this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2026
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A reminder that as the US continues to threaten countries around the world, fedposting is to be very much avoided (even with qualifiers like "in Minecraft") and comments containing it will be removed.

Image is of military and civilian sites across Caracas which were bombed by the United States as of last weekend.


As everybody has already known for a couple days, the US has abducted Maduro and his wife in a massive operation (of which the exact details are not currently known, but involved hundreds of aircraft and at least some bombing of military and civilian targets), and has threatened Venezuela and the socialist party with further abductions and widespread murder if they do not hand over control of the country directly to the United States. In a statement that really says it all, Trump said that Machado is not being considered for the colonial viceroy position due to her sheer unpopularity. Various parties and countries around the world - and inside the US - have expressed their disapproval, which, as we all know, will not shift US foreign policy a single iota.

A few months ago, when the pressure campaign on Venezuela began, I speculated that Maduro was going to be killed or captured eventually. Flagrantly illegal and violent American military campaigns in Latin America are not new. The US has been invading land, looting banks, assassinating democratically elected leaders, and otherwise overthrowing countries in the region for their own economic benefit for the better part of two centuries, under both Democratic and Republican parties. Unfortunately, we all know that Russia and China are unlikely to do anything meaningful to contest the US in their attempt to more violently assert hegemony in Latin America. I doubt very much that the China of today will come out to bat for Venezuela and start meaningfully pressuring the US economically. For better and worse, we are far from the days of the USSR.

However, Latin America has, historically, met the US in its radicalism, committed to wars of anti-colonial nationalism, and carried out successful revolutions against the dictators placed in control from the US. As history continues ever onwards and conditions develop, I can only assume that we shall once again enter that radicalizing cycle. In that vein, the big question on my mind, and everybody else's, is: what comes next? Does the Venezuelan socialist party have the social and military cohesion to wage a years-long guerilla war against occupying troops? Can they quickly transition from a conventional to guerilla force as their military facilities are bombed, or will it take several years? Can they prevent the theft of their oil resources and make the attempt at foreign occupation more costly in both the manpower and economic costs than what that war will generate? Can Venezuela manufacture weapons for this guerilla war in a state of blockade? Will this military campaign begin immediately upon soldiers landing, or will it take a period of relatively unopposed occupation of months or even years? Will Cuba, Colombia, and even Mexico be in the same situation by the end of the year, with abducted leaders?

Yemen is the very recent proof that seemingly weak countries can force the American military to retreat in defeat. Can Venezuela follow? We shall see what Maduro has done to prepare the country for this war very soon. The only certain thing is that the murderous violence propagated by a trembling and dying empire shall be defeated eventually, whether it takes months, years, or decades, and the end result will be a socialist victory.


Last week's thread is here. The Imperialism Reading Group is here.

Please check out the RedAtlas!

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The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine

If you have evidence of Zionist 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 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.

Mirrors of Telegram channels that have been erased by Zionist censorship.

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.


top 50 comments
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[–] carpoftruth@hexbear.net 55 points 4 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

Forget it Jake, it's efforttown. DM me to feature effort posts and good threads in the newsmega/newscomm here (including your own).

Note updated comm rules in the sidebar text.

@MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net with several posts (1 and 2 and 3 and 4) on US military technology they believe was used to kidnap Maduro. the US has had a lot of practice doing door kicking night raids over the GWOT

A good thread on Vietnam's rising fortunes with commentary from @seaposting@hexbear.net and @xiaohongshu@hexbear.net, with particular focus on China's efforts with Hainan island

Previous posts of the week: 2025: Oct 27 | Nov 3 | Nov 10 | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Dec 1 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 | Dec 29

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[–] AlHouthi4President@lemmy.ml 36 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

After seeing so-called anti-imperialists online celebrating the murders of Iranian policemen, it is really important people read this article. Best english language article on the Islamic Republic that I have read in awhile.

Iran’s Indigenous Labor Movement and Working Class Sovereignty by Helyeh Doutaghi

The whole article is great but this excerpt is what I am referencing.

turns out not all cops are bastards, much to the chagrin of western leftists who want a flat simple world that requires no thoughts, only vibes

[–] Hermes@hexbear.net 31 points 8 hours ago (6 children)

The iPhone video from the ice agent who killed that woman got released(?) on reddit. Obvious CWs apply for the link.

https://old.reddit.com/r/Minneapolis/comments/1q8g7m4/first_person_ice_agent_video_of_shooting/

[–] Parzivus@hexbear.net 28 points 7 hours ago

Stealing this from the comments but you can tell he changed what hand he's holding the phone in like 10 seconds before he actually shoots the lady so clearly he's planning to pull his gun out before the passenger is even in the car. You can also see her turning the steering wheel so obviously she's not trying to hit him.

I know engaging with the fash rhetoric is a lost cause anyway but this isn't remotely convincing

the comments are literally blaming russia for hacking icloud and leaking this to "divide us"

[–] wheresmysurplusvalue@hexbear.net 15 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Removed by reddit mods for your protection

[–] THEPH0NECOMPANY@hexbear.net 12 points 7 hours ago

If they are trying to cover this up I don't think it's going to work, even reddit is not buying the narrative on this censorship here is only going to piss people off more

[–] Rojo27@hexbear.net 15 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

Billions spent on ICE and they dont give these clowns body cams? And what the fuck was he doing recording a fucking video with the phone in one hand and a gun in the other?

[–] THEPH0NECOMPANY@hexbear.net 16 points 6 hours ago

I'm pretty sure he is filming in the way he is to try to justify killing her. He's got his phone basically pointing at the hood and had no reason to walk in front of the car.

He shoots her so quickly after she puts it into drive ( even with her visibly turning the wheel hard right when he is on the left), that he had to have the safety off and the gun either out or ready to be drawn to kill her that quickly.

Shit her last words were it's cool man I'm not mad at you, while she smiles at her murderer. Then he calls her a "Fucking bitch" after he kills her.

[–] tocopherol@hexbear.net 8 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

I couldn't bring myself to watch all of it, I know what it's going to look like, but does it show him walking to the victims car afterwards? I thought I saw him check on the body afterwards in other videos, I would guess he wants to film a woman being shot so he can watch it later.

[–] Rojo27@hexbear.net 10 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I don't want to go back and watch it, but it stops before he gets close to the car to check on her. At least in the clip shown in the link. Still hard to watch.

Also I would imagine its possible that he thought that recording the interaction he had would somehow vindicate him.

[–] Hermes@hexbear.net 6 points 6 hours ago

Honestly, I almost never watch the whole video when people who don't deserve it die.

[–] spectre@hexbear.net 9 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)
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[–] Lovely_sombrero@hexbear.net 40 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

ICE dude puts away his less-lethal weapon... To pull out his gun.

https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/2009463302410391559

[–] dead@hexbear.net 10 points 7 hours ago

as a sidenote, DD_geopolitics is a ACP/patsoc account run by Christopher Helali, the 3rd leader of ACP.

[–] companero@hexbear.net 25 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

https://t.me/rnintel/50773

Saudi Arabia is reportedly withdrawing troops from Bahrain.

This account paints it as another snub to the UAE (Israel puppet), but wouldn't it give them more influence over Bahrain? Not sure I get it thonk

[–] demerit@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

Who knows maybe they sold Bahrain to Iran. Its also possible the us did a backroom deal trying to reconcile UAE and Saudi Arabia by forcing the saudis to give up Bahrain to the UAE after the UAE lost yemen. Interesting enough the UK has a new base in Mina Salman.

[–] HarryLime@hexbear.net 13 points 8 hours ago (6 children)
[–] ColombianLenin@hexbear.net 38 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Doom posting will not get us anywhere.

Between Petro and now the PSUV leadership, I think there's a real chance the governments are willing to dialogue to avoid further escalation but without giving away our sovereignty.

Even Iran has been continuously trying to dialogue up and until the 12 day war and even then. Like almost until the snapback sanctions went into effect.

[–] SickSemper@hexbear.net 18 points 7 hours ago

If Iran has taught us anything, it’s that the only purpose negotiations have is to postpone confrontation. Negotiations will never preserve sovereignty, just subjugate a people under the empire’s terms.

[–] MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net 42 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

This is stating nothing that Maduro hadn't been saying for well over a year + discussing consequences (not sure what this part will mean). This is not an indication of a coup.

I'd prefer the reality where they can just say "shove it up your ass, USA" but that's not the world we're in. This is a government buying itself time, maybe to its detriment, but not out of willing overthrow of their revolution

[–] sewer_rat_420@hexbear.net 5 points 7 hours ago

What is the best outcome? Would it be considered a success for the govt if they could at least control a certain percentage of their oil? Obviously some percentage has been exploited by Chevron all these years

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 39 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

So far they aren't doing anything that Maduro himself didn't explicitly tell the US that he was willing to do to get sanctions lifted. He was saying the entire time that he wants to work with the US in mutual interest, was willing to work with US oil and mining companies, willing to end the deals he had in place with Russia and China, willing to step down, etc etc. I'm not willing to come down firmly on one side or the other wrt this being a palace coup.

[–] HarryLime@hexbear.net 5 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I mean, I don't see how this isn't obviously a motive for the coup? If Maduro was willing to go so far to appease the US and avoid an attack, then the people around him had no reason to stick with him.

[–] oliveoil@hexbear.net 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Remove Maduro so that he wouldn't stand in their way of maintaining an identical foreign policy?

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[–] oliveoil@hexbear.net 12 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Sorry bro I'm still going to cope here.

A war would be devastating for Venezuela, even if the US is incapable of winning -> ref: Vietnam.

Talk no jutsu can temporarily push away the risk at potentially no long term cost -> ref: Mexico, Colombia

Talk is poor quality evidence for making a determination of subservience.

[–] jack@hexbear.net 21 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Who was it that cut off diplomatic contact in the first place?

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 10 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

US.

Jan 23, 2019: The United States officially recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela, declaring Nicolás Maduro's government illegitimate. In immediate response, Nicolás Maduro announced he was severing all political and diplomatic ties with the U.S. and ordered all American diplomatic personnel to leave the country within 72 hours. The U.S. initially refused to comply with the expulsion order, stating Maduro lacked the legal authority to issue it.

[–] jack@hexbear.net 6 points 6 hours ago

Interesting, so Venezuela never wanted an end to diplomatic contact. Now that there's a potential for it to be reestablished, it's "proof" of a coup.

[–] Nyarlathotep7@hexbear.net 6 points 6 hours ago

I'm so confused, one second they're shutting down on opposition, the next they're letting prisoners go. Rhetoric is fuck the USA, I dont know what to expect from them.

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 44 points 11 hours ago

“I have seen in the faces of mothers the face of a woman, my mother, when my father was murdered. In the faces of the wives of the fallen, I have seen the face of my mother, who also lost a husband. And in the faces of the girls and boys who lost their parents, I have seen the faces of Jorge and myself when, as children, we also lost our father, who was viciously murdered. I tell you that these wounds will remain with us forever.”

“Honor and glory to the men and women who died in combat! No one surrendered here! There was combat here, and there was combat for this homeland!”

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 39 points 11 hours ago (3 children)

I was checking the local mainstream media news, and they are saying that Venezuela is cracking down hard on the opposition. They also said that the release of the opposition leaders was a suggestion/pressure from Spain. I don't know if this is some strange plan to improve Venezuela's image (I know that Petro and Lula tried this in 2023, but gave up in 2024).

I'm a little afraid/disappointed that the Venezuelan government might lose some of its independence and become dependent/subject to Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Brazil and Mexico have tried for years to influence politics in Venezuela, but Chávez was very independent.

[–] aanes_appreciator@hexbear.net 23 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Honestly it seems like VZ has a much better handle on their domestic affairs right now than Iran, even under TP3 Iran was under much more shaky..

[–] jack@hexbear.net 30 points 10 hours ago

Socialism is better and more popular than religious conservative nationalism

[–] eduds6@hexbear.net 28 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

What i see is a massive disinformation campaign by capitalist global us-alligned or us-financed media to paint venezuela as submitting to the US and europe. we see no evidence of such and all claims i saw are all vapour.

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 16 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Some journalists were saying this is all propaganda to help Trump during the mid-terms.

[–] eduds6@hexbear.net 24 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

i think it goes farther: it is to shadow the fact the operation failed, that the US has no comprador bourgeoisie and petty-bourgeoisie political platform to put in the place of the venezuelan government that can be accepted without a civil war or a military coup, and that they cannot overthrow the bolivarian republic without a full occupation, which they cannot enforce without a revolt at home or opening holes for enemies around the world by overcommitment

This fascist regime with trump in power employs the aura of invincibility and deterministic doomerism in enemies and a fatalistic manifest destiny that the US will retain hegemony and that trump and its fascist republican right is invincible. If this shatters, their satellite worldwide fascist forces in the third-world and the third-world population over 25 captured by cultural imperialism and fascism convictions collapse.

[–] ColombianLenin@hexbear.net 20 points 11 hours ago

I'm a little afraid/disappointed that the Venezuelan government might lose some of its independence and become dependent/subject to Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

Mmmm don't think this will be the case. I think if Venezuela is listening to the other countries in the region it's because they are somewhat allies, but I think if the right wing governments return to Latinoamérica, Venezuela will separate from them again,.as they have for the last decade.

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 48 points 12 hours ago

The Mayor of Kiev urged the population to leave the city I appeal to the residents of the capital who have the opportunity to temporarily leave the city, where there are alternative sources of electricity and heat, to do so — Klitschko After the night strikes, there is no heating and water in most of the city

[–] ThomasMuentzner@hexbear.net 50 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

Günther ,

welcome to the Resitance.

Denmark - Order Lego into Wartime Production.

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 35 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

Idk if anyone posted here, but the Saudis defeated in one month the UAE's Southern Council.

Saudi-backed forces loyal to the Presidential Leadership Council launched a counteroffensive in early January 2026. PLC forces took back control of Hadhramaut and Al Mahrah governorates between 2 and 4 January 2026. Following Saudi air strikes, pro-STC forces pushed the STC out of Abyan and Shabwah between 6 and 7 January 2026. Aidarous al-Zubaid left Aden on 7 January, initially to Berbera and then onwards to the United Arab Emirates. Consequently, STC leader Zoubaidi fled to the United Arab Emirates through Somaliland.

On 9 January 2026, members and affiliated bodies of the Southern Transitional Council announced that they had decided to dissolve the council. Members of the group said in a statement that they did not participate in the decision regarding the offensive in Hadhramaut and al-Mahra, adding that this operation "harmed the southern cause" and that the council has not "achieved its intended aims." However, the UAE-based spokesman of the STC, Anwar al-Tamimi, called the news "ridiculous" and rejected the announcement

[–] ColombianLenin@hexbear.net 20 points 11 hours ago (4 children)

The UAE is the greater Satan in this case.

Especially since it seems the Emiratis are moving closer to the Zionist entity faster than them.

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 17 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

The STC leadership escaping to Somaliland just shows how much they are close with "israel".

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[–] SickSemper@hexbear.net 17 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

It feels like about a week between the STC “declaring independence” and its dissolution. Love an L for the UAE

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 15 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I guess the entire STC army was just a few militias and mostly UAE soldiers and mercs because in less than a month they got destroyed by the Saudis and their allies.

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