Image is a map of the Western Sahara, sourced from this article in the Middle East Eye. Much of the information in the preamble also came from there, as well as this article.
November 6th marked the 50th anniversary of Morocco, under King Hassan II, beginning the invasion and occupation of much of the territory of the Western Sahara. Today, approximately 80% of the territory of the Western Sahara is controlled by Morocco, with the Polisario Front - the government of the Sahrawis - controlling the rest, hugging the border of Mauritania. Between them lies one of the longest walls and one of the largest minefields on the planet, of which construction began in the 1980s.
The legitimacy of Morocco's control over the Western Sahara is one of those long-lasting diplomatic issues which ultimately doesn't seem to matter very much in terms of on-the-ground realities, and reveals the eternal uselessness of the United Nations especially in regard to actually helping oppressed people. Up until about 2020, the US and certain other Western countries did not formally recognize Morocco as having sovereignty over the whole territory, but in terms of providing genuine opposition to Morocco, it seems that Algeria is the major player in the region. While American, European, and Moroccan corporations exploit the fisheries and phosphate minerals of the region, protected by their minefields (and claims of merely advancing the cause of renewable energy development, AKA greenwashing), Algeria provides what aid they can to support the displaced Sahrawi people, many of whom have been forced to live in refugee camps.
On October 31st, the US put forward a resolution in the UN Security Council which was adopted (Russia and China abstained) and provided major support to Morocco, urging the Polisario Front to adopt the 2007 "autonomy plan", which would, despite its name, be synonymous with an end to their independence movement. Such a plan was met with much jubilation in Morocco, with King Mohammed VI remarking "From now on, there will be a before and an after October 31, 2025.” Such a date was also the catalyst for the PF intensifying their guerilla struggle against Morocco, as legal avenues for autonomy and basic human rights are running out as the imperialists grow more desperate.
Last week's thread is here.
The Imperialism Reading Group is here.
Please check out the RedAtlas!
The bulletins site is here. Currently not used.
The RSS feed is here. Also currently not used.
The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. 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.
There was a lot of uncertainty about how the military operations impacted Hezbollah (in truth very badly), I remember back then there was a lot of "insinuations" that hezbollah was still doing fine.
Despite what is commonly regurgitated, the empire is very good at defanging radical movements, they managed it with BLM and Occupy for example, and I did warn about the pro-palestine movement being co-opted by libs and so it was. Everytime they use "friendly" elements to push out the radicals, then compromise via struggle sessions they root out the militancy. America's "Lenin" is already schmoozing with president trump and so the american left was defeated without a single bullet fired.
Palestine Action was the way forward and look at how hard the state has come down on them and how every other "pro-Palestine" movement in the West either mumbles about how adventurism is bad aktually unlike yet another useless march or continues to pretend they don't exist. Meanwhile, members of Palestine Action who are in prison facing trumped up charges (ie they haven't been charged with a crime yet but are in "administrative detention") are going on hunger strike, many of them in critical health. Why haven't the rest of the pro-Palestine movement focus on freeing these courageous political prisoners from jail? And this doesn't mean literally breaking them out of prison like how the BLA freed Shakur. There is plenty of legal means of freeing political prisoners like how the Indigenous movement pressured the state to free Peltier.
I think you analysis is only party right. They are good at defanging radical movements, for sure… but I wouldn’t say the palestine movement had been coopted as much as it really just ebbed (or ran out of momentum) as people continued to watch in despair … I think it actually shifted popular consciousness a great deal, but also many libs learned that public opinion actually doesn’t change the ruling classes behavior so easily. … the DSA isn’t at the center of the movement for Palestine at all really, and Zorhan is just another opportunist social democrat who will submit to his own ambition over principle - or already has- the moment he is offered something that is easier to accept than his own personal defeat. He didn’t coopt the movement for Palestine so much as he took advantage of it for personal gain. You don’t see Pelosi and Shumer walking around with kufiyahs on, because they never will. No serious person compares Zohran to Lenin, he is much more a Kautski or Ebert… The DSA has no ideological coherence, no mechanism for discipline, and no loyal cadre- only liberals and “left-wing” communists contending for leadership in purpose-built, anemic “organization” … and those leadership positions cary very little weight when the organization itself has no discipline and members (and even chapters) are free to disregard nearly anything leadership decides… They have people who “they elect” in high profile positions and who generate excitement because the us-left is so starved for victory, but they always end up disappointing … because it isn’t really the DSA “getting someone elected”, it is an opportunist using the DSA as a launchpad for their own career in the liberal political class.
Him using the "globalize the intifada" which is THE thing he first became famous for and then turning around and basically keeping the status quo is co-option. The movement ran out of momentum because the media assured them they "stopped" the genocide with the ceasefire. Since liberals became the cultural leaders, their media empire told people to go home and pack their bags, so co-option. Just like BLM, the radical messaging will be watered down with time until we are at the point when not defunding the police is a feasible political option. The only thing libs learned is to do more protests and manifest whatever and then skin and wear socialism.
Besides it wasnt just the DSA, it was the entire american "radical" left media operatus that flocked to endorse mamdani - yes all your faves are implied- uncritically and of course scolding everyone who tried to not let opportunism run rampant. It has already shifted most american leftist to right, they dont even realize it. And what will they do once The west literally colonizes gaza? Or when the invasion of venezuela will start shorty? Or when they attack cuba as the grand finishing blow? I assume nothing but swear on nebulous strategical moves that surely will pay dividends in the future, just as Bernie's campaigns has materialized in the american red army walking around. The american left is defeated and now has to start over again.
i don't recall this. the first i heard was his refusal to discourage others from using it but not using it himself, and he was pushed even from that half-ass nothing position.
Are people actually calling Zorhan amerikas Lennin? Thats so embarrassing.
No
Only in the sense that you can go online and find any take you want. DSAers are excited and aren't really looking for a new Lenin. People who would like a new Lenin either see it as "interesting, with serious concerns" or "just another social fascist to be dismissed entirely".
Given that people literally and I mean literally called the entire mamdani charade the sprout "of the seed of communism planted in the hearts of americans" or "our red vienna" or linked it to the communist coup of czechoslovakia, yes they are serious - or rather were, now we are in the age of revisionism, since mamdani is becoming more opportunistic. Everyone and their mom, who once were his heralds are now repositioning themselves as the critics always secretly on the right side of history.
Well they cant lose their revolutionary credits and not demobilze the next social movement to come.
The libs are very vehemently against genocide, they just have a very long latency.
Kinda like the good cop in the good cop/bad cop bit. This guy always arrives AFTER you got beaten up.