The imperial core is continuing the process of self-cannibalization as the interimperial wars between Europe and the US over resource and territorial control continue. Greenland, populated with less than a hundred thousand heavily exploited people, is the newest territory to fall under Trump’s gaze. The main draw is the mineral resources present there, of which it boasts nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum, and much more than remains unexplored under the ice. But the ice is melting, and profit must be made. There is an additional element of wanting Arctic territory to counter Chinese and especially Russian interests and aims; Russia is increasingly eyeing the northern Arctic route as an alternative to more vulnerable routes through the Suez Canal or around Africa, and is investing heavily in icebreakers for that purpose.
However, even if Europe possessed the desire to resist American annexations - and they absolutely do not, at the end of the day - they do not even have the ability. Denmark may, to a lesser or greater extent, make angry sounds and talk about national honour or some such, but their military would be trampled underfoot by even the New York Police Department, let alone a concerted military effort by the US. If Trump wants Greenland, he will have it. This will naturally increase the grumbling in Europe about reconsidering the Transatlantic alliance, and that grumbling may, in the medium-term future, as the American Empire continues its decline, lead to meaningful results. But in the short term, Europe shall have to bear whatever Trump throws at them, for they obviously cannot now ally with Russia, who was the natural counterweight to American interests for decades before 2022.
Last week’s thread is here.
The Imperialism Reading Group is here.
Please check out the HexAtlas!
The bulletins site is here. Currently not used.
The RSS feed is here. Also currently not used.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on Israel’s destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Defense Politics Asia’s youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
He is dealing
Trump will turn out to be the arm reduction candidate when it comes to gaza. Which is not to Trump’s credit, it only demonstrates how monstrous the Democrats are
Russia rejects Germany and Japan as permanent UN security council members because they’re US puppets.
“Americans name Germany and Japan as contenders for permanent membership in the security council, who do not have any independent voice in world politics. They blindly and submissively follow the path of USA and when the US oppresses them directly, they do not even dare to squeal. Like chancellor Scholz did not dare to squeal when NordStream was blown up!”
Lavrov, Russian foreign minister
RedNote Rises to Top Spot Amid Looming TikTok Ban - Telesur English
Article
This Chinese app became a haven for content U.S. creators and users seeking an alternative to TikTok. As the potential TikTok ban in the United States drew near, a Chinese social media app named RedNote unexpectedly climbed to the top position on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store on Monday.
RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in China, saw a sudden surge in popularity among American users as TikTok faced a possible ban on January 19, 2025. The app became a haven for content American creators and users seeking an alternative to TikTok.
The app’s sudden rise to prominence in the U.S. came as the Supreme Court was set to rule on enforcing a law that could either ban TikTok or force its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell it to an American firm. This legal uncertainty prompted many TikTok users to seek alternative platforms, with RedNote emerging as a popular choice.
Founded in 2013, RedNote initially focused on overseas shopping advice but has since evolved into a comprehensive lifestyle platform. The app allows users to share product reviews, lifestyle tips and personal experiences through text, images and short videos. In December 2024, RedNote boasted approximately 300 million monthly active users globally. RedNote’s user base consists primarily of young, urban Chinese women, with 70 percent of its users reportedly born after 1990. However, the recent influx of American users has begun to diversify its user demographics.
The platform’s success can be attributed to its unique blend of social media and e-commerce features. Users can share content and purchase products directly through the app, creating a seamless shopping experience. As users flock to RedNote, some are embracing the platform’s international nature. Videos from American users identifying themselves as “TikTok refugees” have begun to appear, with some even reaching out to Chinese members to learn about trending memes in China.
Argentines Demand President Milei Immediate Delivery of Oncology Medication - Telesur English
Article
His administration dissolved the departments responsible for designing policies for HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy, and hepatitis. On Tuesday, Argentine scientific societies, patient organizations, and unions organize a “Hug for Public Health” demonstration in front of the Health Ministry in Buenos Aires.
This symbolic act aims to demand the immediate delivery of medication to cancer patients and to protest the impact of recent budget cuts on healthcare. “We demand the immediate compliance with the ruling that orders the National Directorate for Direct and Compensatory Assistance (Dinadic) to regularize the delivery of medication to cancer patients and those with rare diseases,” they stated.
In Argentina, over 60 people have died due to not receiving medications from the state. This occurred after far-right President Javier Milei decided to halt the distribution of medication through the Directorate of Direct Assistance for Special Situations (Dadse), an institution that was not audited in 2024.
The secretary of the Federation of Health Professionals of the Argentine Republic (Fesprosa), Jorge Yabkowski, explained that cuts to public programs have caused dramatic situations. “Medication was cut off for over 1,000 patients. Obviously, these were critically ill patients, and the months-long suspension of their medication caused a large number of deaths,” he stated.
The National Front for the Health of People with HIV denounced that, in addition to cutting 76% of funding for people with this disease, the Milei administration dissolved the departments responsible for designing public policies for people with HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy, and hepatitis.
Ukrainian MP Bezugla appealed to the US government to stop providing military aid to Ukraine as long as Syrsky remains the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
So is this going to be just like the Lebanon ceasefire where they violate it within a few days or once the hostages are freed?
So is Trump really pressuring Netanyahu into this supposed ceasefire? Trump was the harm reduction candidate all along huh
TikTok ban is going through on Sunday.
The lack of desire to win in the dems is just staggering. Why would they let the ban take place after the election?
They are such loyal stooges of the empire it really beggars belief.
I also recently finished reading International Brigade Against Apartheid by Ronnie Kasrils and this other book, the title of which would certainly give off some
vibes at a first glance by Steven Friedman, published just in November 2023. Despite the otherwise problematic title, the author of the latter gave an interview on CII Radio live and on Newzroom Afrika last year, discussing the launch of his newest book that reads like the South African counterpart to Blackshirts and Reds and he speaks just like George Galloway and Norman Finkelstein.The first book is a collection of war stories and the numerous campaigns against the Apartheid South African regime, more in-depth details of guerilla operations, organized calls of boycott throughout the world, the development of various solidarity movements and a closer examination of the Apartheid government’s politics, both internal/domestic and international. While the intent of this book is not necessarily to draw parallels between one former and one current Apartheid entity, many of the actions, goals and the words of the participants of Apartheid has matched exactly with those of piSSrael today. Of course, the Apartheid South Africa’s ambitions of a “genocide against most of the continent in self-defence” fell flat.
The second book goes more into detail on the deliberate misuse of the label “antisemitism” against anyone critical of piSSrael (as well as similar tactics employed during the Apartheid in South Africa), the prevalence of Western hypocrisy, the conflation between Judaism and Zionism, supporters of piSSrael overlooking or complicit in actual antisemitism and lastly, the demonization of Palestinian solidarity activism, particularly the targeting of Jewish pro-Palestinians by pro-piSSraeli individuals/governments/organizations mostly in the Western world. Had this book come out in 2024 instead, there would be plenty more to write about the double-standards post 7 October, the university encampments worldwide and repression of Palestinian solidarity movements in the UK and EU. It isn’t stated in the book specifically, but Steven Friedman mentioned in an interview by the SAJFP how the end of Apartheid in South Africa had really magnified this conflation. Really, only in South Africa can these words be spoken without putting oneself in danger.
I can’t find a PDF of International Brigade Against Apartheid as of right now, but I did find Steven Friedman’s book on Libgen
Death to AmeriKKKa
Having the Central Bank “finance” deficits by simply issuing debt to them was the common practice in the west till 1980s. This “central bank independence” is nonsense. It is just a way to transfer the responsibility for austerity to someone else.
It should be seen in a different way. Strain on the external sector due to sanctions and the war forced the Government to deficit spend as the economy went to a recession due to shrinking tax revenues.
This happened in the West too in 2008, when economic collapse resulted in tax revenues going down and unemployment benefits to go up. “Automatic stablizers”. If anything, the lack of discretionary spending on recovery in Syria didn’t help the economy recover once the war subsided.
The exchange rate depreciation resulted in passthrough inflation. This wasn’t the fault of Syrian Government, sanctions were responsible for it. You can look at Iranian Rial and see the same thing when Trump ramped up sanctions.
Duma Boko became president of Botswana 2 months ago and he has very promptly demanded that the Americans halt operations in the Thebephatshwa Airbase. In 2019, the EFF also stated that the base presents a direct security threat to South Africa, being less than 400 kilometers away from Gauteng and that an attack would be casus belli for South Africa to engage in conflict with Botswana again. 20 million people live within this 400-kilometer radius with the bulk of them in Gauteng.
Of course, post-Apartheid South Africa and Botswana have maintained generally good relations apart from that one time they undermined the beginnings of academic boycotts against piSSrael. It would take a coup for the relations between the two to go sideways which would create an immediate parallel to the Euromaidan coup over a decade ago.
The Palestinian football team Burj al Luq-Luq has also landed in Cape Town last week and recently, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance scaled the Diamond Building in Johannesburg, hoisting a large Palestinian flag to the building’s eastern side antenna.
Death to NATO, Death to AmeriKKKa, Death to piSSrael
Btw the IMF has an online library where you can download a bunch of their analysis (analyses?) of various regions of the world. Presumably you can learn a lot about how the vampires all think, and where they see potential faultlines in the financial empire of the United States. Same with the world bank, which has a quarterly commodities forecast which talks about the potential price developments in wheat, oil and others.
This is not to encourage people to take their word as gospel, but it’s probably a decent idea to know how these specific institutions looks upon the world, since their ideology is so dominant among the ruling elites of the world.
Trump wants to keep creating redundant bureaucracies. What is CBP for? Who does he think pays the import tariffs, it’s not China. China gets fiat money, U.S. gets real goods.
Some news from occupied Palestine.
The Zionist regime admitted that yesterday Palestinian resistance fighters eliminated five more Zionist occupation troops in northern Gaza: https://southfront.press/israeli-army-takes-in-more-losses-in-gaza-as-ceasefire-nears/
Yemen fired another hypersonic Palestine-2 ballistic missile at the Zionist “Defense Ministry” headquarters in Tel Aviv: https://thecradle.co/articles/undeterred-by-us-led-war-yemen-targets-israel-three-times-in-12-hours
Zionist genocidal attacks massacred over 50 civilians in Gaza, including an attack on Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood that killed 11 people. https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/01/14/740875/Israel-kills-50-Palestinians-Gaza-strikes
Special bonus video, a US activist correctly called out Blinken for being a brutal war criminal: https://news-pravda.com/world/2025/01/14/977470.html
