Image is of the Preah Vihear Temple on the Cambodian border. Image sourced from the UNESCO World Heritage website.
Over the last few days, Thailand and Cambodia entered into a heightened stage of conflict due to a long-running border dispute. Like many problems on this planet, Europeans are ultimately to blame - specifically France. Certain sections of the border drawn up by France about a century ago were not fully agreed upon by both sides, with the ownership of some Khmer temples being the most visible points of disagreement.
Despite interventions in favor of Cambodia in the 1960s and later 2010s by the ICJ - one of the mainly mostly useless global institutions that liberals periodically disown - the border conflict has simmered at a generally low level. Of the two countries, Thailand is significantly more militarily and economically powerful.
Last Wednesday, a Thai soldier lost his leg by stepping on a landmine, prompting a rapid escalation between Cambodia and Thailand that has since resulted in dozens of deaths and tens of thousands displaced. Cambodia was willing to come to the negotiating table fairly quickly, but Thailand was more hesitant. International pressure on the two countries by Malaysia, China, and the United States eventually forced Thailand to the table, and they have recently agreed to an immediate ceasefire courtesy of ASEAN.
Notably, Trump refused to hold trade talks with either country until they agreed to peace, which suggests that he really wants a Nobel Peace Prize - which he seems a shoe-in for given that he's met the two most important requirements that several Nobel Peace Prize recipients have needed to meet in the past, which are: 1) start at least one war, and 2) accelerate the genocide of millions of people as billions more people watch on. His policies vis-a-vis ICE creating a domestic terror regime only further increase his chances of winning the prize.
Last week's thread is here.
The Imperialism Reading Group is here.
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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.
The speed at which western leftists can glee over a guy who literally said Israel has a right to exist because they'll "get" "subsidized" malls where they'll save maybe 30$ on groceries just shows me how they need to get a fucking grip. If a pretty smile and some milquetoast promises from THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CANDIDATE can make you cheer for a guy, a suitcase of money will you make burn the world.
His goal is create a "democratic party one can be proud of", idk why some people have let themselves be enthralled into thinking he will be the american mao who is just hiding his true beliefs, which almost all communists explicit said one should not do, but anyways...Just because he is charismatic? Because he went to on that youtube short nyc subway channel?
What you've gotta understand is that hes a DSA-right guy. He wants to win people over to socialism by running socialist campaigns on the democratic ballot line and eventually become an independent party at some indeterminate point in the future.
He's read Marx, thinks hes a communist, kind of is in some important ways, but his praxis is Sewer Socialism.
"We need to fully fund the police and keep response times fast" = "create alternative crisis response to reduce police workload"
"Israel has a right to exist as a democratic state" = "Israel doesnt have a right to exist"
"We should make the democrats better" = "we should win races as socialists within the democratic party to create a split"
The DSA right actively opposes discipline and could therefore never do anything entryist with the Democratic Party. They will capitulate to "their electeds" every time and therefore have no program or means by which to enforce it. Their subscription to electoralism is not reluctant or strategic, it is just lingering liberalism.
In New York, would that mean trying to win the support of the CHUDs? Or the Ninja Turtles?
People think there's only two options: Shredder or Master splinter, but I'm here to tell you there's an alternative: A socialist alternative. I'm here to advocate for every-day working people: for the goons getting clobbered by nunchuks for $14 bucks an hour and without healthcare! The turtles and shredder fight, nobody wins. We are calling on all goons to lay down their arms and refuse to fight a Mutants' war.
He did not say "Israel has a right to exist" he said it "only has a right to exist as a state with equal rights" which is the same fuckin thing as saying it shouldn't exist, considering equal rights and one state are anathema to zionism
HE'S DOGWHISTLING
you westerners are a lost cause.
They really bring fire and brimstone upon rando normie leftists for not having done 20 October revolutions by lunch but coddle and infantilize those with the ability to reach millions and means (monetary or otherwise) to do change. Its so backwards, “accountability” and criticism declines the more able a leftist is to actually do leftist things.
they're having a parasocial relation with a democrat. now the question, is Mamdani brat?
I come with fire and brimstone for so-called leftists who seem to have it out for the most pro-Palestinian candidate in American history
Like seriously "accountability"??? You doomers couldn't even get his policies on defunding the police correct, and you wanna be taken seriously while slinging that type of wrecker bullshit?
Yawn. Calling everyone doomer, wrecker and "so called leftist" has lost its punch, especially when it is in the defence of a milquetoast socdem. He is not pro-palestine enough and its the work of the american left movement to direct the working class towards more radical policies, not cater and tail towards the most reactionary elements on the "left side" in the name "electability".
The strategy to turn the dems into a working class party strategy, paraded as the panacea, is dead in the water, hell the corpse has been poising the pond at this point.
I know you apparently have invested a lot of personal time, money and social connections into that man's career. Which not only makes you mentally biased against any criticism, but in the end it also does not absolve mamdani from it, despite the effort you put in.
I get the feeling, I went to university. There were many times, I put a lot effort and time into something and it got graded badly or was considered unexceptional. I was frustrated and angry because all the effort went nowhere, however this did not mean my work was unfairly judged.
Ok cool, you've given up, then shut the fuck up about him, the totally "left-wing" media hounding him will hold him "accountable" on your behalf, so don't worry about it, you want to be vindicated right? According to all your dipshit doomer calculations the "Not pro-Palestine enough" candidate will lose, or be assassinated, or betray his polices somehow, or be arrested....I've lost track for all the excuses for apathy
It's hilarious, you doomers are utterly terrified of having your anti-electoral ideology invalidated, I get it "frustrated and angry" it's a comfort blanket to soothe the tummy aches since Bernie ate shit in 2020, GET THE FUCK OVER IT ALREADY
The man stood in the belly of the beast and told them he wasn't gonna change his polices and you think he needs absolvement from your Too-cool-for-school ass? lmao what a reddit-pilled joke
Imagine being this stubborn and fighting this many starwmen.
The Zohran Mamdani constructed by this thread is basically a careerist zionist traitor who loves the cops, and you want to talk about strawmen?
You people are not serious
And you doomers don't have any arguments
Everyone who doesn’t do DSA electoral reformist entryism is a DOOMER. The ONLY WAY FORWARD IS MINE
Your own argument was that when he was saying "Israel has a right to exist" he meant "death to israel"
"Israel has a right to exist.....ONLY AS A STATE WITH EQUAL RIGHTS" THAT is his position and it's an obvious repudiation of zionism and wielded by Zohran as a rhetorical trap for American zionists and their supporters
This is called liberal zionism.
There is no such thing as a liberal zionist who wants equal rights, they wouldn't be a Zionist then, liberal Zionists believe in the two-state solution or Bantustans, typical Zionists believe in genocide, either way no equal rights
Which do you believe plays well with the average ignorant American; "Equal rights for all in Israel" or "NUKE TEL AVIV!" which do you think zionist media would prefer to propagandize against?
equal rights for "israel arabs" and "israeli jews", where does he say anything about not wanting Palestine to be a Bantustan? he's giving the liberal zionism take, an israel with equal rights means 2 state "solution" where the israel part has mid rights for Palestinians.
Should he also back down on the subsidies and whatever else he was promising because the average american is a scumbag and would vote against giving a poor person a dollar?
You know what confuses me about you and the rest of his supporters on the left? why are you so worked up about a democrat candidate running in New York, it's not like he's going to lose, why are you putting all this effort into supporting him and hyping him up? you're only going to get more disappointed.
By next week, I believe you're going to start calling Palestine a single vote issue.
You want to be an obtuse dumbass, go ahead, yeah this guy https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-ydvRL8cr4E is a liberal zionist, give me a break with this tea leaves reading bullshit
Where did he back down, he used a rhetorical ploy to trip up zionist backed media, sorry he doesn't speak in Maoist standard English
Hmmm, yeah why am I worked up about so-called leftists trashing a pro-Palestinian Muslim candidate and jumping on the zionist media bandwagon to slander and distort his views, it's such a mystery
By next week I'm still gonna support the most pro-Palestinian candidate in American history and clowning on disingenuous ultras who don't know their head from their ass
We wonder why we don’t have a ton of posters from the global south here, look no further. Arrogant American scolding and condescending someone and defending Liberal Zionism in order to shield a social chauvinist. You drive people away with this exhausting horseshit
"Israel has a right to exist" and "oct 7 was a horrible crime" are reading tea leaves.
when he apologized about globalizing the intifada
he's a democrat, he's a pro cop democrat. Just like the first black female vice president Kamala Harris.
You are living in a fantasy.
"Israel has a right to exist as a state under equal rights" ding, ding, ding DOGWHISTLE!!! and "Actually as a highly visible Muslim man Oct 7th was awesome" yeah nice terrorism charge, that would be a good way to get arrested, maybe that's what you want
He was asked about it a hundred times, he flubbed the answer twice, once after a highly televised ambush, nice try tho
Oh really, pro cop democrats love keeping the police budget static and letting it shrink year-on-year thru inflation and transferring the yearly budget increase to new social services, that's Kamala Harris really?
I'm not the one who can't distinguish ally from foe
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Yes we do, with @xiaohongshu@hexbear.net giving a particularly detailed one.
Just because you don’t like them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I feel like I’m arguing with bluesky liberals. Like it’s literally almost word-for-word the exact same rhetoric.
I didn't get arguments from Xiaohongshu, I got doomer prediction after doomer prediction, which hilariously contradicted each other
This is myopic. If Israel kills enough Palestinians that giving them equal rights still means Jewish Israelis can decide every election, they'll go ahead and do it. That's what the US did with the indigenous people of Turtle Island. Failing to recognize that as a real possibility is ahistorical. If we start conceding that "equal rights" is the point now, if it comes to it, Zionists still could get everything they want i.e. the land.
Of course its "myopic" HE'S RUNNING FOR MAYOR OF NEW YORK FUCKIN CITY, the point of that statement is to force zionists IN AMERICA to publicly agrue against the concept of equal rights, which IN AMERICA doesn't bode well for the short or long term viability of zionism IN AMERICA
And since America is Israel's paymaster, zionists eating shit IN AMERICA equals zionists eating shit everywhere
He's running for election not hosting a university symposium on genocide studies
He never said it.
And if he did, he didn’t mean it.
And if he did, it wasn’t that bad.
And if it was, it doesn’t matter. Why are you still asking questions?
Gosh Zohran is such a zionist, that's why the media and AIPAC are backing him
Also HE DID SAY IT
And he should say it again
And he should keep saying it
And he should ignore larping doomers who don't understand basic rhetoric
he actually does say the other thing in the colbert clip but i've already commented on it and frankly neither side should give a shit what a mayor thinks about international relations, the fact that it's even a question is just racism.
Thank you
I don’t recall him ever saying Israel has a right to exist. I do recall him articulating the one-state position, though.
Now you have seen it.
I can’t get the video to play but I am assuming this is where Mamdani say “Israel has a right to exist… as a state with equal rights”.
That is unambiguously if perhaps using softer language, an endorsement of the one state solution. Some here might disagree but I have no problem with using very specific language when talking with normies who have little to no knowledge of the situation in Palestine. I do it all the time IRL with my boomer parents. I’ve brought them around to the one state solution over time, but to do that I had to walk them through it slowly and avoid terms or language where it would scare them away because they are profoundly ignorant. Yes, you educate and raise up the masses but that doesn’t mean you just toss them in the deep end. To a general audience watching a mayoral debate, saying “death to Israel”, though correct, only closes doors. Framing it first as an issue of equal rights will actually cause people to let their guard down and listen to you. I believe Mamdani’s approach is correct here.
What do you say if after the genocide in Gaza, Israel plays back a similar strategy in the West Bank, leaving only 2-3 million Palestinians alive in Occupied Palestine? At that point, Israel can give the remaining Palestinians "equal rights" with no land back, doing exactly what people like Mamdani are already softly capitulating to, yet Palestinians will have become a small enough minority that settlers would continue to have power over them.
IMO explicitly spelling out that decolonization is necessary is the minimum for a view on the conflict to be worth endorsing. That doesn't mean that Mamdani is a bad mayoral candidate, but his stance on Palestine is weak, it shouldn't be praised as if it was the best possible stance.
Nah he says it has a right to exist and a responsibility to uphold international law (lol)
"me when I'm being cringe and annoying"
no this is the one where he says "like all nations".
of course no nation-state has any rights at all, but he doesn't get into that on colbert and it would be naive to be so charitable. but he's running for mayor he should be refusing foreign policy questions and people shouldn't be asking one way or the other.