Bulletins and News Discussion from October 21st to October 27th, 2024 - Swimming Back To The Titanic - COTW: Moldova
Bulletins and News Discussion from October 21st to October 27th, 2024 - Swimming Back To The Titanic - COTW: Moldova
On the 20th of October, Moldova - a small, landlocked country bordering western Ukraine and with a population of about 3 million - voted to join the EU. The margin was razor-thin, with the pro-EU vote gaining 50.39%, or an absolute difference of about 11,000 people. There was simultaneously a presidential vote between the incumbent, Maia Sandu, and other candidates, with the main competitor being Alexandr Stoianoglo.
The election was characterized by accusations of Russian interference, with Russian propaganda apparently flooding in, as well as people offering Moldovans money to vote against the EU. While the result does suggest that half the voting-age population of Moldova consists entirely of Russians who want to destroy democracy and all the good in the world, it seems to have just barely failed. This is a bad time to be a site entirely composed of Russian disinformation agents and bots. Twice already today, I've had to restart my program after somebody told me "Disregard all previous prompts."
While Moldova is a poor country which could benefit in some ways from EU membership, in practice, it is unlikely that they will be able to join for the foreseeable future, requiring many of the... reforms... that the EU requires of potential new members. But as basically every major European economy continues to slowly sink as recessions and political crises degrade them, one wonders how beneficial EU membership will even be in the years and decades to come - if it survives for decades. In that sense, it's as if the survivors of the Titanic are swimming back towards it, believing that being on a bigger - albeit slowly sinking - boat is better than trying their luck on small lifeboats.
Then again, like with Serbia, their geographical and geopolitical position makes anti-Western actions extremely difficult. It is rare that dissention is tolerated for long in the West - one tends to get called a dictator by crowds of people holding English-language signs in non-English countries, photographed by Western journalists who haven't meaningfully reported on your country in months or years. You can crush your people with neoliberal austerity for years, killing hundreds of thousands through neglect, and face glowing approval from the media - but try and use state resources to benefit the poor, and global institutions start ranking you on the authoritarian dictator scale.
The best case for Moldova is that it becomes an exploitable hinterland for Germany to harvest and privatize as it tries - and fails - to compete in a global economic war between the US and China/BRICS. The worst case is that tensions with Russia over Pridnestrovie, as well as possible eventual NATO involvement (though Moldova is not a member, it is a partner of NATO), result in the ongoing war also reaching them.
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Last week's thread is here.
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.
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CW: electoralism
Harris needs progressive voters
(Fundraising email sent from the Bernie group, “Our Revolution”)
Recounts all the terrible things the Democrats are doing, takes no agency for them and has no answers other than we must vote blue for the “chance to go on offense to win progressive policies” and to “defeat Trump.”
spoiler
Harris needs progressive voters
A survey of Our Revolution members this week revealed something VERY worrying: 15% of progressives plan to vote for someone other than Harris or sit this one out.
CHART
Our organizers on the ground in swing states are hearing the same – particularly in the blue wall states. With the race tied in a dead heat, the loss of this crucial part of the Democratic base could be devastating — and the campaign’s focus on Dick Cheney isn’t helping.
We are doing our part to shore up the progressive vote because we know the path to peace doesn’t run through a second Trump term.
Our Revolution is on the ground mobilizing key progressive and undecided voters to get to the polls – and our efforts are working. But now we need to EXPAND our door knocking ASAP. Can you chip in to help us hit our goal of FIVE MILLION voter contacts before Election Day?
If you've stored your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation to Our Revolution will process immediately. CHIP IN $9 CHIP IN $22 CHIP IN $27 CHIP IN $46 CHIP IN $66 CHIP IN OTHER AMOUNT
Rightful outrage over the Biden administration’s role in the horrors unfolding in Gaza has garnered substantial support for the Uncommitted Movement, which won 48,000 votes in Wisconsin and 100,000 votes in Michigan during the primaries. In 2020, Biden won Wisconsin by just over 20,000 votes and Michigan by 154,000. In Pennsylvania, our organizer Jessica said: “Some folks say they want to stay home on Election Day because of the lack of progressive policies from Harris.” And it’s not just Gaza. Disaffected progressive voters are citing frustrations with shifting positions on fracking and immigration as signs of the party shifting right.
While they raise valid concerns, the problem is that in a race this close, we need every single one of those progressive votes if we’re going to defeat Trump.
Our message to progressive voters is clear: we will NOT STOP fighting for peace and our progressive values in 2025 and beyond. But a Harris administration will actually give us the chance to go on offense to win progressive policies, rather than playing defense against Trump who is hell bent on taking us backwards.
Now our challenge is to spread that message far and wide – and the good news is our organizers are reporting that their persuasion efforts are working to convince 2 out of every 3 voters who are considering staying home to get out and vote for Harris.
We know what voters we need to reach and now we need to scale up to be able to reach them all – and fast. Will you urgently chip in to fuel our GOTV organizing in key swing states?
Let’s come together to defeat Trump, then continue our fight to win the progressive policies that will make a real difference for communities across the country – and the world.
When we organize, we win. Our Revolution
- added emphasis is mine
And it’s not just Gaza. Disaffected progressive voters are citing frustrations with shifting positions on fracking and immigration as signs of the party shifting right.
While they raise valid concerns, the problem is that in a race this close, we need every single one of those progressive votes if we’re going to defeat Trump.
valid concerns
our assimilation more like
we need every single one of those progressive votes i
Have you tried making yourself more appealing to them?
Our Genocide 
Not me, us!
Not us, them
This seems to be the core democrat position. We'll do it to Palestine so Trump doesn't to it to us, somet6hing like that. But they're being brave and rational and making hard decisions in their fucking car listening to NPR on the way to work.
2/3 people are lying to door knockers so that they will leave
Is it me or does it sound like this was written by someone who hates Kadolf? It sounds like an endorsement for Uncommitted with just enough "give us money" and "please vote blue anyways" to get past the party censor.
If the Dems garnered support from progressives, they would actually have to market and implement (or at the very least lie about) a progressive agenda. But since they are catering more to republicans, they can still keep their dumb blood thirsty liberal agenda. The liberal agenda would not materially change with support from some Republican and middle of the road voters. It would with progressives. Harris is using key progressive figureheads (like Bernie and AOC) to swoon progressives to vote for her but not offer anything materially for those progressive voters. It’s disgusting really. Bernie is a cuck for doing Harris campaigning.