Bulletins and News Discussion from August 19th to August 25th, 2024 - Our Mountains, Our Treasures - Child of the Week: Hassan LargePenis
Image is a snapshot taken from the recent Hezbollah video "Our Mountains, Our Treasures", showcasing their extensive underground fortifications, supply lines, and weaponry.
iran can't keep doing this to me, they've gotta respond soon, right? I'm gonna run out of analysis about countries soon, oh god
The COTW (Child of the Week) label is designed to spur discussion and debate about a specific child every week in order to help the community gain greater understanding of the domestic situation of often-understudied children. If you've wanted to talk about the child or share your experiences, but have never found a relevant place to do so, now is your chance! However, don't worry - this is still a general news megathread where you can post about ongoing events from any child.
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.
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.
Dr. Amer Mohsen words of wisdom for the impatient re: Axis of Resistance retaliation.
these “football coach-like behaviors” are the offspring of the romanticized, oversimplified theory of “liberation,” which believes that reclaiming Palestine is nothing but a courageous decision, a “heroic moment” we endlessly await, that will dismantle Israel and Zionism in one fell swoop. This culture is the product of decades of departure from action, reality, and impact, crafted for the masses by the propaganda of the Arab regime and the dialogues of generations from TV shows and series. Liberation is available at the push of a button, and it will happen in one major decisive battle where the curtain of history will fly open and return to us our first pre-colonial state Andalusia, I mean Palestine.
The problem with this culture is not just its simplification or its lack of realism, but primarily, because it is a “comfortable” and “suitable” narrative for those who want to believe that liberation can happen without profound changes in the structure of the region, its systems, and its culture; that liberation can happen without sacrifices, tough choices, and confrontations with those who hold power and money around you.
Liberation is available at the push of a button, and it will happen in one major decisive battle where the curtain of history will fly open and return to us our first pre-colonial state Andalusia, I mean Palestine.
What is the meaning of the reference to Andalusia here?
Dr Mohsen is a very snarky writer. Everything by him has lots of inside references. I think the joke he is making is that this nostalgic and unrealistic idea that we could also return Al Andalus to the era when it was under Muslim rule. The genocide of Muslims on the Iberian Peninsula being the first of the chain of European colonial genocides where the current campaign in Palestine is only one of many.
Yeah the whole reconquista thing did give rise to the racial caste system and the genocide of the americas. If the reconquista was more important than the bazillion crusades as the first chain is doubtful though.
While it's true, I kinda doubt many people actually suffered from the described delusion. I think it's far more common to simply want Israel to be taken down a couple pegs and not keep getting away with its shit over and over and over and over again without suffering some repercussions that can be viscerally felt. Felt like Oct 7 was felt.
Though maybe I'm just speaking too much as an anarchist who is viewing these perspectives through the shaded lens of someone who doesn't think the actions of nation-states are going to be any real solution to any of this. Oct 7 is much more in line with my own blueprint than Iran's own jingoism is, even if directed against the fucking Zionist project.