this post was submitted on 26 May 2025
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Image is of a solar park in Cuba, donated last year by China, sourced from this article.


To be honest, I don't have much to say about ongoing geopolitical events that hasn't already been said in previous threads (e.g. with India/Pakistan, Trump/Putin, and of course occupied Palestine), so this is more of a "news roundup" preamble for this week.

As we all know, the US (and the imperial core generally) has only three permitted international actions: sanctions, color revolution, and war. None of these have been going well lately, but sanctions are in particularly dire straits right now. Three examples from the last week or so:

  • The EU is on its 17th sanctions package, apparently, which is surprising, as I thought they were on their 76th or something. It apparently targets Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers, but I don't think anybody actually gives a shit because we all know it won't achieve anything, so, moving on...

  • The head of Nvidia (as well as many others) have come out and said that the US chip export controls on China have failed, remarking that China's internal motivations to develop alternatives are strong and proceeding rapidly, especially as China's number of skilled scientists is only growing. Nvidia has said that they had a 95% share of China's AI chip market in 2020 or so, but now they only have 50%.

  • Lastly, an interesting one: Iran has received its first set of railway shipment of solar panels from China, and there is hope for accelerating shipments of even more products. Myself and many others have predicted a decoupling of Iran from the West and towards China and Russia (especially if any Western-built product could have Israeli devices implanted into them, such as with the pager terrorist attack on Lebanon's doctors), and having a strong link with China will be a necessary step for Iran and their allies to continue their offensives against Israel.


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.

Israel-Palestine Conflict

If you have evidence of Israeli crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

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.


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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 29 points 2 months ago

Russia to Resume Security Consultations with Latin American Allies - Telesur English

Article

We are focused on resuming five-party consultations in the Russia-Nicaragua-Bolivia-Venezuela-Cuba format, Shoigu said. On Thursday, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu called for the resumption of security consultations with his country’s key Latin American allies.

“In addition to bilateral negotiations, we are focused on resuming five-party consultations in the Russia-Nicaragua-Bolivia-Venezuela-Cuba format,” he said during a meeting with Jose Ornelas, the secretary of the Venezuelan National Defense Council, held as part of the 13th Moscow International Security Conference.

Shoigu stated that Venezuela is one of Russia’s “key allies and strategic partners” in Latin America and internationally. He emphasized that relations between Moscow and Caracas are constantly expanding with new, mutually beneficial projects.

“Bilateral political dialogue is developing intensively at the highest levels,” he said, noting that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visited Russia in early May to take part in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in World War II.

“During that visit, he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We are focused on implementing the agreements reached. For our part, we confirm our interest in organizing dialogue at the level of security councils,” Shoigu said.

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 28 points 2 months ago

Ecuador's biggest oil refinery stops operating as precaution due to fire - Reuters

Article

QUITO, May 26 (Reuters) - A fire that erupted in a fuel oil tank on Monday at Ecuador's biggest oil refinery is under control, state oil company Petroecuador and the country's energy minister said, with the company adding that operations have halted as a precaution.

All personnel at Petroecuador's Esmeraldas refinery were safely evacuated with no injuries reported, and investigations into the cause and infrastructure damage are under way, the company said.

"The Esmeraldas refinery has stopped operation as a precaution for the security of the installations and personnel," the company said in a statement.

[–] la_tasalana_intissari_mata@hexbear.net 27 points 2 months ago (1 children)

was that attack even legal in international law

[–] ThomasMuentzner@hexbear.net 28 points 2 months ago (1 children)

not that a attack beeing illigal would ever prevent one , but i guess this is a legit attack on Strategic Bombers launching missiles at you country.

[–] la_tasalana_intissari_mata@hexbear.net 28 points 2 months ago (1 children)

not the targets, but hiding drones in a truck, according to Hague convention you need to have clear emblems and to carry arms openly, an unmarked civilian truck with hidden drones doing a surprise attack breaks that rule even if you're shooting a valid target.

[–] jackmaoist@hexbear.net 27 points 2 months ago (1 children)
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[–] ffmpreg@hexbear.net 27 points 2 months ago (1 children)

with the sino/us geneva agreement in danger of breaking down due to chips/rare earths dispute, one wonders if china bottlenecking RE will finally allow the US to rediscover industrial policy. it's pretty clear that chinese dominance in REs allows them to crush any competitor on the free market at will, with the disturbing implication that the XHS strategy of using fake money (but i repeat myself) to build out supply chains in peripheral countries, at least in this sector, could be less than optimal. it was dicey for strategic necessities in the first place, but for something with as much capital overhead as REs the risks become noticeably starker.

it appears that the necessity of security of production, once subsidized by western technological and financial superiority, is once again asserting itself as hegemony erodes. the ongoing russian drone fiasco provides illustration in this regard (i think someone else actually mentioned factories being a more valuable target inthread). the working assumption is that no one is dumb enough to halfass things in this situation (the actual working assumption is nothing ever happens), but i wouldn't rule out the funniest outcomes of building processing in australia/greenland or failing to protect monopoly power from non-government corpos.

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 27 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Baracoa’s Chocolate Legacy: A Tradition of Passion and Resilience - Telesur English

Article

In Baracoa, Cuba’s chocolate capital, the legacy of cacao cultivation and chocolate production remains deeply woven into the town’s identity. For José Alexander Eugellés, who has worked in Baracoa’s chocolate factory for 28 years, crafting chocolate is more than a profession—it’s a way of life, inherited from his father and shared with his sister.

The factory, inaugurated in April 1963 by revolutionary leader Che Guevara, processes all of Cuba’s chocolate, relying on Baracoa’s unique climate and fertile soil for high-quality cacao. With annual rainfall of 1,500–2,500 mm and an average temperature between 24–28°C, the region remains Cuba’s top cacao producer, contributing 75% of national output.

The chocolate-making process in Baracoa’s factory demands 24-hour shifts, beginning with roasting cacao seeds at 150°C, followed by shelling, grinding, and pressing to extract cocoa butter. The resulting cocoa powder becomes the base for artisan chocolates, natillas, and confectionery blends.

A recent $8.5 million investment modernized production lines, replacing older machinery with Swiss and Italian technology, doubling processing capacity from 3,000 tons annually. However, in October 2016, Hurricane Matthew devastated cacao farms, severely impacting exports to Europe, reducing shipments from 400 to just 250 tons.

Despite hardships, chocolate remains a lifeline for Baracoa, sustaining hundreds of families and preserving traditions dating back to the early 19th century, when cacao first arrived via Santiago de Cuba. While locals may not know the legend of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god who gifted cacao, their dedication to this craft ensures that Cuban chocolate remains a symbol of resilience and pride.

[–] cinnaa42@hexbear.net 27 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

A senior Iranian diplomat told Reuters that Iran is working on drafting a negative response to the American nuclear proposal that was delivered to Tehran days ago. Iran's response can be considered as a rejection of the completely unilateral American offer.

Starting to seem like there won't be a negotiated settlement. It's been nearly two months of talk. The question is really whether the entity and its allies are ready to swallow the consequences of a strike on Iranian facilities. I'm not convinced the US administration has the stomach for it...

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 27 points 2 months ago

Well the US changed the terms of the deal during the negotiations. The US went from "3.67% maximum enrichment and some restrictions on ballistic missiles" in line with previous agreements, which got Iran to engage in more negotiations. Then the US changed the terms to "zero percent enrichment". Iran is currently enriching at 60%, and increased enrichment capacity while negotiations went on, and considers enrichment a fundamental right and red line.

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