Image is of coup supporters in Niamey, waving the flag of Niger and Russia.
While the coup in Niger is an obvious reason for this megathread's subject, the inspiration to focus here rather than somewhere else in the world this week came from @solaranus@hexbear.net's comment here.
Anyway, as a quick introduction to Niger - the country won independence from the French in 1960 and has since been in an alternating cycle of military governments and more democratic arrangements. In 2010, a junta took over the country from the military junta already ruling it, and then successfully transitioned the country to democracy within a year. President Issoufou was elected and then re-elected in 2016. President Bazoum was democratically elected in 2021, and has just been overthrown last week. General Tchiani looks to be the new head of state.
Like many countries that were previously colonies, outright colonialism by its imperial country has been replaced by neocolonialism by that same country. France issues their currency, thus allowing France to do what the US does with its dollar around the world but in miniature. The country is incredibly poor, surviving on subsidence agriculture, with much of its exports being minerals like gold and uranium, which many children under the age of 14 are employed in extracting. Also like other previously French colonies, the new guys in charge appear to be flipping them the bird, with Burkina Faso and Mali relatively recently asking them to fuck off. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that this is happening as internal dissent inside France itself continues to boil. Given the Russian flags being waved and Putin's promises to supply free grain to some African countries (and though Niger isn't mentioned, Burkina Faso and Mali notably are), one imagines that Russia also might have a hand in things.
Burkina Faso's president, Traore, has been talking with Mali and Guinea, and now Niger - all ruled by military governments - and asking if they're interested in federation, with Mali showing some interest. Traore follows in the tradition of Thomas Sankara, and has appointed a Prime Minister who is similarly aligned. Traore has recently met with a Chinese representative and has firmly aligned himself with Russia, saying that Burkina Faso has "one and the same outlook" on building a new world order, saying:
"Russia made great sacrifices to liberate Europe and the world from Nazism during World War II. We have the same history,"
"We are the forgotten peoples of the world. And we are here now to talk about the future of our countries, about how things will be tomorrow in the world that we are seeking to build, and in which there will be no interference in our internal affairs,"
"However, a slave who does not fight [for his freedom] is not worthy of any indulgence. The heads of African states should not behave like puppets in the hands of the imperialists. We must ensure that our countries are self-sufficient, including as regards food supplies, and can meet all of the needs of our peoples. Glory and respect to our peoples; victory to our peoples! Homeland or death!"
Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.
This week's first update is here in the comments.
No update on Wednesday because I am still busy.
Friday's update is here in the comments.
Links and Stuff
The bulletins site is down.
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Add to the above list if you can.
Resources For Understanding The War
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.
Telegram Channels
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
Pro-Russian
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
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.
Last week's discussion post.
Anyone else think the coups in Niger and Burkina Faso play into the USA's hands in the inter imperial rivalry between the US and Europe? France losing it's ability to control it's colonial Francafrique empire in West Africa, and losing it's ability to steal natural resources such as Uranium from these countries, is going to make the energy crisis and inflation in Europe worse, causing further damage on top of the Ukraine war. Further solidifying the USA'S position at the top, and further relegating European nations, especially France who have been seeking a way out of this crisis (see France joining BRICS rumours), to vassal state status.
For instance, it's a fact that the first coup leader in Burkina Faso ( Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba) was extensively involved in military exercises with U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) including flintlock anti terrorism exercises with NATO troops, and that AFRICOM does not know if it trained the current president of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traore, but there's a strong possibility that he could have been involved in AFRICOM military exercises.
Another piece to this puzzle is the fact that since 2008, U.S.-trained leaders have attempted at least nine coups, and succeeded in eight, across five West African countries, including Burkina Faso (three times), Guinea, Mali (three times), Mauritania, and the Gambia. I don't think there is any coincidence there. To me, this looks like the US is playing it's hand against France and Europe, and doing so with more urgency after the start of the Ukraine war.
This could also explain the freudian slip by AFRICOM chief officer General Micheal Langley when being questioned by Matt Gaetz (yeah...), in which he said that the US shares core values with the Burkina Faso coup leaders and that leading coups is in their curriculum, before realising his mistake and distancing himself from the coup government.
There's also the fact the the current deputy junta leader in Niger, and previous Chief of Defense until his sacking in March 2023, Salifou Modi, has been getting really close to the USA. I'm talking about receiving US weapons and equipment shipments in 2021, such as a C-130H aircraft, allowing the US to run a drone base in Niger, meeting the chief officer of AFRICOM in Michael Langley during September and October 2022, and attending the Indianapolis 500 (I know lol).
This is just what I've been able to find online, on the official AFRICOM website, and though various investigative journalist pieces. All I'm saying is that there could be another angle here.
I mean the US did it already with the whole Suez crisis thing. Wonder how wise it is that the us is destroying its own allies, especially for its crusade against china. But at least Africans get to be independent as a side-effect. The whole Americans whining about European crimes in Africa, while living in a cemetery will be annoying however.
after what happened with europe and ukraine, im defaulting to assuming that the seemingly second order victims of american geopolitical machinations are the intended targets from the getgo
Yeah definitely. But this inter imperial rivalry/war between the US and Europe has been in the works since the end of the cold war, you can find various writings and predictions from the late 90s and early 2000s of how it would go. Multiple of our posters in the news megathread even predicted a pivot to Niger last year, based on its uranium deposits. Seeing all this come to fruition is very interesting and scary.
At best, it's a genuine pan-African anti-colonialist movement helped along by Russia. At worst, it's a cynical set of coups designed to weaken Europe in the short term, which will then eventually weaken the United States in the long term.
I think once Europe is fully and unquestionably relegated to vassal state status, it will allow the US to pivot towards China with impunity and full support from their vassals worldwide. Europe will be so dependent on the US for resources and security that they won't be able to say no. And while going against China in the future will definitely weaken the US, it's the only play the people in charge have if they want a chance of maintaining their power, and the position of the US as the head of a unipolar world. I wonder how China will respond, non interventionism can't last forever with all this going on.
Hollowing out Europe for hollowing out's sake is of little benefit to USA. Its what they are extracting that is of value. Uranium not going to France doesn't benefit USA if it makes France less valuable as USA is extracting wealth from France.
I think the decolonization of Africa is a effect of the pilfering of Europe not a cause. I do agree that France losing it's colonies is going to hollow out Europe faster but its just a secondary stage of the building avalanche.
I feel like Niger is going to restart shipments of uranium to France soon enough at a competitive but much increased price. Regardless of who trained any of the armies who did coups each nation is always going to pursue its own interests.
Also Niger has asked Wagner to assist them and they are on the way. If USA did it or wants to benefit from Niger's Coup they are wouldn't get Wagner involved.
Anti-imperialist Africa is too much of a loss for USA for the small win in Europe. That loss is a win for Russia, and a win for socialism.
I really hope so, but I'm very suspicious of US trained military officers doing coups in Africa.
Osama was US trained and he gave the biggest 1,2 punch America has ever seen.
This isn't a terrible read, and definitely something to look for. It would play right into America's energy policy for Europe. The only off part is that it also plays right into Russia's hands, but it depends on what the actual goal is, dismemberment of the EU or dismemberment of Russia. I have been feeling like it's been the former ever since the Nordstream bombing, but this is really making me conspiracy brained.
Dismemberment of the EU has been in the plans of the US for quite some time, I believe since the end of the cold war. The attrition war in Ukraine also plays into Russia's hands in some ways, yet the US allows it to continue by drip feeding Ukraine weapons.
I'm just saying when a bunch of countries with military governments containing US trained officials in high places start talking about federation, it arouses suspicion, no matter what their rhetoric is.
Dismantling the EU is not the right word for it. The EU is America's tool in the continent, it serves to implement policy according to american ideology and needs. What the US wants is to encircle the EU, and ensure that it does not form a third pole between them and China. The war in Ukraine, Syria and Libya all helped fulfill that aim, but ultimately what really matters is that the rise of the common european identity is in no way stronger than the bureaucratic-technocratic mess that binds 27 states together. Dismantling the EU would mean no Brussels to set the tone towards the washington consensus. All of a sudden you'd have an entire continent of Turkiyes, acting fully according to the interests of whoever is in power.
Does the US potentially gain from this coup in Niger? Probably. But that doesn't really mean anything. Being a hegemon, or at least a great power, means that the US has hands in every cookie jar and is always ready to gain or lose from sudden changes. Were the soldiers there trained by the US? That doesn't mean much either, as that applied to them for decades as they carried out NATO's and France's will. Not to mention that this wouldn't be the first time that school of the americas' junior officers went off the leash due to more immediate political concerns. This level of 5D chess, where the US encourages a coup in the french colonies but also tells them to bring wagner in so that Russia is the real bad guy is just too much. Not to mention that the US has been partners with the french since at least Libya. One thing is fucking them over AUCKUS. Another is doing a coup in the country they jointly occupy.