program so cleverly that many of his friends did not know it even existed. He posed as a pure and simple constitutional legalist of the Jose Marti variety. He simply wanted the termination of corruption in government, the end of the Batista dictatorship and the realization of a Cuban Constitution that already had been legally adopted years ago. He “revealed” his “social program” only in proportion as his military needs required him to do so.

Fidel Castro came from a wealthy landholding family, of the kind that would be part of the landed oligarchy in other countries. His contact with students in the University of Havana was contact with sons and daughters of the privileged in the main like himself. He was really not interested in forming a party of any kind. He worked through the tiny conspiratorial clique. He found it a necessity continually to demonstrate his military prowess, like many of the Latin American “revolutionists” before him, and when he was defeated in his first attempt to storm the barracks and was exiled, he again formed the military conspiracy to take Cuba by force but this time using agricultural toilers for his purposes.

In his military actions he shows himself a true “caudillist.” “Caudillo” is the Castillian word for leader, similar to Fuehrer in German and Duce in Italian. Caudillism may be defined as that policy that makes a military force belong to and practically depend on one leader, the Caudillo. That’s what happens in Cuba. Fidel’s military force at first is not an army of the people. It is a military adventure of a clique, headed by a Caudillo, belonging to and responsible to the Caudillo and no one else. The Caudillo appoints his assistants and discharges them. There is only one man and one only that counts, the Caudillo. Those who are true and faithful adherents of the Caudillo are allowed to wear special marks of distinction, in this case they are permitted to wear their hair long with beard and braids!

They can thus be recognized everywhere and woe to him who does not yield to their special standing and status. They are the true Fidelistas pledged to Fidel Castro and to him only. They are his SS troops, his Pretorian Guard, separate and apart from the people.

In all these antics Castro is so much like the comic-opera old style Latin American military conspirator and politico that even officials of the United States are taken in and believe that what is contemplated by Castro is simply another political upheaval of the well-known trite variety. His camouflage is so great that he refuses to allow any Cuban to have the title “General” but only “Colonel” (no doubt recognizing the under-spread Latin American belief that “Generals” would more likely initiate reactionary coup d’etats and the lower officers, like colonels, more radical sounding ones.) Thus U.S. officials at first do not specially hinder his group getting funds and support in the United States but allow him the same free hand that they have given other Latin American conspirators of the hidalgo variety.

Perhaps one might say: Good for Castro. By means of these clever tactics and maneuvers he was able to get necessary aid, to disarm his future opponents until it was too late for them to interfere and thus to accomplish his real purpose which was to further a social revolution rather than a mere constitutional one. A man should not show his hand until the time is ripe. It all shows he is a very clever man, an actor of exceptional sinuous ability.

Well and good! But how does it come about that none of the real workers’ or peoples’ revolutionist in the past was so “clever” and sinuous? Lenin, for example, believed in great flexibility in tactics and strategy, but precisely for that reason he was clear and unambiguous in his program. He too struck when the time was ripe but he always took pains to work out collectively, with the aid of a devoted vanguard party of tested scientific socialists each tactical and strategic operation on each phase of the program. He was no Caudillist, he did not believe in a “personal” political party. He was not a clever sinuous actor fooling everybody including his own comrades.

Just as Castro tricked his original friends when he posed as a mere constitutionalist so he may well be tricking his new friends when he poses as a Marxist-Leninist, and states that Cuba has socialism as its goal. In reality he is fooling no one who has studied the question. He is certainly not fooling Khrushchev who has openly declared that Castro is not a communist. And he is not fooling the reactionaries in the United States who are howling that he is a Leninist not because they believe it but because of his opening the doors of the Western Hemisphere to Khrushchev and the Russian politicians giving them extra weapons in the world struggle for power.

How far has Castro gone towards socialism? We have first the positive statements in his “Second Declaration of Havana,” issued February 1962, three full years after his coming to power. (We expect to make a critique of this document in the near future.) Here he states the achievements of Cuba as follows: “Cuba … has converted into landowners one hundred thousand small agriculturist, has assured all year-round employment on the farms and cooperatives to all the agricultural workers, has transformed barracks into schools, has given 60,000 fellowships to university, secondary and technical students, has created class rooms for all the children, has liquidated analphabetism completely, has quadrupled medical services, has nationalized the monopolist enterprises, has suppressed the abusive system that converted the home into a medium of exploitation for the people, has eliminated virtually all unemployment, has suppressed discrimination based on race or sex, has barred gambling, vice and administrative corruption, has armed the public, has. made into a living reality the enjoyment of human rights in freeing man and woman from exploitation, ignorance, and social inequality, has freed itself from all foreign vassalage, has acquired full sovereignty and established the bases for the development of its economy so that it will be no longer a country producing but one principal commodity and exporting only raw materials….”

In this review of the achievements of the Cuban Revolution we see that they are all bourgeois achievements. There is not one that capitalism as a whole has not attained elsewhere, although it took a revolution to achieve them in Cuba. They are achievements which theoretically have been announced as the goal of all the Latin American States organized in the Punte del Este Conference. In themselves they have nothing to do with socialism although they may be a first step in that direction.

But socialism can not be achieved without the rule of the working class as the head of all the toiling masses, a working class organized in its own political party tested in struggles and choosing freely its own leaders. Here is where Castro stands exposed as not being even a democrat, not to speak of being a socialist, or Marxist-Leninist. After three full years of victory he refuses to allow the formation of a workers party; he refuses to hold working-class elections; he refuses to build Soviets or organs of workers state power. In short be still wants the revolution to revolve around himself and his little clique as though it was his own personal property. This is the mark of the Latin American Caudillo, the Jacobin type of “revolutionist” not of the Marxist-Leninist.

Where did Castro get his clever bag of tricks? Who were his forerunners and teachers? From appearances the man from whom he copied more than any one else is the fugitive-exile Juan Peron, former dictator-President of Argentina now hiding in the Spain of Caudillo Franco, who in turn followed the grand master of all, ᴉuᴉlossnW. There is practically nothing that Castro is trying that ………… reactionary regime; Peron also came out for the “humble” and organized demonstrations of the “shirtless” ones; Peron also made strenuous efforts to end unemployment and made it most difficult for the employer to discharge any workman. He also started large public works. He also stood out for higher wages for the workers and established funds for social security, old age pensions, etc. Aided by the tears and passion of his wife, Eva Peron, he also gave workers Christmas presents and indeed fixed it into the very law of the land so that workers were to receive at the end of the year a special present of a salary equal to one whole month’s pay! He also took control of the workers trade unions and other organizations and had the government appoint the leaders. He also saw there were no real discussions but only “plebiscites” from time to time, maintaining regularly that all this meant a higher form of democracy than the decadent bourgeois ones in foreign countries. He also nationalized certain foreign properties and developed others. He also stood for rapid industrialization and for more and harder work by the toilers. He also advocated agrarian reform and the breaking up of the large landed estates on the countryside. He also made bitter attacks against “foreign interests” and “imperialism” and urged the complete unity and strong independence of the “patria.” If Fidel has his admirers in other Latin American countries, Peronism had its counterparts in Apraism in Peru and Vargasism in Brazil.

YES, THERE were some differences between Peronism and Fidelism. Peron in 1943-45 could not call on the Soviet Union for help especially as the ruling classes and military men were heavily oriented on the side of the Axis powers, Hitler and ᴉuᴉlossnW. Peron thus did not have to call himself a “Marxist-Leninist". He also was not so heavily bogged down by the weight of American imperialism and there was no Guantanamo Base in Argentina. Nor was he so close to the shores of the U.S. as to become a physical threat to that imperialism. Thus he did not have to be armed by opponents of the United States nor stand in such deadly peril of retaliation by the United States.

REVOLUTIONS can come in an infinite number and combination of forms and contents. There may be palace revolutions, military revolutions, people’s revolutions, peasants’ revolutions, workers’ revolutions, democratic revolutions, social revolutions, social-democratic revolutions, socialist revolutions, etc. What sort of Revolution is that now going on in Cuba? It starts out as a military adventure of a few intellectuals supported by democratic and social revolutionists abroad, it quickly develops into a social revolution backed up first of all by the desperate agricultural toilers and supported by wide strata of the working class and general population.

It also starts out as a democratic revolution, the aim being to overthrow the Batista dictatorship, put life into the old constitution and call for elections by all the people on a universal free and secret suffrage basis. The democratic features of the revolution are soon suppressed. Very early after taking power Castro announces that there will be no elections for a number of years but all power will rest in the hands of himself and the small coterie around him, selected and appointed by him. To the people who are thus deprived of the vote Castro gives the following arguments:

1.The Revolution has just begun and there are many counter-revolutionary elements who will seize the occasion of the elections to sow confusion and discontent. What is needed now is unity of the country until matters can become stabilized and unemployment ended. 2. The social aspects of the revolution are much more important than the democratic. Everyone is too busy constructing the economy from the ruins of the old to pay attention to elections which are not necessary anyway since the ruling group represents their interests thoroughly. To the toilers he says after the trade unions have been purged of their counter-revolutionary Batista former leaders and the agricultural workers have been formed into cooperatives then there will be voting, first within these organizations and then generally. 3. Elections means the formation of political parties which will have to present programs and make efforts to take power. This cannot be done in such precarious moments. 4. So, with all the tricks of demagogy Castro and his clique prevents any voting whatever and completely sidetracks the development of the Revolution on democratic lines.

But the Revolution does continue as a Social Revolution, although without a democratic base either for the toilers generally or for the industrial workers in particular. Without democracy they cannot discuss their problems and elect their representatives. They cannot pool their knowledge and make collective responsible decisions. They cannot have self development, they cannot take initiative in important political and social matters. They remain constantly chained as coolies for the few intellectuals who have the decision-making powers monopolized to themselves and the policies and programs locked up in their own bosoms until they condescend to reveal them to the workers and toilers. The social revolution loses its head and must become extremely limited in scope.

It is not at all an exceptional historic circumstance that the bourgeoisie cannot by itself modernize its country peaceably and without the assistance of the working classes who are promised all sorts of pie-in-the-sky benefits. Nor is it unheard of that workers will think their leaders are establishing socialism when all they are doing is modernizing capitalism by forced industrialization, forced capital investment and forced labor. Perhaps this last is what Castro really has in mind for Cuba?

Ordinarily, under the relation of forces actually existing in Cuba the control by Castro would eventually pass into the hands of the workers and toilers. Cuba is an island and thus not easily interfered with except by direct invasion. With the expulsion of the American imperialists there remains no bourgeois class strong enough to take or hold the power. The petty bourgeois classes are also too small and weak to do so. The workers and toilers now thoroughly aroused face no class capable of rejecting their will should it become definitely and clearly expressed. These toiling masses can not be withheld from the full fruits of their labor forever, whatever the clever phrases used. The Social Revolution must move further and further to the left, the workers must begin to strive for leadership to move the revolution into the direct paths of socialism. To do this they will have to demand the formation of a workers party, of Soviet or workers parliament, of free elections by workers for their own representatives to decide their own lot. This should be the trend of affairs to be anticipated.

How can Castro prevent this move of the workers to form their own party and to take over power for themselves? In his desperation, not being able to call on anyone else he calls on the Cuban Stalinists and the Russian Khrushchevists to come to his aid. The Cuban Stalinists, like the Russians, do not care about workers’ elections and workers’ party discussions. Long ago they abandoned such free discussions in proportion as the Russian Revolution steadily degenerated towards managerialism and away from workers’ democracy. Thus, if Castro will share power with them the Stalinists are very willing to help him prevent the formation of a real workers’ Marxist party capable of taking leadership of the Revolution and moving the Revolution from its limited social aims to Socialism.

Thus the poor Cuban people are faced not only with the open and deadly enmity of American imperialism, including the leaders of the U.S. trade unions, but are faced with the heavy burdens of removing the degenerated weight of Khrushchevism-Stalinism brought in by Castro to prevent them from taking over in their own right.

Under such dire conditions what should be the tasks of Cuba win? Their hope would seem to be the development of the socialist revolution elsewhere particularly in Latin America but here, too, Castro, and the Stalinists seem to control all the avenues of approach. Under such dire conditions what should be the tasks of the workers throughout the world?

First of all they must continue to support the social revolution that has burst forth in Cuba. Second, they should demand Hands Off Cuba and prevent imperialist intervention. Third, they must demand in stentorian terms that Cuba allow free elections among the workers so that a real workers leadership can be developed and take power through Soviets or similar organs of struggles.

Fourth, they must expose the cynical maneuvers of the Stalinists, conduct their own revolutionary movements and forming their own internationalist socialist movement. For the sake of the Socialist Revolution in Cuba both Khrushchev and American imperialism must be thwarted, both foreign intervention and domestic Castroism must be defeated. Fifth, finally, they must bend all efforts to the end that the social revolution be extended and made permanent through all Latin America

https://www.marxists.org/archive/weisbord/Castroism.htm
R: 9 / I: 6

Enhance and Colorize Thread : BILLIONS OF PICTURS MUST BE COLOURIZED

I have a paid mobile app that can colourize, enhance and even remove scratches from all old pictures (black and white mostly). If you want me to colourize any of the pictures that you have, feel free to leave the picture here. It could be anything—politics, movies, historical images, etc. Before and after pics attached.

(Warning :The colour combinations might not be perfect all the time.)
R: 25 / I: 6

Phrases

Are there any phrases that make you immediately disregard a text and stop taking the author seriously? For me it's "inter imperialist rivalry". That phenomenon hasn't existed since World War I.
R: 24 / I: 1

dialectically speaking, what is wrong with him?

>fuck stalin
<mussolini is actually revolutionary

>bukharin is fucking based

<but communism is about reducing the working hours instead of increasing the productive forces

>lenin is a genius

<too fucking bad that he is opportunist

>democracy sucks

<we should organize democratically but not in the bourgeois sense

>stalin was the first capitalist roader

<at least deng didn't lie
R: 31 / I: 2 (sage)
You may not agree, but you are currently looking at the peak performance and embodiment of YouTube shitlib pro-imperialist ahistorical NATO-cocksucking grifterdom.
R: 55 / I: 12
What is the material explanation of Asian/Black race relations in the West being so fucked? You can't even really praise class solidarity here because most black people in America are working class while Asians tend to be middle to upper class.
R: 500 / I: 157

/nordpol/ - Nordic General - Skåneutgåvan

Thread for all things Nordic. Recommended languages: Finnish, Scandinavian and English.
R: 5 / I: 3

News 9/23/23

French activists protest racism and police brutality
Lingering anger over the killing by police of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in June was an impetus for Saturday’s protests, but they included groups with disparate demands for immigrants' rights, affordable housing and economic justice. More than 100 marches were planned around France, and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin ordered special police vigilance. Tensions briefly flared at the largely peaceful, boisterous protest in Paris. Members of the crowd smashed windows of a bank along the march route, and police evacuated the rattled employees. At another spot, protesters surrounded a police car and an officer darted out, waving his gun.
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230923-french-activists-protest-racism-and-police-brutality
https://archive.ph/E6Qd8

Activists to carry out ‘weapons inspection’ at US air base in Suffolk
PEACE activists will attempt to carry out a “citizens’ weapons inspection” at a US air base in Suffolk on Saturday.The planned stunt at RAF Lakenheath is part of a national day of action against the return of US nuclear weapons to Britain. The Pentagon removed its nuclear weapons from this country in 2008 following a sustained campaign by peace activists.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/activists-to-carry-out-citizens-weapons-inspection-us-base

Stefanos Kasselakis: the political outsider hoping to revive the Greek left
Since unexpectedly announcing his candidacy in the race to lead the leftwing Syriza party, Greece’s main opposition, the 35-year-old outsider has lit up country’s staid political scene in ways few could have imagined. What might once have seemed outlandish – a US businessman vying for the leadership of the radical force – suddenly seems very real.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/23/stefanos-kasselakis-political-outsider-greek-left-syriza

Health workers in Sweden demand workforce policies that do not rely on international recruitment
In a recent meeting of trade unions affiliated with Public Services International (PSI), community health workers launched a campaign aimed at securing equal rights within the health care sector. This meeting, which saw the participation of health care workers from many South Asian countries, also welcomed trade union representatives from the Global North. Some of the trade unions’ representatives used the opportunity to share a call for governments in high-income countries to develop alternative strategies for health workforce strengthening, moving away from the practice of international recruitment.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/23/health-workers-in-sweden-demand-workforce-policies-that-do-not-rely-on-international-recruitment/

Tunisia: EU agrees to release $135m in effort to curb migration
The European Commission announced $135m in assistance to Tunisia on Friday under a controversial memorandum of understanding signed with the North African country in July. The financial assistance is meant to prop up Tunisia's crisis-hit economy and help the country to stop migrants from heading to the EU. More than 10,000 migrants have arrived at the Italian island of Lampedusa in recent weeks. The aid includes $64m in budget support and about $71.5m for an "operational assistance package on migration".
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/tunisia-eu-135-million-stop-refugees-migration

Lebanon, Israel troops fire tear gas along tense border in a disputed area
Lebanon’s army said it has fired tear gas at Israeli forces over the border in response to smoke bombs fired at its troops, though Israel has said Lebanon started the confrontation. Tensions have flared along the frontier for the past several months, with rockets fired at Israel during flare-ups of Israeli-Palestinian violence and members of the heavily armed Lebanese group Hezbollah or its supporters facing off with Israeli forces.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/23/lebanon-israel-troops-fire-tear-gas-along-tense-border-in-a-disputed-area
https://archive.ph/t47wl

South Africa exempts Palestine passports from entry visas
The government of South Africa has exempted Palestinian citizens holding Palestinian passports from entry visas to South Africa. Under this decision, Palestinian citizens will be granted entry visas at all airports, ports and border crossings in South Africa for a period of 90 days without the need to issue visas from South African embassies.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230923-south-africa-exempts-palestine-passports-from-entry-visas/

Ghana police arrest 49 as high cost of living triggers street protests
At least 49 persons were arrested in Ghana’s capital, Accra, on Thursday as the police tried to prevent protesters trying to storm the seat of government – Jubilee House – on Thursday over a lingering economic crisis. The police, according to eyewitnesses, physically assaulted the protesters who had gathered in their red and black attires to show anger over hardship in the West African country. Some journalists were also picked up and later released.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/9/22/ghana-police-arrest-49-as-high-cost-of-living-triggers-street-protests
https://archive.ph/qyLsL

Haiti’s government to oversee canal project that prompted Dominican Republic to close all borders
The Haitian government said on social media that the agriculture ministry is working with a group of Haitians building the canal so that it meets technical standards and ensure it would not negatively affect crops and people living in the nearby Maribaroux plain, which is under a drought. The canal “MUST BE BUILT,” the government said in a series of posts on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter.
https://apnews.com/article/haiti-dominican-republic-canal-river-border-638e9ea08db3b18e91cfbdbc341b1e8b

Mexican officials push migrants away from border-bound cargo trains
Several dozen migrants retreated in frustration from train tracks outside Mexico City on Friday, blocked by Mexican officials from hitching rides on cargo wagons in a major new enforcement effort to curb the flow of people headed north. Thousands of people have reached the northern border in recent days and crossed into the United States, many after taking dangerous journeys on freight trains known as "The Beast." Mexican railroad operator Ferromex this week suspended 60 trains due to the influx of people, and Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) has deployed agents to dissuade people from climbing aboard.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexican-officials-push-migrants-away-border-bound-cargo-trains-2023-09-23/

South Korea lawmakers vote to pave way for opposition leader's arrest
South Korea's opposition-controlled parliament in a surprise move on Thursday voted to allow prosecutors to serve an arrest warrant against the main opposition leader who is facing an investigation into bribery and breach of duty charges. The vote means Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung will face court to contest his arrest over the charges. The motion was accepted by a margin of 149 to 136, with six abstained votes and four invalid in a secret ballot with 295 votes cast.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-lawmakers-vote-pave-way-opposition-leaders-arrest-2023-09-21/

U.S. revives Cold War submarine spy program to counter China
On a windswept island 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command. The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans: conducting the biggest reconstruction of America’s anti-submarine spy program since the end of the Cold War.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/09/23/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-china-submarine-spy-program/
https://archive.ph/0cv0O

Pakistani authorities arrest journalist for allegedly spreading false news about state institutions
Pakistani security agents have arrested a senior Islamabad-based TV anchor known for his criticism of the authorities on charges of spreading false content about state institutions on social media, his news channel and family said Friday. Khalid Jamil was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency late on Thursday, his ABN television posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Jamil’s family confirmed the arrest, saying he was detained in a late-night raid at his home in the capital, Islamabad. A photograph of Jamil circulating on social media shows him holding up a sign with his case number, apparently in police custody.
https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-arrest-journalist-spreading-hate-26fdaa0e464524c077e29ec1982c3f97

UN Special Rapporteur Says ‘India Risks Becoming One of the Main Generators of Atrocities'
In his opening remarks at a hearing on policy options for advancing religious freedom in India, organised by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in Washington DC on September 20, 2023, De Varennes said that “India risks becoming one of the world’s main generators of instability, atrocities and violence, because of the massive scale and gravity of the violations and abuses targeting mainly religious and other minorities such as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and others. It is not just individual or local, it is systematic and a reflection of religious nationalism.”
https://thewire.in/communalism/un-expert-says-india-risks-becoming-one-of-the-main-generators-of-instability-atrocities
https://archive.ph/4FdL3
R: 3 / I: 0

It’s 42 now but still, what the fuck

It’s astounding knowing how many times that shitty country amazes me but it just keeps fucking up. Reminder the minimum wage there is still 7.25 and people are still paid that shit everywhere regardless of where they live, and that’s still above average compared to many of the kinds of shit wages us employers pay their workers. Fucking hell, it really is third world and falling apart, I don’t know how anyone living there can find or rationalize excuses to justify having that many people in poverty and call the country successful, I can’t even see Brit’s pulling the same shit knowing over a third of kids are born into it.
R: 60 / I: 9

American leftism origins

Do you think it’s accurate to say that the main reason why American leftists are so obsessed with social liberalism (especially “sex and gender stuff”) has to do with how the first major fat-left movement in America was individualist anarchism?

These guys stressed free love, sexual liberation, and heavily pushed for free speech. The economic system they advocated was closer to Proudhon’s mutualism than communism.

A few decades later anarchism, not Marxism, really took off in America. Free love combined with anarcho-syndicalism and anarcho-communism. Marxism didn’t arrive in the US in a significant fashion until way later. Many CPUSA higher-ups were former an-syns who retained a lot of their anarchist beliefs. The hardline discipline and social conservatism (including pro-family) was never something American communists embraced.

Thoughts?
R: 37 / I: 6

Marxist-Platonism

The struggle for communism is not just a political struggle. It is a cosmological and ontological struggle for elevating the chaotic and non-teleologic self replication of capital to the orderly and rational unity of the multiplicity of the political world-body, in harmony with the One-Good, or more accurately, in an asindotic tendecy towards-and-through it. Under the realization of communism, government will no longer reflect a non-united multiplicity of contradictory interests, manifesting in forms such as rethorical discourse and strategic non-cooperative behaviour: it will become a matter of technical and rational management by the wise, and there will no longer be budgets, only problem solving, because value will no longer need to be abstracted and subsequently materialized in a zero sum game to account for the multiplicity and discordance of particular interests. Thus, we will advance to a superior ontological status, just as chemical phenomena developed into biological phenomena, because our multiplicity-element will be increasingly resemblant to the One-Good principle.

Let us be meat for the real and effectual embodiment of the World-Soul!!!! The World-Soul must be incarnated!!! Uphold marxism-platonism!!!!
R: 0 / I: 0

Africas closed off economy

I’ve been thinking about why sub Saharan Africa managed to avoid being an exporter and I realized it’s because many countries there already were and closed off their economies, either indirectly from conditions or directly through socialist policies to the outside planet to avoid dealing with even more violence and corruption. Since then only around 20% or less on average goods in the continent per country ever get exported outside the continent, even for markets like South Africa, Ethiopia or Nigeria, 40%+ of all manufactured goods gets exported between other African countries. It’s interesting to see how some countries there slightly opened up their markets after Chinese deals were offered with verifiable compliance with the laws in each country than trying to forcefully enter in like what the French did, and even in those cases you’re still seeing some level of protectionism within those countries when dealing with China but a complete shutdown on anything related to the imperial core.

Personally I think it’s gonna be interesting to see how capitalism and socialism there develops when it’s not under constant pressure from the outside planet, unlike what was seen in SEA, Eastern Europe to a degree and SA.
R: 54 / I: 19

How would a proper communist country deal with islamist?

So to start I am not informed at all of how past countries referred to as AES or communist deal with Islamic radicals. So I'm coming from a place of ignorance.

Anyway my question is about islamist men who force women to wear burkas and within their community will implement tough punishments or a strong shame culture based on Korean with a radical interpretation on it based on violence/fear.

I see no issue at all with your everyday Muslim practicing their religion all should be able to practice what they want but how do you reduce this exact strain of radicals?

As a person ignorant to this subject I have seen several European countries who try remove religion from the state apparatus today who ban this clothing in public areas like burkas or others but that seems to be a surface level solution. The family will still look down on this person for not wearing it in said place or they will simply avoid that place or take to a Islamic school they will form on own that will allow it.

The views within a communities of islamist will remain the same I think if you just ban the clothing, their opinions are still the same as are their views on what punishments should be for various things.

So how would this be dealt with in a proper way to reform these sunsets who are extreme about it?

Re-education, laws, bannings of things, visits to families by social workers of state? I don't know what ideas do you guys have. Is there examples in former communist countries of what has worked? I would like to hear about it

If you want to bring up another religion too go for it, not just looking to talk about Islam just this is example I thought of. Feel free to bring up an example of extremist in other religions and how you would think you could reform them.

Thanks
R: 91 / I: 9
Imagine trying to explain to a hunter gatherer community that spending 8+ hours a day almost completely without talking to anyone before going back in your little prole pod and eat your daily supply of corporate sludge from the moment you turn 14-18 until you die, all just to make some zero friend socially retarded rich autist spend slightly more of their unconventional sums of money on hedonistic pleasures is a better way to live. No tight tribe members to raise your kids while you fish and hunt for you’re friends and families, no moment to relax and sleep whenever you want, no acceptance of public masturbation, sex and emotional outbursts, no friends to see either. Laughable really.
R: 10 / I: 2
Soviet Style Communism is so much better than Worker ownership of means of production Chomsky crap because the Soviet Union was almost exactly the same as capitalism. As the janitor or IT guy you didn't have to become some part business owner in a company that you didn't give a shit about.. you were just given a job told what to do when to work and what you were getting paid. If you didn't work and slacked off you were fired. if you were a good worker you would be given promotions and more money It was almost exactly the same as capitalism except the government gave you free shit and was more involved and might place a government official in the workplace… that worker ownership chomsky crap is garbage it's why soviet union lasted 74 years and no worker ownership society ever lasted more than 2 year
R: 4 / I: 2

News 9/22/23

Israel launches airstrikes on the Gaza Strip
Israel carried out a series of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip late on Friday after Palestinian activists launched incendiary balloons into Israel as a week of violence along the volatile frontier intensified. The rising tensions along Israel’s front with Gaza came as fighting in the occupied West Bank surged — to levels unseen in two decades. In the latest bloodshed Friday, the Israeli army killed a Palestinian militant in the northern West Bank.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-violence-jenin-raid-160e94486afd908d0cc32e37c5959678

Israel-Saudi Arabia: Netanyahu promotes normalisation with new map erasing Palestine
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a new map erasing Palestine during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) 78th session on Friday. The illustration showed a "new Middle East" wherein the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip appeared to be part of Israel. … This week, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman suggested that they are edging closer to such an agreement "every day". During an interview with Fox News, the crown prince said the "Palestinian issue is very important" in these talks, but did not elaborate further.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-saudi-arabia-netanyahu-promotes-normalisation-new-map-erasing-palestine

US approves $500m military vehicle support package for Saudi Arabia
The US State Department has approved a potential $500 million deal to provide maintenance support for Saudi Arabia’s fleet of combat vehicles, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency announced yesterday. The deal would cover spare parts, components and repair services for vehicles, including Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles operated by the Royal Saudi Land Forces.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230922-us-approves-500m-military-vehicle-support-package-for-saudi-arabia/

12 Turkish soldiers killed in actions of revenge by the guerrillas
According to the statement released by the HPG press office on Friday, 12 soldiers of the Turkish army were killed and four others injured in the Zap and Metîna regions on 21 September. The guerrillas also destroyed two surveillance cameras installed by the Turkish army, while one armoured vehicle and 15 positions were damaged in the actions which were carried out as revenge for fallen fellow combatants.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/12-turkish-soldiers-killed-in-actions-of-revenge-by-the-guerrillas-69451

Tony Blair faces fresh scrutiny over Azerbaijan PR work amid Nagorno-Karabakh offensive
He was hired in 2014 to advise a BP-led consortium looking to export natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, a pet project of Aliyev’s. Blair reportedly discussed the so-called Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which terminates in Apulia, at a meeting with Italy’s then-Interior Minister Matteo Salvini in 2018. The pipeline became operational in 2020.
https://www.politico.eu/article/tony-blair-scrutiny-azerbaijan-armenia-nagorno-karabakh-pr-work/
https://archive.ph/qoQF3

Karabakh Armenians seek promises before giving up weapons to Azerbaijan
Ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh need security guarantees before giving up their weapons, an adviser to their leader said on Thursday, a day after Azerbaijan declared it had brought the breakaway region back under its control. Karabakh Armenian authorities accused Azerbaijan of violating a ceasefire agreed on Wednesday after a lightning Azerbaijani offensive forced the separatists to agree to disarm.
https://www.reuters.com/world/azerbaijan-says-ethnic-armenian-delegation-arrives-nagorno-karabakh-talks-2023-09-21/

Brazil supreme court rules in favor of Indigenous land rights in historic win
Brazil’s supreme court has blocked efforts to dramatically strip back Indigenous land rights in what activists called a historic victory for the South American country’s original inhabitants. Nine of the court’s 11 members voted against what rights groups had dubbed the “time limit trick” – an agribusiness-backed attempt to prevent Indigenous communities claiming land they did not physically occupy in 1988.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/21/brazil-supreme-court-indigenous-land-rights-win?ref=upstract.com

Guatemalans rally on behalf of president-elect, demonstrating a will to defend democracy
Protests by thousands of Guatemalans this week supporting President-elect Bernardo Arévalo suggest that the efforts by some officials to derail his presidency have awakened a new will among many citizens to defend democracy. Public displays rejecting machinations by the attorney general’s office had been modest in the month since Arévalo’s resounding victory. But on Monday, thousands marched peacefully through the capital’s streets and on Tuesday protesters blocked major highways across the country.
https://apnews.com/article/guatemala-election-bernardo-arevalo-71c5b0d5f594dea329a57bb22ab5dc93

Nepal teachers protest against education reform bill
THOUSANDS of teachers in Nepal protested for a third day today, shutting down schools in the capital, against plans to reform the School Education Bill. Teachers have been demonstrating in Kathmandu since Wednesday against the Bill while teachers’ groups negotiate with government leaders over changes to the legislation. The teachers oppose provisions that would shift government-run schools to local control, saying it would lower their status, and that would scrap many temporary teacher positions.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/nepal-teachers-protest-against-education-reform-bill

Kashmir’s top pro-freedom cleric leads Friday prayers after four years
Mirwaiz, who is also the chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), the region’s main separatist group that advocates for dialogue between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, had been under house arrest since August 4, 2019 – a day before India’s Hindu nationalist government stripped Indian-administered Kashmir of its limited autonomy and divided the region into two federally-governed territories.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/22/kashmirs-top-pro-freedom-cleric-leads-friday-prayers-after-four-years
https://archive.ph/0tat1

Biden raised issue of Canadian Sikh's murder with Modi at G20, Financial Times reports
U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders expressed concern to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit this month about Canadian claims that New Delhi was involved in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-raised-issue-canadian-sikhs-murder-with-modi-g20-ft-2023-09-22/

Labor unions say they will end strike actions at Chevron's three LNG plants in Australia
Chevron Australia and the Offshore Alliance said they had accepted an arbitrator’s recommendation for resolving a dispute over pay and working conditions. The alliance is a partnership of the Australian Workers’ Union and the Maritime Union of Australia, which represents workers in the offshore oil and gas industry. Neither side gave any details on the proposed contract terms.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/labor-unions-end-strike-actions-chevrons-lng-plants-103400440
R: 12 / I: 1
I’m about to go to a picket like at a strike with my org. Is there anything I can do to help the striking workers? Bring them food? I dont just want to stand around chanting stuff.
R: 3 / I: 0

Price ceilings

How should socialist governments deal with price ceiling-related shortages? When production is controlled, especially with a set quota (let's say 50 million xs per month), then so will the price of x. Thus, the quantity supplied to customers is far lower than demanded. Are there any strategies that will prevent shortages from happening?
R: 31 / I: 1

Searching for a Job feels like hell

I swear, I've been unemployed since getting laid off in April of this year and I've been searching for a job since then, I've gotten a few interviews but none of them have responded or chosen someone else. I've been searching online and trying to go to job fairs to find a job, but not having any luck there. What am I doing wrong?
R: 223 / I: 39
>be left wing nationalist organization
>work with communists and socialists across the country
>opt to support the current state in really stupid territorial war against a stagnated corrupt failstate
>war gruels on
>battle lines don't move all that much
>keep supporting it anyway
>work closer with reactionary and liberal aspects of the government
>basically a shell of your former beliefs
>be the KPRF
>pic unrelated
R: 7 / I: 2

News 9/21/23

Palestinian boy discovers undercover Israeli forces, they kill him: DCIP
Israeli special forces have chased and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy who saw them sneaking into Jenin refugee camp during a military raid in the northern occupied West Bank, documentation by a leading human rights group shows. The Palestine chapter of Geneva-based Defense for Children International (DCIP) said in a report on Wednesday that Rafat Omar Ahmad Khamayseh was killed on Tuesday as he was leaving his grandfather’s house in the Jenin refugee camp.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/21/palestinian-boy-discovers-undercover-israeli-forces-they-kill-him-dcip
https://archive.ph/QbtB1

Saudi Arabia could enrich uranium in possible Israel normalisation deal: Report
Israel has been secretly working with the US to establish a uranium enrichment operation in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to strike a normalisation agreement with the kingdom, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Israeli nuclear and security specialists to cooperate with the US, as Washington explores options to help Saudi Arabia enrich uranium, the report said.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-could-enrich-uranium-under-possible-israel-normalisation-deal

More deadly RSF attacks in West Kordofan
At least one civilian was killed on Wednesday morning when a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) unit attacked El Odeya in West Kordofan. In El Mujlad, security remains stable despite service deficiencies. South Kordofan’s Tadamon locality recently received 265 displaced families who urgently require humanitarian aid, according to the Tadamon Community Emergency Committee.
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/more-deadly-rsf-attacks-in-west-kordofan

France accused of attack on press freedom after journalist arrest
France has been accused of an unacceptable attack on press freedom after the arrest of an investigative journalist who reported on leaked documents that alleged French intelligence was used to target civilians in Egypt. Police arrived at the home of Ariane Lavrilleux at dawn on Tuesday and took her into custody after searching her property. The news agency AFP reported that she was being questioned by agents of the DGSI, France’s domestic intelligence agency.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/19/france-accused-attack-press-freedom-journalist-arrest

8,000 Sanitation Workers in Patna on Strike for Higher pay and job Security
Amid increasing cases of dengue and viral fever in Bihar’s capital city, thousands of contractual sanitation workers of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) went on an indefinite strike on Thursday (September 21) in support of their 35-point demands. Their demands include equal pay for equal work, regularisation of jobs, and an end to outsourcing work.
https://www.newsclick.in/8000-sanitation-workers-patna-strike-higher-pay-and-job-security

Thousands of Greek workers take to the streets in national strike against government’s anti-labor bill
Greek workers organized major mobilizations across the country on Thursday, September 21, as part of a national strike denouncing an anti-worker bill introduced by the conservative New Democracy (ND) government. The bill seeks to increase daily and weekly working hours, among other changes. Workers affiliated to the All Workers Militant Front (PAME) and other unions in a variety of sectors joined the demonstrations.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/21/thousands-of-greek-workers-take-to-the-streets-in-national-strike-against-governments-anti-labor-bill/

Network Rail accused of illegally using agency workers to undermine RMT strike
RMT wrote to Network Rail today after the publicly owned company allegedly violated a High Court ruling banning the use of agency workers to undermine a strike. General secretary Mick Lynch said the rail union viewed the alleged breach as a “serious escalation” of the dispute in Cardiff.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/network-rail-accused-illegally-using-agency-workers-undermine-rmt-strike

Swiss parliament approves ban on full-face coverings like burqas, and sets fine for violators
The National Council voted 151-29 for the legislation, which was already approved by the upper house. It was pushed through by the right-wing, populist Swiss People’s Party, easily overcoming reticence expressed by centrists and the Greens. The move follows a nationwide referendum two years ago in whch Swiss voters narrowly approved forbidding niqabs, which leave slits for the eyes, and burqas as well as ski masks and bandannas that are worn by some protesters.
https://apnews.com/article/switzerland-burqa-niqab-face-covering-ban-fine-4a4392a28498618ca0c59e290fe10a36

Azerbaijan halts Karabakh offensive after ceasefire deal with Armenian separatists
Azerbaijan's army said it had captured more than 90 positions from the ethnic Armenians before both sides announced that a complete cessation of hostilities had been agreed through Russian peacekeepers, starting at 13:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Under the terms of the truce, outlined by Azerbaijan and Russia, which has peacekeepers on the ground, local Karabakh forces must commit to being completely disbanded as well as disarmed. There is also a commitment to Armenian forces pulling out, even though its government denies having any military presence there. Talks between officials from Baku and Karabakh's Armenian representatives on "issues of re-integration" got under way in the town of Yevlakh on Thursday morning.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66863702

Pakistan will hold parliamentary elections at the end of January, delaying a vote due in November
Pakistan’s election oversight body announced on Thursday that it will hold the next parliamentary elections in the last week of January, delaying the vote which was to be held in November under the constitution. However, the announcement by the Election Commission of Pakistan has ended uncertainty about the fate of the vote.
https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-parliamentary-elections-january-imran-khan-census-d955721b49fdcb15243e7cee322a0e52

Peace talks with Colombia’s EMC guerrillas to begin in October
Negotiators of Colombia’s government and guerrilla organization EMC announced a ceasefire and formal peace talks that will begin on October 8. The peace talks between the government of President Gustavo Petro and the country’s largest FARC dissident group will take place in the Catatumbo region.
https://colombiareports.com/peace-talks-with-colombias-emc-guerrillas-to-begin-in-october/

Brazil and US launch new ‘Partnership for Workers’ Rights’
US President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva met at the United Nations general assembly to launch the “US-Brazil Partnership For Workers’ Rights.” The new joint initiative highlights the importance of decent jobs, good wages and ensuring that workers benefit from the digital and green energy transitions. The two leaders said the new initiative would work to end forced labour and child labour, mitigate the impact on workers of the clean energy and digital economic transitions, promote safe and decent workplaces, and end workplace discrimination, including against women, LGBT people and racial and ethnic minorities.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/brazil-and-us-launch-new-partnership-workers-rights
R: 6 / I: 1

Reflecting today on the fall of communism

<Many do not know this, but dissidents under Communist rule in Eastern Europe weren't advocating for 'free market capitalism.'

>The benefits and advantages of socialism were inarguable at that time, even though it had clear flaws. Even during the late 1980's, what dissidents were expecting was something more akin to European social democracy.


>Absolutely no one was trying to get rid of the extensive benefits, social security, healthcare, education, housing, full employment, etc. Which people enjoyed and took for granted. They just wanted more access to light industry consumer goods.


>The elite intellectuals who were leading the dissidents also wanted more 'liberal social freedom,' freedom for 'individual expression,' and western cultural liberalism in general.


>There is something nobody tells you about the fall of Communism: It was almost entirely led by elites. Sons and daughters of the ruling party, and even party members themselves. The dissolution of Communism was a top-down process.


>One of the reasons for Mao's cultural revolution in China, is because these types of elites were prone to liberalism and Western-style ideas. They were out of touch with the masses. So the Chinese launched a populist revolution to humble them.


>China was dirt poor. And the Soviet bloc Communist states, especially in East Europe, were much more well off. So the relatively pampered elites looked at was going on in China, and said: "Hell no!" They turned the other direction, toward the west, to draw inspiration for their grievances.


>The unspoken rule, even for the hardline Communists was that if they ever acknowledged there was a problem with the system, it would vindicate Western liberalism, not Chinese style Communism.


>The Chinese were poorer, and the ruling party elites were getting their ass kicked in the cultural revolution. The ruling Communists in the Soviet bloc would have MUCH rather preferred Western liberalism to hard-core Chinese-style Communism.


>So when you think of it that way, adopting 'social democracy' sounded like a good sell. Keep all the benefits of socialism, yet adopt Western values, and join the 'free world.' After all, East Europeans thought they were better than those poor Chinese!


>They're 'civilized,' unlike them! That was the main view of the dissidents. That Communism was 'barbaric,' while they were refined, civilized and 'Western.'


>The question we as Communists gotta ask, is simple. How would you have argued against them? The Soviet bloc were chauvinistic toward the Chinese and other non-Europeans. How would you have argued against the idea of 'social democracy?'


>Trying to appease peoples sense of morals and compassion? For the sake of selfless solidarity? If you're being told you can join the 'free world' and throw the Chinese, Arabs, Persians, Africans, etc. under the bus - why wouldn't you take that offer?


>Selfless solidarity is nice, but with that comes resentment. That's why it wouldn't have been enough.


>The real argument would have actually been appealing to the social conservatism of the rural, peripheral, and non-elite parts of Communist society. To make the patriotic argument that Putin, and even Orban now is forced to make - that 'Western values' mean the destruction of their unique culture, civilization and values as a nation.


>This is what Communist hardliners were starting to do in late 80's Russia. Which is why they evolved into ultra nationalists.


>Point out the degeneracy of morals and spiritual life in the West. This would have rallied the rural masses to the Communists. The problem is that ruling Communists were infected with liberalism. Which is why they ultimately opted to dissolve the whole system, benefits included.


>Meanwhile, China completely wiped them in terms of developed. Quite the funny irony.
R: 290 / I: 149

/9-11/ General - 22nd anniversary edition

It's that time of year again. Discuss the September 11th attacks and the war on terror that followed. Discuss conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11 and whodunnit. Discuss whether America deserved 9/11.

>It's not 9/11 yet

I just want a big fat megathread for the entire month

>/usapol/

no

>done to death

who cares
R: 31 / I: 28

Read Hegel

>It is impossible completely to understand Marx’s Capital, and especially its first Chapter, without having thoroughly studied and understood the whole of Hegel’s Logic. Consequently, half a century later none of the Marxists understood Marx!! -Lenin
There is no excuse, no talking your way out of eventually grappling with Hegel if you consider yourself a Leftist, someone who follows in the philosophy of Marx (or even that meme Stirner) without an honest understand of the giant of philosophy which he based his work on, Hegel. To skip Hegel means to lack core fundamentals of the inner workings of your philosophy, to have a slipshod understanding of the development of the history of your movement, to lack necessary insights in the philosophical development of humanity as a whole.
Especially in 2023, the modern day, with all the resources that are available on your fingertips, there is no excuse to not study Hegel.
>but it's haaaard
Hegel necessitates a serious and honest study of his work, 99% of people who whine about this have never fully devoted a substantial amount of time to appreciating and digesting his work, instead just giving up in 15 or so minutes. The Phenomenology is not a picture book, it's a textbook that you must STUDY, which you will be greatly rewarded for doing. Luckily for you, nowadays there are a multitude of resources available to help you out, for example Based Gregory Sadler just finished a massive YouTube series breaking down the book and explaining it piece by piece so that even an idiot can grasp the book without cutting corners, given enough honest time spent in study.
Now get to work.
R: 10 / I: 3

Guevarism

I've been struggling with deciding if Guevarism is better desribed as Marxism-Leninism-Maoism or Maoism-3rd-Worldism. From what I've read modern MLM is based off of Charu Majumdar's Historic EIght Douments which is used to make a more general version of Mao Zedong Thought, as far I'm aware Guevarism doesn't not do this although this might not be definitive given stuff like New Synthesis (which are revisionist given they treat democratic centralism like a cult) are sometimes considered MLM. From what I've heard Guevara also opposed socialism in one country, arguably preferring smth more akin to a JDPON. The Sankarists and their 3rd worldism is built off Guevarism so the synergy seems fine enough. While we're at it given Castroism & Guevarism's interconnected nature, where does the line lie between the two?
R: 27 / I: 17
Ahem.

>Louis XIV had publicly promulgated in his edicts the theory that all the lands in the kingdom had been in the origin conditionally granted by the state, which was therefore the only real landowner–the actual holders having mere possessory rights, and an imperfect and questionable title. This doctrine sprang out of the feudal system, but it was never openly professed in France till that system was on the point of death; courts of justice never admitted it. It was the mother of modern socialism, which thus, strange to say, seems to have been the offspring of royal despotism.


-Alexis de Tocqueville

<Socialism is the phantastic younger brother of Despotism, which it wants to inherit. Socialism wants to have the fullness of state force which before only existed in Despotism.


-Friedrich Nietzche
R: 52 / I: 10

Vege-Communism

vidrel makes a pretty good case that in order to solve climate change, the vast majority of the world's population will have to switch to a vegan diet. Animal farming causes way too much in greenhouse emissions. Any future mode of political economy will likely subsidize and prioritize vegan/vegetarian diets over meat based ones.
R: 5 / I: 2

News 9/19/23

Azerbaijani forces strike Armenian-controlled Karabakh, raising risk of new Caucasus war
Azerbaijan sent troops backed by artillery strikes into Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday in an attempt to bring the breakaway region to heel by force, raising the threat of a new war with its neighbour Armenia. Karabakh is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory but part of it is run by separatist Armenian authorities who say the area is their ancestral homeland. The South Caucasus region has been at the centre of two wars - the latest in 2020 - since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
https://www.reuters.com/world/azerbaijan-says-six-its-citizens-were-killed-by-land-mines-karabakh-2023-09-19/

Communications cut to flood-hit Libya city after protests
Communications were severed Tuesday to the flood-hit Libyan city of Derna and journalists were asked to leave, a day after hundreds protested against authorities they blamed for the thousands of deaths. A tsunami-sized flash flood broke through two ageing river dams upstream from the city on the night of September 10 and razed entire neighbourhoods, sweeping untold thousands into the Mediterranean Sea.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/09/communications-cut-flood-hit-libya-city-after-protests

Tunisian authorities evict hundreds of undocumented sub-Saharan migrants
TUNISIAN authorities carried out a mass eviction on Monday of hundreds of undocumented sub-Saharan African immigrants from the improvised camps they occupied in the south of the country. The evictions from the camps in the city of Sfax continues what observers have called a campaign of repression by Tunisian authorities against the migrants. Authorities dispersed the migrants into small groups and forced them to seek shelter in small rural towns, according to statements by local activists. Tunisia has been the scene of a rising number of racist attacks on migrants since last February when President Kais Saied accused undocumented immigrants of causing a wave of crime and of wanting to change the Arab ethnic identity of Tunisia.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/tunisian-authorities-evict-sub-saharan-undocumented-migrants

Iraq says it removed Iranian Kurdish groups from eastern border
The statement said the groups had been moved to "a location far from the border", adding that "weapons were removed from these groups, as they are now considered refugees per the regulations of the Refugee Commission". There are four Iranian Kurdish parties based in northern Iraq that have been the main thorns in Tehran's side: the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK); the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), a group affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK); the left-wing Komala party; and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDK-I), who are ideologically aligned with the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Iraqi Kurdistan.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-iranian-kurdish-groups-border-removed

Germany bans neo-Nazi group with links to US, conducts raids in 10 German states
The Hammerskins Germany is an offshoot of the Hammerskins Nation founded in the United States in 1988, according to the interior ministry. It plays a prominent role in the right-wing extremist scene in Europe. Worldwide, members of this association refer to themselves as “brothers” practicing their subcultural way of life. The group also sees itself as the elite of the right-wing extremist skinhead scene, according to the ministry.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/germany-bans-neo-nazi-group-links-us-conducts-103300568

Engineering workers at a West Yorkshire factory launch strike over pay
ENGINEERING workers at a West Yorkshire factory launched strike action over pay today. The skilled workers, employed by Japanese-owned Denso Marston at the Shipley factory, near Bradford, manufactures air conditioning systems for motor vehicles. More than 150 workers walked out for 24 hours on Tuesday and are set to strike again tomorrow.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/engineering-workers-at-a-west-yorkshire-factory-launch-strike-over-pay

Opposition accuse defence minister of “treason” for declassifying military plans from their time in power
Poland’s defence minister has published parts of a classified document he says shows that when the current main opposition, Civic Platform (PO), was in power it planned to give up half the country if Russia invaded. By contrast, the currently ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party will defend every inch of Poland, he says.
https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/09/18/opposition-accuse-defence-minister-of-treason-for-declassifying-military-plans-from-their-time-in-power/

Colombia to Hold a Hearing on 296 Extrajudicial Murders
On Monday and Tuesday, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace of Colombia (JEP) will hold a hearing for former members of the Army's 16th Brigade who will admit their participation in 296 cases of murders of civilians ("false positives") that occurred between 2005 and 2008 in the department of Casanare.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Colombia-to-Hold-a-Hearing-on-296-Extrajudicial-Murders-20230918-0001.html

Brazil's Lula warns United Nations of coup risk in Guatemala
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned world leaders at the United Nations on Tuesday of the prospect of a coup in Guatemala, echoing U.S. concerns about risks to democracy in the Central American country after last month's election."In Guatemala, there is a risk of a coup, which would impede the inauguration of the winner of democratic elections," Lula told the U.N. General Assembly.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazils-lula-warns-united-nations-coup-risk-guatemala-2023-09-19/

‘Credible evidence’ India behind alleged assassination of Sikh leader, says Trudeau
The Canadian prime minister told the House of Commons of Canada on Monday that, in recent weeks, national security authorities had been probing allegations that New Delhi was behind a state-sponsored assassination. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” he said. “Canada is a rule-of-law country, the protection of our citizens and defence of our sovereignty are fundamental.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/18/credible-evidence-india-behind-killing-of-canadian-sikh-leader-says-trudeau
R: 22 / I: 1 (sage)

Protracted people's war... forever?

Maoists in India and the Philippines have been fighting for over 50 years and are nowhere closer to taking power than they were in the 60s. In fact they control less territory and command less popular support than ever. Filipinos clearly prefer Duterte and Bongbong to the NPA, granting both landslide victories. In Peru, Gonzalo said the quiet part out loud that he would go full Pol Pot if he won and lost what support he had. In Nepal, Maoists did win, but then abandoned trying to achieve a socialist state and just begged the IMF for handouts. Maoism just seems to be another failed ideology like Trotskyism at best, and mindless terrorism at worst. And let's not forget to mention the cringe Maoists in the first world who are obsessed with J. Sakai, and who believe that conservative racial minorities will somehow turn into Maoist guerrillas overnight. Convince me why Maoism shouldn't be relegated to the dustbin of history.
R: 60 / I: 14

Otto Warmbier

>travel to the DPRK on orders from the CIA under the Obama regime as a "tourist"
>get caught on your hostile mission to deface a propaganda poster encouraging Korean patriotism in face of US aggression
>admit to your crimes on national TV
>deliberately contract botulism to initiate a smear campaign against the DPRK
>get your parents to falsely claim you were tortured despite zero medical evidence of this
>complete the coverup by arranging for your corpse not to be autopsied
why did he do it? what turns a young man to such heinous crimes? was it his father? Fred Warmbier has been seen on US television calling the DPRK a "pariah regime", "brutal" and "terroristic" despite the DPRK never having attacked the US
>US citizens are since banned from traveling to the DPRK
why does the Biden regime not want its subjects to see the DPRK for themselves? this cannot be a coincidence
R: 26 / I: 2

The American Genocide of the Indians—Historical Facts and Real Evidence

>The American Genocide of the Indians—Historical Facts and Real Evidence
<The term “genocide”, made from the ancient Greek word genos (race, nation or tribe) and the Latin caedere (“killing, annihilation”), was first coined by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish legal scholar, in his 1944 book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. It originally means “the destruction of a nation or an ethnic group”.
>In 1946, United Nations (UN) General Assembly affirmed genocide as a crime under international law in Resolution 96, which stated that “Genocide is a denial of the right of existence of entire human groups, as homicide is the denial of the right to live of individual human beings; such denial of the right of existence shocks the conscience of mankind … and is contrary to moral law and the spirit and aims of the United Nations.”
<On December 9, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 260A, or the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which entered into force on January 12, 1951. The Resolution noted that “at all periods of history genocide has inflicted great losses on humanity”. Article II of the Convention clearly defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the groups to another group. The United States ratified the Convention in 1988.
>Genocide is also clearly defined in U.S. domestic law. The United States Code, in Section 1091 of Title 18, defines genocide as violent attacks with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, a definition similar to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
<According to historical records and media reports, since its founding, the United States has systematically deprived Indians of their rights to life and basic political, economic, and cultural rights through killings, displacements, and forced assimilation, in an attempt to physically and culturally eradicate this group. Even today, Indians still face a serious existential crisis.
>According to international law and its domestic law, what the United States did to the Indians covers all the acts that define genocide and indisputably constitutes genocide. The American magazine Foreign Policy commented that the crimes against Native Americans are fully consistent with the definition of genocide under current international law.
<The profound sin of genocide is a historical stain that the United States can never clear, and the painful tragedy of Indians is a historical lesson that should never be forgotten.
>I. Evidence on U.S. government’s genocide against Indians
<1. Government-led action
>On July 4, 1776, the United States of America was founded with the Declaration of Independence, which openly stated that “He (the British King) has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages”, and slandered Native Americans as “the merciless Indian Savages”.
<The U.S. government and leaders treated Native Americans with a belief in white superiority and supremacy, set out to annihilate the Indians and attempted to eradicate the race through “cultural genocide”.
>During the American War of Independence (1775-1783), the Second War of Independence (1812-1815) and the Civil War (1861-1865), the U.S. leaders, eager to transform its plantation economy as an adjunct to European colonialism and to expand their territories, coveted the vast Indian lands and launched thousands of attacks on Indian tribes, slaughtering Indian chiefs, soldiers and even civilians, and taking Indian lands for themselves.
<In 1862, the United States enacted the Homestead Act, which provided that every American citizen above the age of 21, with a mere registration fee of 10 U.S. dollars, could acquire no more than 160 acres (about 64.75 hectares) of land in the west. Lured by the land, the white people swarmed into the Indian areas and started a massacre that resulted in the death of thousands of Indians.
>Leaders of the U.S. government at that time openly claimed that the skin of Indians could be peeled off to make tall boots,that Indians must be annihilated or driven to places that no one would go, that Indians had to be wiped out swiftly, and that only dead Indians are good Indians. American soldiers saw the slaughter of Indians as natural, even an honor, and would not rest until they were all killed. Similar hate rhetoric and atrocities abound, and are well documented in many Native American extermination monographs.
<2. Bloody massacres and atrocities
>Since the colonists set foot in North America, they had systematically and extensively hunted American bison, cutting off the source of food and basic livelihood of the Indians, and causing their death from starvation in large numbers.
<Statistics reveal that since its independence in 1776, the U.S. government has launched over 1,500 attacks on Indian tribes, slaughtering the Indians, taking their lands, and committing countless crimes. In 1814, the U.S. government decreed that it would award 50 to 100 dollars for each Indian skull surrendered. The American Historian Frederick Turner acknowledged in The Significance of the Frontier in American History, released in 1893, that each frontier was won by a series of wars against the Indians.
>The California Gold Rush also brought about the California Massacre. Peter Burnett, the first governor of California, proposed a war of extermination against Native Americans, triggering rising calls for the extermination of Indians in the state. In California in the 1850s and 60s, an Indian skull or scalp was worth 5 dollars, while the average daily wage was 25 cents. From 1846 to 1873, the Indian population in California dropped to 30,000 from 150,000. Countless Indians died as a result of the atrocities. Some of the major massacres include:
<In 1811, American troops defeated the famous Indian chief Tecumseh and his army in the Battle of Tippecanoe, burned the Indian capital Prophetstown and committed brutal massacres.
>From November 1813 to January 1814, the U.S. Army launched the Creek War against the Native Americans, also known as the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. On March 27, 1814, about 3,000 soldiers attacked the Creek Indians at Horseshoe Bend, Mississippi Territory. Over 800 Creek warriors were slaughtered in the fight, and as a result, the military strength of the Creeks was significantly weakened. Under the Treaty of Fort Jackson signed on August 9 of the same year, the Creeks ceded more than 23 million acres of land to the U.S. federal government.
<On November 29, 1864, pastor John Chivington massacred Indians at Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado, due to the opposition of a few Indians to the signing of a land grant agreement. It was one of the most notorious massacres of Native Americans. Maria Montoya, a professor of history at New York University, said in an interview that Chivington’s soldiers scalped women and children, beheaded them, and paraded them through the streets upon their return to Denver.
>James Anaya, former UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples,submitted his report after a country visit to the United States in 2012. According to the accounts of the descendants of the victims of the Sand Creek Massacre, in 1864, around 700 armed U.S. soldiers raided and shot at Cheyenne and Arapaho people living on the Sand Creek Indian Reservation in Colorado. Media reports showed that the massacre resulted in the deaths of between 70 and 163 among the 200-plus tribal members. Two-thirds of the dead were women or children, and no one was held responsible for the massacre. The U.S. government had reached a compensation agreement with tribal descendants, which has not been delivered even to this day.
<On December 29, 1890, near the Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, U.S. troops fired at the Indians, killing and injuring more than 350 people according to the U.S. Congressional Record. After the Wounded Knee Massacre, armed Indian resistance was largely suppressed. About 20 U.S. soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor.
>In 1930, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs began sterilizing Indian women through the Indian Health Service program. Sterilization was conducted in the name of protecting the health of Indian women, and in some cases, even performed without the women’s knowledge. Statistics suggest that in early 1970s, more than 42% of Indian women of childbearing age were sterilized. This resulted in the near extinction for many small tribes. By 1976, approximately 70,000 Indian women had been forcibly sterilized.
<3. Westward expansion and forced migration
>In its early days, the United States regarded Indian tribes as sovereign entities and dealt with them on land, trade, justice and other issues largely through negotiated treaties, and occasionally through war. By 1840, the United States had concluded more than 200 treaties with various tribes, most of which were unequal treaties that were reached under U.S. military and political pressure and through deception and coercion, and were binding on the Indian tribes only. The treaties were used as a primary tool to take advantage of Indian tribes.
<In 1830, the United States passed the Indian Removal Act, which marked the institutionalization of forced relocation of Indians in the country. The Act legally deprived Indian tribes of the right to live in the eastern United States, forcing some 100,000 Indians to move to the west of the Mississippi River from their ancestral lands in the south. The migration began in the summer heat and continued through the winter with subzero temperatures. Trudging 16 miles each day, thousands died along the way as a result of hunger, cold, exhaustion, or disease and plague. The Indian population was decimated, and the forced migration became a “Trail of Blood and Tears”. Tribes that refused to move were left to military suppression, forcible eviction and even massacre by the U.S. government.
>In 1839, before Texas joined the United States, the government demanded that Indians remove immediately or face the entire destruction of their possessions and the extermination of their tribe. Large numbers of Cherokees who refused to comply were shot and killed.
<In 1863, the U.S. military carried out a “scorched earth” policy to forcibly remove the Navajo tribe, burning houses and crops, slaughtering livestock and vandalizing properties. Under the Army’s watch, Navajos had to walk several hundred kilometers to a reservation in eastern New Mexico. Pregnant women and seniors who fell behind were shot on the spot.
>In the mid-19th century, nearly all American Indians were driven to the west of the Mississippi River, and forced by the U.S. government to live in Native American reservations.
<As was written in the Cambridge Economic History of the United States, as a result of the U.S. government’s forcible expulsion of the last Indians in the east, only a very small number of Indians who were individual citizens of the nation, or those individual Indians who went into hiding during the forceful expulsion, remained in the region.
>Sadly, to whitewash this part of history, U.S. historians often glorify the Westward Expansion as the American people’s pursuit of economic development in the western frontier, claiming that it accelerated the improvement of American democracy, boosted economic prosperity, and contributed to the formation and development of the American national spirit. They make no mention of the brutal massacre of Native Americans.
<In fact, it was after the Westward Expansion that the budding civilization of the Americas was destroyed, and the Indians, as one of the several major human races, faced complete extinction.
>4. Forced assimilation and cultural extinction
<To defend the unjust deeds of the U.S. government, some American scholars in the 19th century trumpeted the dichotomy of “civilization versus barbarism” and portrayed Native Americans as a savage, evil, and inferior group. Francis Parkman, a famous 19th-century American historian, even claimed that the American Indian “will not learn the arts of civilization, and he and his forest must perish together.”
>George Bancroft, Parkman’s contemporary and another well-known American historian, also claimed that compared with the white people, Native Americans were “inferior in reason and moral qualities”, adding that “nor is this inferiority simply attached to the individual; it is connected with organization, and is the characteristic of the race.” Such an attempt to justify colonial plundering by demeaning Indians is nothing but racially discriminative.
<In the 1870s and ’80s, the U.S. government adopted a more aggressive policy of “forced assimilation” to obliterate the social fabric and culture of Indian tribes. The core objective of the strategy was to destroy the original group affiliation as well as the ethnic and tribal identity of the Indians, and transform them into individual Americans with American citizenship, civic consciousness and identification with mainstream American values. Four measures were taken to this end.
>First, fully depriving Indian tribes of their right to self-governance. American Indians had lived in tribal units over the years, and tribes had been their source of strength and spiritual support. The U.S. government forcibly abolished the tribal system and cast individual Indians into a white society with completely different traditions. Unable to find a job or make a living, the Indians became economically destitute, politically deprived and socially discriminated against. They experienced great mental pain and a deep existential and cultural crisis. In the 19th century, the thriving Cherokee tribes enjoyed a material life almost comparable to that of frontier whites. Nevertheless, with their right to self-governance and their tribal system gradually abolished by the U.S. government, the Cherokee community quickly declined and became the poorest group among the indigenous people.
<Second, trying to destroy Indian reservations through land distribution and ultimately disintegrate their tribes. The Dawes Act passed in 1887 authorized the U.S. president to dissolve Indian reservations, abolish the tribal land ownership in the original reservations, and allocate land directly to Indians living inside and outside the reservations, forming a de facto land privatization system. The abolition of tribal land ownership disintegrated the American Indian communities, and seriously undermined tribal authority. As the highest form of tribal unity, the traditional ritual “Sun Dance” was regarded as “heresy” and thus banned. Most of the land in the original reservations was transferred to the white people through auction; the Indians who were less prepared for farming lost their newly acquired land as a result of swindling among other reasons, and their lives deteriorated by the day.
>Third, taking steps to fully impose American citizenship on the Indians. Native Americans who were identified as mixed-race had to give up their tribal status, and others were “de-tribalized”, which greatly damaged the Indian identity.
<Fourth, eradicating the Indians’ sense of community and tribal identity by adopting measures on education, language, culture and religion and a series of social policies. Beginning with the Civilization Fund Act of 1819, the United States established or funded boarding schools across the country and forced Indian children to attend. According to a report by the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, there have been altogether 367 boarding schools throughout the United States. By 1925, 60,889 Indian children had been forced to attend boarding schools. In 1926, 83% of Indian children were enrolled. The total number of students enrolled still remains unclear to this day. Guided by the idea of “Kill the Indian, Save the Man”, the United States banned Indian children from speaking their native language, wearing their traditional clothes, or carrying out traditional activities, thus erasing their language, culture and identity in an act of cultural genocide. Indian children suffered immensely at school, and some died from starvation, disease and abuse. This was followed by a policy of “forced foster care” — children were forcibly placed in the care of whites, which was a continuation of the assimilation policy and denial of cultural identity. These practices were not banned until 1978, when the Indian Child Welfare Act was passed. In passing the Act, it was acknowledged in the Congress that a large number of Indian children had been removed to non-Indian families and institutions without permission, resulting in the breakup of Indian families.
>As renowned historians said,with the forced assimilation, one of the most despicable things in American history reached its peak. This was perhaps the most unfortunate chapter for Indians.
<II. American Indians remain in serious survival and development crisis
>The U.S. government’s genocide of Indians has led to a precipitous drop in the population of Indian communities, deterioration of their living conditions, lack of social security, low economic status, threats to their safety, and plummeted political influence.
<1. Sharp decline of population
>Before the arrival of white settlers in 1492, there were 5 million Indians, yet by 1800 the number plummeted to 600,000. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Native Americans in 1900 was only 237,000, the lowest in history. Among them, more than a dozen tribes, such as the Pequot, Mohegan, and Massachusetts, were completely extinct.
<Between 1800 and 1900, the American Indians lost more than half of their population, and their proportion in the total U.S. population dropped from 10.15% to 0.31%. Throughout the 19th century, while the U.S. population grew by 20-30% every 10 years, the Indian population experienced a precipitous decline. Currently, the Indian and Alaska Native population accounts for only 1.3% of the total U.S. population.
>2. Deteriorating living conditions
<Indians were pushed from the east to the barren west, and most of the Indian reservations were located in remote areas unfit for agriculture, much less for investment in industrial development. Most of the tribes, with scattered reservations of varying sizes, were unable to obtain adequate land for development and were therefore subject to severe development restraints.
>There are currently about 310 Native American reservations in the United States, accounting for about 2.3% of the U.S. territory, and not all federally recognized tribes have their own reservations. These reservations are mostly located in remote and barren areas with poor living conditions and inadequate access to water and other vital resources, where 60% of the road system are dirt or gravel roads. On the surface, Indians are no longer the subject of “extermination”, but just “forgotten”, “invisible” and “discriminated against”; yet in reality, they are simply left there for self-extermination.
<The U.S. government has also systematically used Indian reservations as toxic or nuclear waste dumps through the means of deception and coercion, subjecting them to long-term exposure to uranium and other radioactive materials. As a result, the cancer incidence and fatality rates in the communities concerned is significantly higher than in other parts of the country. Indian communities have effectively become the “garbage cans” in the development process of the United States.
>For instance, in the Navajo Nation reservation, the largest Indian tribe in the United States,about a quarter of women and some infants have large amounts of radioactive substances in their bodies. During the 40-plus years prior to 2009, the U.S. government had reportedly conducted a total of 928 nuclear tests in the area inhabited by the Shoshone tribe of American Indians, producing approximately 620,000 tons of radioactive fallout, nearly 48 times the amount of radioactive fallout from the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Japan.
<3. Lack of social security
>According to a report released by the Indian Health Service, life expectancy of American Indians is 5.5 years lower than that of average Americans, and the incidence of diabetes, chronic liver disease and alcohol addiction are 3.2 times, 4.6 times and 6.6 times as much as the U.S. average respectively. Academic studies show that among all ethnic groups in the United States, Indians have the shortest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rate; the incidence of drug and alcohol abuse among Indian adolescents is 13.3 times and 1.4 times higher than the national average, and the suicide rate 1.9 times that of the national average. These phenomena are closely related to insufficient government investment of public health resources, underlying health inequities, and the overall underdevelopment of minority communities.
<The U.S. government provides limited educational and medical assistance to Indians. 99% of such assistance has gone to reservation residents, but 70% of the Indians live in cities and therefore cannot be covered. Apart from the Indian Health Service, many Indians have no access to health insurance and are often subject to discrimination and language barriers in non-Indian health services and non-tribal health facilities.
>The underprivileged status of Indians in health care was further exposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. CDC statistics show that as of August 18, 2020, the COVID-19 incidence and case-fatality rates among Indians were 2.8 times and 1.4 times, respectively, that of white Americans. A report produced by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 43/14, points out that Native Americans and African Americans are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with a hospitalization rate five times that of non-Hispanic white Americans. The COVID-19 infection rate in Navajo Nation, the largest Indian reservation in the United States, even surpassed that of New York at one point, reaching the highest in the country.
<In terms of education, the conditions of Indian reservations are much poorer than those of white American communities. According to the 2013-2017 statistics of the U.S. Census Bureau, only 14.3% of American Indians held a bachelor’s degree or higher, in contrast to 15.2% for Hispanics, 20.6% for African Americans and 34.5% for white Americans. Many Indian reservations are struggling with dilapidated schools and shattered education systems.
>The New York Times reported that only 60% of American Indian students in the Wind River Reservation finished high school, while 80% of white students in Wyoming graduated from high school; the dropout rate in the reservation is 40%, more than twice the state average in Wyoming; and American Indian teens in the reservation are twice more likely to commit suicide compared with their peers in the country.
<4. Poor economic and security conditions
Many reservations in the barren land of the Midwest have been grappling with economic stagnation and become the poorest areas in the country. The poverty rate of some reservations has even surpassed 85%. According to statistics of the U.S. Census Bureau in 2018, the poverty rate of American Indians, at 25.4%, was the highest among all ethnic minorities, compared with 20.8% for African Americans, 17.6% for Hispanics, and 8.1% for white Americans. The median income of American Indian families was only 60% that of white families.
>In a visit to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, The Atlantic revealed that the local unemployment rate was as high as 80%. Most of the Indians in the reservation lived below the federal poverty line, and many families had no access to tap water and electricity. As the food relief provided by the federal government was generally high in sugar and calorie, the local diabetes incidence rate was eight times higher than the national average, and average life expectancy was only about 50 years.
<Poor economic conditions have led to serious law-and-order issues. In the Pine Ridge Reservation, unemployed youngsters often turn to gang culture in search of identity and belonging,while alcoholism, fighting and drug abuse are commonplace in the local communities. According to a research by the U.S. National Institute of Justice, more than 1.5 million American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States, or 84.3% of the group’s total population, had suffered from violence in their lifetime. In addition, many lawbreakers took advantage of the loopholes in local laws to conduct criminal activities, leading to further deterioration of the security conditions in the reservations.
>5. Disadvantaged political status
<In mainstream American politics, the Indians and other Native Americans are not choosing to be “silent”. Rather, they have been “silenced” by the system and “systematically erased”. American Indians have a relatively small population and do not have a strong interest in politics. With a lower turnout rate in elections than that of other ethnic groups, their interests and demands are often ignored by politicians. As a result, American Indians have been reduced to second-class citizens in the United States, and they are often called the “invisible minority” or the “vanishing race” in the country. It was not until 1924 that the American Indians were conditionally granted U.S. citizenship and not until 1965 that they were given the right to vote.
>In June 2020, the Native American Rights Fund and other institutions conducted a study on the barriers to political participation faced by Native American voters, with the participation of civil societies, legal experts, and scholars from around the country. The results showed that only 66% of the 4.7 million eligible Native American voters were registered, and more than 1.5 million eligible Native American voters could not meaningfully exercise their right to vote due to political barriers. According to the results, Native American voters face 11 pervasive obstacles to political participation, including limited hours of government offices, lack of funding for elections, and discrimination. In the current U.S. Congress, only four members are American Indians, accounting for about 0.74% of the members of Congress in both houses. The political engagement and influence of the Native Americans are disproportionately lower than other groups of the American population.
<Native American communities have long suffered neglect and discrimination. Many U.S. government statistical programs either leave them aside completely or simply classify them as “others”. Shannon Keller O’Loughlin, Chief Executive and Attorney of the Association on American Indian Affairs, said that the greatest aspiration of Native Americans is to attain social recognition. Native Americans have diverse cultures and languages, but are often seen not as an ethnic group, but as a political stratum with limited autonomy based on treaties with the federal government. The Brookings Institution recently published an article saying that the U.S. monthly employment report ignores American Indians. The economic well-being of this group receives little attention and is largely left out of the discussion. There are nearly 200 American Indian tribes in California, only half of which are recognized by the federal government. Although the Biden administration appointed the first American Indian cabinet minister, the political participation rate and political influence of Indians are still way too low compared to their share of the American population.
>According to a poll conducted by the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, more than one third of Native Americans have experienced neglect, violence, humiliation and discrimination in the workplace, and American Indians living in Indian populated areas are more likely to be subject to discrimination when dealing with the police, at work and during voting. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, American Indians are twice as likely to be jailed for minor crimes as other ethnic groups. The incarceration rate of Indian men is four times that of white men, and the rate of Indian women is six times that of white women.
<The Atlantic commented that from the expulsion, slaughter and forced assimilation back in history to the current widespread poverty and neglect, the American Indians, once the owner of this continent, now have a very weak voice in American society. American Indian writer Rebecca Nagel pointed out sharply that being made invisible is a new type of racial discrimination against American Indians and other indigenous peoples. The Los Angeles Times commented that the unjust treatment of Native Americans is deeply embedded in the social structure and legal system of the United States.
>6. Endangered culture
<From the 1870s to the late 1920s, the U.S. government forcibly implemented the system of American Indian boarding schools in Native American areas to impose English and Christian education on Indian children. There were even cases of Indian children being kidnapped and forced to attend schools in many places. The system of American Indian boarding schools imposed on Native Americans, as part of the history of the United States, caused irreparable damage, especially to the youths and children. Many Native Americans of the younger generation found themselves unable to gain a foothold in mainstream society and felt difficult to preserve and promote their own traditional culture, which leaves them bewildered and anguished about their own culture and identity.
>In these boarding schools, American Indian children’s braids, a symbol of courage, were cut off, and their traditional clothing burned. They were strictly prohibited from speaking their mother tongue and violators would be beaten hard. In these schools, military-style management was imposed on Native American children who suffered from not only corporal punishment by mentors, but also sexual abuse. Quite a few American Indian children fell ill and even died due to harsh education methods, forced way of living, homesickness and malnutrition.
<The U.S. government had also enacted laws prohibiting Native Americans from performing religious rituals which have been passed down through the generations, and those involved in such activities would be arrested and imprisoned. Since the 20th century, with the rise of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, the protection of Native Americans’ traditional culture and history has improved to some extent. However, due to the serious damage that has already been inflicted, what is left now are mostly cultural relics preserved by later generations using the English language instead.
>Rebecca Nagle believes that information about Native Americans has been systematically removed from mainstream media and popular culture. According to a report by National Indian Education Association, 87% of state-level U.S. history textbooks do not mention the post-1900 history of indigenous people. According to the Smithsonian Institution, things taught about Native Americans in American schools are full of inaccurate information and fail to present the real picture of the sufferings of indigenous people. Rick Santorum, a former Republican senator from Pennsylvania, said publicly at the Young America’s Foundation that “We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here … but candidly, there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.” His remarks dismissed and negated the influence of indigenous people in American culture.
<Ⅲ. Domestic criticism long ignored by the U.S. government over the “genocide” of American Indians
>First, the academic community has a shared view on this issue. Since the 1970s, American academics have begun to use the term “genocide” to denounce U.S. policies toward American Indians. In the 1990s, American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World by David E. Stannard, a professor at the University of Hawaii, and A Little Matter of Genocide by Ward L. Churchill, a former professor at the University of Colorado, sent shock waves across the academic community. Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur by Ben Kiernan, a professor at Yale University, gave a brief account of genocides the United States committed against American Indians at different historical stages. And An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873 by Benjamin Madley, an associate professor at UCLA, unearthed the massacres of Native Americans by the U.S. government during the California Gold Rush.
<Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, an American historian dedicated to the study of indigenous peoples, concluded that all five acts of genocide listed in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide can be found in the crimes the United States committed against American Indians. Native Americans are undoubtedly victims of genocide, and it is of important significance to admit that U.S. policies toward American Indians are, in fact, acts of genocide.
>Second, the media has been calling for change on this issue. An article published in The New York Times reported that the UC Hastings College of the Law was named after a perpetrator of genocide, which accelerated the process of changing the name of the college. According to ABC News, the aspirations from Native Americans range from sovereignty claims to making their voice heard. Some respondents said that the theft of American Indians’ land and the obliteration of indigenous languages were in fact systemic genocides. The Washington Post published an article accusing the United States of never formally admitting that it has taken genocidal policies toward indigenous people. A Foreign Policy article demanded that the United States acknowledge its genocide of American Indians. Bounty, a documentary released in November 2021, in which some Native Americans were invited to read official historical documents on the United States posting high reward for American Indians’ scalps, also triggered reflections on the heinous genocidal policies in the country.
<As the affirmative action became prevalent after World War II, American society began to reflect on the issue of American Indians. The government passed a resolution apologizing to indigenous people. In 2019, Gavin Newsom, governor of California, issued a statement to apologize to the indigenous population in California, admitting that the state’s actions against Indian tribes in the mid-19th century were genocides.
>However, the reflection of the U.S. government looks more like a “political stunt.” It has not officially admitted that the atrocities against Native Americans are acts of genocide. Real changes still seem a long way off.
<To sum up, successive U.S. administrations have not only wiped out a large number of American Indians, but also, through systematic policy design and bullying acts of cultural suppression, thrown them into an irreversible, difficult situation. The indigenous culture was fundamentally crushed, and the inter-generational inheritance of indigenous lives and spirits was under severe threats. The slaughter, forced relocation, cultural assimilation and unjust treatment the United States committed against American Indians have constituted de facto genocides. These acts fully match the definition of genocide in the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and have continued for hundreds of years to this day. It is imperative that the U.S. government drop its hypocrisy and double standards on human rights issues, and take seriously the severe racial problems and atrocities in its own country.
R: 19 / I: 10

Who's afraid of Palestine?

Soviet and communist support for the creation of Israel was a critical break in the spring of the world communist movement, and in some ways led to the downfall of the Soviet Union, because it was the first major policy undermining Leninist principles. Even after 1967 when the socialist bloc cut ties with Israel and started heavily supporting the Palestinian resistance, global communist parties continued to advocate for a two-state solution. The Palestinian revolutionaries who rejected the two-state solution were called the Rejectionist Front. Support for the two-state solution is still prominent among most ML parties today with the exceptions of some parties like the Korean and Portuguese parties. Why are so many MLs, let alone leftists, so afraid to openly call for the total liberation of all of historic Palestine, and the expulsion of all Zionists?
R: 4 / I: 1

Lumpen Mass Culture

What will become of the culture industry under a DOTP?
Can Americans even be saved at all?
Will there be biopics of revolutionaries instead of Marvel superhero movies?
R: 15 / I: 6

Indias population

It’s a little bewildering knowing nothing has happened to actually curb out indias population growth at this point. It’s not high in the sense that the countries geography can’t actually sustain a lot of people, it’s that its government definitely can’t, and this shows in the state of the country and its unemployment issues. The visibly poor urbanization rates topped with a complete lack of industry who is well behind China in terms of productiveness, alongside horrid amounts of corruption and you end up with a country that’s still horribly poor after decades of undisturbed development. Indias population projected to increase even more doesn’t do anything good for other Indians at all and just becomes a raging annoyance for the countries leaders to put up with, not because it’s increasing, but because it’s not going down to a level that their leaders can actually handle. There’s also just the sense that being capitalist instead of socialist makes things substantially harder in general for the country to actually progress at all.
R: 7 / I: 1

Democracy in EU

How democratic exactly is european union? How much of nfluence do members have in it, do some have more influence compared to others? Why are countries donating different quantities of capital and how does that influence them? How much influence do normal civilians have in this structure?

Please write actual answers and statements and not one word/one sentence texts with no arguements or information.
R: 121 / I: 25

"Third Positionism", is fascism truly far-right?

Lately I've been reading about how syndicalists teamed up with fascists, and were in fact influential in the original fascist movement in Italy, not to mention many fascists were originally socialists. Why does there seem to be so many "hippie" fascists who paradoxically incorporate leftist ideals into their beliefs? Their understanding of capitalism is usually flawed anyway, but many fascists love to pride themselves on the fact that they transcend "left" and "right". Even considering they'd just be killed on a night of long knives anyway, many pol types support some odd amalgamation of basically just being socialism for one race, instead of being overtly pro-big business, as fascism always is in reality. Some even go as far as to basically spout textbook communist rhetoric but change "bourgeosie" to "jews". How can this phenomenon be explained?
R: 126 / I: 14

This stupid cartoon has a point

How do you respond to this without sounding mad? And how do we make key survival skills "leftist" again? If there is to be an imminent collapse within 10-20 years, from climate or what have you, it is imperative to cultivate these skills
>Physical strength, stamina, general fitness
>Hunting and farming
>electrical work
>building
>auto maintenance
These are just off the top of my head, but feel free to add some if you have any.
R: 128 / I: 32
You can't claim to be left-wing if you do not admire him. It is disgusting to see how many western "communists" repeat imperialist propaganda.
R: 13 / I: 1

Counter Revolution

WE NEED A REVOLUTION AGAINST THE LEFT'S REVOLUTION!!!!

What is the materialist explanation about counter revolution and why has it been so successful at stopping socialism or literally any marginal progress in history? A huge amount of the reason socialism/communism and literally any moderate reforms has been stopped is because the right used nationalism, religion, ethnic tensions, and other spooks (and seething petit bourgeois resentment) to do counter revolution. This means the right is way better at doing "revolution" than the left.

What is the material explanation for why this develops and why is it so darn effective at stopping any left wing movement?
R: 5 / I: 1

I think housing and work infrastructure increase loneliness?

I was surfing through images of crowded metropolitan areas, suburbs, and barren cities and farmland. Eventually I just came to the thought that it was the buildings that make people lonely more than anything based on what I could see.

Here me out, I think that by having a countries population stay relatively housed often, people are less likely to move around more for reasons outside of work, wherever they’re thus stay inside more often and seek relationships with others less frequently. Adding proper infrastructure to where people work could boost this substantially: office cubicles, construction sites, studios and warehouses may work together to reduce how often civilians are to come to making normal relationships, despite being places of public gathering, because their function is geared towards a necessity than a individual choice people would make out of want to see others. Idk, what do you guys think?
R: 57 / I: 16

JUST DO IT

GET SOBER
EXERCISE
EAT RIGHT
SOCIALIZE WITH FRIENDS
SOCIALIZE WITH NEIGHBORS
JOIN A PARTY ORG
START UNIONS
START COOPERATIVES
START TENTANT ORGANIZATIONS
START READING GROUPS
START GUN CLUBS
START MILITIAS
START SPORTS CLUBS
START GAMING CLANS
LINK THEM UP
CROSS POLLINATE THEM
IMBUE THEM ALL WITH CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS AND ANTI-IMPERIALISM
PLAN AND COORDINATE SIMULTANEOUS LABOR AND RENT STRIKES
DON'T BRING PORKY TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE, BRING HIM TO THE SCAFFOLD

>but I might die

DEATH IS INEVITABLE; WILL YOU GUTTER OUT IN A SMELLY HAZE LIKE A SPENT TALLOW CANDLE OR WILL YOU EXPLODE LIKE A BEAUTIFUL SUPERNOVA
>but I love living
THE LOVE OF THIS OPPRESSIVE LIFE IS REACTIONARY LIBERALISM, BUILD A LIFE WORTH LOVING WITH COMRADES
>i bet you aren't doing any of these things
YOU CAN'T KNOW THAT AND IT DOESN'T MATTER OR EXCUSE YOU
R: 8 / I: 3

Contrarian reaction

The homogenization of the internet, combined with the aging of people who were born with internet has made people on internet more polite through the years. And bitch ass behavior is getting pushed back more and more. This has made contrarians nervious and more vocal. These contrarians may accumulate in niches such as political forums, fetish forums,… Opinions?
R: 22 / I: 3
Why did he kill 900 people? What on earth was his endgame? and it's not like he did it out of the blue, because he rehearsed it for years. Is there a psychological analysis of how he was crazy?
R: 24 / I: 2

Atatürk Thread

Was he socialist despite westernizing Turkey to the point where they changed alphabet script from using Arabic to using Latin letters? Was he proto-socialist in some capacity or adjacent to socialism? We know for a fact that Lenin admired him and wanted the new Türkiye Republic to align with the USSR.
>inb4 Greek and Armenian stuff
Meh. Nobody really cares honestly. I personally think Atatürk laid the foundation for allowing capitalism to rise in Türkiye so that they can finally go from feudalism-capitalism-communism.
R: 118 / I: 27
why are argentinians so stupid? they have been fucked over by the IMF many times and now they are about to elect a neoliberal clown into the president office? what's their end game exactly?
R: 2 / I: 0

News 9/18/23

Guatemala’s president-elect says he’s ready to call people onto the streets
It would be Arévalo’s first such request since winning the election Aug. 20. Since his landslide victory, the attorney general’s office has continued pursuing multiple investigations related to the registration of Arévalo’s Seed Movement party, and alleged fraud in the election. International observers have said that is not supported by evidence. Arévalo said he has tried his own legal maneuvers to stop those who want to keep him from power, but now it’s necessary for the people to come out to the streets to support him. He said he wants to see businesspeople, farmers, Indigenous groups, and workers all come out to reject what has been happening.
https://apnews.com/article/guatemala-election-bernardo-arevalo-7e60789e52b1ececeb674740e5fd5798

Colombian government, EMC-FARC define route for peace talks
Colombian government delegations and the Central General Staff of the FARC (EMC-FARC), accompanied by the international community, are holding talks today in the town of Suarez, Cauca, to define the protocols of the peace process.
https://www.plenglish.com/news/2023/09/18/colombian-government-emc-farc-define-route-for-peace-talks/

Car workers in Canada set to strike at Ford
The action by members of Unifor, who represent car workers in Canada, follows the strike over a new contract by their counterparts in the United States which began last Thursday. Unifor president Lana Payne told CNN on Saturday that the union has already rejected two offers from Ford. She said: “We’re not close at all. There’s a lot of work to get done to get an agreement by midnight on Monday.”
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/car-workers-canada-set-strike-ford

Youth groups demand release of Italian-Palestinian researcher Khaled El Qaisi who was detained by Israel
Youth and student groups in Italy have protested the detention of Italian-Palestinian student Khaled El Qaisi by Israeli authorities. On Friday, September 15, youth groups including the Communist Youth Front (FGC), along with students, teachers, and activists from human rights and Palestine solidarity groups, organized an event at the Sapienza University of Rome demanding Khaled’s release.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/18/youth-groups-demand-release-of-italian-palestinian-researcher-khaled-el-qaisi-who-was-detained-by-israel/

Egypt: Poet jailed for criticising army attempted suicide in prison
"Behairy, an honorary member of English PEN, attempted to commit suicide on 9 September," the organisation said in a statement on Monday. The freedom of expression NGO said Behairy's suicide attempt took place four days after he resumed a hunger strike "in protest against his prolonged arbitrary detention". Behairy, currently held in Badr Prison 1, was sentenced to three years in prison in the summer of 2018 for writing a book of poetry allegedly criticising the Egyptian army.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-poet-jailed-criticising-army-attempted-suicide-prison

Libyans protest against authorities in flood-hit Derna
Later in the evening, angry protesters set fire to the house of the man who was Derna mayor at the time of the flood, Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi, his office manager told Reuters. Hichem Abu Chkiouat, a minister in the eastern Libyan government, said Ghaithi has been suspended from his post. Reuters could not immediately reach Ghaithi for comment.
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/libyans-protest-against-authorities-flood-hit-derna-2023-09-18/

Chevron says Australian LNG plant is back to full production after 3 days at 80% output
About 500 Chevron employees who are members of the Offshore Alliance, a partnership between the Australian Workers’ Union and the Maritime Union of Australia that represents workers in Australia’s offshore oil and gas industry, stopped work for a second consecutive day on Sunday and warned of further disruptions to come. The union argues that less experienced non-union labor that is filling in for striking union members would lead to a reduction in LNG output and cost Chevron more than the higher wages and improved conditions that are demanded.
https://apnews.com/article/australia-chevron-lng-strike-a9ea0e3a30c28371f2d82a289cf74bcd

Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Thailand’s Move Forward Party, resigns
Pita Limjaroenrat, who led his progressive party to victory in Thailand’s election in May but was blocked from taking power by conservative legislators, has announced his resignation as its leader. The 43-year-old head of the Move Forward Party (MFP) is currently suspended from his MP duties pending a court ruling on whether he violated election law. This bans him from serving as parliament’s opposition leader as under the current rules, the person holding that position must be an MP.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/15/pita-limjaroenrat-leader-of-thailands-move-forward-party-resigns
https://archive.ph/F7IZ1

Philippine activists slam attempt to change phrase ‘Marcos dictatorship’ in public curriculum
The curriculum bureau issued a memorandum on Sept. 6 to an education undersecretary directing that the phrase “Diktadurang Marcos” (Marcos dictatorship) be changed to just “Diktadura” (dictatorship) in its Grade 6 social studies curriculum for public school students. The change was made “after the arduous process of review and revision was done under the guidance and scrutiny of experts, the review stakeholders and the public, and the launch of the [new] curriculum,” the memo said.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/school-curriculum-09152023140100.html

U.S. Helped Pakistan Get IMF Bailout With Secret Arms Deal for Ukraine, Leaked Documents Reveal
Secret Pakistani arms sales to the U.S. helped to facilitate a controversial bailout from the International Monetary Fund earlier this year, according to two sources with knowledge of the arrangement, with confirmation from internal Pakistani and American government documents. The arms sales were made for the purpose of supplying the Ukrainian military — marking Pakistani involvement in a conflict it had faced U.S. pressure to take sides on.
https://theintercept.com/2023/09/17/pakistan-ukraine-arms-imf/
R: 138 / I: 7 (sage)

LGBTQ Tankies

How is it that even "anti-revisionist" "Stalinist" parties in the west have gone in on full support for LGBTQ+? How do pro-LGBTQ+ tankies square the circle of Stalin and Mao, and the states they formed being extremely anti-LGBTQ+? The only western CPs I've seen that haven't caved are the KKE and the Portuguese party.
R: 22 / I: 12
The Soviet Union proved that a society can‘t go from feudalism to socialism but needs to have gone through capitalism first, as Marx believed, and that the Soviet Union was a philosophically idealist divergence of materialist thought that failed to accomplish what it set out to do because its attempt towards socialism wasn‘t a development that is congruent with materialism. China is closer to real socialism than the Soviet Union ever was, because for socialist revolutions to spread like a wild fire across the globe, as Trotsky would hope for, is unlikely to happen. So, one will have to deal with the more likely situation of socialism in one country, where the entire rest of the capitalist world will attempt anything to gut you and paint you as the villain later on. Stalin‘s path was moronic and adventurist to engage in a power struggle with capitalist countries that, as it will be the case, were further developed and already possessed a strong foothold of power in the world, while the majority of the rest of the planet were primitives. The wiser choice is to concede to capitalist countries and exchange with them to render a hostile attack less likely and simply wait until the rate of profit falls to zero. Capitalist countries will face a final catastrophy that they have tried to postpone indefinitely and lash out a final time while you as a Marxist government already laid out the means to switch from a free market economy of private enterprise to one of a planned economy of collective ownership. In this scenario, you will be much more powerful to combat the dying capitalist nations who will lash out a final time before its over. This is the correct approach and Deng was right.
R: 2 / I: 1
imagine if humans came around when this was still the geographic situation. We would already have communism. One giant land war would have established Communism globally. What a shame.
R: 87 / I: 8

Marxist Unity Group

Anybody got a critique of these fuckers?
Thinking about joining after reading "Unite the Pro-Party Wing" by comrade Shuvu Bhattarai
Please talk me out of it if it's gonna be a waste of time.
R: 9 / I: 2

This image is hilarious for how well it indirectly portrays capitalist failure

It’s not just that the problems such a system can bring out in a society are bad, it’s that they’re exceptionally terrible. For a country like the USA might think it’s far dependency comes in the form of just a lot of pedestrian sized cars fucking up the climate, not full pickup trucks and oversized family vehicles bigger than tanks pouring a visible cloud of smog everywhere they go in the millions. When you’d think that a problem like mass drug deaths is simply attributed to a lot of smoking, you’d instead be approached with people using the most niche hardcore drugs imaginable and occasional instances of people dying in public of fentanyl and random pollution. When you’d think an American made problem like a housing crisis would just be a lot of people not being able to afford small homes, you’d instead get mass homelessness, landlords getting evicted off their own property, random price hikes for tenants and constant rioting over unliveable rent while almost no one can buy a home except for corporations that are selling the last remaining ones to each other.

It’s so obnoxious and funny, capitalists can’t just fuck up society for profits, they have to do it in the most pointlessly elaborate and self destructive way possible to squeeze as much dwindling profits as they can before they waste graciously anyways in the next oncoming crash.
R: 9 / I: 1

Holy fuck trash country

I don’t need to be fluent in French to realize what the image of a French PM having drinks in some random country on a separate continent with other millionaires while his country needs police to keep his civilians from openly killing him means. This guy is fully aware of how many people in west Africa, France and SEA want him dead immediately. He knows about the constant rioting, mass corruption and widespread in wellness in every corner of France, he knows how shitty the country is when you take cities like paris out of focus, and he does nothing about it. I don’t even know his term length and it already feels too long, how tf does a cunt manage to be this stereotypically corrupt anyways? How the hell can you give this little of a shit about a country you’re supposed to be managing, he’s like fucking pol pot but at least the cia installed dictator actually believed what he was doing was right for the country he was in or something. This is shit and screams incompetence.
R: 502 / I: 144  

/ukraine/ - Russia-Ukraine war general #166: #StalinUnion Edition

REMEMBER: The spirit of the samurai is on the side of Russia!

>One of the biggest mistakes multipolaristas make is thinking of western people as eternally evil rather than imagining what life can be like once westerners are free from western governments. Be a forward thinking multipolarist; let's divide the USA into #exUSA and end the immoral imperialism.


<ButtHole IdPol is my ska-synthwave-post-punk-bluegrass Butthole Surfers cover band


>Foolish atlantean. I have calculated with the force of my incredible online brain the exact chromosome count of your inherited Supermurder genome.

<FOOL! As your greasy Atlantean hands type your pathetic whinging, I have used the power of my Bolshevik-Evolean-Eurasainist synthesis of all possible knowledges to advance the TRUE materialism by screaming at you on the internet
>Fool. Castles? Atlantean allegorical hypostasis. The Hyperborean Master Race will live in Cube Hives constructed of the pure liberated Hyperborean science of TIME CUBE as enumerated by hyperborean sleeper agend Gene Ray, the most significant materialist ontologist
<The Hyperborean Superstate Life Cube will be the allegorical hypostasis of all prior Time Cube energy, in which civil society as an outgrowth of the State will carry the State's immantenization of the eschaton into realizing on Earth the divine ideal-materialist ideal form of the PURE FOUR-SIDED DAY, destroying the Atlantean time dominion

>Imagine how much bank he's making on Twatter from all recent impressions. Can't isolate Gunther. It seems #Fehlingerdoctrine is the way forward. Is the hammer of NATO. Is the neoconservative revival.

<Fehlinger is NATO’s answer to Dugin. Soon enough, German university students will be learning about Fehlinger praxis akin to how Russian soldiers learn basic Dugin theory. Instead of Chimputin’s and Dugin’s doctrine of “from Lisbon to Vladivostok”, it’s “from Dublin to Baku”. The difference between these two, of course, being that the west is still insanely powerful and Russia and China have stagnated in growth. They’ve reached their prime whereas western powers are a fusion of Tom Brady, Lebron James, Lionel Messi and Wayne Gretzky.

>(USER COULDN’T LOCATE UKRAINE ON A MAP BEFORE FEB 24)


<MLism is a dead horse that Americucks keep bringing up to disguise this war as an ideological struggle a'la the cold war and obfuscate its true nature of confrontation between the imperial core and the semi-periphery. Ideology is irrelevant, what is relevant is whether you stake your survival on the current capitalist hegemony or against it, and it's pretty clear that American rightoids for all their bitching about ZOG neotroons literally cannot survive without Israel daddy pumping their anal cavities with endless corn syrup pseudoestrogen provided by McConsumerism and will rally behind it come hell or high water


>Fehlinger has described himself as a "coaltroon", a term that was popularized by notorious soyteens on soyjaks.party, a website dedicated to coal, gem and dust. Fehlinger used to be a catboy prior to 2020. He has repeatedly had bouts of Ambien abuse and has claimed that Hitler was a "Harvard communist experiment", on top of also saying that Tsar Nicholas II wrongfully abdicated from his throne. Fehlinger is a fan of both Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, and also Manchester United and Manchester City. In 2017, he was confined to a Hamburg psychiatric ward for streaking naked near a Turkish brothel claiming that Greek prophecies on "the Turkish race" are coming true. Fehlinger and his wife have a bull whom he orally preps; it has been made known that the bull is a Russian mechanic named Oleg.

>Fehlinger only has one ball.

<The leftypol troons that come in to this general trying to shill for Russia by ranting over their neovagina things can never answer one, simple question. Why should anyone who isn't a Marxist support the KGB run Russian state and their Chinese Communist Party allies?


>THE PROPHECY IS BEING FULFILLED

>MODERATE AZOV QAEDA REBELS WILL 9/11 POLAND

—————————————————–

Evidence of the influence and origin of neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine
https://archive.ph/44B9Q
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323637
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323658
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323663
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323688
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323729
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323733
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323731
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323735
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323740

—————————————————–

ALWAYS APPROACH SOURCES CRITICALLY

Developments of multipolarity timeline
https://www.pacemaker.global/multipolar-transition-timeline (Note: Dead link. Update with new link, por favor.)

Live maps and updates
DeepStateMap: https://deepstatemap.live
Events in Ukraine: https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/
SouthFront: https://southfront.org/category/all-articles/world/europe/ukraine/

Watch Together
📺 News/events: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/HappeningsviaKlash
📺 Hangout/chill: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/bloodcast

Watch By Yourself
>Video Essays / Historical Background
📺 Ukraine: The Avoidable War - Boy Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4eNy4FCs8

📺 America, Russia, and Ukraine's Far Right - Gravel Institute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0pyVJG7_6Q

📺 Crimea vs Taiwan: Who Gets Self-Determination? - BadEmpanada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_UH4fmyj0

📺 The Nature of Putin's Russia and Its Causes (3-Part Series) - 1Dime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d6Vzi7zYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zODWTfMwFGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN1KK9Mzuo

<Current Happenings

📺 Defense Politics Asia: https://www.youtube.com/@DefensePoliticsAsia
📺 The Duran: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeMVChrumySxV9N1w0Au-w
📺 The News Atlas: https://www.youtube.com/c/thenewatlas
📺 Military Summary: https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary

—————————————————–

Social media
>Twitter
https://nitter.net/GeromanAT
https://nitter.net/wargonzoo
https://nitter.net/plnewstoday
https://nitter.net/RALee85
https://nitter.net/MarQs__
https://nitter.net/KofmanMichael
https://nitter.net/IntelCrab
https://nitter.net/NotWoofers
https://nitter.net/michaelh992
https://nitter.net/Suriyakmaps

<Telegram

https://t.me/milinfolive
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https://t.me/AussieCossack
https://t.me/asbmil
https://t.me/Slavyangrad

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇰🇵
Thread guidelines:
• Please remember to add a spoiler to NSFW and extreme content such as graphic violence and gore.
• Try your best to not derail discussion too much from the main events and relevant places where the war is taken place, as well as other happenings, groups and public figures related to it.
• Meta discussion of the historical, philosophical and ideological background of the war is fine as long as its done in good faith and comradely.
• In the event the meta discussion overstays its welcome, participating users will be referred to take the conversation to the MULTIPOLARISM general thread: >>>/leftypol/1590991
• Quality shitposting and original content is encouraged! Spamming glowie memes is low effort.
• Remember to take your meds! It helps mediate schizoposting and foot fetishism
• this is /isg/ for people who treat geopolitics like shitty map games
R: 16 / I: 1
One thing I've never understood about laymen nazis is their contempt for America, despite the USA being their sugar daddy ever since the NSDAP was founded, pretty much. Hitler received funding from American Businessmen, the USA recruited Nazi functionaries, funded fascist dictators all over Latin America(who often directly employed Nazis), covered up the crimes of Nazis for decades, and were pretty much side-by-side in the "Eternal Struggle against Judeo-Bolshevism!"

So why, in the end, is the common Nazi so anti-American to this day, when they are practically partners in crime?
R: 23 / I: 8
Let's talk about little urban movements, like communal and guerrilla gardening, guerilla urbanism and culture jamming.
Basically, things that almost anyone can do if they have the free time and confidence.
R: 28 / I: 3

Why did the CPSU under Stalin permit the continued existence of the CPC?

I can understand why, given the defeat of the German Revolution, and the defeat of the Soviets at the hands of reactionary Poland, that Stalin chose to take a step back from pushing for world revolution in order to consolidate the fledgling USSR. That is, "socialism in one country" was at the time a perfectly reasonable, practical move. Why then did the CPSU permit the anarchic actions of the CPC, rather than rolling the Chinese communist movement up into the CPSU, the construction of a Soviet China? To me this appears to be a historically catastrophical mistake, an obvious and mutual break with the principle of democratic centralism from which the Sino-Soviet split inevitably stems.
To avoid this mistake repeating in the future there is therefore only one reasonable course of action: all communist parties that are not the CPC should dissolve and their membership should subordinate itself to Peking. This is the most straightforward way to build a strong global communist bloc.
R: 50 / I: 15

give wikiglow pls

i have downloaded a lot of leftypol thread using httrack but only using the default setting. that mean no image and video and pdf/epud file in the downloaded archive file. when im going back to leftypol to re download (the complete) threads the wikiglow thread was gone so i check archive.is using the dead link. but i cant download using the zip option.
i was thinking if i could redownload dead link using somekind of program.

WHERE IS THE WIKIGLOW THREAD !!!!!!
YOU CANT DOWNLOAD THE ARCHIVE.IS PAGE !!!!
can anyone help please ?
(original link: https://leftypol.org/leftypol/res/976710.html)
R: 27 / I: 5

Italy's Lampedusa island hit with record migrant arrivals

>LAMPEDUSA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The Italian island of Lampedusa is struggling with a record number of landings from boat migrants, local officials said on Tuesday, describing the situation as "dramatic."
>Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost point and a first port of call for people crossing from North Africa, has long been a flashpoint of Europe's migration crisis.
>The daily tally of migrant boats reaching the island has surpassed a previous record of 63 last month and is expected to hit around 80 by the end of the day, local police chief Emanuele Ricifari told Reuters.
>He said there were about 2,800 migrants in the island's "hotspot" reception centre - which has an official capacity of only around 400 - plus about 300 more in other parts of the island.
>The migrants were all due to be transferred to the larger island of Sicily to ease overcrowding and make room for future arrivals.
>"The situation is really dramatic," Prefect Filippo Romano, a provincial government official, was quoted as saying by the ANSA and AGI news agencies.
>"We will probably get to 100 landings today, the island can no longer sustain these numbers," Mayor Filippo Mannino told the Adnkronos news agency.
>Overall, about 118,500 boat migrants have arrived in Italy since the start of the year, according to interior ministry data - almost double the 64,529 recorded in the same period of 2022.
>Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, elected last year pledging to fight irregular immigration, has failed to bring down the numbers as a crackdown on migrants in Tunisia and continuing chaos in Libya have led to more sea crossings from North Africa.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italys-lampedusa-island-hit-with-record-migrant-arrivals-2023-09-12/
R: 30 / I: 5

unequal development?

help me sort out my muddled thoughts on this question, comrades. give me recommended reading as well.

What's the historical materialist reason for some geographical regions developing slower than others? In high school I was made to read "Guns, Germs and Steel." but I was told that book was a massive oversimplification at best and straight up misinformation at worst.

Does it really just come down to distribution of natural resources? I wouldn't imagine "genetics" have that much impact on it, (I.e. racists wanna believe humans are more highly evolved in some areas than others). I've been thinking about the impact of climate, too. Like some places have more fertile soil, better sources of water, faster moving water, more precipitation etc. But also there's the question of temperature. High temperatures have been shown to make humans more likely to get heat stroke, pass out while doing work, get tired more quickly, get into fights with one another, etc. I feel like in equatorial climates (around which the less developed countries tend to be) there's a strong tendency for people to die while working. Also wildlife. If the wildlife is more likely to kill you you're less likely to settle down and engage in long term projects like infrastructure, etc. The earliest mode of production after primitive communism is the slave mode of production. So it follows that societies that had high birth rates and lots of people to enslave would have become "civilized" i.e. engaged in large scale civil engineering feats earliest. And these civil engineering feats would have served as the foundation for future civil "innovations." Could you really have guys like Aristotle and Archimedes sitting around philosophizing about dialectics and inventing maths without a lot of slaves doing real work for them? Then I also think about language… regions that band together under a single shared language faster will be able to have a kind of cultural unity and productive capacity that regions which have many different languages will not be able to. Could it be that the central authority clamping down and standardizing languages or even genociding people who speak different languages cause regions to develop faster than others? Like imagine a place where there's 50 villages and none of them have mutually intelligible languages. Then one of those villages has a strong chief who goes out, kills the men of the other villages, enslaves their children and women, forces them to forget their native tongue, and speak the tongue of the "winner." Well in the long run that region will be more productive than a nearby region where none of that happened, because that nearby region will still have too many languages for people to understand each other and cooperate. While the region where the despotism happened will actually be better off in the long run. This is kind of what Genghis Khan did with the scattered tribes of Mongolia, which is how Mongolian identity was first established.

Anyway… I don't know if any of this is actually correct thinking or if I'm wildly speculating. What's the research on this?
R: 139 / I: 23

Accelerating Urbanism as Praxis

TLDR: Critical support for the left wing of capital is based and accelerationist. The acceleration of urban supremacy will deracinate the human subject through the expansion and acceleration of urbanity. There is an undercover pro-urban thread in Marx’s thought which is not taken seriously enough.

The simple class contradiction of Proletarian vs. Bourgeoisie in early “german ideology” era Marx is superseded by later developments. In the writings of the mature Marx, capital has a life of it's own and the capitalist class is just a puppet of the demiurge of capital. Society is still structured by capital, however actual command of day to day operations of running business fall to managers who are executing the profit maximizing will of capital, in many cases better than individual capitalists can.

Small business owners and individual shareholders often conflate personal business with maximizing profit like a farmer who is making less money every year and would be financially better off selling their land to a bigger farmer or monsanto or whatever but they don't because their whole self identity is as a "farmer". To the extent that the managerial class is now in command is to the extent that they embody the machine which serves as the vehicle of profit maximization better than capitalists themselves. As capital is agglomerated it becomes progressively more rational, the result of a machine of people rather than an individual or small group.

To act like this means "muh PMC" shit is valid is to mistake the idea that capitalists per se were ever in charge so much as capital itself which is an emergent outgrowth of the dynamics of a market society with generalized commodity production. Much less the tucker carlson/h*z nonsense about baristas with liberal arts degrees being the new ruling class.

So bottom line the “professional-managerial class”, to the extent it exists, does not exist in contradiction to capitalism but rather is also a creation of capitalism and is a more evolved form of late stage capitalism than the old version.

The evolution of more bureaucracy is also inextricably linked to the rise of monopoly and urban monopoly-techno-financial capital. A market economy made up of dozens or hundreds of small businesses doesn't need a huge amount of management, the shop keeper or small business owner can manage just fine but a large corporation does. The fact is huge corporations by their very size require middle management and often layers of it. So the middle manager is a product of late stage capitalism not early.

Public bureaucracies do not directly make profit but they make rules which favor larger enterprises and are in line with the desires of capital to rationalize itself so similarly it is more prevalent in later stage capitalism.

The role of the bourgeois state is to rationalize capital as capital rationalizes the rest of the society and the state. Capital creates and exudes the instrumental rationality of profit maximization and just as primitive accumulation captured the pre-capitalist world and dragged it down into the dungeon of capital so the process of capital accumulation instrumentally rationalizes all of society like prisoners of the borg being transformed with cybernetic implants. The proletarian state by contrast is a machine which has been engineered for the purpose of the rationalization of society into a post capitalist mode of social production.
R: 16 / I: 1

I can’t help but giggle

It’s like god saw the state of South Koreas endless submissiveness to American “culture” and decided annihilating the countries birth rate than allow it to become as shitty as the USA was the only way to save it from capitalism. SK has no capitalist future, it’s either they become socialist and prioritize sustainability and the living conditions of their citizens or quite literally get fucking exterminated.
R: 68 / I: 11
I would post this in USApol but all you faggots need to hear this. The reason the US left is so week and only reformist is believe it or not the average American citizen are living better than your average person. And posting pictures of suburbs and mcdonalds with the caption of dystopia is not an actual argument it just makes you look like a retard.

The American labor movement made huge gains in the first half of the twentieth century and only with start of neoliberalism in the later half of the century, did some of these gains were eroded away, and because of that we now starting to see a bit of rebirth of the left here. And now we see that most of its focus in the mainstream is regaining those rights. And the reason we so no radical revolutionary organizations is that Americans tend to believe in reforms as it had worked in the past before. Remember revolutions are messy business and most people won't participate in them unless they have nothing to lose as if they fail they would face dire consequences. Now the question for the future if theory of the declining rate of profit is true can the capitalists afford to give concession to workers, or will it get worse to a point in the next fifty years that it will lead to a communist revolution.
R: 5 / I: 0

News 9/16/23

U.S. judge orders Argentina to pay $16 billion for expropriation of YPF oil company
U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in New York issued final judgment Friday detailing the dollar amount that the South American country would have to pay. Preska on Friday ordered Argentina to pay $14.38 billion to Petersen Energía, including $7.5 billion in damages and $6.85 billion in interest and $1.7 billion to Eton Capital, including $897.75 million in damages and $816.58 million in interest. Interest will continue to accrue if Argentina fails to pay, Preska said. Argentina, which is currently suffering dire economic woes that include a low level of Central Bank reserves, rising poverty and a galloping inflation of more than 100% per year, has vowed to appeal the ruling.
https://apnews.com/article/argentina-ypf-preska-burford-petersen-eton-18d2dc00f0a1f9fa0233292edd1e57cb

Fighting between FARC dissidents and ELN displaces more than 1,000 indigenous people
Nearly 1,400 indigenous people from the Awá El Sande reservation, in the Colombian municipalities of Samaniego and Santacruz (Nariño), have been displaced due to fighting between the Franco Benavides Front, which is part of Estado Mayor Central (the top dissident group to split from the FARC guerrilla, under the command of Iván Mordisco), and the Frente Comuneros del Sur, of the National Liberation Army (ELN). The clashes are due to the demobilized guerrilla dissidents’ desire to enter that subregion of southern Colombia and regain control of several areas previously dominated by FARC, but now under the control of the ELN.
https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-16/fighting-between-farc-dissidents-and-eln-displaces-more-than-1000-indigenous-people.html

Bolsonaro aide tells police he sold luxury watches for ex-president – report
Lt Col Mauro Cid, who was Bolsonaro’s aide-de-camp during his 2019-23 presidency, was released from four months’ detention on Saturday after striking a plea deal with police. That agreement reportedly requires Cid to provide information relating to a series of suspected crimes committed during Bolsonaro’s administration, including an alleged coup plot and a scandal involving the alleged embezzlement of expensive foreign gifts.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/15/bolsonaro-aide-tells-police-he-sold-luxury-foreign-gifts-for-ex-president-report

Israeli military strikes Gaza after border violence
A military spokesman said the air strike hit an area where Palestinians had gathered earlier Friday, near the permanently closed Karni crossing. A security source in the Palestinian territory told AFP that Israel "bombed a resistance observation post east of Gaza City," requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly to the media. There were no immediate reports of injuries resulting from the air strike. Earlier Friday, an AFP journalist at the protest saw Palestinians throwing rocks and explosives towards Israeli forces, across the frontier, and two demonstrators with gunshot wounds.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/09/israeli-military-strikes-gaza-after-border-violence

Father of Jina Amini taken into custody
The father of Jina Mahsa Amini has been taken into custody outside the family home in Saqez by Iranian security forces and taken to an unknown location. The house had previously been surrounded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and the family was placed under house arrest. When Amjad Amini left the house anyway, he was immediately taken away.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/father-of-jina-amini-taken-into-custody-69341

Iran's Raisi meets families of forces killed in protests
Hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of security force members, during the months-long protests, and thousands more were arrested. "Raisi met today with the families of security defenders," the official IRNA news agency said. His meetings included the families of Danial Rezazadeh and Hossein Zeinalzadeh, Tasnim news agency said. Rezazadeh and Zeinalzadeh were members of the pro-government Basij paramilitary force who were killed when they intervened to stop the protests on November 17, state media said at the time.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/09/irans-raisi-meets-families-forces-killed-protests

Tunisia preventing sub-Saharan Africans access to food and water, campaigners warn
Sub-Saharan Africans in Tunisia are increasingly being denied emergency food and water supplies in the government's latest move to crack down on migration, according to human rights observers. The plight of migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, is the "worst" in modern Tunisian history, Nicholas Noe, a senior visiting fellow at Refugees International, told Middle East Eye. Noe has warned that multiple Tunisian NGOs, international agencies and the Tunisian Red Crescent have been compelled to stop providing much needed aid to sub-Saharan migrants in the country.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/tunisia-preventing-sub-saharan-africans-access-food-water

Nigerian university students protest fee hike amid soaring cost of living
UNILAG is among several public universities across Nigeria that have increased fees by 100% to even 300% in recent months. While the charges vary across courses, students at UNILAG have alleged that the new rates would amount to a hike of over 600%.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/16/nigerian-university-students-protest-fees-hike-amid-soaring-cost-of-living/

Thousands of Czechs rally in Prague to demand the government’s resignation
Thousands of Czechs rallied in the capital on Saturday to demand the government’s resignation over high energy and other prices as well as the war in Ukraine. The protest united far-right with far-left forces and was the third such rally at Prague’s Wenceslas Square this year that was organized by a new political party known as PRO. The demonstrators repeatedly chanted a message for the five-party ruling coalition to “resign.”
https://apnews.com/article/czech-protest-antigovernment-42211865ace80172421cf7470cb2acd4

Livingstone and Bromley offered settlement after challenging EHRC over anti-semitism allegations
The two politicians brought a legal challenge against the equalities watchdog, which was aimed at overturning parts of the quango’s report. The case had been expected to reach court by the end of 2021 and a senior High Court judge gave permission for it to proceed to trial. The two politicians accepted a deal offered by the EHRC, in which each side withdraws from the case and bears its own costs. Mr Livingstone and Ms Bromley said in response to the settlement offer: “We believe that, deep down, the EHRC understands that its investigation was flawed and that it acted unlawfully.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/livingstone-bromley-offered-settlement-ehrc-anti-semitism-allegations

Chevron Australia LNG workers begin 24-hour strike, flag action until mid-October
Australia's Offshore Alliance union said on Saturday workers had begun a 24-hour strike at Chevron's liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in western Australia, as part of a ramp-up in industrial action that could see strikes extended until mid-October. The full strike comes after workers on Thursday escalated what had been six days of limited action. Until the end of September, members of Offshore Alliance, a coalition of two unions, can now strike for up to 24 hours each day and refuse tasks such as loading LNG tankers.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/union-strike-chevrons-australian-lng-facilities-24-hours-2023-09-16/

Protests in Indonesia as thousands face eviction for Rempang ‘Eco-City’
Demonstrations have rocked Indonesia’s Riau Islands province as residents of Rempang Island protest against government plans to evict thousands of people to make way for a multibillion-dollar Chinese-owned glass factory and ‘Eco-City’. The dispute over the evictions has been heating up for months, after the government announced that Rempang’s 7,500 residents would have to move inland, some 60km (37 miles) away from their coastal homes. Many make a living from the sea, selling locally caught fish, crabs, shrimp and other seafood.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/15/protests-in-indonesia-as-thousands-face-eviction-for-rempang-eco
https://archive.ph/TM5zm
R: 64 / I: 8
So what's leftypol's take on kim-il-sung? in general was he good or bad for korea? So did he go too far with the personality cult thing generally speaking? I hear generally mixed results
R: 38 / I: 6
What do Western lbis mean when they refer to "socialism"?
Now, obviously, most of us understand that socialism is still a broad economic system with many variables depending on material conditions. In the Harley Quinn Show (which I argue is the best example of a liberal power fantasy), Joker becomes Mayor of Gotham running on a socialist platform. His policies influence abolishing the police force, establishing state centers for reforming criminals, and implementing other measures and all of this works and fixes Gotham's issues. However, none of this is socialism
R: 4 / I: 0
We're so close to the finish line that I'd argue everyone should be an accelerationist at this point.
Once the rate of profit reaches zero there'll just be different kinds of socialism and that's it.
However I don't agree that everyone being hungry leads to more innovation though.
R: 56 / I: 8
> The collapse of the Soviet Union was inherently the consequence of Lenin conceding to Wilsonite national self-determination sentimentality in giving nationalities "the right to secede", having never entertained a long Socialism in One Country.
R: 38 / I: 9

Anti imperialist anarchists?

Are there any anarchists besides Noam Chomsky that don't "both sides" the issue of Western imperialism and its proxy wars? I have sympathy with anarchism but every single modern figure disappoints me with their views on Ukraine, Syria etc.

I don't want this thread to center on Chomsky or his imperfections.

I want to learn other anarchists figures exist who share Chomsky's "tankie-esque" views on geopolitics.
R: 24 / I: 6

How do we destroy the tower of babel?

How do we overcome language barriers and prevent confusion between the proletarians? Not just between different languages, but also between dialects of a single language, or even between political tendencies, or even inside of the same political tendency. For example, in Stalin's lifetime, the meaning of "social democracy" changed. In 1906 you have Stalin saying this:

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1906/12/x01.htm

>[…] an organisation is needed that will rally around itself the class-conscious elements of the workers of all trades, that will transform the proletariat into a conscious class and make it its chief aim to smash the capitalist system, to prepare for the socialist revolution. Such an organisation is the Social-Democratic Party of the proletariat. This Party must be a class party, and it must be quite independent of other parties—and this is because it is the party of the proletarian class, the emancipation of which can be brought about only by this class itself. This Party must be a revolutionary party—and this because the workers can be emancipated only by revolutionary means, by means of the socialist revolution.


This would imply that social-democracy is a good thing. But by the end of Stalin's life time, it was seen as a reformist movement by Marxist-Leninists, leading Stalin to say:

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1924/09/20.htm

>Fascism is the bourgeoisie’s fighting organisation that relies on the active support of Social-Democracy. Social-Democracy is objectively the moderate wing of fascism. There is no ground for assuming that the fighting organisation of the bourgeoisie can achieve decisive successes in battles, or in governing the country, without the active support of Social-Democracy. There is just as little ground for thinking that Social-Democracy can achieve decisive successes in battles, or in governing the country, without the active support of the fighting organisation of the bourgeoisie. These organisations do not negate, but supplement each other. They are not antipodes, they are twins. Fascism is an informal political bloc of these two chief organisations; a bloc, which arose in the circumstances of the post-war crisis of imperialism, and which is intended for combating the proletarian revolution. The bourgeoisie cannot retain power without such a bloc. It would therefore be a mistake to think that “pacifism” signifies the liquidation of fascism. In the present situation, “pacifism” is the strengthening of fascism with its moderate, Social-Democratic wing pushed into the forefront.


Comrades all act like this stuff is obvious to everyone, but pick a random person from the street, and they probably don't know this stuff. Why do comrades always act like our highly technical language (which can often change meaning over time!) is obvious to everyone? How do we overcome the confusion? How do we destroy the tower of babel?
R: 24 / I: 2
I see stalin less as "a bad guy" and more as a regular aboveaverage autism score joe who got handed a bad situation and tried to hold onto it with ruthlessness and also tried to make the best out of it given the situation Russia was in. The great purge happened right before world war 2. He did that to avoid any further trotskys from going rogue and backstabbing all the republics for their own ego or personal gains when they were about to be the primary target of the biggest war in human history. You have to put yourself in stalin's shoes and imagine how you would govern the Earth's first large scale socialist project which is an experimental thing, it's being blockaded by all the bourgeoisie countries, the nazi party is in party as well as loads of other fascist parties, you got internal wreckers ala trotsky everywhere. The party is acting similar to a high school girl's club etc. It was a big shitshow for stalin
R: 20 / I: 8

The lumpenization of the proles, the proletarianization of the petit bourgeoisie

On The lumpenization of the proles, the proletarianization of the petit bourgeoisie, and the cannibalization of revolutionary potential by downward mobility, and lack of morale

in order to reach a critical mass of class consciousness in the imperial core, I am starting to believe that it is necessary for the petit bourgeoisie to be almost entirely cannibalized by the haute bourgeoisie, ruined, and proletarianized. I'm talking every small town laundromat gets replaced with some Software-As-A-Service digital franchise with zero employees where you swipe your card to do the laundry. I'm talking no more affordable vending machines. I'm talking no more local restaurants. I'm talking no more family owned grocery stores and bodegas. Total petit bourgeois proletarianization. The problem is, the petit bourgeoisie, as stalin pointed out, will carry with them their reactionary attitude at first. It will lag behind their material condition. In the time it takes their attitude to catch up with their class position, they will be ripe for fascist radicalization. Raging against their loss of status. And on top of that, they will swell the ranks of the reserve army of labor, happily scabbing, happily licking boot, desperate to get jobs, and happy to betray the collective organizing of the people who have been proletarian their whole lives. In the same way as there is an intra-bourgeois conflict between "old money" and "new money", there is a conflict between "old proles" and "new proles." The ruined petit bourgeois who must become prole again is a "new prole" and he carries with him the reactionary attitudes and entitlements. He will scab. He will strike break. He will seek out sinecures. If he joins a union at all, he will choose a conservative bourgeois-collaborationist union. He will choose craft consciousness over class consciousness. He will try to limit the radicalization of others. But worst of all, the observation I haven't even gotten to yet, the one that got me to right this: He will push downwardly mobile proles into lumpenproles. In the same way as the petit-bourgeois gets proletarianized, the proletariat gets lumpenized. They end up homeless, criminals, vagabonds, addicts. And because the proletariat gets lumpenized, and the petit bourgeois gets proletarianized, the lower classes, collectively, get turned like a steaming compost pile, ripe soil for the bourgeoisie to grow profits from. The proletariat cannot become conscious of itself and revolutionary while it continually gets lumpenized, loses its literacy, loses its standard of living, becomes homeless, gets imprisoned. And the new proles, dispossessed petit bourgeoisie, will carry their reactionary attitudes with them. As long as the haute bourgeoisie keeps this process up, they can stave off class consciousness for a really long time. The lumpens die of social murder or rely on bourgeois religious charity. The proles get lumpenized. The petit bourgeois become reactionary proles. Nobody gets educated, agitated, or organized. The few people who even know what these terms mean feel hopelessly alone. If a revolution finally does break out, it'll be after all the original proles have been killed off, and replaced by ex-petit bourgeoisie. After a while, if revolution happens at all, it will be those descendants of class enemies, those ex-petit bourgeoisie, who inherit our revolution, our historical role. We will all be dead in the ground.
R: 71 / I: 1

Taiwan Crisis

How soon will the Taiwan crisis erupt into open war? It can't be too long, right? I'm giving it half a year at most. Does anyone have some materialist analysis to share in brief? What's the Marxist or Communist position on this conflict? How does it tie in with the larger trend of dedollarization, decoupling and multipolarity?
R: 8 / I: 2

Why do xenophobes talk like that

I’ve noticed many reactionaries and xenophobes alike try as hard as they can to shove as many slurs and swears into every sentence they throw out. It’s like they’re trying to prove to someone about how xenophobic they’re even if no one is there for approval that’ll never arrive, unsurprisingly when their language is criticized they tend to get shaken up and defensive, like they’re being exposed about something embarrassing.
R: 4 / I: 1

News 9/15/23

“Long night of horror” ends for Colombian trade union movement
In a symbolic act, the Colombian government on Thursday recognized the trade union movement as a recepient of collective reparation after more than three decades of persecution and stigmatization. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in front of trade unionists from all over the country, announced the creation of a high-level commission that will include ministers and workers’ delegates to draw up a plan that will lead to truth, reparation and non repetition.
https://www.laprensalatina.com/long-night-of-horror-ends-for-colombian-trade-union-movement/

Dominican Republic President Orders Border Closure With Haiti
On Thursday, the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, decreed the closure of the maritime, air and land border with neighboring Haiti as of 6:00 am (local time) on and has ordered the Army, Navy and Air Force to be ready to comply with the provision. "The Haitian government itself has control problems in its territory. If there are uncontrollables there, they will be uncontrollable for the Haitian government, but they will not be uncontrollable for the government of the Dominican Republic," said Abinader.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Dominican-Republic-President-Orders-Border-Closure-With-Haiti-20230914-0014.html

Train drivers announce fresh strike to coincide with Tory party conference
TRAIN drivers have announced fresh strikes in their long-running pay dispute that will coincide with the Tories’ annual conference and hit services at 16 privateer rail companies. Drivers’ union Aslef accused rail operators today of making proposals on pay that they knew would be rejected.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/train-drivers-announce-fresh-strike-coincide-tory-conference

German health workforce strategy depends on nursing drain from India
Germany’s efforts to address its nursing shortage largely consist of recruitment campaigns spanning Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia. India, which is among the top sources of migrant nurses to OECD countries, and particularly the State of Kerala, has become a focal point for these campaigns. Although not considered a standard destination for Indian nurses, Germany’s popularity has grown among those planning to leave India. Santosh Mahindrakar, an activist and researcher in the People’s Health Movement (PHM) Germany, says that nurses are drawn to Germany due to the promise of a stable social support network and better pay and working conditions.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/15/german-health-workforce-strategy-depends-on-nursing-drain-from-india/

LDA not to participate in next polls under AL govt
Left Democratic Alliance, a combine of six left parties, would not participate in the upcoming general elections if it is held under the ruling Awami League government. Leaders of the party at a grand rally held in front of the National Press Club made the announcement where coordinator of the alliance and Socialist Party of Bangladesh Masud Rana chaired.
https://www.newagebd.net/article/212293/lda-not-to-participate-in-next-polls-under-al-govt

HPG: 4 soldiers killed, 2 helicopters damaged
The guerrillas have been fighting the occupying forces in Southern Kurdistan practically without interruption. The focus is on the resistance areas of Girê Cûdî and Girê Amêdî on the western front of the Zap, from which the Turkish army had to withdraw last winter after suffering heavy losses. Eight Turkish military positions were targeted and damaged with heavy weapons yesterday and today, when three sniper actions were also carried out. In addition, a helicopter carrying airborne troops was taken under artillery fire several times and forced to retreat.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/hpg-4-soldiers-killed-2-helicopters-damaged-69332

Fighting Between Sahrawi Resistance Group and Moroccan Occupation Forces in Western Sahara
The units of the People’s Army of Sahrawi Liberation (APLS) led new attacks against the entrenched posts of the Moroccan occupation forces in the regions of Ben Zegga and Lagtitra (Haouza sector), and against the 31st and 41st posts of the enemy alert in Targant and Arbib El Gaa in the same sector. APLS units had also carried out attacks in the region of Agouira Ould Ablal and Aguerarat El Farsig in the Mahbes sector, and against the 7th base of the Moroccan occupier in the Aousserd sector.
https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/post/2023/09/14/fighting-between-sahrawi-resistance-group-and-moroccan-occupation-forces-in-western-sahara/

RSF: SAF airstrikes in South Darfur ‘ethnically motivate
As reported by Radio Dabanga yesterday, public roads and neighbourhoods in Nyala are littered with unexploded ordnance (UXO) and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in the aftermath of the clashes. The Nyala Elders issued a statement condemning the bombing of El Malja Market and other sites in the city on Wednesday morning. The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) also strongly condemned the aerial bombardments of Nyala’s neighbourhoods on Wednesday and the Qouro Market in Khartoum on Sunday.
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/rsf-saf-airstrikes-in-south-darfur-ethnically-motivated

Johnson & Johnson under investigation in South Africa over 'excessive' drug prices
U.S.-based pharmaceuticals company Johnson & Johnson is being investigated in South Africa for allegedly charging “excessive” prices for a key tuberculosis drug, the country's antitrust regulator said Friday. J&J's Belgium-based subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals is also under investigation, South Africa's Competition Commission said.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/big-pharmas-johnson-johnson-investigation-south-africa-excessive-103217290

Tshwane says Labour Court has granted permanent interdict against striking workers
“This permanent interdict confirms that strikers are restrained from performing any acts of destruction of any private or public property, or from performing acts of intimidation towards any of the City’s employees,” says City Manager, Johann Mettler. “The City trusts that the strikers will respect and comply with the permanent court order. In addition, they will return to work and take up their posts to discharge their responsibilities of providing service delivery to residents and customers.”
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/tshwane-says-labour-court-has-granted-permanent-interdict-against-striking-workers/
R: 126 / I: 7 (sage)

How should I feel about this?

On one hand I realize the material conditions at play, and I sympathize with them for escaping terrible situations, but on the other hand I know they'll most likely integrate poorly, crime rates will inevitably go up, they won't work, and they'll get government benefits for it. I feel conflicted, I want to help these people but when I think about my own country that's still very much homogoneous, (Eastern Europe), I can't help but wish for it to stay that way, something about Africans being half the population just doesn't sit right with me. Am I spooked or just a bad person?
R: 14 / I: 2

Limits of growth and World3 model

World3 models based on "Limits of growth" were updated in 2020 using modern data. They found out that our current predicament is best correlated by "Bussiness As Usual 2" (BAU2) or "Comprehensive Technology" (CT). But it's too soon to tell cause functions haven't diverged too much still.
One curious thing is that the original world3 sim (BAU) predicted collapse by the depletion of resources, while BAU2 predicts collapse by pollution (CO2 released). It seems the original model underestimated how many resources we have at hand. SW is "Stable World", which is increasingly less likely to achieve.
So, if we follow BAU2, it seems like the 2040s will be very heated and the second half of the 21st century will be unrecognizable by today's standards.

https://sci-hub.ee/10.1111/jiec.13084
R: 38 / I: 11

Dear god, FUCK THAT COUNTRY

I used to hate the United States for how much unimaginable amount of suffering it’s inflicted onto the planet with nothing to show for it throughout its entire existence, but now I hate it even more for the fact that it’ll never be anything important to history beyond the worlds biggest shitstain of a country. If the idea of living in a place where the largest human settlements filled with businesses, communities and events can regularly be completely isolated everyday sounds awful, that’s downtown life in suburbs of A. If the idea of seeing more homeless people and randos being arrested consistently than children walking outside and playing in parks sounds barbaric, it’s a daily occurrence in nearly every state in that shithole. 400 years of capitalism, slavery, mass genocide, and drug abuse with nothing to show for it. nearly all the fucking innovations made in the past 200 years of its pathetic existence were from the USSR, China and Japan. How does one, in history manage to fuck up so hard at the concept of building a functioning society for all of its civilians that to this day it’s still having issues with ethnic violence based on policies from over half a fucking century ago. How the hell can you fuck up so badly at being a positive influence for other countries that an entire continent right next to yours had to go through several generations of corruption and mass violence regularly until your geopolitical influence got completely obliterated. It’s so infuriating to watch burgerstan ruin everything, every object, he’ll even every person it introduces itself to and the country itself continuously burn itself over self inflicted problem after self inflicted problem, knowing it’s not gonna get better, there not gonna have a socialist revolution, there just gonna slide into irrelevancy completely, more violence, more inequality, more homeless, just more of the same shit until some other country takes mercy on them and burns the entire place down to end the suffering of its inhabitants.
R: 55 / I: 8
>The Soviet Union only collapsed because the americans embargoed them

Why do communists feel entitled to trade with capitalists states? Communists regularly threaten to kill all capitalists, overthrow capitalist states, saying that the capitalists are going to sell them the rope they're going to hang them with…. and then complain when capitalists states won't trade with them when it's the pretty obvious and logical thing to do.

It's like an incel letting everyone know that he wants to kill and rape women and then wondering why no women will sleep with him.
R: 136 / I: 16
So why was beria betrayed? He was extremely loyal to stalin and the fact the revisionists got rid of all of the old followers of stalin pretty much meant the soviet union became worthless and khrsuchev betrayed the working class afterwards.
R: 43 / I: 18

divorce ethics

<>"There was no valid excuse for the Sino-Soviet split to happen, within the context of the USA and NATO existing."

Do you support or dispute this statement? Why?
R: 9 / I: 2

New Meme Candidate Just Dropped

And she's completely unhinged but 100% serious.
R: 38 / I: 28

Juche memes?

Do the comrades have any more like this? They seem weirdly difficult to find and I won't use fucking Twitter or Mastodon or any shit like that. I request Juche memes from the comrades!
R: 22 / I: 11

It took me a while to realize how much shit is going on in this image

Because I wasn’t born in the states none of what I was seeing was normal at all to the point where I could barely pay attention to the fact that the guy in the middle killed his gf. It took an entire department over there 2 weeks, several search parties, a helicopter with a heat sensor and dogs just to find one dude. He didn’t even have to do anything to make getting caught difficult for the staff, just don’t post anything online and that alone made it hard. It’s not even like the guys that arrested him are cops, they’re soldiers because the USAs police force is just that terrible at their jobs. No wonder these guys lost so many wars, Americans truly do suck at fighting.
R: 14 / I: 8

Why are nazis like this?

>”Lol!!! troons commit suicide!!! This is peak comedy guys, making fun of minorities is COMEDY, I have absolutely NO idea why trans people have higher rates of depression and suicide after we make fun of them and make constant bills against their human rights!! Nazis were so based for killing them!!”
Meanwhile, Nazis themselves:
R: 76 / I: 5

burger anti urbanism

Burger anti urbanism is literally just Cold War identity politics. The Soviet Union had extensive subways and big concrete apartment buildings; the US pursued the aesthetic "opposite" with drywall and shingle houses in car-based suburbs. Yes, racial pathologies and the jeffresonian fetish for yeoman-farmers as the ideal citizens of a bourgeois republic play a part. But there's a reason so many seething suburbanites call densification efforts "communist".

Look at China: the biggest, quietest housing unit I have ever lived in off my own salary was in a tower in Wuhan; it had three bedrooms and an in-unit water heater. Americans have been trained to see this as "dystopian" and associate it with autocracy. So when we advocate livable dense housing we're always doing gymnastics to make it look "decentralized", even though the suburbs are centrally planned to the tune of the National Association of Realtors sitting at the top of the list of federal lobbying groups.
R: 2 / I: 1

Every fucking day they get worse

They have no functioning healthcare and their life expectancy consistently keeps going down and you’d think that’s where they’d draw the line. They consume the most drugs globally and have crippling amounts of inflation and you’d think that’s where they’d draw the line. They get paid considerably worse than in other countries including developing ones, pay more for everything despite taxation and get shittier products back and you’d think that’s where they’d draw the line.

I already knew child labour was introduced after the mass resignation of Covid but knowing shits escalated to this level is just cruel. There’s no words for this, I can’t laugh, it’s so stereotypically capitalist and dystopian, and you know this is gonna get normalized there while people on the outside watch. Uggghhh just get that country nuked to relieve its citizens the burden of living there.
R: 6 / I: 2

Any info on the Hong Kong leftcoms?

I can't find anything, but have been looking for the fabled "Hong Kong leftcoms". IDK if it's a browser issue, I use firefox, but any resources would be appreciated.
R: 27 / I: 7

A blander dystopia

Why does sci fi depict the future as a vibrant ad dominated society? If anything capitalist countries are becoming the opposite. Corporate logos get simplified, monopolization and corporatization of formerly private firms leaves many logos erased in favour of just a few small ones. Billboards are no longer built even in developing parts of Africa meaning most people get their advertising off the last remaining highway billboards and logos printed on the doorways of any shop. Eventually we will have major cities of dozens of millions around the planet consisting primarily of copy pasted grey box like buildings with no ads and barren streets. The harshness of a capitalist dystopian future will still be present but the aesthetic won’t be.
R: 9 / I: 2
The random posts from the guy who found out there is a YPG flag got me interested again. What's been the news with the YP shits since 1 year plus ago since we had a YP shit thread? Fully occulan communal confederalist anarcho capitalism yet or whatever?
R: 5 / I: 1

fashbash

When is it practical to punch a nazi? It's obviously deserved, it's obviously justified, and if you shortpost just to parrot that then we'll ignore your impulsive illiterate wrecker ass, but what factors decide whether you, yes you, should punch a nazi on sight?

A clear one that comes to mind is criminality: you will probably be arrested after-the-fact, have a criminal record and all the crap that comes with it, if it is in public and your identity is clear (I for one don't walk everywhere in my blac bloc and live in an city with cameras everywhere). The person who punched Spencer came prepared to party, they got away with it as a result. But, are there any cases where it becomes worth it to face the legal consequences of openly punching a nazi? I think good analogues would be comparing with propaganda-of-the-deed, and with eco-activists who frequently get arrested as a publicity stunt. People often characterise the Spencer Smackdown as 'starting a conversation'; it got international mass media focus for a single punch. People get arrested for far less attention.

Another factor, compounding the first, is how obvious the nazi is. We can find videos of people wearing swastikas and uniform being punched, and known open fascists being punched, but what about people with subtle dogwhistles that the media might miss, or those which can have plausible deniability? Vigilantism loses credibility if the wrong people are attacked, and even if the person is a nazi, if the media don't notice or choose to ignore it, it looks like random people are being attacked by le antifa gang. On the other hand, subtle dogwhistles should not be exempt from terror. A nazi should be scared to signal their bullshit and demonstrate presence, because there may well be for every 10 who are cocky enough to show their colours, 100 are afraid of reputational damage and doxx but would like to show support in subtle ways. That's a big part of keeping nazis scared, to stop those dozen marchers becoming a hundred. Once they're established in a place, it's tougher to shove them back into the closet. So, if someone is wearing a shirt which average joe doesn't understand but we can recognise, is it worth direct violent confrontation?


An interesting supplementary argument is, if a situation makes punching too risky to justify the benefits, what alternative action should be taken. For example, if you see a peacocking crypto-nazi (provided you look the part; white-passing, etc.), should you invite them to a fake event to bash and rob them there? This removes much of the risk of arrest and adds more material damage (esp. if they drove there and get their car totalled a la patriot front), but also removes the propagandic aspect of making other nazis scared to exist in public which may a greater goal.
Are non-violent alternatives to punching too impotent? I mean, if I go out with a socialist flag and all I get is food thrown in my face or a bit of verbal flak, that won't make me hesitate before doing it again. But getting physically assaulted, that will at least stick in the back of most people's minds.
R: 172 / I: 51

Anti-woke Left to Proto-Fascist Pipeline

Ain't it crazy how the entire anti-woke left milieu are warping into proto-fascists in real time less than a decade after it began?

It's like, Step 1, blame the failure of OWS on blacks, Women, and queers. Step 2, claim that the true mass base for American unionism and labor politics are Trump shills. Step 3, feel disgust at the sickening idpol anti-police movement BLM and be impressed by the based revolutionary Jan 6 Riot. Step 4, start promoting anti-immigrant policies and policies to dismantle insubstantial equity programs you plan to replace with….nothing lol. Step 5, introduce more and more reactionaries into your space the entire time to "deconvert" them. Step 6, start openly shilling for the AfD, xenophobia, and nationalism. Step 7, start promoting tradcath nonsense and white identity politics while showing your throbbing election at mid-20th Century white working class aesthetics. Step 8, you are now a strasserite.
R: 26 / I: 6

New Reading General

Old reading general has been full for a while now. Could we get a new one going?

>What're you reading?

>Are there any aspects of the communist struggle that you're specifically researching right now? (anti-colonial struggle, socialist construction, gender liberation, etc.)
>Any recent works from comrades in your area that you'd like to bring attention to?
>Anything you're writing that you'd like to share?
R: 17 / I: 0

Dietzgen and Dialectical Materialism

What are the works of Josef Dietzgen where he explains his conception of dialectical materialism? As far as I understand he is the original creator and dialectical materialism was popularized in the Soviet Union by Lenin and Stalin. Marx did not create dialectical materialism. I'm sure many of you already knew this, but I didn't. Anyways, I wanted to look into Dietzgen's work just to read his conception of dialectical materialism. Which of his works do I need to read for that?
R: 6 / I: 2

News 9/14/23

CND announces citizens weapons check for US nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath
CAMPAIGNERS have announced a citizens’ weapons check at RAF Lakenheath amid fears the US will base nuclear weapons there. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) urged the government to refuse the US any permission to base nuclear weapons in Britain again. Experts have warned US Air Force plans to build a “surety dormitory” at the base in Suffolk implied a return of nuclear arms.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/cnd-announces-citizens-weapons-check-for-us-nuclear-weapons-at-raf-lakenheath

Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands
The French supermarket chain Carrefour has put labels on its shelves this week warning shoppers of “shrinkflation”, the phenomenon where manufacturers reduce pack sizes rather than increase prices. It has slapped price warnings on products from Lindt chocolates to Lipton iced tea to pressure top consumer goods suppliers Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever to tackle the issue in advance of much-anticipated contract talks.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/sep/14/carrefour-puts-shrinkflation-price-warnings-on-food-to-shame-brands

Faith group slam use of anti-terrorism financing law against human rights defenders
The members of the US-based Philippines Faith Working Group organized under the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the Marcos Administration for its trumped-up charges and forfeiture proceedings against the bank accounts, properties, and other assets of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines at HARAN, Amman National Federation of Peasant Women, journalist French Mae Cumpio, and lay worker Mariel Domequil.
https://usa.inquirer.net/136601/faith-group-slam-use-of-anti-terrorism-financing-law-against-human-rights-defenders

Sri Lankan railway union calls off drivers strike, after government threats and bogus promises
The LOEU leadership shut down the industrial action without any discussion with their striking members who were continuing their walkout in defiance of an anti-strike Essential Service Order imposed by Wickremesinghe on Tuesday night. Railway authorities responded to the strike by cancelling more than 120 train services. The military were deployed under the pretext of assuring rail station and commuter safety. Yesterday, the Railway Department issued a statement declaring that unless all striking drivers reported for work they would be considered to have left the service.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/14/yyli-s14.html

Yemen’s Houthi rebels heading to Riyadh for talks with Saudi officials
Yemen’s Houthi rebels will head to Saudi Arabia amid efforts to negotiate a permanent ceasefire to end the long-running war in Yemen, according to the Saudi state news agency, a Houthi official and reports quoting diplomatic and government sources. The visit, expected on Thursday night, raises hopes of a breakthrough in the quagmire conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead through direct and indirect causes such as famine.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/14/yemens-houthi-rebels-heading-to-riyadh-for-talks-with-saudi-officials
https://archive.ph/3x4Bt

Saudi-US arms deal called off over ties to sanctioned Russian, Chinese firms: Report
People familiar with the talks told WSJ that the unease over engagement with entities from Moscow and Beijing also led to the advisory board of the Saudi firm, Scopa Defense, which was made up of retired US military officers, to resign from the company. In 2022, RTX, which was formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, and Scopa signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a factory in the kingdom for air defence systems to protect Riyadh from air attacks.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-us-rtx-deal-sanctioned-russia-china

US to send more military aid to Egypt despite rights concerns
At $1.3 billion each year, Egypt trails Israel as the second-largest recipient of US military assistance. Since 2014, lawmakers have sought to use that aid as leverage with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former military general under whom human rights have sharply deteriorated.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/09/us-send-more-military-aid-egypt-despite-rights-concerns

Human rights prosecutors attacked in northern Colombia
Social media channels initially assumed the men belonged to a guerrilla group. This was contradicted by the National Army’s 7th Division, which said in a press statements that the armed men appeared to belong to one of the 11th Brigade’s infantry units. The Ombudsman’s Office said that the group of armed men additionally were suspected of sexually abusing a woman from the indigenous community in the region.
https://colombiareports.com/human-rights-prosecutors-attacked-in-northern-colombia/

Assembly Approves 18th Extension to State of Emergency
Congresswoman Claudia Ortiz, from the Vamos party, recalled that, according to figures provided by the government, of the 72,000 arrested during the state of emergency, over 7,000 people have been released. “At least 10% of the arrested individuals, according to official figures, have been declared innocent and have had to go through unjust situations, torture, and physical and moral integrity violations despite being innocent,” said Claudia Ortiz, a Vamos congresswoman.
https://www.elsalvadornow.org/2023/09/13/assembly-approves-18th-extension-to-state-of-emergency-asamblea-aprueba-decimoctava-prorroga-al-regimen-de-excepcion/

Trials begin in Brazil for pro-Bolsonaro rioters who stormed capital
Brazilian judicial authorities have begun trials for those who stormed the country’s government buildings on January 8 in the hope of prompting a coup, after former President Jair Bolsonaro was narrowly voted out of office. Brazil’s Supreme Court justices kicked off the process on Wednesday, hearing testimony from participants and weighing potential convictions.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/13/trials-begin-in-brazil-for-pro-bolsonaro-rioters-who-stormed-capital
https://archive.ph/80pma
R: 44 / I: 6

UNEQUAL EXCHANGE

>>1595274
>>1595228

UNEQUAL EXCHANGE is bullshit

TLDR: Most of the effects of "unequal exchange" are explained by differing levels of productivity between nations, which itself is a consequence of free trade. It's not that the first world is appropriating extra surplus value, its that less value is being generated by the sorts of low productivity industries that the global south specializes in.

value is conserved in exchange, but differing levels of productivity and technological development means that the global south will likely be relegated to lower parts of the 'value chain' i.e. raw resource extraction and at best manufacturing while first world nations concentrate on engineering, design, services, technology/finance, and other high value add. This means that the global south will be kept in a sort of productivity trap.

A lot of the bullshit ascribed to unequal exchange is actually due to nations specializing in low economic productivity industries.

>Modern production systems require a number of complementary inputs that are absent… Within this context, productive diversity and private investment are low because the returns are also very low. Since the demand derived from private investment is low, this inhibits the appearance of a supply of complementary inputs, resulting in a coordination failure from a chicken-and-egg problem.


Essentially the only way to escape this trap is state intervention, i.e. developmentalism, to do what China does and many countries have done before, protectionism and develop its own domestic industries using state power and money. Essentially to move up the value chain. Plus adding public transit, infrastructure and "human capital development" i.e. education and skills training.

I personally don't think China is socialist in any way but ironically it is a good model of what thirdoid nations could do to develop to have capitalist economies which are more comparable to the first world.

Classic liberal/neoliberal theory says that because of shit like "comparative advantage" nations will just specialize in whatever their appropriate niche is, but the problem with that is if you leave it just to the free market and free trade your country will just become a place to grow avocados and serve gringo tourists mai tais while they vacation on your beaches.

Its not unequal exchange which is crippling the third world, its neoliberalism and free trade, either imposed by force or choice.
R: 112 / I: 8

The Insidious Ideology of "The Revolution."

Practically all leftist believe in revolutions and revolutionary activity to some degree, and this is good. That said, the experience of the 20th century should have shown us what future revolutions will look like. They have to be extensively planned and prepared for, with most revolutions being decades in the making. They'll be protracted, hard fought struggles, and they'll only appear in certain areas of high militancy here and there at opportune moments, instead of spontaneously, everywhere all at once. Winning these revolutions will be hard fought, with significant amounts of blood and treasure sacrificed just to squeak out even minor victories, and with the revolution constantly threatening to tear itself apart, followed by a swift defeat if that's allowed to happen. And they invariably require the unhesitating use of dirty politics and morally dubious actions. In essence, they're much like many other conflicts throughout history.

This isn't the sort of revolution I'm addressing here. I'm addressing "The Revolution." The Revolution is a pervasive belief among many leftists that there is going to be some coming spontaneous moment of total liberation that will sweep the entire globe at once, maybe even on the same day. It's a sort of secular Apocalypticism, where the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, and will burn away all evil and injustice and all historical wrongs will be righted, the meek will be made mighty and a socialist New Jerusalem will be declared upon the Earth. Many figures in the 19th century ascribed, more or less, to an idea like this, but they have the excuse of having lived before we saw living examples of waves of communist revolution in the 20th century, so they can be forgiven for having romantic ideas about events that would come after their time. However, there's no good reason for a leftist in the 21st century to still uphold this concept, and it basically serves as a sort of popular superstition among the far-left.

Like any superstition, it can vary in its details from group to group and person to person. The Revolution will see the immediate abolition of money. The Revolution will see the immediate abolition of work. The Revolution will see the immediate abolition of the police and justice system. The Revolution will ban the livestock industry, the keeping of pets and enforce vegan diets. Everyone I personally find annoying will be shot after The Revolution. This dumbass map I made of my favorite imaginary ethno-states and separatist-identity countries will become real after The Revolution. The Revolution won't come to countries I don't like for some reason. We need to maintain absolute ethical and ideological purity, or The Revolution won't come. The Revolution will be waged primarily by the groups who have the greatest moral purchase to wage revolution, and then they will inherit the Earth. All history will be wiped way after The Revolution. All social inhibitions will be wiped away after The Revolution. All the historical toothpaste will be put back in the proverbial tube after The Revolution. You guys do realize that after The Revolution, everything that I have ever wanted will come true, right? That might not be so good for your group because I don't like your group and so your group will be second class citizens after The Revolution.

So on and so forth.

And maybe people having some fantasy wouldn't be so bad if this fantasy didn't creep into people's ideology. It's often said that ultras support every revolution except the ones that succeed, but by and at large this is because a real, historical revolution cannot possibly live up to the expectations of this nearly mystical, apocalyptic event. The rise of "Third Campism" is based on this entirely. When actual conflicts arise between groups or nations in various countries, instead of taking a side or just saying "a plague upon both your houses" and leaving it, they decide to support "the workers" as a supposed third camp. Except that this third camp basically never actually exists as a political entity, they're basically just declaring their support for The Revolution: that somehow this conflict will end by a spontaneous uprising of the workers who will establish a perfect socialist society that will wipe away all those pesky ambiguities. And the problem with this is that more often than not, in practical terms this means implicitly supporting the imperialists. This even lead organizations to base their strategies around the coming of this apocalyptic event. I've been involved with parties who openly based their strategy on the idea that one day all the workers were going to march out into the streets and start The Revolution.

You gain nothing from basing real world decisions on fantasies and superstition. We know what actual socialist revolution looks like, we have no reason to operate on a belief in some kind of Socialist Rapture.
R: 624 / I: 171 (full)

/ukraine/ - Russia-Ukraine war general #165: The Starlink Glows Edition

REMEMBER: This is the Russian Chauvinism Containment Thread!

>Ukraine must become #ExUkraine and be dismantled into 28 independent states because it isn't #resisting Russia and Genocide Putin hard enough and doesn't want to conscript women and 15 year olds


<Maybe Fehlinger isn't a NATO guy after all, but has an intense and uncureable attraction to the abstract idea of splitting itself. It does not matter whether it's countries, marriages, or atoms. He probably faps to videos of people chopping wood.


>Broke: Wagner was founded by a nazi

<Woke: Wagner was founded by an AnFem
>Bespoke: Wagner was never founded, it's a delusion of the mind

<Russia lost. Ukraine is fully burgerized.


<Anon 1

>Multipolarism III is now a thread and somehow it's just as shit as Multipolarism I and Multipolarism II. Full of NATO communists convinced they'll become DOTP any minute now and export revolution to the chinese who are totally capitalists btw.
<Anon 2 to Anon 1
>literally the worst thread on this site
<Anon 3 to Anon 2
>he said, from his russian chauvnism containment thread
<Anon 4 to Anon 3
>leg status? Gales Tuts? Gates Lust? Gates Slut? Stage Lust? Stage Slut? Gate Lusts? Gate Sluts? Stales Tug? Stales Gut? Tassel Tug? Tassel Gut? Slates Tug? Slates Gut? Leasts Tug? Leasts Gut? Steals Tug? Steals Gut? Slate Gust? Slate Guts? Slate Tugs? Stale Gust? Stale Guts? Stale Tugs? Tales Gust? Tales Guts? Tales Tugs? Steal Gust? Steal Guts? Steal Tugs? Least Gust? Least Guts? Least Tugs? Teals Gust? Teals Guts? Teals Tugs? Late Gusts? Tale Gusts? Teal Gusts? Seats Glut? Sates Glut? Asset Glut? Easts Glut? Tastes Lug? States Lug? East Gluts? Sate Gluts? Teas Gluts? Etas Gluts? Seat Gluts? Eats Gluts? Taste Slug? Taste Lugs? State Slug? State Lugs? Teats Slug? Teats Lugs? Teat Slugs? Stags Lute? Tags Lutes? Stag Lutes? Tag Tussle? Salt Guest? Last Guest? Slat Guest? Talus Gets? Stats Glue? Status Leg? Status Gel? Tats Glues? Stat Glues? At Gutless? A Legs Tuts? A Gels Tuts? A Gets Lust? A Gets Slut? A Get Lusts? A Get Sluts? A Lets Gust? A Lets Guts? A Lets Tugs? A Lest Gust? A Lest Guts? A Lest Tugs? A Let Gusts? A Sets Glut? A Tests Lug? A Stets Lug? A Set Gluts? A Test Slug? A Test Lugs? A Stet Slug? A Stet Lugs? Lag Test Us? Lag Stet Us? Gal Test Us? Gal Stet Us? Sag El Tuts? Gas El Tuts? Sags El Tut? Tags Let Us? Stag Let Us? Tag Lets Us? Tag Lest Us? La Sets Tug? La Sets Gut? La Set Gust? La Set Guts? La Set Tugs? Las Set Tug? Las Set Gut? Salt Get Us? Last Get Us? Slat Get Us? As Leg Tuts? As Gel Tuts? As Legs Tut? As Gels Tut? As Get Lust? As Get Slut? As Lets Tug? As Lets Gut? As Lest Tug? As Lest Gut? As Let Gust? As Let Guts? As Let Tugs? As Set Glut? As Test Lug? As Stet Lug? Ass Leg Tut? Ass Gel Tut? Ass Let Tug? Ass Let Gut? Sat Gelt Us? Sat El Gust? Sat El Guts? Sat El Tugs? Sat Set Lug? Tats Leg Us? Tats Gel Us? Stat Leg Us? Stat Gel Us? At El Gusts? At Less Tug? At Less Gut? At Sets Lug? At Set Slug? At Set Lugs? Tat Legs Us? Tat Gels Us

>Heart status?

<HARDENED

>RT dot com

<is there a neutral source that also implies this?
>(USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)

>US government bans American companies from doing business in Crimea

>Starlink doesnt operate in Crimea as a result
>Hohols try to launch attack using starlink and it fails once it enters Crimea
>Hohols cry that Elon is deliberately sabotaging them
<Defeated by red tape!

—————————————————–

Evidence of the influence and origin of neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine
https://archive.ph/44B9Q
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323637
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323658
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323663
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323688
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323729
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323733
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323731
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323735
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323740

—————————————————–

ALWAYS APPROACH SOURCES CRITICALLY

Developments of multipolarity timeline
https://www.pacemaker.global/multipolar-transition-timeline (Note: Dead link. Update with new link, por favor.)

Live maps and updates
DeepStateMap: https://deepstatemap.live
Events in Ukraine: https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/
SouthFront: https://southfront.org/category/all-articles/world/europe/ukraine/

Watch Together
📺 News/events: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/HappeningsviaKlash
📺 Hangout/chill: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/bloodcast

Watch By Yourself
>Video Essays / Historical Background
📺 Ukraine: The Avoidable War - Boy Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4eNy4FCs8

📺 America, Russia, and Ukraine's Far Right - Gravel Institute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0pyVJG7_6Q

📺 Crimea vs Taiwan: Who Gets Self-Determination? - BadEmpanada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_UH4fmyj0

📺 The Nature of Putin's Russia and Its Causes (3-Part Series) - 1Dime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d6Vzi7zYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zODWTfMwFGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN1KK9Mzuo

<Current Happenings

📺 Defense Politics Asia: https://www.youtube.com/@DefensePoliticsAsia
📺 The Duran: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeMVChrumySxV9N1w0Au-w
📺 The News Atlas: https://www.youtube.com/c/thenewatlas
📺 Military Summary: https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary

—————————————————–

Social media
>Twitter
https://nitter.net/GeromanAT
https://nitter.net/wargonzoo
https://nitter.net/plnewstoday
https://nitter.net/RALee85
https://nitter.net/MarQs__
https://nitter.net/KofmanMichael
https://nitter.net/IntelCrab
https://nitter.net/NotWoofers
https://nitter.net/michaelh992
https://nitter.net/Suriyakmaps

<Telegram

https://t.me/milinfolive
https://t.me/hueviykharkov
https://t.me/conflictzone
https://t.me/vorposte
https://t.me/intelslava
https://t.me/grey_zone
https://t.me/AussieCossack
https://t.me/asbmil
https://t.me/Slavyangrad

🇷🇺🇺🇦
Thread guidelines:
• Please remember to add a spoiler to NSFW and extreme content such as graphic violence and gore.
• Try your best to not derail discussion too much from the main events and relevant places where the war is taken place, as well as other happenings, groups and public figures related to it.
• Meta discussion of the historical, philosophical and ideological background of the war is fine as long as its done in good faith and comradely.
• In the event the meta discussion overstays its welcome, participating users will be referred to take the conversation to the MULTIPOLARISM general thread: >>>/leftypol/1590991
• Quality shitposting and original content is encouraged! Spamming glowie memes is low effort.
• Remember to take your meds! It helps mediate schizoposting and foot fetishism
• this is /isg/ for people who treat geopolitics like shitty map games
R: 4 / I: 0

Todd McGowan on suicide

Why aren't the workers just killing themselves? A take by Todd McGowan. Don't mean to hate on these guys but wtf?

https://podbay.fm/p/why-theory/e/1693682534?t=3046
R: 26 / I: 4
The only viable chance to establish socialism is in the stages prior to the late stages. This is for various reasons. For one, when capitalist countries have a history of defeating socialist countries and destroying their enterprise they can successfully propagandize against socialism and make the very notion deeply stigmatized. The contradictions will lead to workers being discontent with the system, but they will be downright allergic to considering socialism. In fact, they will act themselves to maintain the stigmatization of socialism by repeating anti-socialist propaganda. Another reason is that the inevitable technological advancement will be in the hands of capitalists who will use it to destroy any socialist orgs that pose a real threat. And finally and also in relation with the last two points, the power disparity between capitalists and socialists is greater than ever before, which is expressed in a myriad of ways (such as technology) and because of that the success of socialism becomes highly unlikely. We've already lost and the most likely path is systemic and ecological collapse in the next few decades.
R: 218 / I: 37

US urged to reveal UFO Evidence

Is this Grusch guy for real? Seemingly his credentials as a security official check out and there's going to be a Congressional hearing in which he testified under oath that the US is hiding recovered alien craft. The weakness in his testimony is that it's mostly hearsay, but he's not revealing classified information in specific to prevent getting gulaged by the DoD. Other intelligence officials have come forward supporting what he said.

Why is this shit just popping up now though, could it be some coordinated effort by glowies to distract people from something, or could it be legit?

US urged to reveal UFO evidence after claim that it has intact alien vehicles
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/06/whistleblower-ufo-alien-tech-spacecraft
R: 27 / I: 5

Was Stalin a proto-Dengoid?

>The image of Russia has really changed since the founding of the Socialist Republic. For more than half a century after the Crimean War Russia was subjected to humiliation, and the Russian people were looked down upon. After many years of hard struggle under the leadership of the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks), the people defeated the imperialist aggressors and overthrew the regime of Nicholas II. In 1922, when the Soviet Socialist Republic was founded, the Russian people finally stood up.

>It is true that in the 10 years since then we have made a lot of mistakes. Our basic goal — to build socialism — is correct, but we are still trying to figure out what socialism is and how to build it. The primary task for socialism is to develop the productive forces. Our seizure of state power in 1917 liberated those forces as a whole, and collectivization liberated the productive forces of the peasants, who constitute 80 per cent of Russia’s population. So far so good.


>But we did a poor job of expanding the productive forces. That was chiefly because we were in too much of a hurry and adopted “Left” policies that hindered their development instead of accelerating it. We began making “Left” mistakes in the political domain in 1921; in the economic domain those mistakes led to the NEP, which resulted in enormous damage to production and much hardship for the people. From 1927 through 1933 we experienced tremendous difficulties — people didn’t have enough to eat, not to mention anything else.


etc etc

What do we make of this? Was socialism even possible?
R: 19 / I: 4
Yooo did Engels just BTFO planned economies and Soviet Union before it was cool ?

"Only through the undervaluation or overvaluation of products is it forcibly brought home to the individual commodity producers what society requires or does not require and in what amounts. But it is precisely this sole regulator that the utopia advocated by Rodbertus among others wishes to abolish. And if we then ask what guarantee we have that necessary quantity and not more of each product will be produced, that we shall not go hungry in regard to corn and meat while we are choked in beet sugar and drowned in potato spirit, that we shall not lack trousers to cover our nakedness while trouser buttons flood us by the million – Rodbertus triumphantly shows us his splendid calculation, according to which the correct certificate has been handed out for every superfluous pound of sugar, for every unsold barrel of spirit, for every unusable trouser button, a calculation which “works out” exactly, and according to which “all claims will be satisfied and the liquidation correctly brought about.” "

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/poverty-philosophy/pre-1885.htm
R: 5 / I: 1

News 9/13/23

Sri Lanka deploys troops to train stations on second day of strikes
Passengers risked their lives to get to school and work on the few trains that were operating at the time, with some travelling on the roof of train compartments and others barely hanging on to the footboards. … The strike was launched by the Locomotive Operating Engineers Union (LOEU), which includes engine drivers. They are demanding that authorities resolve several issues, including the recruitment process and promotions.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/sri-lanka-deploys-troops-to-train-stations-on-second-day-of-strikes

J&K: PDP Protests in Srinagar Against Removal of Import Duty on Washington Apple
Several workers of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday held a protest in Srinagar against the removal of import duties on foreign apples, terming it as “economic terrorism” against the farmers and fruit growers in Jammu and Kashmir. Suhail Bukhari, the party’s chief spokesperson, whilst expressing concerns over the impact of the move on the Apple industry in the region and in Himachal Pradesh, emphasised that the decision to eliminate duties will have “severe consequences” for the economic well-being of both the regions.
https://www.newsclick.in/jk-pdp-protests-srinagar-against-removal-import-duty-washington-apple

Australia tribunal sets Sept 22 as date for Chevron LNG dispute hearing
Chevron is betting on a ruling from the Fair Work Commission to cancel the strikes and force a deal with unions, after saying it no longer expected talks to yield a resolution. The commission will hold a single hearing at this stage, the office of its President Adam Hatcher told Reuters, declining to say how long it would take the tribunal to rule on the matter.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/australia-union-oppose-chevrons-application-with-industrial-umpire-over-lng-2023-09-12/

Bahraini prisoners suspend hunger strike after assurances from authorities
Prisoners in Bahrain suspended their weeks-long hunger strike on Monday, September 11, following government assurances that prison conditions would be improved and their other demands addressed. The development comes just ahead of the Bahraini crown prince’s visit to the United States and a scheduled visit by a team from the United Nations Human Rights Office to the country this week. It is believed that the authorities made concessions in order to avoid criticism over the mistreatment of prisoners and substandard conditions inside the Jau rehabilitation and reform center.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/13/bahraini-prisoners-suspend-hunger-strike-after-assurances-from-authorities/

Gaza: Israel denied life-saving healthcare to 'two Palestinian children a day' in 2023
A staggering average of 60 young patients were not allowed to leave for the occupied West Bank to receive urgent medical attention each month, equivalent to over two children per day. These denials have left children without access to critical surgeries and urgent medication, which are unavailable in the blockaded enclave. “Some are desperately sick children who have no options other than leaving Gaza to survive,” said Jason Lee, Save the Children's director in the occupied Palestinian territory, in a statement.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-israel-denied-life-saving-healthcare-palestinian-children

PJAK: Handing over our weapons is out of the question
In August, Baghdad agreed to disarm the Kurdish parties by 19 September and end their presence in the north of the country. Under no circumstances would Tehran agree to a postponement of the deadline, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry threatened two weeks ago. If Iraq misses the deadline, they will “assume the responsibility of ensuring the country’s security."
https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/pjak-handing-over-our-weapons-is-out-of-the-question-69266

Supporters of the “Last Generation” climate action group held in preventive detention in Bavaria
The Last Generation activists are currently being held in Munich's Stadelheim prison, as well as in Memmingen, located southwest of the Bavarian state capital. According to the climate protesters, 16 of them would remain in custody until September 10. For the other 11 supporters, the Munich District Court ordered preventive detention until September 30.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/11/umxc-s11.html

Mick Lynch calls consultation on railway ticket office closures a ‘sham’
The closure of ticket offices in England will lead to a railway where people will “not want to travel once the sun’s gone down”, the union leader Mick Lynch has told MPs, describing a recent consultation as a “sham”. Speaking to the Commons transport select committee, the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, said the government was trying to force through job cuts and it was “nonsense” to suggest ticket office staff would be redeployed.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/sep/13/mick-lynch-calls-consultation-on-railway-ticket-office-closures-a-sham

University workers across Scotland strike begin five days of strike action over pay
Technicians, cleaners, janitors and security officers at Glasgow, Strathclyde, Abertay and Dundee universities who are members of the Unite union took to picket lines in a fight for a fair pay deal after an increase was imposed by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) earlier in the year.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/university-workers-across-scotland-strike-begin-five-days-of-strike-action-over-pay

US-Mexico border is world’s deadliest land route for migrants: IOM
The United States-Mexico border is the world’s deadliest land route for migrants, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says, with at least 686 deaths and disappearances recorded there last year. In a statement on Tuesday, the IOM said the figure – which is likely an undercount due to a lack of official data – represented nearly half of the 1,457 migrant deaths and disappearances recorded throughout the Americas in 2022.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/12/us-mexico-border-is-worlds-deadliest-land-route-for-migrants-iom
https://archive.ph/qVyku

Dominican president suspends visas for Haitians and threatens to close border
President Luis Abinader’s move follows the recent excavation of a supposed canal in Haiti that Dominican officials argue will divert water from the Massacre River and harm its farmers and the environment. … Abinader has sought to limit the migration of Haitians into the Dominican Republic in recent years and has expelled tens of thousands of Haitians and those of Haitian descent. His administration also has begun work on a 118-mile (190-kilometer) wall along the Haitian border that Abinader announced early last year.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dominican-president-suspends-visas-haitians-threatens-close-border-103095732

Guatemala President-elect suspends transition after agents raid election facilities, open vote boxes
Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arévalo said Tuesday he was temporarily suspending the transition process and called for the resignation of the attorney general following raids on electoral facilities during which government agents opened boxes of votes and photographed their contents in what experts called an unprecedented violation of the law. Arévalo said he had notified outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei, who just a day earlier had promised a smooth handover of power, and would only return to the process when the necessary conditions were met.
https://apnews.com/article/guatemala-election-bernardo-arevalo-raid-af132f2b3a19f2b6d6bdc682cb926efd
R: 30 / I: 13

>Socialism In One Country

Some people say "Socialism in One Country" is revisionist, that socialism has to be globally established.

Others say "Socialism in One Country" or more generally "Actually Existin Socialism" (AES) is possible.

What are the arguments for the former? What are the arguments for the latter?

What is the smallest unit that socialism can exist in? Can you have socialism in one company (cooperative)? Socialism in one trade union? Socialism in one household? Socialism in one person? At which point is the geopolitical unit of socialism too small to actually be called socialism?

And if socialism does have to be global in order to be socialism, why weren't previous modes of production limited in this way? We never had a situation where the whole world became feudal. Hell, it can be argued that feudal structures still exist in places like rural Afghanistan, and that we never really got a truly global capitalism either. What of the hunter gatherers that still exist in some places? Why does socialism need to be global and not other modes of production?

I understand the worry that if Socialism exists only in one country, it will be besieged/sanctioned/embargoed/couped/overthrown/corrupted etc. by international capital looking to break the back of socialism, that it runs the risk of becoming a degenerated workers' state, and then eventually devolving back into bourgeois republicanism, but really, every socialist organization runs this risk.

Any why is there constant confusion over whether something hast to be economically socialist in order to be socialist, or if it need only be ideologically socialist. A country can be ideologically committed to building socialism in the long term, while not yet being economically socialist. Stalin's reply to kushytev (1928) reflects this:

<We often say that our republic is a socialist one. Does this mean that we have already achieved socialism, done away with classes and abolished the state? […] Obviously not. Are we entitled in that case to call our republic a socialist one? Of course, we are. From what standpoint? From the standpoint of our determination and our readiness to achieve socialism, to do away with classes, etc.


If a state can be socialist merely because of its determination and readiness to build socialism, then does that not mean that arguments over whether "country X" or "organization Y" is socialist amounts to arguing over their intentions which are unknowable and not their economic realities?
R: 44 / I: 2

Worker-Owned Cooperatives: Are they any use at all?

I've been reading a lot of socialist and communist criticisms of worker-owned cooperatives lately, and how they're revisionist, aren't socialist, aren't the path to socialism, etc. This is because when I was younger I was convinced by Titoists and Wolffists that worker cooperatives were a viable path to Socialism. I am no longer convinced of that, but I am now trying to decide between two perspectives

A) The perspective, advanced by Joseph Stalin, in his 1906 work "Anarchism or Socialism" that cooperatives are a good way to alleviate worker suffering and fight merchant's capital, so long as they are class-conscious, Marxist and hooked up with other forms of organizing like parties and unions.

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1906/12/x01.htm

<The most widespread, mass organisations are trade unions and workers' co-operatives (mainly producers' and consumers' co-operatives). The object of the trade unions is to fight (mainly) against industrial capital to improve the conditions of the workers within the limits of the present capitalist system. The object of the co-operatives is to fight (mainly) against merchant capital to secure an increase of consumption among the workers by reducing the prices of articles of prime necessity, also within the limits of the capitalist system, of course. The proletariat undoubtedly needs both trade unions and co-operatives as means of organising the proletarian masses. Hence, from the point of view of the proletarian socialism of Marx and Engels, the proletariat must utilise both these forms of organisation and reinforce and strengthen them, as far as this is possible under present political conditions, of course.


<But trade unions and co-operatives alone cannot satisfy the organisational needs of the militant proletariat. This is because the organisations mentioned cannot go beyond the limits of capitalism, for their object is to improve the conditions of the workers under the capitalist system. The workers, however, want to free themselves entirely from capitalist slavery, they want to smash these limits, and not merely operate within the limits of capitalism. Hence, in addition, an organisation is needed that will rally around itself the class-conscious elements of the workers of all trades, that will transform the proletariat into a conscious class and make it its chief aim to smash the capitalist system, to prepare for the socialist revolution.


B) The perspective, advanced by Olive M Johnson in her work on cooperatives that they are purely capitalistic enterprises and cannot even so much as be a step towards socialism, but are a step away from socialism.

http://www.slp.org/pdf/others/coop_move_omj.pdf

<“Socialistic” people and other radical reformers generally attempt to defend the cooperatives as a step toward Socialism, the building of Socialistic nuclei within capitalist society. A step toward Socialism, as well as a step toward any other place, is not a step unless it is a step in the right direction. The man who desires to go to Chicago does not, if he is in his right mind, book on an Atlantic steamer for Liverpool. Cooperatives, far from being a step toward Socialism, are decidedly a step in the opposite direction, because a cooperative, no matter how euphoniously the word is defined or the thing itself is disguised, is, since it can embrace only a certain group of people, distinctly an enterprise in competition with other enterprises, hence its salient characteristic is that it is a business and therefore marrow, bone and flesh of capitalism. A cooperative business organization in a country like ours cannot in any manner offer as an excuse for existence that it is a necessary step in the industrial organization of society. Rather than being an aid in bringing order out of capitalist chaos, such so-called public, truly competitive organizations, doomed either to failure, to absorption by strictly private capital, or to drag out a miserable existence, can only add to the general confusion and disorder of capitalist society itself and certainly have a scattering, disorganizing, degenerating influence upon the minds of the workers in general and the dupes of the enterprises in particular.


Who was right on this question? Johnson or Stalin? I think it's interesting that an American Socialist from 1924 is taking a harder line than Joseph Stalin on the question of cooperatives. One explanation I think for this might be that Russia was less developed than America, and so Stalin writing in 1906 has a fundamentally different context than Olive Johnson writing in 1924. But tell me what you think.
R: 42 / I: 7

obligatory "was communism even that good" thread

recently been thinking about the "look how [cuba/soviet russia/china] became a human rights nightmare!! how could you think communism could ever work!!!!" argument and kinda came to the conclusion that, like Smith's capitalism, modern communism has become divorced from communism as described in marx's manifesto.

as much as i love anarcho-primitivism, anarcho-primitivism just arranges itself into other social structures over a long period of time. plus, anarcho-primitivism requires a great deal of suffering as an individual and i'm not partial to any kind of suffering. has someone who's read more theory than me found a satisfying solution to all the world's problems??? asking for a friend.
R: 6 / I: 2

Even if you or I were to install a perfect government, it would still fail

I have come to the conclusion that there is only 1 fool proof method of stopping the natural macro decay of society and thats for people to read each others minds literally, then you can finally stop greedy people, traitors, spies, freaks etc before they can inflict their damage. I imagine the only way to read peoples minds will be with technology or with some type of evolutionary development of telepathy. To bad it's just barely out of reach.
R: 46 / I: 20

Productive forces thread!

>Here is one of the numerous examples of the application of this "theory." It is said that before the reform and opening up the left-deviations of the Party threatened to declare "war against capitalist roaders" if they should start capitalist restoration. It is said that on the very eve of the reform and opening up these parties pigeonholed the "war against capitalist roaders" slogan and applied an opposite one, viz., "war against the liberation of the productive forces." It is said that as a result of this change of slogans millions of workers were sent to their death. But it would be a mistake to think that there were some people to blame for this, that someone was unfaithful to the working class or betrayed it. Not at all! Everything happened as it should have happened. Firstly, because the Parrty, it seems, is "an instrument of peaceful development," and not of war. Secondly, because, in view of the "level of the productive forces" which then prevailed, nothing else could be done. The productive forces are to blame. That is the precise explanation vouchsafed to us by Mr. Deng's "theory of the productive forces." And whoever does not believe in that "theory" is not a Marxist. The role of the parties? Their importance for the movement? But what can a party do against so decisive a factor as the "level of the productive forces"?

Excerpt from What is to be done: questions regarding the June 4th incident, Hu Yaobang published in People's Daily
R: 3 / I: 0

Novax gladio in italy?

Some time ago I while walking by my town in italy, I found some stickers with a bunch of telegram links to a novax group called v_v. I tore down the stickers but joined the channels to "keep an eye on the schizos" and such.
Turns out they have a bunch of channels (at least 4) where they post q-anon like nonsense. Stuff like the gei agenda, trans plp wanting to fuck kids, vax being poison by the nazicommie WEF elites and so on, all wrapped under the "agenda 2030" tag.
The odd thingy is if anything the quantity of audios and propaganda posters they have. Sus
Still, nothing too weird for a bunch of schizos, until today.
Today one of their admins opens a private chat where it specifically asks me to join some of their groups and chats to get instructions and "become a v_v warrior". Very very sus
The thing is, each channel I found has between 12K and 16K users, which means that the admins at least regularly do a check and match all the user lists of all channels to find users that haven't joimed them all and aren't fully in.
No group of ragtag novaxer qanons would be this thorough and metodical, and have the manpower/resources to do this. Super super sus in my opinion.

Among all of this, they also push their members to post more of the stickers I took down at the beginning, "vandalize" stuff via graffiti and regularly use stuff like "nazicommunists" rethoric.

Given the currently worsening situation in italy, I don't think a qanon group this methodical is aroumd for no reason.

Here some of their links
https://t.me/vvvvvinc
https://t.me/consenso_disinformato
https://t.me/fuckagenda2030
https://t.me/entra_in_v_v
https://t.me/+WKa9R3HBnQU1NGY0 chatrooms
https://t.me/+cqs1E8WesA42MGUx The way kf the warriors channel

Their admins I know of
@GrinlaitRedlait
@giustiziaverita64
@anarcotaoista

Probably the wrong board but imma post anyway.
R: 4 / I: 1

News 9/12/23

Global union body welcomes safety protections for Pakistani garment workers 11 years after deadly factory fire
IndustriALL Global Union, which represents 50 million workers in 140 countries in the manufacturing sectors, said that the commemoration of the deaths in a fire of 250 workers on September 11 2012, at Ali Enterprises in Karachi helped them to win an agreement with Pakistani employers for greater safety measures in the country’s garment industry. After years of campaigning by IndustriALL, the Pakistan National Trade Union Federation, the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, and the Clean Clothes Campaign, compensation was agreed in 2016 with German retailer KiK, Ali Enterprises’ only known buyer.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/global-union-body-welcomes-safety-protections-for-pakistani-garment-workers-11-years-after-deadly-factory-fire

Hry, Pb farmers protest for early procurement & higher flood relief
Farm activists in Haryana and Punjab staged separate protests in the two states on Monday to demand early procurement of their crops and payment of compensation to farmers who have suffered losses due to heavy rain and flooding. In Punjab, farmer organisations affiliated to Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) staged protests outside the residences of AAP ministers, MPs and MLAs to seek Rs 50,000 per acre as compensation for damage caused by floods to crops and Rs 1 lakh for damage to houses. They called the Rs 6,800-per-acre relief announced by the Punjab government as inadequate. They also protested outside the houses of BJP MPs and MLAs to seek Centre’s intervention in the matter.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/hry-pb-farmers-protest-for-early-procurement-higher-flood-relief/articleshow/103593700.cms
https://archive.ph/7xUA4

Modi’s plan to change India’s name to Bharat ‘absurd’: Rahul Gandhi
“It’s interesting that every time we raise the issue of Mr [Gautam] Adani and chronic capitalism, the prime minister comes out with some dramatic new diversion tactic,” the 53-year-old leader said. The Congress party leader has accused Modi of favouring big industrialists and sought an investigation against the billionaire Adani, who controls the Adani Group, for alleged financial violations. The Adani Group, which runs seaports and airports across India, has recently been in the limelight after an investigation revealed it used offshore tax havens to drive up its share price.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/11/modis-plan-to-change-indias-name-absurd-rahul-ghandi
https://archive.ph/BGnAE

Unions in South Africa call for national health insurance scheme to tackle country's healthcare crisis
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said in a statement that it is dismayed by comments by the country’s Minister for Finance Enoch Godongwana that the Treasury opposes the NHI Bill and policy mandate that has been adopted by Cabinet, agreed by the National Assembly and which is currently before the National Council of Provinces. Cosatu said: “We need the government to speak with one voice as this level of policy uncertainty is not helpful. The ANC needs to exert itself and remind the government that the NHI is an ANC policy mandate not some abstract slogan.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/unions-in-south-africa-call-for-national-health-insurance-scheme-to-tackle-country-healthcare-crisis

Samwu insists City of Tshwane must pay workers their money
South Africa Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) says the City of Tshwane must pay workers their money and stop wasting funds on legal fees to block salary increases. That’s after the South African Local Government Bargaining Council dismissed the city’s application to exempt it from paying salary increases for the 2023/24 financial year.
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/samwu-insists-city-of-tshwane-must-pay-workers-their-money/

Procedural glitch clears French suspects in plot to attack Morocco World Cup fans
A court in Paris has dismissed a high-profile case against seven suspected far-right activists, including a prominent figure in the French “ultra-right”, citing procedural errors in the investigation. The suspects were accused of planning to carry out a racist attack on fans of Morocco during the recent football World Cup, in the latest evidence of rising far-right militancy in France.
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230910-procedural-glitch-clears-french-suspects-in-plot-to-attack-morocco-world-cup-fans
https://archive.ph/wGvcf

TUC agrees ‘non-compliance’ strategy against anti-strike laws
Trade unions have passed a resolution promising a “strategy of non-compliance” with ministers’ controversial anti-strike legislation. Meeting at the Trades Union Congress’s annual meeting in Liverpool, delegates unanimously agreed to seek to resist the new law, which allows public sector employers to establish “minimum service levels” on strike days. “That’s what we have to do – that’s the message,” the RMT leader, Mick Lynch, told union activists at the conference. “We are a fighting union movement and we are going to turn this legislation over.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/sep/11/tuc-agrees-non-compliance-strategy-against-anti-strike-laws

Sunak Risks Tory Backlash Against Trimming Welfare to Cut Taxes
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing a backlash within the Conservative Party as his government weighs letting welfare benefits slip to create room for tax cuts. Sunak signaled over the weekend that he might break with the practice of increasing benefits in line with inflation after Bloomberg reported that Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt was considering the option. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk suggested on Sunday he wouldn’t be comfortable with squeezing benefits to enable tax cuts. “We must do everything we can for the most disadvantaged in society,” he told Sky News. “My colleagues will want to ensure that we are decent, humane and that we support people.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-11/sunak-risks-tory-backlash-against-trimming-welfare-to-cut-taxes
https://archive.ph/ZBZmV

'War isn't going away soon': Campaigners defy UK law to protest at arms fair
Anti-arms campaigners are protesting against the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) expo, as the arms fair returns to London for the first time since the British police received new powers to handle and disperse protesters. Earlier this year, the UK government passed the Public Order bill, which gave police new powers to arrest and disrupt certain types of protest. These powers include arresting anyone suspected of locking or glueing themselves to an object, and slow walking in traffic that would disrupt transport networks and roads.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-not-going-away-soon-campaigners-vow-protest-arms-fair-despite-new-protest-laws

HPG: 19 Turkish soldiers were killed in guerrilla actions
Resistance continues unabated to the Turkish invasion of the guerrilla-held Medya Defence Zones in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). According to the statement released by the Press Office of the People's Defence Forces (HPG) on Tuesday, at least 19 soldiers have been killed and others injured as a result of guerrilla actions in the past 48 hours.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/hpg-19-turkish-soldiers-were-killed-in-guerrilla-actions-69277
R: 9 / I: 1

Do you guys ever get the feeling that the imperial core will never adapt?

Coming out of this hit me the same way I felt about reading the first volume of capital, the second sex, and Mother Nature is trying to kill you. The disposition of millions in this increasing part of the planet is to actively participate in a culture that promotes mass alienation, atomization, stress and addiction to excess consumption for those that can afford it for the belief of a better state one lives in. There’s some truth to this development, it’s not perfect but at least you gain something out of it. However, today this seems like an ever growing fantasy: planned obsolescence, urban blight and car dependency, mass alienation, addiction, ever growing rates of suicide, complete obliteration of multiage and ethnic communities, replaced with fragile nuclear/single parent family models to be held responsible for child rearing, pointless amounts of ecological destruction, and a whole host of mass atrocities that can only exist under this style of capitalism has made me feel that even the most desirable countries that do prioritize peoples social security are still deeply dystopian. Every once in a while I have to pause to take a moment to recognize how many of these fucking problems are coexisting today where I live and get worse every year. I hope there’s a change, a change to annihilate the state capitalism is to be replaced with a deindustrialize socialist future, for the betterment of people’s health and the planets.
R: 13 / I: 3

The Second Great Imperial War

Was the Second World War all that different from the first, in terms of motivation and reasons for it happening? With WWI we all know that it cause was the result growing tensions of the imperial powers from both capitalist and nationalistic expansion. With formation of alliances this allowed the fire once it was lit to spread all across Europe and into Asia and Africa through the colonials. But WW2 had all the same set up. As Nazi Germany wanted to expand its influence in Europe and to the rest of the world both from a capitalist standpoint as well nationalistic one. Italy was unhappy with its gains from the first World War and this led to ᴉuᴉlossnW and his promise to bring glory to Italy. And Japan invaded China, and when it was cut off from oil from the US it declared war on the US and the European powers to take their colonies in Asia in order to fuel its war machine. There was also the alliance between Britain and France and there mutual guarantee of Poland which led to war start of the War. On the other side was the Tripartite Pact between Italy, Germany and Japan, which later central and eastern European countries joined in order to get more territory. The reason I think people view WW2 as different than WW1 is because of the involvement of the Soviet Union. As they were the preeminent
communist nation at the time and are viewed as an anti imperialist power due to their ideology. But the Soviets themselves where just as involved in cause of the war as the rest of the nations, as through the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact they allowed Germany to focus solely on Western Europe without having to worry about the eastern front. And secondly they divided up Europe in to spheres of influence, with them taking parts of Finland and Romania, the eastern half of Poland and all of the Baltic States. Lastly they exchanged technology and resources ,which Germany was having a harder time gaining due the uncertainty of the value of the Reichsmark.
R: 35 / I: 3

Eire-pol

Y'all who live in America think your political parties are bad, the irish have 2 political parties who not even wikipedia covers for in saying they're the exact same
R: 77 / I: 24

conspiracy theory thread

What are some conspiracies you believe? My conspiracy theory isn’t anything too controversial, I think that during 80ths and early 90ths there was an intentional and internal sabotage of soviet union, i am not talking about politicians deciding to divide country into their fiefdoms but more like them intentionally instigating controversies, violence, failed and embarrassing attempts to stop themselves to sour the public opinion on ussr and create more ethnic tension etc. What do you think about my “theory”. And what are your conspiracy theories you would be willing to share?
R: 582 / I: 87

Actual orginising thread

This is a thread only for people who actually do IRL organizing to exchange tactics and ideas. Its time to stop whining about bullshit like Wiccans or shizo pedo rape cult conspiracies, and actually get some actual lessons out of each other, for fucks sake.

Explain your situation, ask a question on what you would like some advice on, and give insight into what you do right now and how successful you are.

Let me start off
>I am the chairman of a local chapter of a socialist nation wide youth org of a european country
>We have, on paper, 90+ youth members in our local chapter
>We have, on paper, 1000+ members nationally
>Recently formed out of a split, still very much in flux
>The real local cadre is around 10-15 people with varying levels of commitment, about 6 people at each weekly or so meeting
>The ideological and practical education of our cadre is low
>Following a broadly orthodox marxist line, as opposed to classical marxist leninist, or maoist, but also containing trotskyites and anarchists

Now the thing I would like your feedback on is explaining how you conduct meetings, how to educate cadre, how to retain cadre, how to ensure people show up, what communist youths are even supposed to do. So let me sketch out what we do now

>We meet once every 2 weeks, set time, set place, set day

>The meetings agenda is made during the two weeks by people finding interesting topics to discuss, and compiled by me, together with any things that need to be done organizational wise
>We discuss developments nearby, such as opportunities for media stunts on specific topics (such as fucking with rich fucktards), setting up protests, our involvement in activist groups and the student union/labour union protests
>We check our list of tasks we made last time, and see what got done
>We discuss the points of that week
>We formulate new points of action based on the outcome of the discussion
>End of meeting

Now, what we do not do is, but not out of any conscious decision
>educating cadre
>stands
>making or selling newspapers

I think our largest issues right now is retaining and educating our cadre, both ideologically and in terms of skills, as well as finding enough tasks to do to keep our members engaged if more people happen to show up. We have an okay influx of new members because of the media attention we have, and via direct recruitment via friend circles. The biggest issue is making sure new members keep showing up after the first 3 times.
How do your orgs handle these topics, how would you do it differently, and does it translate into tangible results? How do we (if we should at all) find work to do for our, on paper, sizable cadre, that youths (below 28, mostly highschool and student aged) find enjoyable that also contributes to the workers movement and our party?

Inb4
>Do you have a motherparty?
Sort of, but not really. Our org is the result of an entire youth wing getting expelled together with a few, but not many, older members. The youth currently dominates the amount of members, which is both a blessing and a curse.
>Go commit terrorism
No
>Doing anything actually useful is CIA, just post on leftypol about anime titties behind 4 vpns instead
Kill yourself
R: 11 / I: 5

CLOUT and STATUS

What is the materialist explanation for the pursuit of "Status", clout, fame, etc.? It's not directly economic. It's often the case that the petit bourgeois for example, and rural landed gentry and other elites seethe that even though they are relatively wealthy and even dominate local politics they still don't have the cool or "cultured" factor. What makes the millionaire rancher of montana, billionaire oilman of texas, or realtor of florida seethe at Los Angeles, Hollywood, tenured professors of art, and woke university students, baristas, etc.?

Seething at the urban haute bourgeoisie, getting mad that coastal hipsters are oppressing christianity with their smugness and coolness until enough prageru calvinist oil barons fund enough propaganda to finally convince a generation of young people that sex, drugs, and loud music is actually bad and conservatism is the new punk rock. This is why they cheer so hard at "California is declining" or whatever bullshit, its the domestic version of China collapse porn but for "cultural capital" not actual economics.
R: 65 / I: 13

Im past laughter. I'm scared of canada turning into this

It's very fun to laugh at the USA for getting knee deep into decay thanks to bad regulation of car companies and landlords that bankrupted every city and sent millions into abject poverty. However, being aware that this can and is happening to places that aren't like Alberta, that don't have any provincial drive to avoid the decay that comes with car centric urban design is horrifying.

Imagine spending years of your life trying your hardest to find the best job, help out your community and more just to end up homeless and stuck in a city that looks like it was a recent site of armed conflict. Not as a result of anything you did but the realities of capitalism destroying any opportunities in life you once had. That's not fair to anyone here, especially the poor and mentally ill that don't have the resources to simply leave to somewhere better. It's horrifying just to think about. At least strathcona county and Montreal will always be pleasant here
R: 28 / I: 2
What are the arguments against simply nationalizing large corporations such as Amazon (and smaller companies) and making them adherent to a council of planers and their quotas whose purpose is centered around meeting the population’s needs? These companies and corporations will be adapted to the socialist enterprise as much as is necessary while utilizing the methodology, machinery and infrastructure already in place as provided by the kind billionaires, who by then will have already perished in Minecraft.
R: 50 / I: 14

STALIN IS MY FATHER

HOW DID THEY SUCCESSFULLY LIE SO HARD ABOUT THIS MAN?

AND WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THOSE LIES?

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1946/03/x01.htm

TOWARDS the middle of March, 1946, a “Pravda” correspondent requested J. V. Stalin to clarify a number of questions connected with Mr. Churchill’s speech at Fulton, U.S.A. Below are J. V. Stalin’s replies to the correspondent’s questions.

Question: How do you appraise Mr. Churchill’s latest speech in the United States of America?

Answer: I appraise it as a dangerous act, calculated to sow the seeds of dissension among the Allied States and impede their collaboration.

Question: Can it be considered that Mr. Churchill’s speech is prejudicial to the cause of peace and security?

Answer: Yes, unquestionably. As a matter of fact, Mr. Churchill now takes the stand of the warmongers, and in this Mr. Churchill is not alone. He has friends not only in Britain but in the United States of America as well.

A point to be noted is that in this respect Mr. Churchill and his friends bear a striking resemblance to Hitler and his friends. Hitler began his work of unleashing war by proclaiming a race theory, declaring that only German-speaking people constituted a superior nation. Mr. Churchill sets out to unleash war with a race theory, asserting that only English-speaking nations are superior nations, who are called upon to decide the destinies of the entire world. The German race theory led Hitler and his friends to the conclusion that the Germans, as the only superior nation, should rule over other nations. The English race theory leads Mr. Churchill and his friends to the conclusion that the English-speaking nations, as the only superior nations, should rule over the rest of the nations of the world.

Actually, Mr. Churchill, and his friends in Britain and the United States, present to the non-English speaking nations something in the nature of an ultimatum: “Accept our rule voluntarily, and then all will be well; otherwise war is inevitable.”

But the nations shed their blood in the course of five years’ fierce war for the sake of the liberty and independence of their countries, and not in order to exchange the domination of the Hitlers for the domination of the Churchills. It is quite probable, accordingly, that the non-English-speaking nations, which constitute the vast majority of the population of the world, will not agree to submit to a new slavery.

It is Mr. Churchill’s tragedy that, inveterate Tory that he is, he does not understand this simple and obvious truth.

There can be no doubt that Mr. Churchill’s position is a war position, a call for war on the U.S.S.R. It is also clear that this position of Mr. Churchill’s is incompatible with the Treaty of Alliance existing between Britain and the U.S.S.R. True, Mr. Churchill does say, in passing, in order to confuse his readers, that the term of the Anglo-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance and Collaboration might quite well be extended to 50 years. But how is such a statement on Mr. Churchill’s part to be reconciled with his position of war on the U.S.S.R., with his preaching of War against the U.S.S.R.? Obviously, these things cannot be reconciled by any means whatever. And if Mr. Churchill, who calls for war on the Soviet Union, at the same time considers it possible to extend the term of the Anglo-Soviet Treaty to 50 years, that means that he regards this Treaty as a mere scrap of paper, which he only needs in order to disguise and camouflage his anti-Soviet position. For this reason, the false statements of Mr. Churchill’s friends in Britain, regarding the extension of the term of the Anglo-Soviet treaty to 50 years or more, cannot be taken seriously. Extension of the Treaty term has no point if one of the parties violates the Treaty and converts it into a mere scram of paper.

Question: How do you appraise the part of Mr. Churchill’s speech in which he attacks the democratic systems in the European States bordering upon us, and criticises the good-neighbourly relations established between these States and the Soviet Union.

Answer: This part of Mr. Churchill’s speech is compounded of elements of slander and elements of discourtesy and tactlessness. Mr. Churchill asserts that “Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, Sofia—all these famous cities and the populations around them lie within the Soviet sphere and are all subject in one form or another not only to Soviet influence, but to a very high and increasing measure of control from Moscow.” Mr. Churchill describes all this as “unlimited expansionist tendencies” on the part of the Soviet Union.

It needs no particular effort to show that in this Mr. Churchill grossly and unceremoniously slanders both Moscow, and the above-named States bordering on the U.S.S.R.

In the first place it is quite absurd to speak of exclusive control by the U.S.S.R. in Vienna and Berlin, where there are Allied Control Councils made up of the representatives of four States and where the U.S.S.R. has only one-quarter of the votes. It does happen that some people cannot help in engaging in slander. But still, there is a limit to everything.

Secondly, the following circumstance should not be forgotten. The Germans made their invasion of the U.S.S.R. through Finland, Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary. The Germans were able to make their invasion through these countries because, at the time, governments hostile to the Soviet Union existed in these countries. As a result of the German invasion the Soviet Union has lost irretrievably in the fighting against the Germans, and also through the German occupation and the deportation of Soviet citizens to German servitude, a total of about seven million people. In other words, the Soviet Union’s loss of life has been several times greater than that of Britain and the United States of America put together. Possibly in some quarters an inclination is felt to forget about these colossal sacrifices of the Soviet people which secured the liberation of Europe from the Hitlerite yoke. But the Soviet Union cannot forget about them. And so what can there be surprising about the fact that the Soviet Union, anxious for its future safety, is trying to see to it that governments loyal in their attitude to the Soviet Union should exist in these countries? How can anyone, who has not taken leave of his wits, describe these peaceful aspirations of the Soviet Union as expansionist tendencies on the part of our State?

Mr. Churchill claims further that the “Russian-dominated Polish Government has been encouraged to make enormous, wrongful inroads on Germany.”

Every word of this is a gross and insulting calumny. Outstanding men are at the helm in present democratic Poland. They have proved by their deeds that they are capable of upholding the interests and dignity of their country as their predecessors were not. What grounds has Mr. Churchill to assert that the leaders of present-day Poland can countenance in their country the domination of representatives of any foreign State whatever? Is it not because Mr. Churchill means to sow the seeds of dissension in the relations between Poland and the Soviet Union that he slanders “the Russians” here?

Mr. Churchill is displeased that Poland has faced about in her policy in the direction of friendship and alliance with the U.S.S.R. There was a time when elements of conflict and antagonism predominated in the relations between Poland and the U.S.S.R. This circumstance enabled statesmen like Mr. Churchill to play on these antagonisms, to get control over Poland on the pretext of protecting her from the Russians, to try to scare Russia with the spectre of war between her and Poland, and retain the position of arbiter for themselves. But that time is past and gone, for the enmity between Poland and Russia has given place to friendship between them, and Poland—present-day democratic Poland—does not choose to be a play-ball in foreign hands any longer. It seems to me that it is this fact that irritates Mr. Churchill and makes him indulge in discourteous, tactless sallies against Poland. Just imagine—he is not being allowed to play his game at the expense of others!

As to Mr. Churchill’s attack upon the Soviet Union in connection with the extension of Poland’s Western frontier to include Polish territories which the Germans had seized in the past—here it seems to me he is plainly cheating. As is known, the decision on the Western frontier of Poland was adopted at the Berlin Three-Power Conference on the basis of Poland’s demands. The Soviet Union has repeatedly stated that it considers Poland’s demands to be proper and just. It is quite probable that Mr. Churchill is displeased with this decision. But why does Mr. Churchill, while sparing no shots against the Russian position in this matter, conceal from his readers the fact that this decision was passed at the Berlin Conference by unanimous vote—that it was not only the Russians, but the British and Americans as well, that voted for the decision? Why did Mr. Churchill think it necessary to mislead the public?

Further, Mr. Churchill asserts that the Communist Parties, which were previously very small in all these Eastern States of Europe, have been raised to prominence and power far beyond their numbers and seek everywhere to obtain totalitarian control. Police governments prevail in nearly every case, and “thus far, except in Czechoslovakia, there is no true democracy.”

As is known, the Government of the State in Britain at the present time is in the hands of one party, the Labour Party, and the opposition parties are deprived of the right to participate in the Government of Britain. That Mr. Churchill calls true democracy. Poland, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Hungary are administered by blocs of several parties—from four to six parties—and the opposition, if it is more or less loyal, is secured the right of participation in the Government. That Mr. Churchill describes as totalitarianism, tyranny and police rule. Why? On what grounds? Don’t expect a reply from Mr. Churchill. Mr. Churchill does not understand in what a ridiculous position he puts himself by his outcry about “totalitarianism, tyranny and police rule.”

Mr. Churchill would like Poland to be administered by Sosnkowski and Anders, Yugoslavia by Mikhailovich and Pavelich, Rumania by Prince Stirbey and Radescu, Hungary and Austria by some King of the House of Hapsburg, and so on. Mr. Churchill wants to assure us that these gentlemen from the Fascist backyard can ensure true democracy.

Such is the “democracy” of Mr. Churchill.

Mr. Churchill comes somewhere near the truth when he speaks of the increasing influence of the Communist Parties in Eastern Europe. It must be remarked, however, that he is not quite accurate. The influence of the Communist Parties has grown not only in Eastern Europe, but in nearly all the countries of Europe which were previously under Fascist rule—Italy, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Rumania, and Finland—or which experienced German, Italian or Hungarian occupation—France, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Greece, the Soviet Union and so on.

The increased influence of the Communists cannot be considered fortuitous. It is a perfectly logical thing. The influence of the Communists has grown because, in the years of the rule of Fascism in Europe, the Communists showed themselves trusty, fearless, self-sacrificing fighters against the Fascist regime for the liberty of the peoples. Mr. Churchill in his speeches sometimes recalls the plain people from little homes, slapping them patronisingly on the back and parading as their friend. But these people are not so simple as may at first sight appear. These plain people have views of their own, a policy of their own, and they know how to stand up for themselves. It was they, the millions of these plain people, that defeated Mr. Churchill and his party in Britain by casting their votes for the Labourites. It was they, the millions of these “plain people,” who isolated the reactionaries and advocates of collaboration with Fascism in Europe, and gave their preference to the Left democratic parties. It was they, the millions of these “plain people,” who after testing the Communists in the fires of struggle and resistance to Fascism, came to the conclusion that the Communists were fully deserving of the people’s confidence. That was how the influence of the Communists grew in Europe.

Of course Mr. Churchill does not like this course of development and he sounds the alarm and appeals to force. But neither did he like the birth of the Soviet regime in Russia after the First World War. At that time, too, he sounded the alarm and organised an armed campaign of 14 States against Russia setting himself the goal of turning back the wheel of history. But history proved stronger than the Churchill intervention, and Mr. Churchill’s quixotry led to his unmitigated defeat at that time. I don’t know whether Mr. Churchill and his friends will succeed in organising a new armed campaign against Eastern Europe after the Second World War; but if they do succeed—which is not very probable because millions of plain people stand guard over the cause of peace—it may confidently be said that they will be thrashed, just as they were thrashed once before, 26 years ago.
R: 3 / I: 1

News 9/11/23

Chilean Women Remember the Victims of the Pinochet Dictatorship
"The women of Chile, once again, as always, teaching us all a lesson," President Gabriel Boric said through social networks. Convened by the "Women for Never Again" platform, this symbolic act was the prelude to the massive commemorations that will take place to remember the assassination of President Salvador Allende on Sept. 11, 1973, when the military bombed La Moneda palace. This coup d'état began a cruel 17-year dictatorship that left over 40,000 victims of torture, disappearances, and detentions. Among them there are at least 3,200 murdered Chileans.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Chilean-Women-Remember-the-Victims-of-the-Pinochet-Dictatorship-20230911-0004.html

UCV students reject the arrest of John Álvarez
The Federation of Student Centers of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), accompanied by the relatives of John Alvarezrejected the arrest of the young man who has been deprived of liberty since Monday, September 4 In a press conference, which they offered in Plaza Venezuela, the students raised their voices to denounce the imprisonment of the Anthropology student. “John is just another young man, he is just another Ucevista, a student who is worried about the situation in his country and all he wants is to have a prosperous and better Venezuela. He was just fighting like thousands of Ucevistas do every day, for That is why we denounce his arbitrary detention,” said Jesús Mendoza, president of the FCU-UCV.
https://euro.eseuro.com/local/975097.html
https://archive.ph/pbXg1

Gaza exports to Israel resume as crossing reopens
On Sunday morning the Kerem Shalom gateway was reopened, said Raed Fattouh, head of the Presidential Committee for the Coordination of Goods, which is affiliated to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party. "Several trucks, including one loaded with readymade clothes and others loaded with scrap iron, entered the crossing this morning and headed towards the Israeli side," he told AFP.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/09/gaza-exports-israel-resume-crossing-reopens

Turkey's Erdogan opposes India-Middle East transport project
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday pushed back against plans announced by the leaders of India, Saudi Arabia and the EU to create a trade corridor that would link South Asia to Europe and bypass Turkey. … The transport link, dubbed the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC, aims to establish railway lines and shipping that will pass through the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel, then reach to Greece and Europe.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-erdogan-opposes-india-middle-east-corridor

Riot Against Anti-IRA Police Operation in Northern Ireland
Sixteen police officers were seriously injured following riots in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland, after bricks, paint and Molotov cocktails were thrown at them in the Stewarts Terrace area of Rosemount. The demonstrators were opposing police forces who were conducting searches during which firearms, grenades and explosives were seized and three people arrested. They are suspected of being linked to the New IRA.
https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/post/2023/09/11/riot-against-anti-ira-police-operation-in-northern-ireland/

All of UK retailer Wilko's stores to shut, risking 12,500 jobs
ailed retailer Wilko will disappear from British high streets next month, as its entire chain of 400 homeware stores close, with the likely loss of all 12,500 jobs, a trade union said on Monday. The GMB union said, citing Wilko's administrators, that the stores were set to close by early October, while two distribution centres will close on Friday next week. "This means that redundancy is now likely for all 12,500 workers," GMB added.
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/all-stores-uk-retailer-wilko-close-by-early-october-union-2023-09-11/

TUC to publish collective bargaining strategy in six months
THE TUC is to agree and publish a collective bargaining strategy for sectors across the economy within six months as part of boosted collectivism between unions. The move was in a Communication Workers Union (CWU) motion which was carried at the TUC Congress today. Proposing the motion CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Are we prepared to set aside on occasions some of our own individual aspirations as unions in favour for working together and building collectivism?
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/tuc-publish-collective-bargaining-strategy-six-months

Greek PM under attack over handling of Storm Daniel disaster response
The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is facing his biggest crisis yet as – less than a week after rainstorms left vast tracts of the country’s central regions under water – his government is coming under attack for its handling of the disaster that has left 15 dead. Health experts have described conditions in the flood-stricken Thessaly region – one of Greece’s richest agricultural areas – as ripe for the spread of infectious diseases after a summer of unprecedented heat-induced forest fires.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/11/greek-pm-kyriakos-mitsotakis-storm-daniel-disaster-response

Putin’s party wins controversial polls in annexed Ukraine regions: Reports
Across Russia, United Russia won every provincial governor’s race it contested. In the regions voting, however, electoral competition was limited as strong candidates, including some from Russia’s main opposition Communist Party, were blocked from running by authorities. All significant, legal political forces in Russia, including the patchwork of opposition parties that provide a semblance of competition at the polls, are broadly loyal to Putin and his 18-month-old war in Ukraine.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/11/putins-party-wins-controversial-polls-in-annexed-ukraine-regions-reports
https://archive.ph/3lqxI

Chevron gambles on untested laws to halt Australia LNG strike action
Chevron Australia (CVX.N) no longer expects to reach a deal with unions and will instead pursue an untested legal strategy to stop industrial action at its Gorgon and Wheatstone liquefied natural gas facilities as unions prepare for full scale strikes. Hundreds of workers at the facilities, which account for over 5% of global supply, started short strikes on Friday after five days of last-minute negotiations broke down without a deal. Unions have said they will escalate to two weeks of 24-hour strikes from Thursday.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-appeals-workplace-tribunal-halt-australia-lng-strike-action-2023-09-11/

Sri Lankan government moves to impose draconian media laws and Anti-Terrorism Bill
Last week, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s cabinet approved two draft bills that will brutally suppress democratic rights of the people. The first, which is known as the Bill on Security of Online Methods (BSOM), was presented by the Ministry of Public Security; the second measure was the defence ministry’s slightly modified new Anti-Terrorism Bill.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/11/ndcx-s11.html

Journalist files P2 million civil suit vs Badoy
Broadcast journalist Atom Araullo yesterday filed a P2-million civil case against former government anti-insurgency task force spokesperson Lorraine Marie Badoy-Partosa and Jeffrey Celiz over red-tagging allegations. Araullo cited Articles 19, 20, 21, 26 and 33 of the New Civil Code of the Philippines in filing civil damages against Badoy and Celiz before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. Badoy and Celiz, who claims to be a former New People’s Army member, previously described Araullo as having communist ties in their talk show on Apollo Quiboloy-owned Sonshine Media Network International.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/09/12/2295674/journalist-files-p2-million-civil-suit-vs-badoy
R: 49 / I: 23

Chinese Marxist: The evaluation of Stalin is essentially an ideological struggle


*

The evaluation of Stalin’s merits and demerits would at first seem to be a matter of measuring a historical figure, a question with a definitive conclusion, but in reality, it is deeply linked to a series of ongoing issues in today’s struggle.

In the final analysis, it’s a question of life and death between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie – between socialism and capitalism – where one side must triumph over the other, and this must not be minimised.

First, the complete negation of Stalin is in essence the ideological assault of western hostile forces aiming to subvert the socialist regime. The vigorous development of the Soviet Union and the world’s socialist movement at large caused fear and anxiety in the capitalist world; capitalists feared that the Marxist doctrine of “>scientific socialism was everywhere materialising.

The demonisation of Stalin was a covert means to undermine the success of scientific socialism, and an important means for the west to succeed in the ‘battle for hearts and minds’. After the second world war, US-led western hostile forces attempted to gain a competitive advantage over socialism through rapid technological, economic and social development, inaugurating the cold war between capitalism and socialism.

The anti-Stalinist movement catered to the needs of US-led western hostile forces, disrupting socialism in the midst of turmoil, and opening a big gap in the ideological field of the already-consolidated socialist camp, the inevitable outcome of which was the growing ideological and political chaos in socialist countries, with various contradictions and conflicts growing in prominence.

Second, the complete negation of Stalin in essence substitutes the class interests of the bourgeoisie for the class interests of the proletariat and the masses of the people. In the present era, the masses of people, led by the proletariat, are the real force of social and historical development – the masters and subjects of history, the creators of all material and spiritual wealth in society, and the agents of social change.

Socialism is a new social form representing the fundamental interests of the proletariat and the vast masses of the people. Capitalism is the last exploitative society in human history, a backward social form representing the interests of the bourgeoisie. The struggle between socialism and capitalism is a struggle between the interests of two fundamentally opposed classes.

Socialism in the Soviet Union under Stalin’s leadership achieved a great increase in state power and mounted a great defence of the interests of the masses, creating a miracle unprecedented in human history.

Khrushchev thoroughly ignored this basic reality, completely repudiated Stalin and reversed his positions, and, under the guise of advocating for a “harmony of interests” and the turbulent transformation that brought with it, cultivated a privileged capitalist clique within grasp of the western bourgeoisie. He did what the enemy wanted to do but could not do: brought disaster to the whole of Soviet socialism and the people of the world.

Third, the complete negation of Stalin is in essence the denial of the inevitable historical trend of socialism overcoming capitalism. The essence of the anti-Stalinist strategy is to transform opposition to Stalin into a complete denial of the great achievements of Soviet socialism in revolution and in construction, and thus to completely deny the historical inevitability of socialism replacing capitalism.

Regarding this inevitable trend of sociohistorical development – and the inevitable law of history that socialism replaces capitalism – the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, representing different class interests, will take different perspectives, and will draw different and even opposite conclusions.

Despite the bourgeoisie’s efforts to concoct various myths about the invincibility of capitalism – its efforts to forestall its own fate with various measures, the intensification of its struggle against socialism, its suppressive measures against socialism ranging from the military to the economic, from the political to the cultural, and even its adoption of certain concessions and collaborative measures to save itself from the inevitable tendency towards decay and extinction – no matter what it does, it cannot fundamentally change the inevitable tendency of history. Even in the contemporary western capitalist world there are many educated people who openly admit this.

The great victory of the October revolution, the rapid development of socialist construction in the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin, and the vigorous development of socialism with Chinese characteristics all fully prove the scientific correctness of historical materialism.

All hostile forces opposing Stalin advocate the complete negation of Stalin, which in essence is the complete negation of the October Revolution and the achievements of Soviet socialism, and the complete negation of the historical inevitability of socialism replacing capitalism.

*

https://neodemocracy.blogspot.com/2023/05/chinese-marxist-evaluation-of-stalin-is.html

Discuss and cope if you like.
R: 265 / I: 56

GRRRR MUST ABOLISH CENTRAL BANKERINOOO

How bad will be the shock therapy 2.0 this guy is planning to impose on Argentina ? Will it be worse than the Russian one ? Will he manage to hold on to power after the widespread discontent his policies will unleash on Argentinian society which will make the current problems the country is facing seem like good ol days ?
R: 18 / I: 2

idpol secret sauce

>small brain: anything other than class is idpol
>medium brain: we can't form a united front against capital until working class people stop marginalizing each other over their identities. fixing idpol issues is good because it unites the working class.
>large brain: actually the ruling class should be as bigoted and divided over idpol as possible while the working class should be as united and unbigoted as possible. this will ensure unity and victory over our enemies. therefore bigotry is good when ruling class people do it to each other.
This is the secret sauce to the "idpol" discourse. All efforts to remove bigotry from our society have been bourgeois efforts to incorporate more marginalized groups into their class. We must not only do better than them, but get them to do worse and be more bigoted towards each other. That way the bourgeoisie stab each other in the back and marginalized bourgeoisie become class traitors, like Engels.
R: 7 / I: 2  

Left is a bourgeois meme and it has always been like that

Leftism (including Marxism) has been the B team of bourgeoisie since the day 1.

And this is now hilarious on such a gigantic scale that it has become very difficult indeed to differentiate between left and the ruling class of today. There is going to be no revolution ever, so all the idealist lefties can do themselves a great favor if they stop doing these mental gymnastics about theory on internet.

Academia specially is the biggest fraud institution of bourgeoisie which is apparent to all but the marxists and leftsits. Why does that happens? are these marxists and leftists so naive? The answer is that it happens because they are the lapdogs of bourgeoisie.
R: 20 / I: 5
when the NATO countries write articles against China, Russia, DPRK, Cuba, etc. I noticed they had this habit of commissioning 1940s style propaganda, but not propaganda against the enemy, but fake propaganda for the enemy.

Like this image of Xi Jinping for example. Instead of dehumanizing Xi Jinping by giving him yellow skin, slant eyes, orc fangs, etc., like they did with Tojo in WW2, instead what they do is they make old timey propaganda, from the enemy perspective, and then present it without comment, in order to imply that they made this.

Like you're supposed to look at this image and think "damn, the chinese government made that. that's crazy propaganda."

They can't do the Tojo thing any more because it's racist, so they're reduced to actually making pro-enemy propaganda, and trying their best to make it look fanatical, militaristic, totalitarian, authoritarian, and old fashioned. All the scary things.

But I look at these images and I think. "Damn. that goes hard."

So it doesn't really work. But they keep doing it. They unironically pay people to draw this for like their news articles and shit, not realizing how cool it makes the enemies look.

https://truepundit.com/chinas-arctic-ambitions-pose-growing-threat-to-canadian-interests-top-defence-official-warns/
R: 585 / I: 135 (sage)

/ukraine/ general #152 - Weed Whacker Edition

Remember: A mowed lawn is a happy lawn!

>Ukrainian counteroffensive has stalled because of…

<Checks notes
>…Weeds and shrubbery.

*starts lawnmower*

—————————————————–

Evidence of the influence and origin of neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine
https://archive.ph/44B9Q
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323637
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323658
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323663
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323688
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323729
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323733
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323731
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323735
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323740

—————————————————–

ALWAYS APPROACH SOURCES CRITICALLY

Developments of multipolarity timeline
https://www.pacemaker.global/multipolar-transition-timeline (Note: Dead link. Update with new link, por favor.)

Live maps and updates
DeepStateMap: https://deepstatemap.live
Events in Ukraine: https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/
SouthFront: https://southfront.org/category/all-articles/world/europe/ukraine/

Watch Together
📺 News/events: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/HappeningsviaKlash
📺 Hangout/chill: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/bloodcast

Watch By Yourself
>Video Essays / Historical Background
📺 Ukraine: The Avoidable War - Boy Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4eNy4FCs8

📺 America, Russia, and Ukraine's Far Right - Gravel Institute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0pyVJG7_6Q

📺 Crimea vs Taiwan: Who Gets Self-Determination? - BadEmpanada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_UH4fmyj0

📺 The Nature of Putin's Russia and Its Causes (3-Part Series) - 1Dime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d6Vzi7zYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zODWTfMwFGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN1KK9Mzuo

<Current Happenings

📺 Defense Politics Asia: https://www.youtube.com/@DefensePoliticsAsia
📺 The Duran: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeMVChrumySxV9N1w0Au-w
📺 The News Atlas: https://www.youtube.com/c/thenewatlas
📺 Military Summary: https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary

—————————————————–

Social media
>Twitter
https://nitter.net/GeromanAT
https://nitter.net/wargonzoo
https://nitter.net/plnewstoday
https://nitter.net/RALee85
https://nitter.net/MarQs__
https://nitter.net/KofmanMichael
https://nitter.net/IntelCrab
https://nitter.net/NotWoofers
https://nitter.net/michaelh992
https://nitter.net/Suriyakmaps

<Telegram

https://t.me/milinfolive
https://t.me/hueviykharkov
https://t.me/conflictzone
https://t.me/vorposte
https://t.me/intelslava
https://t.me/grey_zone
https://t.me/AussieCossack
https://t.me/asbmil
https://t.me/Slavyangrad


🇷🇺🇺🇦🇧🇾
PS:
• Please remember to add a spoiler to NSFW and extreme content such as graphic violence and gore.
• Try your best to not derail discussion from the main events and relevant places where the war is taken place. Discussion of the historical, philosophical and ideological background of the war is fine as long as its done in good faith and comradely.
• Remember to take your meds! It helps mediate schizoposting and foot fetishism
• this is /isg/ for people who treat geopolitics like shitty map games
R: 17 / I: 6
Imagine telling someone in the early 1900s that Russia would be the first country into space and hoisting a flag over Berlin.

They'd pour water over your head.
R: 2 / I: 0

I read it, it’s shit

From the opening paragraphs I already knew this leftypol original was trash. For starters it clarifies that the loneliness issue in the imperial core is a gendered issue faced prominently or exclusively by young males, than a general one faced by millions due to mass atomization and communality being forgotten as a part of public health policies. It then goes on to call attention to e celebs I couldn’t give less of a shit about as if they matter to people’s health, and at that point I was demotivated to fully read through the book in favour of skimming through it and getting a general sense of its ideas.

It’s not any different from any other shitty self improvement nonsense you see in public libraries, and like every other book it fails to call attention to the forces that drive people to such acetism in the first place: shitty financial opportunities, car dependent infrastructure, bad food and air quality, mass availability of hardcore drugs, inflation and inequality.

As for the Marxist rhetoric, it’s awful and so out of touch with what was written in capital or soviet history that it feels like it was written by a western that’s never read the books, or have looked into a general history of the planet and progressivism.

Disgustingly enough, this book fails to even recognize the needs of the audience it’s written for, young males. Instead of bringing attention to boys failing in education, satirically high enrolment rates and low employment opportunities, suicide and the promotion of violence in media directed towards them, it focuses on petty issues like sexlessness and status as if they’re new problems or even relevant ones compared to the former. Worse it fails to even identify how its own shitty problems proliferate and bring any context relevant information on how people struggling with them can heal. I couldn’t take this book seriously, it needs to be edited and expanded to include more information.
R: 51 / I: 14

Antisemitism

How do we stop reactionaries from co-opting socialist rhetoric and diluting it with antisemitism? Zionism, disproportionate Jewish wealth, overrepresentation in certain industries etc, are all contentious topics that can't be taken lightly and must be dissected strictly via class analysis and materialism without unnecessarily introducing idpol, whether it be "positive" or negative, (ie biological essentialism in regards to Jewish autism score). The Jewish people have been instrumental in the struggle against fascism, imperialism, and capitalism, to rescind all this just because Jews are a little richer on average is idiotic at best and dangerous at worst.
R: 23 / I: 0 (sage)

Where are the League of Militant Atheists when we need it now more than ever?

Looking at how abortion is being criminalized in the U.S and "Project 2025" where is the League of Militant Atheists when we need it in the face of Conservative Christianity?
R: 16 / I: 4

Disease is a process, mental illness isn’t real

Diseases are not a “thing” or sudden effect people just one day contract. Infections and viruses that do lead to immediate disorders aren’t under this, but common ones associated with peoples bodies becoming dysfunctional is never an immediate occurrence. It takes a process of failures, societal, social and physical before the body reaches a state in its development to fail and produce irregular disorders. Mental unwellness is a pillar to this idea.
Modern stats say the number of mentally disturbed people keep climbing, some say it’s due to better reporting, others would suggest that life in the imperial core itself is getting worse. The ladder is definitely true ,but isn’t the antecedent to mental unwellness; mental illness simply isn’t real. There isn’t a single physical, or cellular indicator, observable or not that can indicate someone’s mental state beyond what they’re actually doing, and even then environmental context serves as a better tool to explain what goes on with people’s minds than any self diagnosed disease people just suddenly gain out of thin air.
It’s worse in fact to go out and say that about people in general, as if they’re wrong for expressing themselves in a way that could be disagreeable, that they’re deeply depressed, schizophrenic, sociopathic or whatever new made up disease. Mass diagnosis today hilariously and shamelessly serve to get tax payer money shoved into pharmaceutical companies to produce drugs that make people violent, unemotional and anti social. It’s disturbing how long depression, a “common” problem was seen as a “purely chemical” imbalance with the brains ability to produce dopamine and other NTS. This same dumbass mentality of NTS production was applied to ADHD as if it’s as common as the flu. You know why this was popularized. Selling drugs to people and forcing them to blow out the ass for it until they couldn’t get off it.
It’s fine to feel deeply dissatisfied about your life for long periods of time if nothing is fucking changing. It’s fine to not constantly be around others if there’s no reason to and no one available when they’re trying to fix their own situation. It’s fine to have massive fucking outbursts in public over cunts trying to fish money out of you or push you into corporate competition for their own amusement. It’s human and shouldn’t be treated as an injury to be sold endless remedies for.
Fuck big pharma, Fuck advertising, Fuck influencers, Fuck celebrities FUuuuiaubwgwownw wwowk
R: 6 / I: 4

The Age of a Thousand Engels

anonymity on the internet is actually good for political development because it allows individuals to re-educate themselves over and over by having low-stakes conversations. If you have the wrong opinion in real life, it is permanently associated with your name and face. But in anonymity we can subject our ideas to the collective critique of others, without having to be permanently guilty of being wrong. This allows us to accelerate our personal political development by resolving the contradictions in our personal ideologies without running the risk of being persecuted for our shitty ideas as we are in the process of resolving them. This is how people have lately been able to go from liberals to anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninists in five years flat without having any kind of Marxists in their family. The loss of this mode of communication would be devastating. Yes anonymity also brings the opportunity to be a reactionary without consequences, but if a person is actually curious and interested in subjecting themselves to a constant scathing critique, they may end up in the right place.

>class position determines all this, not having internet arguments


Mostly true, but I think this era is going to produce more bourgeois class traitors because bourgeois failsons have the opportunity to study the modes of oppression they benefit from, and submit themselves to scathing critique without getting lynched by the proletariat, i.e., they have the opportunity to self-re-educate. I think this is the age of a thousand Engels.
R: 594 / I: 128

MULTIPOLARISM II

last thread full: >>1547100
<To what extent is multipolarism just capitalist nationalism for people not in green on this map? If the whole thrust of socialism is now just "America bad" what becomes of the classical socialist goals of workers control of the means of production, and abolishing class society?
R: 69 / I: 25
POP QUIZ, FUCKERS
1. What is the difference between price and value?
2. What is the difference between labor and labor power?
3. What is the difference between productive and unproductive labor?
4. What is socially necessary labor time?
5. What is fictitious capital?
6. Why is the "transformation problem" a fake cope from porkies?
R: 10 / I: 3

News 9/9/23

$3 billion in frozen Venezuelan assets will soon be released
Sources familiar with the negotiations informed EL PAÍS that $3 billion worth of frozen Venezuelan assets will be released in the coming weeks. The United Nations (UN) will manage these assets, which will be used for public works and health projects. The release of the funds was agreed upon in November 2022 during ongoing talks in Mexico between Venezuela’s ruling party and opposition leaders. The United Nations expressed concerns about possible legal claims from the government’s creditors, but in May, the United States assured that it would protect the assets from such claims. “The money will soon be available,” our sources said.
https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-08/3-billion-in-frozen-venezuelan-assets-will-soon-be-released.html

Panama: News Measures to Control Illegal Migration
The Government of Panama announced that starting today it will increase deportations and expulsions of irregular migrants to their countries of origin, one of the measures to contain the growing flows. The announcement was made by Panama’s National Migration Institute, outlining increased border control and surveillance, improvements to migrant reception centers, and coordination with other countries to control irregular migration flows. Additionally, the government plans to strengthen the asylum process and ensure human rights protections for migrants.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Panama-News-Measures-to-Control-Illegal-Migration-20230908-0013.html

Cuba arrests 17 for trafficking men to fight for Russia in Ukraine
Cuban authorities have arrested 17 people on charges related to a human trafficking ring that allegedly lured young Cuban men to fight in Ukraine with the Russian military. Cuba’s Foreign Ministry said earlier this week that authorities were working to dismantle the network, which operated in Cuba and Russia to facilitate Cubans joining the war against Ukraine.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/8/cuba-arrests-17-for-trafficking-men-to-fight-for-russia-in-ukraine
https://archive.ph/cr1Hb

'Advocating for War is Wrong': Russian Teachers Resign Over Refusal to Allow Ukraine Veterans in Class
A group of Russian teachers has quit their jobs after refusing to allow Ukraine war veterans to teach required lessons that they believe promote war to children. The incident reflects the dilemma facing Russian teachers who wish to keep politics out of the classroom. At least 10 teachers and the principal of School No. 12 in the Urals city of Perm resigned following pro-war activists’ accusations that they were undermining a patriotic course called “Important Conversations,” which was introduced in Russian schools shortly after the invasion of Ukraine last year.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/09/07/advocating-for-war-is-wrong-russian-teachers-resign-over-refusal-to-allow-ukraine-veterans-in-class-a82388
https://archive.ph/m5bSH

Separatist parliament in Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region elects new president
Samvel Shakhramanyan’s election as the new president of Nagorno-Karabakh follows the resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan, who stepped down on Sept. 1 as president of the region — which the Armenians call Artsakh. It comes amid soaring tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry denounced the vote as a “gross violation” of the country’s constitution and a “serious blow to the efforts of normalization in the region.” The ministry emphasized that “the only way to achieve peace and stability in the region is the unconditional and complete withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces” from Nagorno-Karabakh and “the disbandment of the puppet regime.”
https://apnews.com/article/armenia-azerbaijan-nagorno-karabakh-blockade-8c17f95af29c66638bcd38fb7fb02812

Tunisia: National Journalists Syndicate denounces Saied’s ‘systematic media restrictions’
President of the syndicate Yassin Al-Jelassi announced in a press conference: “There are cases of systematic censorship to seize control of the media outlets, especially state media.” Al-Jelassi continued: “Cases of censorship have been recorded in the state television institutions, the government news agency and the newspaper La Presse.” The syndicate also denounced the prosecutions targeting journalists for “political” purposes.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230909-tunisia-national-journalists-syndicate-denounces-saieds-systematic-media-restrictions/

Mercenary confesses: They forced us to fight against SDF under the name of the tribes
“One of the members of the so-called “National Defense Forces” of the Syrian regime, who was arrested by our forces in the town of “Busira” during the sweep operations carried out by our forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces, as part of the “ Enhancement Security ” operation, revealed that instructions were issued by the commander of his group within “National Defense” began fighting against our forces under the name “clanes” in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor.
https://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/mercenary-confesses-they-forced-us-to-fight-against-sdf-under-the-name-of-the-tribes-h37939.html

Power cuts in Sierra Leone as Turkey operator cuts supply over unpaid debt
Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown has been hit by power cuts, its energy minister said on Friday, after Turkey’s Karpowership switched off electricity supply due to an unpaid debt of around $40m. Minister Kanja Sesay told the Reuters news agency that the outstanding amount “was accrued over time because the government subsidises more than half the cost the ship charges per kilowatt hour”.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/8/power-cuts-in-sierra-leone-as-turkey-operator-cuts-supply-over-unpaid-debt
https://archive.ph/ZBfty

South Africans can buy electricity now, pay later
South Africans can now purchase prepaid electricity on credit. A telecommunications giant which has pioneered the prepaid market in the country now enables struggling South Africans access to electricity that they can pay off at a later stage. The recently launched prepaid electricity top up can be accessed nationwide on the Blu-advance website.
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/south-africans-can-buy-electricity-now-pay-later/

‘The city wants to finish off what Russia’s attacks began’: Kyiv residents fear property grab
The war, perhaps surprisingly, has not diminished the appetite for prime property in Kyiv, or halted the scramble to get hold of empty plots for construction. Property prices dipped only briefly when Russian forces besieged the city last spring, then rebounded as its streets returned to life. Kyiv has extensive air defences and the frontlines are far away, so some residents have returned, and it has become a new home for people fleeing the fighting further east.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/09/the-city-wants-to-finish-off-what-russias-attacks-began-kyiv-residents-fear-property-grab

Hundreds of Pride activists march in Serbia despite hate messages sent by far-right officials
Hundreds of Pride activists gathered in the Serbian capital Saturday amid a heavy police presence and anti-gay messages sent by the country’s conservative leadership and far-right groups. Last year, the LGBTQ+ event was marred by skirmishes between the police and anti-Pride groups who believe the event goes against traditional Serbian Christian Orthodox values and should be banned.
https://apnews.com/article/serbia-gay-rights-lgbtq-vucic-pride-514fbcb3e78887437171726fba63cec4

A ‘Tour de France for Health’ in response to Macron’s austerity measures
On Monday, September 11, more than 50 trade unions, associations, and political organizations in France will formally announce the beginning of the Tour de France for Health (Tour de France pour la Santé). Their announcement comes as the Macron administration prepares to consider a new round of cuts to health and social services funding through the Social Security Funding Bill and the national health budget discussion scheduled for next month. Signatories of this initiative include Sud Santé Sociaux, Médecins du Monde, the People’s Health Movement France, France Insoumise, and many others.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/09/a-tour-de-france-for-health-in-response-to-macrons-austerity-measures/

Farmers discuss protecting prime crop land from coal seam gas mining
Nearly 200 quietly furious farmers met for a conference on August 26 at Glendon, Nangwee, a farm on the prime cropland of the Condamine Alluvium, to discuss protecting their black soil floodplain from coal seam gas (CSG) mining. They gathered on the black soil and, with a backdrop of lush green cereal crops growing as far as the eye could see, they heard hard facts on the devastation caused to soil, water and communities by coal and CSG extraction. Speakers included soil and water experts, environmental lawyers, climate scientists and local landowners who sharing experiences of dealing with Arrow Energy.
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/farmers-discuss-protecting-prime-crop-land-coal-seam-gas-mining
R: 18 / I: 1

To Entirely Blame Deng For China's Failures Is Over-Simplification

To Entirely Blame Deng For China's Failures Is Over-Simplification

It is an over-simplification of history to ascribe all failures of the CPC to Deng Xiaoping. The truth is, revisionism in the CPC started long before Deng Xiaoping. Deng Xiaoping's reforms and opening up are a major manifestation of that revisionism, but hardly the starting point. Mao Zedong himself had major revisionist and class collaborationist tendencies, and it is because he is hero-worshiped as the pure guy who came before Deng and denounced him as a Capitalist roader that many people are unable to see this. Mao Zedong's idea of a New Democracy always incorporated the national bourgeoisie as an anti-imperialist force. the national bourgeoisie are one of the stars on the flag of the PRC. The PRC had always wanted to work with the national bourgeoisie, and sometimes even the international bourgeoisie, to combat Japanese imperialism. This is because the Chinese Marxists had a lot of internal contradictions that stemmed from multiple realities in China:

A) China was wholly feudal until the 1910s, and partly feudal until the 1940s
B) China didn't know whether it wanted to commit to bourgeois or socialist model of revolution
C) Chinese intellectuals were translating many western authors at once. Everyone from Benjamin Franklin to Karl Marx was getting translated into Chinese at once, and Chinese proletarian intellectuals were being introduced to many new forms of Western thought at once, both liberal, conservative, bourgeois, marxist, anarchist, reformist, reactionary, revolutionary, etc.
D) The chinese developed their own revisionist and anti-revisionist strains of Marxist ideology which competed with each other in the context of Marixm
E) National liberation from colonialism and anti-imperialism was always the top priority in early 20th century China, hence the long standing love/hate affair between bourgeois and Marxist movements in China, their constant waffling between antagonism and collaboration, and so on.
F) China never shed its tendencies of Confucian ancestor worship. It is one of the oldest countries on Earth that has had a consistent national identity, and it has one of the oldest continually used systems of writing. Their form of writing is logographic rather than alphabetic. Their language is tonal, causing words to take on vastly different meanings depending on tone alone. Not only is translating in/out of their language difficult, their entire way of processing information is completely different. This led to a lot of confusion and revision and domestic innovation when they absorbed western ideas like Marxism. It also led to the development of a synthetic hybrid Marxist-Bourgeois-Confucian ideology upheld by the Chinese state today.

For a better understanding of China that does not ignore the history leading up to Deng, and does not succumb to "Great Man Theory" (or, rather Terrible Man Theory) regarding Deng, I highly recommend listening to this reading of Enver Hoxha's thoughts on the Chinese revolution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dHhFfJEZ9g

TL;DR it was over long before the fall of the Gang of Four and the rise of Deng.
R: 600 / I: 202 (full)

/ukraine/ - Russia-Ukraine war general #164: The Glowing NAFOhlinger Edition

REMEMBER: This Is All Babylon Bee-esque satire!

>My Leninhat LARP has reached an impasse since one of the mod I honestly dont know which one because I can't find ban logs on ogre has flagged me for ban evasion. I've reached the peak of impersonating that Angloid anyway, not to mention that quite a few others will continue impersonating him thanks to my antics. His reputation has been sullied.

<What's next?
>👆🏿👀👆🏿
<👉🏿👀👉🏿
>We'll find out.

>Balts & Poles will open up portals in Moscow and invade with this new technology, revolutionizing warfare forever and making putinoids sore.


<My babushka is so zigga she would make Iron Felix blush, she would totally send me to storm the Kremlin if Putin somehow cucks out of the conflict

>Putin must instantly nuke a NATO member for deporting a babushka or I, Gunther Felixlinger, will declare him #Cucktin on the internet

>You have until finish googling for an alt-history map of your state, to honor my demands.

>Or I will be forced to post it, accompanied with a wojak-like selfie and grandstanding demands of balkanization
>I am wearing a suit, this is very serious!

<what's Zelenskyy's current search history?

>how Wehrmacht could have won
>how Wehrmacht could have won NOT HOI4
>military strategy for beginners youtube
>r/nato-wave open Reddit account
>putin address
>how to escape a country via land
>learn polish 101
>lukashenko pics rule 34
>How Ukraine's F-16 Completely Change the War With Russia
>is the UAE in BRICS?
>UAE oil prices
>cheap flight to the Emirates
>how to convert to islam
>can i sell italian villa
>how did a cook lead wagner
>can a cook become italian leader?
>Recipe for pizza ( easy to prepare )
>Best ukrainian ww2 hits 2023
>Why Ukraine is winning
>Why Ukraine must win
>How can Ukraine win?
>Why Zelensky is awesome
>How to kill myself

<you WILL become a jungle boy


>Blood Tribe members emphasize hyper-masculinity; the group does not allow female members.

<we're so not gay we ban women

—————————————————–

Evidence of the influence and origin of neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine
https://archive.ph/44B9Q
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323637
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323658
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323663
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323688
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323729
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323733
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323731
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323735
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323740

—————————————————–

ALWAYS APPROACH SOURCES CRITICALLY

Developments of multipolarity timeline
https://www.pacemaker.global/multipolar-transition-timeline (Note: Dead link. Update with new link, por favor.)

Live maps and updates
DeepStateMap: https://deepstatemap.live
Events in Ukraine: https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/
SouthFront: https://southfront.org/category/all-articles/world/europe/ukraine/

Watch Together
📺 News/events: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/HappeningsviaKlash
📺 Hangout/chill: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/bloodcast

Watch By Yourself
>Video Essays / Historical Background
📺 Ukraine: The Avoidable War - Boy Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4eNy4FCs8

📺 America, Russia, and Ukraine's Far Right - Gravel Institute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0pyVJG7_6Q

📺 Crimea vs Taiwan: Who Gets Self-Determination? - BadEmpanada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_UH4fmyj0

📺 The Nature of Putin's Russia and Its Causes (3-Part Series) - 1Dime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d6Vzi7zYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zODWTfMwFGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN1KK9Mzuo

<Current Happenings

📺 Defense Politics Asia: https://www.youtube.com/@DefensePoliticsAsia
📺 The Duran: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeMVChrumySxV9N1w0Au-w
📺 The News Atlas: https://www.youtube.com/c/thenewatlas
📺 Military Summary: https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary

—————————————————–

Social media
>Twitter
https://nitter.net/GeromanAT
https://nitter.net/wargonzoo
https://nitter.net/plnewstoday
https://nitter.net/RALee85
https://nitter.net/MarQs__
https://nitter.net/KofmanMichael
https://nitter.net/IntelCrab
https://nitter.net/NotWoofers
https://nitter.net/michaelh992
https://nitter.net/Suriyakmaps

<Telegram

https://t.me/milinfolive
https://t.me/hueviykharkov
https://t.me/conflictzone
https://t.me/vorposte
https://t.me/intelslava
https://t.me/grey_zone
https://t.me/AussieCossack
https://t.me/asbmil
https://t.me/Slavyangrad

🇷🇺🇺🇦
Thread guidelines:
• Please remember to add a spoiler to NSFW and extreme content such as graphic violence and gore.
• Try your best to not derail discussion too much from the main events and relevant places where the war is taken place, as well as other happenings, groups and public figures related to it.
• Meta discussion of the historical, philosophical and ideological background of the war is fine as long as its done in good faith and comradely.
• In the event the meta discussion overstays its welcome, participating users will be referred to take the conversation to the MULTIPOLARISM general thread: >>>/leftypol/1571995 new (9/6/23): >>>/leftypol/1590991
• Quality shitposting and original content is encouraged! Spamming glowie memes is low effort.
• Remember to take your meds! It helps mediate schizoposting and foot fetishism
• this is /isg/ for people who treat geopolitics like shitty map games
R: 46 / I: 9

On Pan-Africanism. Thoughts?


I’ve just read the excellent book of Kemi Seba on panafricanism. Generally very good. Some points are still shocking.

I totally agree with essential points:

1. Africans (melanodermites in general) should be liberated profoundly from any traces of colonial alien consciousness, imposed mentality - blowing up Hegelian dialectics of Master/Slave. Africans were never enslaved in the reality that was messianic eschatologic expirience of passing the cruel test.
2. Africa can not be rebuild basing on White (essentially racist) political theories - liberalism, communism, nationalism. Africa needs new political theory based on melanodermite metaphysics - One (lazy) God and His Metaphysical Government (GM).
3. Africans should be proud to be what they are and not imitate Western White racist civilization.
4. Core essence of African soul / African society is Tradition and sacredness. Modern West is the same as profanism, anti-Tradition, materialism and secularism. It is satanic civilization that should be overcome and struggled against.
5. African life should be organized on the pattern of quilombo (mocambo) - self sufficient rural community based on solidarity and mutual help. So African choice: community against society (F.Tönies).
6. Africa should be fully independent pole of multipolar world, united as Melanodermite eschatological Empire.
7. Africans were original people = Adam Kadmon. They belong to the golden age of humanity. We are living in the iron age where anti-blacks (Whites) rule. The African fight is the global fight for restauration of Golden Age and Sacredness. Its mission is the historical alchemy — to transform the End into the New Beginnig, the Night of History (kali-yuga) into the New Dawn.
8. African have mission to create new civilization based on veneration of eumelatonin, black skin that is the mark of holy election.
9. There should be panafrican koine — medu netjer (restored ancient Egyptian) or Swahili for everyday use.
10. Metaphysical Government should rule as representatives of Heaven (lazy) Go on the Earth.
11. The blacker the better. Any mulatos should be brought back to melatonin - the marriage of Blacks with lighter skin with Blacks with more dark skin should be sanitarian norm. It is mystical action of liberation from slavery and dispersion. To evict the whitness as the mark of damnation an spiritual disease.
12. Quilombo can be created not only in Africa but in other territories where Africans live - First African State based on quiolombo principle was created in Pernambuku (Brazil) and lasted from 1604 until 1694. It was called Palmares with capital Makaku. More Palmares!

All that is genial!

Nevertheless I disagree with some other points:

1. I don’t consider all white (indoeuropean) civilization as abnormality. Yes it is the ruling culture of Iron Age (agree) but real degradation arrived with Modernity that has cut the sacred roots of White civilization itself. And the real slavery based on biological racism and racist understanding of the level of civilization came only with Modernity. Slavery and enslavering of Blacks it is totally New idea, not traditional, essentially modern. It coincides with capitalism, materialism, desacralization and anglo-saxon domination. The Modernity is real evil in all senses. Not the Whites as such. But we can not not to recognize that Modernity was born in indoeuropean context. But (imho) it is wrong to project Modern European civilization (that is pure satanism and liberation — more clear in liberalism and globalism) on indoeuropean Pre-Modernity where I see no trace of racism. Racism is essentially modern. Slavery as marginal phenomenon existed in ancient societies — White or Black, or Semitic, or Asian. That never ha anything to do with the colour of skin. Racism is capitalist modern anglo-saxon fists of all creation.

2. White indoeuropean cultures fighting liberalism, NATO, capitalism and Modernity in favour of Tradition can be friends and sincere allies of African liberation. We need to build our Empires based on our community liberating from hypnosis of Modernity. Stressing too much the hatred to Whites and exaggeration race fight projecting it to the Ages of Tradition would damage the process of creation of our common liberation front against the Westoxication.

3. 3. I accept that appeal to ancient Egypt as the cradle of original African civilization can be the option. I know that from Cheikh Anta Diop and the works of Mbogmbog Mbassong. But that is brutal reduction of pluralism of African traditions that are so rich and original that acceptance of only one exclusive theory would damage that precious treasure. The blackness itself can not be equated with Egyptian tradition. I think the things are much more complicated.

4. I think that purely melaninocentric approach is a kind of abstraction in the context of Africa itself, but still more is problematic in the case of Sumearian, Elamite, Dravidian and Oceanic peoples. They are so different that we should study them accurately restoring original context severely damaged (I agree) by brutal modern-capitalist colonizers. It is unjust to affirm they are something like ancient Egyptian model.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A9mi_S%C3%A9ba
R: 5 / I: 0

"Civilized"

Have you ever noticed that people often get confused and assume terms are being used in a prescriptive way rather than a descriptive way? You often see this with the word "civilized" in older Marxist texts. I have lent people copies of older Marxist texts only for them to snap back that the use of terms like "civilized" and so forth are reactionary, eurocentric, etc. But if you read carefully, civilized in the Marxist context simply means a country has undergone the prerequisite changes to have a socialist reovlution. I.e. they have become a bourgeois nation state with a majority proletariat and a high literacy rate. This isn't a judgement of whether they're "good" or "bad" (i.e. a prescriptive judgement) but merely a descriptive assessment of where they're at developmentally. Because development is continuous, asymmetrical, and does not proceed at the same pace everywhere, it is important for development to be continually assessed and described. Terms like "civilized" in a Marxist context merely describe if the majority of the population have become "civilians" in the modern sense of the word, i.e. a literate proletariat.
R: 133 / I: 26
>The most pro-China party in Taiwan is unironically the KMT.
I guess life's funny like that, but its the multipolar world and the war against neo-liberalism makes for strange allies
R: 5 / I: 2

News 9/8/23

Operation Security Reinforcement in Deir ez-Zor successfully completed
The Media Center of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) released a statement announcing the completion of Operation Security Reinforcement in Deir ez-Zor, and a transition to specific security operations and anti-ISIS efforts in the region.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/rojava-syria/operation-security-reinforcement-in-deir-ez-zor-successfully-completed-69213

Emiratis pledge $450m in carbon credit deal at 'toxic' Africa Climate Summit
While acknowledging the market’s “crisis of confidence”, a slump in response to mounting evidence indicating that many carbon credits have “no environmental worth, Jaber attributed the fault in the system to a lack “of a commonly agreed standard”. According to grassroots African campaigners attending the Africa Climate Summit, the drive for market-based financing instruments was fuelled by foreign interests and eclipsed the voices of non-state actors.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/emiratis-carbon-credit-deal-during-africa-climate-summit-toxic

Clashes resume between factions in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp
Maher Shabaita, head of Fatah in the Sidon region, told The Associated Press that the Islamist groups had launched an attack Thursday night in an attempt to forestall plans by Palestinian forces to clear militants out of schools they had been occupying in the camp. By late morning Friday, the fighting had at least temporarily subsided, but clashes intermittently flared up again. Hundreds of people displaced from their homes were sheltering in a nearby mosque and in the courtyard of the municipality building of the city of Sidon, which is adjacent to the camp.
https://apnews.com/article/ein-hilweh-palestinian-camp-clashes-lebanon-b2f6c398d83d26b97b6a4371eb4346ee

Rights groups urge Egyptian government to release imprisoned political activist Mohamed Adel
Close to 30 human rights organizations have called on the Egyptian government for the immediate and unconditional release of well-known pro-democracy activist Mohamed Adel. In a letter released on Wednesday, September 6, the groups also called on the Egyptian authorities to “halt acts of repression and prosecution on political grounds against activists and political opposition figures in Egypt, including recently against the publisher and activist Hesham Kassem, and to uphold the principles of human rights and the rule of law.” The letter comes just days after Adel was sentenced to four years in prison.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/08/rights-groups-urge-egyptian-government-to-release-imprisoned-political-activist-mohamed-adel/

Colombia’s president wants end to sanctions on Venezuela
Last year, a total of 248,000 migrants undertook the journey through the border jungle. Panamanian authorities have decried the failure of cooperation of Colombian authorities to curb the mass migration. According to Petro, “we must unblock Venezuela economically” in order to “stop the humanitarian disaster” on the border between Colombia and Panama.
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-president-wants-end-to-sanctions-on-venezuela/

DR Closes Border in Dajabon, Canal Works, Fugitives Search
On Wednesday, Abinader explained that the closure of the border of the Dominican Republic with Haiti, in the area of Dajabón province, was done with the purpose of achieving two objectives and that the eventual opening will depend on the results that are achieved. The first of these is to stop the excavation of a canal to divert water from the Masacre River and, the second, to capture the fugitive Haitians who allegedly participated in the quadruple crime that occurred in a house in Dajabón.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/DR-Closes-Border-in-Dajabon-Canal-Works-Fugitives-Search-20230907-0013.html

Vietnam and U.S. Forge Deeper Ties as Worries Rise About China
During his state visit to Vietnam on Sunday, Mr. Biden is expected to oversee the signing of a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Hanoi, a symbolic but significant status long coveted by the United States. Vietnam has until now reserved this status for only four countries: China, Russia, India and South Korea. For years, it had resisted granting this distinction to the United States out of fear of offending China.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/08/world/asia/biden-vietnam-china.html
https://archive.ph/mtXEz

Workers at three north-west English hospitals to strike over pay
WORKERS at three hospitals in north-west England are to strike in two disputes over pay. More than 300 healthcare assistants (HCAs) at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester have voted for action by 98 per cent. They are members of public-service union Unison, which is calling for them to be put on a new pay grade that woud increase their wages by up to £2,000 a year.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/workers-three-north-west-english-hospitals-strike-over-pay

German lawmakers approve a contentious plan to replace fossil-fuel heating
The legislation calls for newly installed heating systems in new housing developments to be at least 65% fueled by renewable energy starting in January. It allows for existing heating systems to keep running and be repaired, with several-year transition periods before the new rules apply to older buildings. The plan, softened considerably from the original proposal, provides for government subsidies to help people switch heating systems. By 2045, when Germany aims for net zero emissions of greenhouse gases, all heating systems must be switched to renewable energy sources.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/german-lawmakers-approve-contentious-plan-replace-fossil-fuel-103026499

Ukraine is furious with Elon Musk for thwarting an attack on Russia's navy
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has come under fire from Ukraine after it emerged he thwarted a major attack on the Russian navy. According to excerpts published by CNN, a soon-to-be-released biography of the SpaceX CEO claims that Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his Starlink satellite network over Russian-occupied Crimea last year in order to prevent a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s naval fleet.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/musk-stopped-ukraine-attack-russian-fleet-starlink-rcna104019

Strikes start at major Chevron Australia LNG projects, no talks planned
The work stoppages, designed to escalate in coming weeks, come after domestic producer Woodside Energy (WDS.AX) averted strikes at its nearby North West Shelf LNG facility last month in a deal with the same unions that raised salaries and made it harder to hire contractors or change rosters. … Brad Gandy, a spokesperson for the Offshore Alliance, said the union coalition had agreed "in good faith" to the mediated talks, "but after five days Chevron has barely budged".
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-australia-lng-workers-begin-strike-friday-2023-09-07/

Shell signals retreat from carbon offsetting
Shell has become the latest large company to pull back from carbon offsets amid concerns many have no environmental impact, it has emerged, as the Carbon Trust discontinues its “carbon neutral” labelling scheme based on offsetting. The FTSE 100 oil company, one of the leading proponents of carbon offsetting, abandoned targets to invest up to $100m a year in carbon credit schemes and purchase 120m nature offsets a year by 2030 as part of a broader watering down of its climate ambitions in June, the oil major has confirmed.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/08/shell-signals-retreat-from-carbon-offsetting
R: 13 / I: 2 (sage)

Welfare is inherently reactionnary

The only goal of welfare is to give unhearn surplus money to the most reactionnary, least working demographics of the country: the lumpens and their family, the mentally ill reactionnaries with no job, the imported islamists (50% of them are welfare leeches in my country), the whitenat survivalists like Varg and so on. When i used to hang around DR groups i was astonished at just how many of them were litteraly welfare queens while calling working jews, communists and lgbt individual parasites to be removed.
Welfare also have the sneak perverse effect of completely neutralising leftist radicalization, i mean after all we have communist-coded welfare my fellow leftists so why bother risking a violent revolution amirite? The Nordic Model is the way!
Welfare both empower the lumpen reaction and demolish any revolutionary left-wing sentiment in left-sensible peoples all the while stealing money from the actual workers. Truly the worst weapon of the moderate wing of fascism.
Also most people i knew on welfare were fat as fuck.
R: 36 / I: 11

Shame vs guilt societies

Ive been researching this topic past few days here and there. It is very interesting to me to compare the west and east in regards to this or simply different cultures approach to shame and guilt. I want to dig deeper into this to understand it better and I believe it to be a real distinction when I compare places like central Asia to Western Europe/USA for example in my experiences of talking to people who grew up central Asia and hearing about their childhood.

Does anyone have material on this topic to share or insight that you have gather yourself about these concepts? Or if you think it is bullshit can you explain why. Thank you
R: 37 / I: 2
Hello comrades.

How is the distinction between private/personal property made? What do you think? What if someone has an ocean-front house, or something that is more desirable but limited? Who gets the house with a better view or with temperate weather?

I'm asking how this would be determined after the establishment of the DOTP, just as a thought experiment.
R: 56 / I: 5

christians only pls

are there any modern attempts to turn evangelism into a more revolutionary interpretation of the Gospel? ive seen it with liberation theology in the catholic church (a profoundly feudal institution) but not in a profoundly capitalist institution like the evangelic churches
R: 6 / I: 1

News 9/7/23

Claudia Sheinbaum will be MORENA’s candidate for Mexican Presidential election
The internal surveys gave Sheinbaum an almost 14-point lead over her nearest rival, former Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. After the announcement, amid cheers of “President, President!”and “It is an honor to be with Obrador!,” Sheinbaum said, “Unity is fundamental, the doors are open and they will never close. Today, democracy won, today the people of Mexico won and I am the National Coordinator for the Defense of Transformation by decision of the people of Mexico.”
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/07/claudia-sheinbaum-will-be-morenas-candidate-for-mexican-presidential-election/

Colombia’s ranchers federation threatens to mobilize over land reform
Colombia’s controversial ranchers’ federation Fedegan suggested to mobilize “ranchers solidarity brigades” in opposition to government efforts to empower landless farmers. The suggestion was rejected by President Gustavo Petro, who accused the federation of promoting the armament among its members. The far-right president of Fedegan, Jose Felix Lafaurie, denied that the “brigades” mentioned in his email to ranchers referred to paramilitary structures. Fedegan was one of the major institutions behind paramilitary groups that displaced millions of farmers in a massive land theft in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-ranchers-federation-threatens-to-mobilize-over-land-reform/

‘Lifeline for Gaza’: Businesses raise concerns after Israel halts exports
Business owners in Gaza are concerned about the future of their work after Israel imposed a ban on all exports from the Gaza Strip passing through the Karem Abu Salem crossing. On Monday, Israeli authorities announced a halt to commercial exports from Gaza to Israel after an “alleged attempt to smuggle explosives”. Karem Abu Salem is the only crossing Israel allows to be used for commercial shipments. The move was condemned by Palestinian industrial and economic unions, which warned of potential economic and social consequences.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/7/lifeline-for-gaza-businesses-raise-concerns-after-israel-halts-exports
https://archive.ph/QVhlM

Israel: New movement sees young people refusing military service over judicial reforms
Although it is not the first time Israelis have refused military service in protest, the decision by 230 students to boycott the service is the first organised attempt to use refusal as a specific means of opposing the current government's judicial reforms. In a statement released on Sunday at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium high school in central Tel Aviv, Youth Against Dictatorship also explicitly tied their cause to opposition to the oppression of the Palestinians.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-judicial-crisis-new-movement-sees-young-people-refuse-military-service

French working class rallies in solidarity with trade unionist facing prosecution
On Wednesday, September 6, workers’ unions and radical groups in France demonstrated in front of the Gendarmerie office at Montmorency in northern Paris to protest the state persecution of Sébastien Menesplier, the leader of the National Federation of Mines and Energy, which is affiliated to the General Confederation of Labor (CGT). Menesplier was summoned by the Gendarmerie on Wednesday as part of an investigation over a strike by energy sector workers against the controversial pension reforms forced through by the Emmanuel Macron-led government.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/12/moldova-inflation-economy-energy-russia-invasion-ukraine

'I no longer trust Network Rail to keep me safe' – Stonehaven crash survivor speaks out as company admits guilt
On the first day of the prosecution against the company, held at Aberdeen’s High Court, Network Rail admitted responsibility for poor drainage at Carmont — near Stonehaven — which led to the fatal derailment on August 12 2020. The drain was built by sub-contractors Carillion in 2011, but investigations by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found that it was built to the wrong design and Network Rail failed to inspect it.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/i-no-longer-trust-network-rail-keep-me-safe-%E2%80%93-stonehaven-crash-survivor-speaks-out-company

Former PM Sanna Marin quits Finnish politics to join Tony Blair Institute
Sanna Marin, the former Finnish prime minister, has announced she will work as an adviser for the Tony Blair Institute after stepping down as head of her party. Marin, who became one of Europe’s youngest leaders when she took office as prime minister in 2019 and oversaw Finland’s successful application to join Nato, formally stepped down as head of the Social Democrats earlier this month.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/07/sanna-marin-finland-prime-minister-tony-blair-institute

Poland's PGE reverses decision to bring forward carbon neutrality target
Polish utility PGE (PGE.WA) said on Monday it was reversing a decision to bring forward its carbon-neutrality target to 2040 from 2050, changing course less than a week after the announcement of a strategy that caused political fallout. With Poland weeks away from a closely fought parliamentary election, PGE's move had caused uproar among miners and forced State Assets Minister Jacek Sasin to say that the government's strategy did not involve accelerating an exit from coal.
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/polands-pge-reverses-decision-bring-forward-carbon-neutrality-target-2023-09-04/

Former Sri Lankan president denies that suicide bombings were staged to enable his election
In the program broadcast Tuesday, Channel 4 interviewed a man who said he arranged a meeting between a local Islamic State-inspired extremist group, National Thowheed Jamath, and a top state intelligence official loyal to Rajapaksa to formulate a plot to create instability and enable Rajapaksa to win the presidential election. Rajapaksa, a former senior defense official, was seen as a strong law-and-order candidate.
https://apnews.com/article/sri-lanka-rajapaksa-staged-bomb-blasts-5465d2bcf3d560d1458c475d1b9785fd

At least 32 civilians killed in Sudan army attacks: Activists
At least 32 civilians have been killed and dozens injured in artillery attacks by the Sudanese army, one of the highest tolls from a single day of fighting since war broke out in April, the activist group Emergency Lawyers said. The shelling on Tuesday took place in the Ombada neighbourhood in western Omdurman, the statement released on Wednesday said, a neighbourhood that has seen several deadly attacks.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/6/at-least-32-civilians-killed-in-sudan-army-strikes-activists
https://archive.ph/9tpll

Documents show how ex-NSW planning head was involved in fast-track rezoning for developer he later worked for
New documents reveal in detail how the head of the New South Wales planning department was involved in fast-tracking the rezoning of land for a multibillion-dollar housing development on Sydney’s fringes before he left the department to work with the project’s developer, Walker Corp. The documents, released under freedom of information laws, detail the involvement in 2022 of the former department secretary Michael Cassel in both developing a fast-track process and then shepherding the plans to rezone land at Appin through the new process.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/06/documents-show-how-ex-nsw-planning-head-was-involved-in-fast-track-rezoning-for-developer-he-later-worked-for

Chevron LNG workers in Australia to further delay planned strikes
The workers will delay the strike until 1.00 p.m. local time in Perth (0500 GMT) on Friday, said the representative, who declined to be identified. The stoppage had been expected to begin at 6 a.m. in Perth after a previous 24-hour delay. "We have been advised by the unions that protected industrial action will not take place at our facilities until 1.00pm AWST Friday 8 September," the Chevron Australia spokesperson said in an email.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-lng-workers-australia-further-delay-planned-strikes-2023-09-07/
R: 6 / I: 2 (sage)
>"muh grandma is a victim x that mean my narrative of x is true and i know anything. if you disagree then you deny my grandpa die ?!?!?!. and you deny anything happend at all!!!!!".

people who have said to be from X country or have X country done something to them is still influence by lie & manipulation & deception. infact if its about some country that clash with the biggoybad mentality of the world it will always be influence.

fuck all victim story user. they all should be hanged in the middle of town. we should have a culture of shaming when it comes to them. they should all be publicly humiliated.

>what about le holocos vectem!!


i do not give a damn just because they/they're people are a victim of ethnic cleansing but with flamboyant brutality. fuck them too. the only reason they are tolerated is because they can be use to fight anti-communist and anti stalin/ussr propaganda. other than that they are fully responsible & is the main pillar of the victim-story and atrocity-story and the culture that cradle them.

once the revolution happen all victim story user and their group should be round up and killed. no matter if it's victim of the communist or the nazi or even a victim of non-people like natural disaster or virus or etc.

it is ridiculous the amount of protection & pampering & how we give them power at all.
R: 10 / I: 9
Been hearing a lot of talk lately, mostly from liberals but also a few "leftists" (i use that term very loosely, mind you) about how Juche, or the ideology of DPR Korea is "literally nazbolism bro!!!"

How true are these claims, are they even true at all, is there any evidence to back it up, et cetera, et cetera.
R: 61 / I: 8
Japan is often cited as the "capitalist miracle" that proved that socialist programs are not necessary for an underdeveloped nation to join the first world and become successful. Its staggering development over the 20th century rivaled the Soviet Union. What economic conditions allowed this to happen, and what resources could you offer for anyone interested to study the topic(and eventually rebuke the liberal argument)?
R: 15 / I: 1

The solution to the problem of Western Communism

Communists in the imperial core are constanly arguing about why revolution hasn't happened there yet, and they're almost all wrong. I always see on this site people saying that the reasons are that identity politics have distracted the working class, or imperialism has bought off the working class, or that the working class are not revolutionary anymore, or that social media has zombified the working class, or that the working class doesn't exist anymore in the imperial core. All of these answers are misunderstandings, pseudo-reactionary copes or demoralizing rubbish.

The ONLY reason there hasn't been a revolution is because there hasn't been a Communist party well enough organized to destroy the entrenched imperial core bourgeois. Here the state is so strong that only the best organized proleterian party has a chance to win. In my country of Britain there doesn't exist a nationwide revolutionary communist party. There only exists Eurocommunists, tailists, microsects, left-communist arse sitters and social democrats. And they aren't doing shit with the INCREDIBLE increase in proleterian consciousness in this country. Maybe the 'Communist' party of Britain has an increase in members but read their literature and you will find their demands aren't even to abolish capitalism. Would any party in Britain (or Europe or America) be able to initiate revolution if the situation makes that possible? EVERY organisation that is incapable of taking control of a country or territory (depending on size of organization) is fundementally worthless, and that includes every party in Britain. What is needed is a better party. The reason no organisation has been able to take advantage of the strikes isn't because of workers like defeatist ghouls might say, but because those parties were shit and not organized well enough to take workers in. The only Communist ideology that comes even close to threatening the state are Maoists, but they have failed due to pro-bourgeois forces channeling Maoists into third-worldism and revisionist 'communism', as well as the lack of proleterians in these parties and over representation of LARPer students and the petit-bourgeois. But these are just sideshows for the failiure of Maoism in the west compared to organisational issued that lead to cult formation. I've come to the concluison that with better organisation, Maoism would have already overthrown the state. They've come the closest to it out of any denomination and worldwide they are the only ones who fight for revolution without defeatism. They have proven the superiority of Mao's writings and especially his work on how guerilla conflict can take place, which I believe is applicable to any situation as long as it is adapted to local conditions. I think Mao's theories are the height of Marxism however I do have problems with Maoism that must be rectified, such as excesive sectism and at times over-glorification and reliance on individuals. Only through understanding this and building the new party can we win. And fundementally we must be ready for revolution at any time. We must be ready to fight at any time. Any other way is failiure.

BUILD A NEW PARTY BASED ON REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALISM AND MAOISM NOW! REJECT CULTIST BEHAVIOUR! REJECT PEACE, REJECT CLASS COLLABORATION! GLORY TO PROLETERIAN POWER IN DEVELOPED NATIONS THROUGH THE POWER OF THE NEW PROLETERIAN MAOIST PARTY! REJECT REACTION YOUTUBERS, REJECT FUCKING DEFEATISM, ONLY THROUGH REAL WORLD ORGANISATION CAN A NEW PARTY BE FORMED. LEARN FROM PAST FAILIURES, BUILD A NEW PARTY BASED ON YOUR LEARNINGS! EVERYTHING ELSE WILL COME FROM THAT!
R: 4 / I: 0
I am a public sector teacher in the process of raiding an existent, bloated useless union to establish a new union. My coworker was trained as an AFL-CIO trained organizer years ago and is taking the charge here, and has recruited outside organizations offering financial and legal support in this process. The pitch is cut the bloat out (national organizations, etc) and then we run the union once the other union loses in an election.

This has accelerated really quickly, and he already had the union contact his boss to try and privately investigate him and that got quashed for now. What do I exactly have to worry about if I join this fight here? I am unsure if I even want to stay in this profession, but I hate the union and would support this new locally-focused union. But I worry about the fight, I have no experience in this and no idea on the tactics that will be used against us. This makes me incredibly anxious and hesitant to fight. What should I be expecting here?
R: 8 / I: 3

Urban Ghetto organizing: tactics and considerations

The urban poor have historically held the most fertile ground for the development of revolutionary organizations in the first world; the direct action of the Black Panthers and associated groups are largely responsible for the social programs that the government provides now, such as increased garbage pickup and free breakfast. In the case of the Young Lords(who I am most familiar with) not only did they suffer from the dogmatism, bureaucracy, and confusion that was widespread among the New Left in the 60s and 70s, but their direct action had to be scaled back when it started to interfere with the operations of the local drug pushers.

The street gangs and corrupt police plague the proletariat(wow a mouthful) and that situation shows a desperate need for organization. The techniques of building a mass base among the people employed by MLM parties such as the Communist Party of the Philippines seems most relevant to this specific scenario(especially considering that the gangs themselves use guerilla tactics in many cases), but the question stands of how to convert it to a first-world context. What theory has been published concerning this?
R: 10 / I: 1
If Stalin hadn't taken over the Soviet Union, someone else would have. The fact that six guys managed to take over the system speaks to how shoddy it was and how it wasn't built to last. If it hadn't been Stalin, it would have likely been some other military officer
R: 58 / I: 5

Labour not being the source of all wealth

I am a theorylet but reading where Marx nitpicks this particular line of 'Labour being the source of all wealth.' by insisting the Nature does that too makes me wonder. How important is this distinction exactly?

Like if there are two socialist parties where one thinks that 'Labour being the source of all wealth.' and one aligns with Marx, how does that play out in how they would build socialism? Because I personally feel like it is cool enough approximation to normies but not precise enough to the initiated. Like how gravity is 10ms-2 to normies but 9.81ms-2 to physicists. Or how the atom is just small balls moving around a big ball to everyone but chemists and physicists.
R: 71 / I: 4

Material solutions to the problem of non-human animal suffering

50 billion non-human animals die in abysmal conditions in the infrastructure of intensive animal agriculture every year. I don't like this. Perhaps you're neutral about it for whatever reason, maybe god gave humans souls and not animals so non-human animals aren't conscious, perhaps you're a moral relativist who believes that suffering isn't inferior to well-being, whatever, we'll table that. I'm interested in solutions to the problem of non-human animal suffering.
It's usually only brought up in the context of individualist moralism. As an individual, the only thing you can do to reduce violence towards animals is to stop eating animals and/or animal products (I, personally, have already done this). However, the consumption decisions of an individual have practically no effect whatsoever on society. Capitalism is not democratic. The market is not swayed by your purchasing choices. Additionally, every historical attempt to enact societal change through moralism, i.e., convincing every single person in the world to make more ethical decisions, has failed. Every problem that has ever been solved has been solved through developments in material conditions. Ideas have followed those changes, not the other way around.

Given this, what are the materialist solutions that can address the issue of industrial-scale animal cruelty? Synthetic meat products, either plant-based foods that replicate the taste and texture of meat, or the rapidly developing field of cultured meat grown in bio-reactors, are usually fronted as the two big possible solutions. Cultured meat currently faces massive technical hurdles, but there's no reason to believe that these hurdles won't be overcome as technology develops. The more important question is whether or not this will be sufficient to drastically reduce large-scale animal cruelty. From a materialist perspective, I find it likely that changes in the production of food will lead to changing beliefs about food, so I think that unless cultured meat has inherent, unsolvable inferiorities to animal meat, attitudes will inevitably shift towards preferring it, regardless of how strong ingrained cultural attitudes about animal meat currently are.

Besides cultured meat, what other material developments have the potential to drastically reduce non-human animal suffering? How will the infrastructure of intensive animal agriculture change with developing technology? Will it remain in place, disappear, or change shape? What does the future of animals look like?
R: 10 / I: 2

viktor orban and berlusconi

>did you know that before he pursued his undergraduate studies in law, young Viktor Orbán had initially wanted to become a professional football player? His interest in football continued throughout his life, even after his successful venture into politics. For instance, during the 2018 World Cup tournament, he visited Russia, where he attended several matches as well as met prominent members of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). This fact may appear insignificant at first glance; yet, it offers a rare peek behind the curtain of Orbán's personal aspirations beyond political leadership. During these football meetings he would attend drug-fueled orgies with Berlusconi of italy. one young woman, who had been trafficked at the age of 13 revealed, unwittingly in an interview with La Cosolacaine de la Flaggella that viktor orban's penis and Berlusconi's penis were both shapped like harpoons. This reflects their botched circumcisions, which were common at the time in both countries.

what the FUCK was their problem?
R: 4 / I: 1

News 9/6/23

Boycott bill: Pro-Palestine groups not invited to give evidence to parliamentary committee
The committee heard evidence supportive of the bill from James Gurd, executive director of Conservative Friends of Israel, and Alan Mendoza, the executive director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank. Others giving evidence include UK Lawyers for Israel, the Jewish Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council, and newspaper columnist Melanie Phillips, who has written that there are “no good reasons to oppose the bill”. But organisations not invited despite submitting written evidence include the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which describes itself as “the biggest organisation in the UK dedicated to securing Palestinian human rights”. Ben Jamal, PSC’s director, told Middle East Eye: “It’s outrageous that not a single representative of Palestinian civil society or the PSC, which leads BDS campaigns here in the UK, have been invited to give evidence to place the proper facts on the record.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-anti-boycott-bill-pro-palestine-campaigners-not-invited-give-evidence

Political organisations in Eastern Kurdistan call for a general strike on 16 September
Parties and political movements from Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan/Western Iran) are calling for a general strike in Kurdistan on the first anniversary of the "Jin Jiyan Azadî" (Woman, Life, Freedom) resistance on 16 September. The joint appeal released on Wednesday is undersigned by the HDKÎ (Democratic Movement of Kurdistan-Iran), Komele (Communist Party of Iran), PJAK (Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan), Sazimanî Xebat (Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle),PAK (Freedom Party of Kurdistan) and Komeleya Zehmetkêşên Kurdistanê (Community of Labourers of Kurdistan).
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/political-organisations-in-eastern-kurdistan-call-for-a-general-strike-on-16-september-69180

Kurds, pro-Turk forces fight in north Syria after 90 killed
Over the past three days, pro-Turkish Syrian factions intensified their bombardments in support of the Arab fighters clashing with SDF in Deir Ezzor, which is more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) to the east. Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies hold parts of Syria's northern border. An AFP correspondent near the SDF-controlled Manbij area in northwest Syria reported dozens of shells fired towards SDF areas. "Eight Turkish-backed fighters were killed and 13 others were wounded in the clashes," which forced dozens to flee their homes, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/09/kurds-pro-turk-forces-fight-north-syria-after-90-killed

UCU announce strikes and end of marking boycott
STAFF at 140 universities across the UK are to strike for five days later this month in the long-running dispute over pay and working conditions. The University and College Union (UCU) said its members at 136 universities will walk out for five consecutive days from September 25. Strikes will hit four Scottish universities on slightly different dates to coincide with local action by other unions.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/ucu-announce-strikes-and-end-marking-boycott

Finnish Communist Party will continue to use Soviet symbols, despite potential ban
The Communist Party of Finland (abbreviated as SKP in Finnish) says it's opposed to proposals by the government to ban the use of Nazi and Soviet symbols in a political context. SKP vice-chair Jiri Mäntysalo told Yle that the party plans to continue using the hammer and the sickle — as used on the former Soviet Union's flag — even if the symbols are criminalised.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20048817
https://archive.ph/wXC8I

France reportedly in talks with Niger for possible withdrawal of its troops
France is reported to be in talks with Niger’s military about possible withdrawal of French troops from the West African nation in the wake of the fraying of ties following a coup in July, according to French media reports. Confirming the news, former French ambassador to Mali and Senegal Nicolas Normand told Al Jazeera that according to his sources, talks were ongoing between the French and Niger militaries to “partially” withdraw troops.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/5/france-reportedly-in-talks-with-niger-for-possible-withdrawal-of-its-troops
https://archive.ph/mEaNC

SPLM-N Agar and Sudan Blue Nile govt defend breaking up anti-war vigil and reject ‘neutrality’
The security authorities broke up the vigil by the Sudan Mothers Initiative (SMI) in Ed Damazin last week and detained seven participants and a photographer. Many organisations condemned the abuse by the authorities. Fatah El Nour El Bashir, head of the Supreme Council for Culture and Information and the official spokesman for the Blue Nile region government, defended the authorities’ reaction and expressed his surprise at the fact that a protest was organised to reject the war, rather than to support the SAF.
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/splm-n-agar-and-blue-nile-govt-defend-breaking-up-womens-anti-war-vigil-and-reject-neutrality

6 of 8 Foreign Funds That Invested in Adani Group Shut
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) faces a challenge in determining the ultimate beneficiaries of six of the eight Bermuda and Mauritius-based public market funds that were allegedly used to buy shares of the Adani Group’s listed companies by people with close ties to the conglomerate.
https://www.newsclick.in/6-8-foreign-funds-invested-adani-group-shut

Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationwide
The court’s sweeping decision Wednesday comes amid a trend in Latin America of loosening restrictions on abortion, even as access has been limited in parts of the United States. Mexico City was the first Mexican jurisdiction to decriminalize abortion 15 years ago. The Information Group for Chosen Reproduction, known by its Spanish initials as GIRE, said the court decided that the portion of the federal penal code that criminalized abortion no longer has any effect.
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-abortion-decriminalize-d87f6edbdf68c2e6c8f5700b3afd15de

Migrant workers in Canada ‘vulnerable’ to modern-day slavery: UN expert
Canada’s temporary foreign worker programmes are a “breeding ground” for modern forms of slavery, a United Nations expert has warned, about a year after Jamaican farmworkers in the province of Ontario denounced their mistreatment. The UN’s special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, said on Wednesday that he was “deeply disturbed by the accounts of exploitation and abuse shared” with him by migrant workers during a two-week fact-finding mission to Canada.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/6/migrant-workers-in-canada-vulnerable-to-modern-day-slavery-un-expert
R: 5 / I: 0
we're all (the proletariat) gonna (dismantle) make it brah (the systems of capitalism oppression)

Either we all make it brah, or none of us do

who marxist-zyzzist pilled here?
R: 6 / I: 2
>To find out who rules over you, check who starts the wars.

Is war - especially imperialist war - the moment the ruling class is most likely to expose itself? Take for example Dick Cheney. I had an inkling that Dick Cheney was arguably the primary agent behind the Iraq War. I also knew that there was a Council on Foreign Relations. However, it took the insight that Dick Cheney probably organized the Iraq War with the CFR for me to come to conclusion that the CFR is the brain of the ruling class, alongside the American Enterprise Instititute etc.

When you check the CFR, AEI up, you get to Friedman and Walter Lippmann, Tenzin Gyatso. And from there you get to the Mont Pelerin Society and Karl Popper, Hayek, von Mises etc.

Is it indeed, as Heraclitus says, that war is the father of all things? Is war when hidden elites expose themselves?
R: 11 / I: 0

Well that came sooner than expected. Housing prices are crashing, again.

I was thinking job seekers and low wage workers would have to wait until 2024 or five before we’d see rapid decline in real estate prices, but no. Not only have they declined for a while they’re declining at an increasing rate. I don’t know how to feel or what to expect anymore, barely anyone that used to work, works anymore. So many businesses are just fucking gone with them, many are flat out homeless and don’t give a shit about anything and I see why, there’s no opportunities for anyone. Several schools are about to shut down due to drops in enrolments catching up with their expenditures, while plenty people that are working know they’ll never retire and come to see their countries lose a substantial portion of their populations assuming they don’t join in and kys early.

Whatever, at least I’ll get to chuckle at landlords getting fucked over like they should’ve ages ago.
R: 368 / I: 61

Libertarianism is just American-style Fascism

I still see people get confused about this ideology, so I thought it was worth spelling out.

Libertarianism (including and especially "anarcho-capitalism") is just American-style fascism. It is a plebeian movement of the petty bourgeoisie and lumpenproletariat, with some support among the proletariat and largely sponsored by a minority section of the bourgeoisie. It aims to do away with decadent liberal institutions and the democratic structures of the state to replace them with a more perfect dictatorship of the bourgeois class, creating some kind of national rebirth in modern times reflecting some highly romanticized and mythologized vision of the past, the American Old West being the Libertarianism's Paradise Lost in this instance.

The main differences from Fascism Classic are these:

Libertarianism was born in the United States, so instead of forming around pressure from below (against socialist, communist and militant labor movements), it largely formed as a reaction to reforms from above (against the New Deal, Civil Rights and the Great Society reforms) and consequently sees the (liberal democratic) government as the evil commies rather than an institution they need to stand behind to crush the evil commies

Libertarianism apes liberal aesthetics rather than socialist aesthetics because liberalism has traditionally been seen as the "ideology of the masses" in the United States rather than socialism

Consequently, its ideology is an insane, warped version of liberalism rather than an insane, warped version of "socialism." Whereas the classic fascists would talk about the need to collectively organize, put aside individualistic concerns and self-sacrifice for the good of the nation and the state, libertarians hold almost literally to what Lenin called "freedom for the slave owners."'

Further, and finally, this means that the libertarians at least appear to support civil society like normal liberals, but merely desire to accomplish the same things the fascists wanted, but with civil society and the business sector under a stripped down state acting solely as the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie rather than the expansion of the state into the business sector and civil society, as the classic fascists did.

The libertarians even like to style themselves as a sort of "Third Way" that is not actually right or left, though anyone paying attention would notice that the libertarian movement aligns themselves strictly with the right. The idea that businesses should be allowed to discriminate and oppress to their hearts' content is a cornerstone of libertarian thought. That unions, cooperatives, minorities and socialist groups should be allowed to freely organize? Not so much. A corporation bans unions, socialists, gays or minorities? Your house, your rules! A corporation bans right-wingers and hate speech? Vilest communism.

You also need to take into consideration the role that neoliberalism has in modern American racist and nationalist politics. The right-wing turn towards neoliberalism in the United States was heavily racially motivated. After the Civil Rights Movement, and especially LBJ's Great Society reforms, American white supremacists began to view whites as tax-paying property holders, business owners and the managerial class. Conversely, the began to see racial minorities and especially blacks as all wards of the state and the primary if not sole beneficiaries of welfare programs. So, they began to view neoliberalism as a sort of de facto Jim Crow, and even got the side benefit of getting to claim that neoliberal Jim Crow was just he natural order of things. After all, this is just how things shook out after the meritocracy of the free market separated the wheat from the chaff. On a broader, national scale, "capitalist" has come to at least partially mean "white." You may notice that Libertarians have high praise for "capitalist" nations, but that all these nations are the white countries or countries that could be said to be within the direct cultural sphere of influence of the white nations, such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan or (previously) Hong Kong. Conversely, they will often deny that countries that are outside of this sphere are "capitalist" at all, even if a country like Indonesia has a freer market than, say, England or France.

Finally, this is even reflected in their chosen symbol, the Gadsden Flag. Originally, these sorts of flags started popping up around the Tea Party Movement where protesters would cosplay as American Revolution era minutemen. This minuteman LARP would often involve bringing along historical flags, one of which was the First Naval Jack, which many sources cite as one of the first "revolutionary" flags and uses the image of a snake with the slogan "Don't Tread on Me." The First Naval Jack is not the flag they chose to go with. They deliberately skipped the historical revolutionary flag for the Gadsden Flag, a flag designed by a South Carolina oligarch and slave lord, known for his extensive rice plantations and naming towns after himself, for use by a former slave ship captain infamous for letting 109 out of 196 slaves aboard his ship die during transport and, as an officer during the American Revolution, was known primarily for raiding Nassau against Congressional orders. Again, Lenin: "Freedom in capitalist society always remains about the same as it was in ancient Greek republics: Freedom for slave owners.”
R: 607 / I: 158 (full)

/ukraine/ general #163 - NATO Season Edition

REMEMBER: I SAY IT'S UKROP SEASON AND I SAY FIRE!! *LEGS EXPLODE*
>me before /leftypol/:
>what's with all the splitter jokes? why is it so difficult to unite? left unity!
>me after /leftypol/:
>I LOVE TO PURGE

<ZIGGERS, end your immoral support for ruzzia or get your thread derailed into #Ex-/ukraine/ by ausanon and another retard


>I call on all available necromancers to reconstitute the body of #ExBandera into the whole body of #NeoBandera in order to lead Ukraine into #Nato and #EU and adopting the #Euro.

<#NeoBandera will destroy Russia and decolonize it into #ExRussia on may 15th 2024

>I LOVE RUSSIA WORDSWORDSWORDSWORDS

<I HATE RUSSIA WORDSWORDSWORDSWORDS

>[In the tune of Stan by Eminem]

>Dear AnFem, I wrote you, but you still ain't replyin'
>I left my digits, my post and my reply at the bottom
>I sent two questions back in autumn, you must not've got 'em
>There probably was a problem at the post form or somethin'

—————————————————–

Evidence of the influence and origin of neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine
https://archive.ph/44B9Q
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323637
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323658
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323663
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323688
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323729
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323733
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323731
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323735
https://archive.ph/x1sRT#1323740

—————————————————–

ALWAYS APPROACH SOURCES CRITICALLY

Developments of multipolarity timeline
https://www.pacemaker.global/multipolar-transition-timeline (Note: Dead link. Update with new link, por favor.)

Live maps and updates
DeepStateMap: https://deepstatemap.live
Events in Ukraine: https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/
SouthFront: https://southfront.org/category/all-articles/world/europe/ukraine/

Watch Together
📺 News/events: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/HappeningsviaKlash
📺 Hangout/chill: https://tv.leftypol.org/r/bloodcast

Watch By Yourself
>Video Essays / Historical Background
📺 Ukraine: The Avoidable War - Boy Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4eNy4FCs8

📺 America, Russia, and Ukraine's Far Right - Gravel Institute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0pyVJG7_6Q

📺 Crimea vs Taiwan: Who Gets Self-Determination? - BadEmpanada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_UH4fmyj0

📺 The Nature of Putin's Russia and Its Causes (3-Part Series) - 1Dime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d6Vzi7zYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zODWTfMwFGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN1KK9Mzuo

<Current Happenings

📺 Defense Politics Asia: https://www.youtube.com/@DefensePoliticsAsia
📺 The Duran: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdeMVChrumySxV9N1w0Au-w
📺 The News Atlas: https://www.youtube.com/c/thenewatlas
📺 Military Summary: https://www.youtube.com/@militarysummary

—————————————————–

Social media
>Twitter
https://nitter.net/GeromanAT
https://nitter.net/wargonzoo
https://nitter.net/plnewstoday
https://nitter.net/RALee85
https://nitter.net/MarQs__
https://nitter.net/KofmanMichael
https://nitter.net/IntelCrab
https://nitter.net/NotWoofers
https://nitter.net/michaelh992
https://nitter.net/Suriyakmaps

<Telegram

https://t.me/milinfolive
https://t.me/hueviykharkov
https://t.me/conflictzone
https://t.me/vorposte
https://t.me/intelslava
https://t.me/grey_zone
https://t.me/AussieCossack
https://t.me/asbmil
https://t.me/Slavyangrad

🇷🇺🇺🇦
Thread guidelines:
• Please remember to add a spoiler to NSFW and extreme content such as graphic violence and gore.
• Try your best to not derail discussion too much from the main events and relevant places where the war is taken place, as well as other happenings, groups and public figures related to it.
• Meta discussion of the historical, philosophical and ideological background of the war is fine as long as its done in good faith and comradely.
• In the event the meta discussion overstays its welcome, participating users will be referred to take the conversation to the MULTIPOLARISM general thread: >>>/leftypol/1571995
• Quality shitposting and original content is encouraged! Spamming glowie memes is low effort.
• Remember to take your meds! It helps mediate schizoposting and foot fetishism
• this is /isg/ for people who treat geopolitics like shitty map games
R: 4 / I: 1

News 9/5/23

Poland May Start to Extradite Ukrainian ‘Draft Dodgers’
Following numerous cases of Ukrainian military medical commissions and other authorized offices accepting bribes to fraudulently issue medical exemption certificates for potential conscripts, President Zelensky ordered a full review of all releases granted since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. On Sept. 1 David Arachamia, leader of Ukraine’s Servant of the People party, said that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies should demand the extradition of men of military age who had illegally left Ukraine to escape mobilization and prosecute them.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/21242
https://archive.ph/eicil

Polish ruling party names far-right leader as election candidate
Bąkiewicz, a former leader of the National Radical Camp (ONR), last year warned of “Jewish blackmail” against Poland and has previously declared that “Jewish organisations want to rob us”. He has also called for “LGBT totalitarianism” to be “fought with fire, literally with fire”. This year, he was found guilty of assaulting a woman who was protesting against Poland’s near-total abortion ban.
https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/09/01/polish-ruling-party-names-far-right-leader-as-election-candidate/

Trial starts in Sweden of oil executives accused of complicity in Sudanese war crimes
Two executives of a Swedish oil exploration and production company went on trial Tuesday in Stockholm for securing the company's operations in Sudan through their alleged complicity in war crimes in 20 years ago. Swedish prosecutors claim that former Lundin Oil chairman Ian Lundin and the company's former CEO, Alex Schneiter supported the Sudanese government of former dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was toppled in an April 2019 popular uprising.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/trial-starts-sweden-2-oil-executives-accused-complicity-102923213

Russia-Based Recruiters Lure Cubans to Fight in Ukraine with Promises of Money, Citizenship
In a rare accusation against longtime ally Moscow, Cuban authorities announced Tuesday that they had identified an alleged human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting its citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine. The Moscow Times’ Russian service found several social media groups in which Cuban men are recruited to fight in Ukraine. In one Facebook group called Cubanos en Moscú (Cubans of Moscow), the majority of posts advertising military contract service in Russia were created by a woman named Elena Shuvalova.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/09/05/russian-recruiters-lure-cubans-to-fight-in-ukraine-with-promises-of-money-citizenship-a82360
https://archive.ph/6WGXc

Birmingham council slammed for ‘humiliating failure’ as it files for bankruptcy
BIRMINGHAM COUNCIL declared effective bankruptcy today but was lambasted for blaming it on equal pay claims of nearly £2 billion. Officials for Europe’s largest local authority issued a section 114 notice, saying it “does not have the resources” to fund its equal pay liability, with a gap in its current budget of £87 million. In June, the council revealed it had paid out £1.1bn in equal pay claims over the past decade, and had a current liability of £650-750m, accruing at a rate of £5m to £14m a month.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/birmingham-council-slammed-humiliating-failure-files-bankruptcy

Protesters decry tribute for victims of leftist groups in Argentina’s 1970s political violence
HUMAN rights activists surrounded the Buenos Aires city legislature on Monday to protest at an event honouring victims of armed left-wing groups during the 1970s, when Argentina was engulfed by political violence. The tribute was arranged by Victoria Villaruel, the running mate of far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei. Protesters labelled Ms Villaruel’s stunt an attempt to change the narrative about crimes against humanity committed by Argentinia’s last military dictatorship.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/protesters-slam-far-right-tribute-victims-left-wing-groups-argentina

Guatemala prosecutor seeks to strip electoral authorities of immunity after election
It is the latest example of elections that observers declared to be free and fair being dragged into the courts, even as President-elect Bernardo Arévalo begins the official transition with outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei. The National Unity of Hope party of former first lady Sandra Torres filed a fraud complaint after the election. The party’s lawyer Carlos López said 164 precinct tallies duplicated votes. The party wants the magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal investigated for allegedly not carrying out their duties.
https://apnews.com/article/guatemala-election-bernardo-arevalo-22fe6c74f3b4a7cd689517f15db6a060

Israel 'sold arms to Myanmar after coup', despite high court ban
Israel sold arms to Myanmar after the violent military coup in the country in February 2021, despite previous Israeli claims it had stopped such sales, according to a news report. Haaretz revealed on Tuesday that since 2018, at least four shipments from government-owned Israel Aerospace Industries were sent to Myanmar's defence procurement directorate, listed as "aircraft parts" and "metal plates". The most recent shipment dates to March 2022 - a year after Myanmar's military leaders seized power and detained civilian leaders, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Israeli arms company Elbit Systems also sold military gear to Myanmar's air force, including parts for unmanned aerial vehicles and a remotely operated naval turret complete with a 25mm gun, the report added.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-sold-arms-myanmar-coup-despite-high-court-ban

Tripura Bypolls: Large-Scale Voter Intimidation Reported in 2 Assembly Seats
The bypolls for two Assembly seats in Tripura’s Sepahijala district – Dhanpur and Boxanagar – allegedly saw open rigging and voter intimidation. The Dhanpur Assembly constituency, once considered a Left stronghold, is seeing a straight fight between Kaushik Chanda of the CPI(M) and the BJP's Bindu Debnath. In Boxanagar, CPI(M)’s Mizan Hussain is taking on ruling BJP's Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly election from Boxanagar.
https://www.newsclick.in/tripura-bypolls-large-scale-voter-intimidation-reported-2-assembly-seats

President of India: Government's G20 invite from 'Bharat' sparks row
A row has broken out in India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government used the term "Bharat" in an official invite for the G20 Summit being sent on behalf of the president. Bharat is the Hindi name for India. The dinner invitation from President Droupadi Murmu to foreign leaders attending the summit describes her as "President of Bharat". Several ministers from the ruling BJP party cheered the move, but opposition leaders questioned its purpose. The move comes amid reports that the government is mulling changing the name of the country officially to Bharat - but there has been no confirmation.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66716541
R: 13 / I: 7

People

Post some lesser-known, interesting people.

>Israel Epstein was a Polish-born Chinese journalist and author. He was one of the few foreign-born Chinese citizens of non-Chinese origin to become a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

>His father had been imprisoned by the authorities of czarist Russia for leading a labor uprising and his mother had been exiled to Siberia. Epstein's father was sent by his company to Japan after the outbreak of the World War I; when the German Army approached Warsaw, his mother and Epstein fled and joined him in Asia. With his family experiencing anti-Jewish sentiment in several places, Epstein came to China with his parents at the age of two and they settled in Tianjin.

>Epstein was imprisoned twice, separately by the Empire of Japan and later by the People's Republic of China.

>He was placed in a concentration camp by Imperial Japanese authorities following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He escaped along with some of the other prisoners. [he faked news about his own death as a decoy for the Japanese who were trying to arrest him]
>During the Cultural Revolution, on charges of plotting against Zhou Enlai, he was imprisoned in 1968 in the north of Beijing in Qincheng Prison, where he was subjected to solitary confinement. In 1973, he was released, and Zhou apologized. His privileges were restored.



>William Cooper Davidon was an American professor of physics and mathematics, and a peace activist. As the mastermind of the March 8, 1971, FBI office break-in, in Media, Pennsylvania, Davidon was the informal leader of the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI. The Media break-in resulted in the disclosure of COINTELPRO, which in turn led to subsequent investigations and reforms of the FBI.

>From 1956 to 1961, he was an associate physicist at the Argonne National Laboratory, where he developed the first quasi-Newton algorithm, now known as the Davidon–Fletcher–Powell formula.
>According to The Burglary, a book published shortly after his death, Davidon also had engaged in draft board raids, stealing or destroying files, and subsequent to Media participated in two acts of sabotage against military materiel intended for use in Vietnam. Due at least in part to his exceptionally careful planning and his co-conspirators' total commitment to secrecy and discretion, neither he nor anyone else was ever charged in any of those actions, despite an intense, five-year FBI investigation.
R: 59 / I: 30
https://sovinform.net/Trotsky-MI6-agent.htm

Realizing that Trotsky was corrupted from the start puts a very different and sinister perspective on his activities, whether for or against the revolution. How much of his supposed "heroism" is just a fabrication?
R: 10 / I: 2

News 9/4/23

South Korean teachers protest suicide deaths linked to parent bullying
Tens of thousands of South Korean teachers flooded the streets in Seoul on Monday to demand more protection from the government amid a rise in suicides linked to bullying from parents. The rally was called for as a tribute to a 23-year-old primary school teacher who died by suicide in July after suffering from depression and the alleged harrasment of parents of students she taught during a school violence case. Since her death, however, another two teachers also died by suicide last week in similar circumstances. Thousands of teachers dressed in black gathered on Monday in front of Seoul’s National Assembly and called on the government to investigate the three deaths and urged a review of a controversial 2014 child welfare law.
https://www.laprensalatina.com/south-korean-teachers-protest-suicide-deaths-linked-to-parent-bullying/

China calls on urban retirees, veterans to return to rural roots in ‘revitalisation’ push
Nine central ministries, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, recently issued a joint circular, calling for retirees with experience in public service, education, healthcare and technology, as well as military veterans, to return to their hometowns to settle down and help achieve rural revitalisation. Returnees should be encouraged to take up roles such as development counsellors, village-level affairs supervisors, public opinion collectors and village development advisers, according to the notice.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3233250/china-calls-urban-retirees-veterans-return-rural-roots-revitalisation-push

Japan may seek to dissolve Moonies church in wake of Shinzo Abe killing
Japan’s government may ask courts to order the dissolution of the Unification church following the assassination in July last year of the former prime minister Shinzo Abe, according to multiple local reports. The church, whose members are known colloquially as Moonies, could be subject to a court order to disband as early as next month, pending the completion of an inquiry into the group’s controversial fundraising activities, according to the Kyodo news agency, which cited an unnamed government source.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/04/japan-may-seek-to-dissolve-moonies-church-in-wake-of-shinzo-abe-killing

Guatemala’s electoral authority blocks the suspension of President-elect Arévalo’s political party
Guatemala’s top electoral authority said Sunday it blocked the suspension of President-elect Bernardo Arévalo’s Seed Movement, at least temporarily giving the party back its legal status and cutting off an attempt by opposing political forces to weaken him. The decision by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal came days after the electoral registry suspended the party on a judge’s order. The Attorney General’s office is investigating whether there was wrongdoing in the gathering of required signatures for the party’s formation years earlier.
https://apnews.com/article/guatemala-election-bernardo-arevalo-seed-movement-9820f6530eaafef9a9ada19a65686ef1

Colombia’s former army chief indicted for 130 extrajudicial killings
Colombia’s former army commander, retired General Mario Montoya, is responsible for 130 extrajudicial killings committed between 2002 and 2003, according to war crimes tribunal JEP. All victims were falsely presented as combat kills to the press, JEP magistrate Catalina Diaz told journalists at a press conference. Montoya’s indictment was the result of war crime investigations in the Eastern Antioquia region while the retired general was the commander of the 4th Brigade.
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-former-army-chief-indicted-for-130-extrajudicial-killings/

Brazil: Lula struggles to shift Israel-Palestine policy after Bolsonaro
Lula has made clear he supports a two-state solution to the intransigent conflict, but has struggled on several fronts to meaningfully separate his approach from Bolsanaro's. Earlier this year, the 77-year-old leftist won praise from pro-Palestine activists after he criticised the international community's failure to create a Palestinian state during a speech at the UN Security Council. He also won plaudits for condemning illegal Israeli settlement expansion and his decision to fire the controversial ambassador to Israel, Gerson Menandro Garcia de Freitas. But that dismissal was part of a larger shake-up which also saw the removal of the country's ambassador to the United States and the consul general to New York. Analysts and activists say that since then, not much in the form of policy has changed.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/brazil-lula-change-israel-palestine-policy

Palestinian prisoners to launch hunger strike against increasing Israeli restrictions
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel are set to go on an open-ended hunger strike to protest against the recent restrictions imposed on them, multiple news reports stated on Sunday, September 3. According to the Supreme Emergency Committee of the Prisoner National Movement, the prisoners will start their collective strike on September 14 and continue it until their demand for the full restoration of their rights is met.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/04/palestinian-prisoners-to-launch-hunger-strike-against-increasing-israeli-restrictions/

Israel’s Netanyahu calls for deportation of Eritrean refugee ‘rioters’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants Eritrean refugees and migrants involved in a violent clash in Tel Aviv to be deported immediately and has ordered a plan to remove all of the country’s African migrants. The remarks came a day after bloody protests by rival groups of Eritreans in south Tel Aviv left dozens of people injured.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/3/israels-netanyahu-calls-for-immediate-deportation-of-eritrean-refugees
https://archive.ph/zTLt3

US backs Chevron in dispute with Cyprus over giant gas field
The Chevron-led (CVX.N) consortium proposed connecting the Aphrodite gas field via a subsea pipeline and existing infrastructure to Egypt, where the gas can be sold in the domestic market or liquefied and shipped to Europe, which has largely been cut off from Russian supplies. Cypriot Energy Minister George Papanastasiou confirmed that the government had rejected the latest plan, which omitted a previous proposal to build a floating gas processing plant at the field which lies 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Cyprus.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-backs-chevron-dispute-with-cyprus-over-giant-gas-field-2023-09-01/

Millions at risk of child labour as growing numbers pulled out of school
International Labour Organisation (ILO) director-general Gilbert Houngbo said there has been a “regression” in regions around the world amid global economic problems. He told the BBC: “Compound the Covid effect with the rise in inflation and the cost of living that followed [and] it has just made things worse. “Unless we act now and we act decisively and fast, the problem will [continue to] worsen.” In early 2020, data from the UN found that some 160 million children were being subjected to child labour and that global progress to end it had stalled for the first time in 20 years.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/millions-children-risk-child-labour-growing-numbers-pulled-out-school
R: 34 / I: 5

"Abrahamic Values"

As more people become secular, the existing religions are going to have to show more solidarity with each other. We often hear the term "Judeo Christian Values" invoked in the west. The Christians and Jews overcame their historical enmity to protect their mutual monotheistic traditions against outsiders. You heard this a lot during the war on terror. But during the soviet era, when the proxy war against the USSR was being waged by the CIA in Afghanistan, they were funding precursors to the Taliban, the Mujahideen. The idea was that these conservative islamist warlords and tribal leaders were "freedom fighters" who shared anticommunist and anti-atheist values with The West. I think we're gonna see more of this. We're gonna see "Abrahamic" values slowly replace "Judeo Christian" values. Eventually even hindus and buddhists will be part of a reactionary coalition against all things secular, all things communist. Only the liberation theologist types will remain outside this coalition, but they are rare.

Thoughts?
R: 57 / I: 7

BRICS currency is still a theory. But a promising one

BRICS currency is still a theory. But a promising one

The likelihood and prospects of a BRICS currency are one of the most talked-about topics in the world of finance. If the global media and statements by politicians from various countries are to be believed, proposals for the creation of a union currency will be presented at the end of August at the BRICS summit in South Africa. Confidence in the dollar continues to decline, as the de-dollarization of world trade gains momentum. Developing countries are rushing to announce the transition to national currencies in bilateral trade, while at the same time there is a search for a replacement for the current main currency of international settlements - the dollar. The "BRICS" currency is simply seen as such an alternative.
In recent months, several articles have appeared in the main Western media saying both that there is no substitute for the dollar in world trade, and that de-dollarization, if it happens, will be very slow. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen herself promised in June that the dollar would remain the world's main reserve currency for a long time to come, perhaps forever: "There are countries that would like to invent a system without the dollar, but I think it will take a very long time, if at all, for the dollar to be replaced as the main reserve currency", she declared, and explained that there was no alternative to the dollar because of "the strength and role of the US economy, [its] economic system". But the flood of information on de-dollarization casts doubt on this.
>Reserves are being dedollarized, there are questions on payments
According to Alexander Shirov, Director of the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPE-ASR) and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the events of 2022 have radically changed the situation on the financial markets: developed-country equities versus Russian assets have reduced the quality of reserve currencies[2]. "If until now it was believed that the use of a reserve currency made it possible to exchange one quality asset for another, it has now become clear that, depending on the holder of the currency, the method of obtaining it and other factors, the possibility of its free exchange for other assets can be severely limited", explains Shirov. - In this way, a precedent was set which did not go unnoticed by the major developing economies. As a result, demand for government bonds from developed countries has fallen, and the process of de-dollarization of the global economy has accelerated.

Unfortunately, only SWIFT has currency statistics for international transactions. And in this system, especially recently, not all international transactions are reflected. Not surprisingly, in this system, the total share of dollar and euro transactions has stabilized at around 80% in recent years. However, even at SWIFT this spring, we saw how the volume of euro transactions fell sharply, from a level of 33-38% to 22.4% in March and 11.5% in April. Importantly, the euro's share has been replaced not only by the dollar, but also by other currencies, including the yuan. The fall in the share of euro transactions is most likely due to a sharp drop in imports (-11.9%, from April 2023 to April 2022) and, to a lesser extent, exports (-3.6%) from eurozone countries[3]. Admittedly, it's not clear why this jump only occurred in spring 2023: the fall in imports from eurozone countries, and indeed from the EU as a whole, has been observed since September 2022, and a significant part of this fall is attributable to imports from Russia. However, the downturn itself was short-lived: after the collapse of the share of euro-denominated transactions in the spring in June, everything returned to the previous level.

Statistics on countries' foreign exchange reserves are more readily available and more accurately reflect the real situation. They show that the US dollar's share of global reserves has fallen from 71.5% in the first quarter of 2000 to 59% in the first quarter of 2023. But the share of reserves held by the pound sterling (from 2.92% to 4.85%) and the yuan is increasing - from zero in Q1 2000 to 2.58% in Q1 2023. And in general, the structure of reserves is becoming increasingly varied in terms of currencies[4], while gold's share of reserves, a tried and tested universal reserve instrument, is increasing rapidly and strongly.

The year 2022 was a record year for gold purchases by the world's central banks, with Russia the most active buyer of gold for reserves over the last twenty years - during this period, it purchased almost 2,000 tonnes of the metal. In second place is China (1,500 tonnes). Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia are active gold buyers. It's worth pointing out that reserves are not only needed as rainy-day reserves, they also reflect the country's foreign currency needs, especially the liquid part. And as for gold, it's not surprising that, having lived for almost a century in a financial system tied to the dollar with its nonsensical issuance, the world yearned for something more reliable and tangible. We'll talk about gold's possible role later.
R: 58 / I: 16 (sage)

Be gay, do crimes

"Be gay, do crimes!" perfectly encapsulates that glib approach to civil justice that is popular among the type of white people online whose most severe interaction with "oppression" has been a feeling like other people are gatekeeping their right to claim it,,, It's kinda like the white trans woman in the tech industry saying "We're dying in the streets" on twitter even tho she's pretty safe taking her Google bus to work and she'd never in a million years stand in the same room as a black or brown trans sex worker who uses the word "shemale",,, But whenever I balk or cringe at it, I don't think there's anything I can say or do other than just avoid those people. Anything I ever say will be accused of transphobia, biphobia, etc because these people literally sit around planning all day and night for The First Time Someone Says Something Rude To Me,,, And this is honestly not really tied to a marginalized group as much as "comfortable people with privilege guilt who are on twitter too much".

The BGDC thing has become so emblematic of those types though because it’s the ultimate performance of criminality, and assumed subversiveness that idea supplants but without like… the actual mess of it because they operate on the assumption that Being Gay is the Doing Crime.
R: 10 / I: 3

Imagine the chaos without families and religious communities

Could you imagine how much closer towards AES half the imperial core would be if proles didn’t have their families and religious communities like mosques, churches and temples to fall back on for support? Imagine millions of hungry, unemployed and isolated job seekers and workers alike without any direction in life with zero support being given no reasons to support socialism. We already see this in many parts of the states where many have fully given up on their country and capitalism and have either become violent or turned to suicide.
R: 6 / I: 0

News 9/2/23

Palestinian Authority has 'list of wants' in exchange for Saudi-Israel normalisation
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has delivered a set of demands to Saudi Arabia in exchange for his support for the normalisation of relations between Israel and Riyadh, according to a US news outlet. Citing a number of Israeli and American sources on Wednesday, Axios said the Palestinians want status changes to areas of the occupied West Bank at present considered Area C. These are currently off limits to the vast majority of Palestinian residents of the territory and are fully under Israeli military control.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-palestine-israel-normalisation-want-list

Gaza: 9 Palestinians wounded in Israel’s attack on demonstrators
Israeli occupation forces shot and injured nine Palestinian demonstrators on the eastern side of the Gaza City, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced. “Nine Palestinians suffered wounds due to the Israeli aggression on a demonstration organised on the eastern side of Gaza City,” a statement issued by the ministry shared. One of the demonstrators was wounded by a live bullet to the leg and the others were wounded with rubber bullets.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230902-gaza-9-palestinians-wounded-in-israels-attack-on-demonstrators/

One killed in ethnic protests in Iraq's Kirkuk
Tensions have been brewing for nearly a week in Kirkuk, which has historically been disputed between the federal government in Baghdad and the authorities in the autonomous Kurdistan region in the north. Arab and Turkmen demonstrators staged a sit-in near the headquarters of the Iraqi security forces in Kirkuk province on Monday, after reports that Sudani had ordered the site to be handed over to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which used to occupy it.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/09/one-killed-ethnic-protests-iraqs-kirkuk

Rival Eritrean groups clash in Israel, leaving dozens hurt in worst confrontation in recent memory
Eritreans from both sides faced off with construction lumber, pieces of metal, rocks and at least one axe, tearing through a neighborhood of south Tel Aviv where many asylum seekers live. Protesters smashed shop windows and police cars, and blood spatter was seen on sidewalks. One government supporter was lying in a puddle of blood in a children’s playground.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-eritreans-protest-asylum-seekers-clashes-4e9824a25b635ee0fd669fb1b31d7a62

Eswatini government accused of silencing activists demanding reforms by firing top teacher’s union leader
The general secretary of the communist party, Thokozane Kunene, says the decision to fire Dlamini dates back to 2018, when he ascended to the office of the presidency of the union. He said Dlamini "has been in and out of Mswati’s kangaroo courts and tribunals defending himself from the regime’s concocted charges imposed through the Teaching Service Commission, an institution tightly controlled by the ruling regime."
https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/eswatini-government-accused-of-silencing-activists-demanding-reforms-by-firing-top-teachers-union-leader-1d30d9ec-3d65-425e-959c-f549c7955c09
https://archive.ph/FGEVP

Finland's far-right governing coalition to criminalize communist symbols?
"Acts motivated by hate against Jews, Muslims, Christians and other religious groups will be prevented and Holocaust denial will be criminalized,” the release says, adding that the government would also explore “the possibility of criminalizing the use of at least Nazi and Communist symbols to promote ideology"
https://www.idcommunism.com/2023/09/finlands-far-right-governing-coalition-to-criminalize-communist-symbols.html

Protests continue in Italy against government’s decision to end Citizens’ Income scheme
Groups including Potere al Popolo, Communist Refoundation Party (PRC), and Communist Youth Front (FGC), participated in the protests and denounced the cuts. Protestors also reiterated their demand for raising the minimum wage to €10 (USD 10.91) per hour in the country. In Naples, security forces tried to block the protestors, leading to clashes.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/08/31/protests-continue-in-italy-against-governments-decision-to-end-citizens-income-scheme/

PSNI chief facing potential confidence votes from officers and civilian staff
POLICE Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Simon Byrne faces growing pressure, with both rank-and-file officers and civilian staff considering confidence votes in his leadership. The embattled chief constable insisted he would not resign following a marathon session of his oversight body, the Policing Board, on Thursday.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/psni-chief-facing-potential-confidence-votes-officers-and-civilian-staff

Chilean President forms Commission to solve Mapuche crisis
The Commission is made up of Alfredo Moreno, a former minister in Sebastián Piñera's government; Francisco Huenchumilla (Christian Democracy), senator for La Araucanía; Carmen Gloria Aravena (Republicans), senator for La Araucanía; Gloria Callupe, in charge of Native Peoples of the Regional Government of Biobío; Emilia Nuyado (Socialist Party), deputy for Los Lagos; Sebastián Naveillán, president of the Farmers' Association; Adolfo Millabur, ex-convenor and former mayor of Tirúa; and Juan Pablo Lepín, chief of staff of the Governor of La Araucanía.
https://en.mercopress.com/2023/06/22/chilean-president-forms-commission-to-solve-mapuche-crisis

JetBlue suspends all flights to Cuba
On August 31, US-based airline JetBlue announced that it has suspended all flights to Cuba, effective September 17. In 2016, when US-Cuba relations began to thaw, JetBlue flew the first direct commercial flight to Cuba from the US in 50 years. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest, and Delta will still provide direct flights to Cuba from the US, however, United will cut its direct flights from Newark, New Jersey in October.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/01/jetblue-suspends-all-flights-to-cuba/

City of Tshwane to lay civil claim against SAMWU over wage strike damages
City of Tshwane Mayor, Cilliers Brink, says the metro will lodge a civil claim against the South African Municipal Workers’Union (SAMWU) for damages suffered due to the prolonged unprotected wage strike. Brink has been briefing the media on the ongoing wage dispute which has led to the dismissal of 122 workers since the strike began in July.
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/city-of-tshwane-to-lay-civil-claim-against-samwu-over-wage-strike-damages/

South Africa's Ramaphosa urges enforcement of laws over 'hijacked' buildings
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday urged authorities to enforce regulations preventing city residents from unlawfully occupying apartment blocks, after scores died in a fire in a Johannesburg building that was occupied illegally. The fire, which killed more than 70 people, has highlighted a housing crisis in a city that is one of the world's most unequal and where poverty and unemployment are widespread.
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africas-ramaphosa-urges-enforcement-laws-over-hijacked-buildings-2023-09-02/
R: 15 / I: 4

Can we please round up all rich students from frats and 1966 them?

This story recently broke in the Netherlands: https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/6279358/dispuut-amsterdamse-studentenvereniging-geschorst-wegens-ernstige-misstanden.html

I translated it below, adding some [context] occasionally.

——————————————-


Translation:

The Amsterdam student association L.A.N.X. has suspended one of its sub-groups ("dispuut") indefinitely. During the hazing of the sub-group Ares last November, "serious abuses" allegedly took place.
The association writes on the website last Wednesday that it had received a "very inappropriate letter" in a conversation with De Groene Amsterdammer. It contains a list of "degrading assignments" that had to be carried out abroad by the aspiring members of the association.

The assignments were divided into categories that ranged from "general" to "ladies and sex related," writes L.A.N.X. In the latter category were assignments such as 'fix yourself a refugee' [get them to have sex with you] and 'nail a bucket in an alley'. "Bucket" stands for "woman", the association reports. [Reference to a cultural aspect of Dutch student's associations where women are regularly referred to as "cum buckets"]

During the trip, the first-year students were also not allowed to have any contact with the outside world. Their social media was monitored 24 hours a day.

In total there were eighty assignments on the list. The first-years had to provide visual material of the assignments they had carried out and could thus earn points. At the end of the trip, a ranking would be drawn up, with the five freshmen with the fewest points being penalized.


The association says it is "extremely shocked" by the letter. "The letter and the assignments go against everything we stand for as an association." The sub-group in question has been suspended indefinitely and immediately excluded from the association's introductory period. L.A.N.X has also brought all participants in the hazing journey into contact with a confidential adviser "to talk about their experiences".

"We also feel defeated and cheated," said L.A.N.X. “We are taking further steps to ensure this behavior does not happen again.” In addition, the association is looking at possible next steps together with the educational institutions.

Earlier this month, L.A.N.X joined the student-oriented "Are you okay?" campaign, which was created by the Rutgers Expertise Center for Sexuality in order to make unacceptable behavior a subject for discussion.


——————————————-
R: 10 / I: 3

/WWMD/ What would Marx do?

If Marx was resurrected today what would he do?
What country would he go to?
Who would he organize with?
What political actions would he recommend?
R: 5 / I: 0
The fundamental error of capitalist economics is the belief that the maximization of profit will lead to a perfect economy. The heart and soul of capitalist economics is that markets maximize the satisfaction of preferences. In a way, this is true, because the maximization of profit essentially entails the maximization of dollars given by a consumer to purchase a commodity. People supposedly buy things they desire, so markets maximize the number of occasions wherein people have their preferences met, with a strong bias towards occasions wherein people have particularly strong preferences.
Anybody who has read Mao knows what the issue is. Stronger preferences are defined as preferences that the consumer is willing to spend more money on. This is usually called "demand". But economic demand has nothing to do with actual wants and needs. Rich people have far more "demand" than poor people, even though it's actually poor people who have a greater need for resources. Because of this, markets have very little incentive to distribute their resources towards the poor, and an incredibly strong incentive to distribute resources towards the rich, since that's the group with the stronger "demand." This means that market economies do not actually work to maximize the satisfaction of existing preferences, but rather to maximize the quantity of satisfied demand in general, meaning that it will never satisfy the needs of people who have no money (unless an outside force comes into play), but they will go to enormous lengths to generate new preferences in the wealthy through advertising. Capitalism is basically a runaway AI with a poorly thought-out utility function. It fails to provide even basic things to the people who live under it. Market economies cannot provide the homeless with homes or the starving with food. These are problems that even prehistoric hunter gatherers were able to solve, and yet the "perfect" system of highly efficient markets are completely unable to get the job done. In fact, 50% of the world population is unemployed, and would not be able to have their preferences satisfied in any way if not for informal structures like families, support networks, charities, and of course the welfare state (one of many large governmental appendages that had to be instituted to prevent capitalism from completely collapsing under the weight of its colossally poor priorities).

You all know this, but I want to take it further. I want to imprint on you a particular perspective on nature. Nature, like capitalism, works like an automaton, not to mindlessly maximize profit, but to mindlessly maximize DNA. In the process of maximizing DNA, all life as we know it was born, including human beings and all of their works. The biosphere, the combined ecosystems of the planet Earth, is the result of a billion years of DNA maximization. This biosphere is, in many ways, a complete and utter disaster by any rational measure. For millions of years, sentient beings have suffered inordinately from starvation, thirst, disease, injury, predation, and, in social animals, depression. Nature is willing to exterminate every living being on the planet over and over and over again, just to turn more sunlight into DNA. There are entire species who are biologically required to only eat the flesh of other living beings.
It is my opinion that the belief that the maximization of DNA will result in a perfect biosphere is analogous to the belief that the maximization of profit will result in a perfect economy. It's an almost theistic devotion to the just world fallacy. God created the best of all possible worlds, and it cannot possibly be changed as it is against His will. Capitalism created the best of all possible economies, and it cannot possibly be changed as that is communism. Nature created the best of all possible world, and it cannot possibly be changed as that is unnatural.
This is not to say that changing nature is always good. It's not. The destruction of ecosystems can have (and historically has had) disastrous effects on the well-being of humans and other living things. Failure to understand nature can make interactions with it deadly. But it's critical to remember that nature is imperfect. Worse than that, nature is evil. It would bring unfathomable catastrophe if tomorrow we bulldozed the entire amazon rainforest, nor do I wish to demonize non-humans, who are just as much victims of the cruelty of mother nature as ourselves, but we will, eventually, move beyond nature, to a greater degree than we already have. Nature contains lots of good things, and in fact it gave rise to every good thing that exists today, but it also created disease, mortality, obligate carnivores, pain, and immense suffering, to a degree that cannot even be comprehended in any sensible way by our brains. There is no inherent goodness to the order created by nature. Eventually, it will have to go. Natural does not mean good. We do not live in the best of all possible worlds.
This is not a call to action, I just want you all to think twice before making an appeal to nature. Nature is evil.
R: 8 / I: 2

News 9/1/23

Japan’s Sogo & Seibu department stores are being sold to a US fund as 900 workers go on strike
Japanese retailer Seven & i Holdings Co. is selling department store chain Sogo & Seibu Co. to a U.S. investment fund, even as the labor union went on strike ahead of the announcement Thursday. The transfer to Fortress Investment Group will be completed Friday, according to Seven & i Holdings. The decision came at a board of directors meeting. … Some 900 striking employees were marching, holding signs and handing out leaflets on the streets near the main Seibu department store in Tokyo, where the shutters were closed.
https://apnews.com/article/sogo-seibu-fortress-investment-group-967cc30290552aa1f33060bf2d6b2de0

Five Philippine militiamen dead, 3 wounded in ambush by rebels
Five Philippine government militiamen were killed and three others wounded in an ambush on Friday morning by suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Quezon province, southeast of Manila, a military spokesperson said. Dennis Cana, spokesperson of the military's Southern Luzon Command said the attack occurred around 7:00 a.m. local time while the government forces were on patrol in Tagkawayan town to investigate the presence of an undetermined number of NPA fighters.
http://www.uniindia.com/~/five-philippine-militiamen-dead-3-wounded-in-ambush-by-rebels/World/news/3042250.html
https://archive.ph/62It9

Thailand’s king reduces former Prime Minister Thaksin’s 8-year prison term to a single year
Thai media, citing Justice Ministry sources, reported that Thaksin can apply for parole after serving one-third of his sentence, or four months. They said the former leader, who was moved to a hospital suite following a brief prison stay after complaining of ill health, could remain there for that period with permission from the Correction Department’s chief.
https://apnews.com/article/thailand-thaksin-king-reduce-prison-sentence-3026da9ace05ab877e70113f578567d6

‘Bashar out!’: Protests in southern Syria over economy now target president
Centred in the government-controlled province of Sweida, the heartland of Syria’s Druze, a religious minority that had largely stayed neutral in the conflict between al-Assad and the Syrian opposition, the protests are unusual. Open criticism of the government had remained rare in government-controlled areas, but as the economic situation has grown worse, the discontent has gone public. Friday’s turnout was large despite apparent divisions within the Druze leadership over the demonstrations. Some Druze sheikhs have criticised protesters’ calls for al-Assad to step down and say that any improvement to the socioeconomic situation must come through dialogue.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/1/bashar-out-protests-in-southern-syria-over-economy-now-target-president
https://archive.ph/bIvmB

Violent clashes between “Manbij Military Council” and pro-Turkey factions lead to retaking control of village in eastern Aleppo
Violent clashes with medium and light weapons erupted between members of Manbij Military Council which affiliated with SDF and regime forces on one hand, and pro-Turkey factions on the other hand in Al-Mahsanli village in Manbij countryside in eastern Aleppo, amid exchange of bombardment on the frontlines of Arab Hassan and Al-Lajat in the region. The clashes led to the recapture of Al-Mahsanli village by “Manbij Military Council” after it had controlled by pro-Turkey factions.
https://www.syriahr.com/en/309353/

UN demands 'independent' probe after nearly 50 killed in DR Congo crackdown on rally
The UN is in touch with the DRC authorities to ensure a probe they have opened "is independent, effective, and that measures are put in place to ensure that future demonstrations are policed in line with international human rights standards," she said. Soldiers on Wednesday stopped a religious sect from holding a demonstration against UN peacekeepers in Goma. According to an assessment by the rights office, at least 43 people were killed, including a policeman, and 56 injured, Shamdasani said, adding that the toll may be higher.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230831-48-killed-in-east-dr-congo-anti-un-rally-crackdown
https://archive.ph/t4Yac

Seven women activists detained at Sudan ‘enforced disappearances’ vigil
At least seven women human rights defenders and a journalist were apprehended by authorities at a vigil organised by the Sudan Mothers Initiative (SMI) in Ed Damazin, Blue Nile region, on August 30. The event, held to commemorate the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, took an alarming turn as detentions were made.
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/seven-women-activists-arrested-at-sudan-enforced-disappearances-vigil

Activists found not guilty after shutting down factory owned by Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer
Iola Davies, 73, of Littlehampton, West Sussex, and Jasmine Murphy, 23, of Sheffield, were cleared by District Judge Kevin Grego on Wednesday following a two-day trial at Walsall magistrates’ court. They locked