literally all the West can do is kill civilians once they realize that military victory is impossible
"well, we paid a lot of money for this bombs. better use 'em."
The Country of the Week is Germany!
As mentioned in the preamble, feel free to post or recommend any material related to Germany, whether from a thousand years ago or yesterday. You can post it anywhere in the thread, but you can also reply to this comment if you wish.
If you're feeling particularly ambitious and want homework, you could take on any or all of these questions (no reward, but I'll be very proud of you):
- Who are the main political actors? Are they compradors, nationalists, international socialists, something else?
- What are the most salient domestic political issues; those issues that repeatedly shape elections over the last 10, 20 years. Every country has its quirks that complicate analysis - for example, Brexit in the UK.
- What is the country's history? You don't have to go back a thousand years if that's not relevant, and I'm counting "history" as basically anything that has happened over a year ago.
- What factions exist, historically and currently? If there is an electoral system, what are the major parties and their demographic bases? Are there any minor parties with large amounts of influence? Independence movements? Religious groups?
- How socially progressive or conservative are they? Is there equality for different ethnic groups, or are some persecuted? Do they have LGBTQIA+ rights? Have they improved over time, or gotten worse?
- What role do foreign powers play in the country’s politics and economy? Is there a particular country nearby or far away that is nearly inseparable from them, for good or bad reasons? Is their trade dominated by exports/imports to one place? Are they exploited, exploiters, or something in between?
- If applicable, what is the influence of former colonial relationships on the modern economy and politics?
- Is the country generally stable? Do you think there will be a coup at some point in the future, and if so, what faction might replace them?
The previous country was Iran.
This is our Geopolitics Reading List so far! Please chime in with suggestions!
General Theory:
- Super Imperialism, by Michael Hudson.
- Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century: Globalization, Super-Exploitation, and Capitalism’s Final Crisis, by John Smith.
- Superexploitation and the Imperialist Drive of Capitalism: How Marini's 'Dialectics of Dependency' Goes beyond Marx's 'Capital', by Andy Higginbottom.
- Capital Volume 3 Lecture Series, 32 videos, 10-15 minutes each, by Andy Higginbottom.
- World-Systems Analysis: An Introduction, by Immanuel Wallerstein.
- Geopolitical Economy: After US Hegemony, Globalization and Empire, by Radhika Desai.
- Capitalism, Coronavirus and War: A Geopolitical Economy, by Radhika Desai.
Canada:
- Canada in the World: Settler Capitalism and the Colonial Imagination, by Tyler Shipley.
Chile:
- 1000 Days of Revolution: Chilean Communists on the Lessons of Popular Unity (I cannot personally find an online version).
- Santiago Boys Podcast, analyzing Allende's government and Cybersyn.
Lebanon:
- A History of Modern Lebanon, by Fawwaz Traboulsi.
United States:
- Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in US and Mexican Culture, by Oswaldo Zavala.
Venezuela:
- Objective Conditions in Venezuela: Maduro’s Defensive Strategy and Contradictions Among the People, a longform article by Steve Ellner.
US opposition to the war only goes as far as "Yo, it would be cool if you wanted to stop this war because it's kinda hurting our position in the Middle East. But like, you don't have to. Here's another 20 billion dollars worth of equipment. Want some satellite data?"
hoping the monarchic ancien regime of Denmark can advance out of the 19th century sooner or later
A Taiwanese tycoon has announced his plan to train 3.3 million “civilian warriors” and marksmen to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion, using one billion Taiwan dollars ($32m) of his own money.
The announcement by Robert Tsao, a well-known Taiwanese businessman and founder of United Microelectronics Corp, a major microchip producer, comes amid increasing military activity between Taiwan and China. On Thursday Taiwan’s defence ministry announced its soldiers had shot down a Chinese drone over Taiwan’s Kinmen islands.
At a press conference on Thursday, Tsao, 75, said the Chinese Communist party (CCP) threat to Taiwan was growing. Wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, he pledged funds to train “three million people in three years”. Working with the island’s civilian defence organisation, the Kuma Academy, 60% of the funds would go towards building an army of “warriors”, and 40% to training another 300,000 in how to shoot.
bro, just one more bombing raid on Yemen and they won't be able to continue bro. I swear bro, we just need one more raid and they'll run out of missiles bro. the Red Sea will be clear bro. Trust me bro, it'll work bro. The last decade of bombing didn't do it but another few days and it'll work bro
We are still the king of the Middle East jungle — more powerful than any single actor
Oh, so that's why we have to constantly beg and plead to Iran that we aren't gonna bomb them, don't worry about it, please don't respond to our moves, we don't want to start a war with you? That's typically what you do if you're the greatest power in the region, sure.
From that article:
Ethiopian here. Main reason for this is the fact that it's currently struggling with a severe foreign exchange shortage, affecting its ability to import oil and other commodities. Aside from this surprising announcement, lack of foreign currency has also led to a significant push towards enhancing its agricultural productivity and boosting its local production of light manufactured goods.
I imagine the drive towards going 100% electric is largely motivated by this, but not entirely. Ethiopian has been investing massive amounts on its energy infrastructure for the past 20 years (97% of its energy comes from renewables). It's just about to inaugurate its 6500MW hydroelectric plant, poised to be the largest in Africa.
So this shift towards going fully electric, while partly in response to economic pressures, seems to also be part of a broader strategy that's been in the works for a couple decades (although a really ugly conflict recently cost them dearly and precipitated this foreign currency crunch).
The reliability of electricity in some parts still leaves a lot to be desired. Improving the consistency of power supply across the country seems like the next crucial step.
From what I can find, only about a quarter of Ethiopia's citizens have access to electricity. Perhaps BRICS+ can help them out now that they've joined?
A ton of the electricity currently generated in Ethiopia is from hydropower, which is a riskier and riskier source of energy as climate change advances and changes rainfall. Ethiopia's in a pretty unique position though, with a bunch of highlands upon which they could put wind power, as well as being located on a volcanically active area that could generate a lot of geothermal.
e.g. for wind:
Ethiopia, a country with a population of over 100 million people, has been making significant strides in its efforts to harness the power of wind energy. As the nation grapples with the challenges of energy security and climate change, wind energy has emerged as a vital component of its renewable energy mix. This growing importance of wind energy in Ethiopia can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the country’s vast wind resources, government support, and the increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy.
One of the primary reasons for the growing importance of wind energy in Ethiopia is the country’s abundant wind resources. According to the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), Ethiopia has the potential to generate over 1.3 million megawatts (MW) of wind power, making it one of the most promising wind energy markets in Africa. This potential is mainly due to the country’s diverse topography, which features highlands, rift valleys, and lowlands, creating favorable conditions for wind energy generation. The Ethiopian government has recognized the importance of wind energy and has been actively supporting its development. In 2011, the government launched the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy, which aims to transform Ethiopia into a middle-income country by 2025 while maintaining a low carbon footprint. The CRGE strategy identifies wind energy as one of the key pillars for achieving this goal, and as a result, the government has been investing heavily in wind energy projects.
One of the most notable wind energy projects in Ethiopia is the Adama Wind Farm, which consists of two phases. The first phase, Adama I, was completed in 2012 and has a capacity of 51 MW. The second phase, Adama II, was completed in 2015 and has a capacity of 153 MW. Together, these two projects have significantly increased Ethiopia’s wind energy capacity and have helped to diversify the country’s energy mix. Another major wind energy project in Ethiopia is the Ashegoda Wind Farm, which was completed in 2013 and has a capacity of 120 MW. This project was developed by the French company Vergnet and was partly financed by the French Development Agency (AFD). The Ashegoda Wind Farm is considered one of the largest wind energy projects in Africa and has played a crucial role in demonstrating the viability of large-scale wind energy projects in the region.
The growing importance of wind energy in Ethiopia can also be attributed to the increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy. As the country’s economy continues to grow, so does its energy consumption. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Ethiopia’s energy consumption is expected to increase by 5% annually until 2040. This growing demand for energy has put pressure on the country’s existing energy infrastructure, which is primarily based on hydropower.
The country sits on the northern tip of the East African Rift System, a geological region spanning 6,400 kilometers (3,977 miles) with great geothermal energy resources that, if developed, could cover the electricity needs of several countries, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. That resource has been underdeveloped for several reasons, including a lack of awareness of geothermal’s potential by local governments, a lack of funding, and unclear regulatory frameworks, the agency says.
Africa’s second-most-populated nation has the potential to generate 10,000 megawatts of energy from geothermal sources, for which it would need investments totaling about $40 billion, according to the government. The country is targeting 3,500MW by 2030. Unlike wind or solar power, which vary depending on the weather or the time of the day, geothermal is a constant source. “On top of being renewable, geothermal is a stable energy source,” Takele says. “Most of the energy sources have 30% efficiency, while geothermal supplies power throughout the year consistently.” Ethiopia is one of only two countries, along with Kenya, in eastern Africa with geothermal projects. For decades, energy analysts considered efforts such as these fringe at best, which may be why these initiatives are in their infancy. Kebede himself is one of the few Ethiopians with geothermal expertise.
At this point I think the parties are so similar that while I would obviously never vote for the Tories, I would totally vote for Corbyn's party out of spite to make Kid Starver's Labour more likely to lose
this is within the realm of possibility, though I imagine it's the lower end of that range. if we were talking about a guerrilla force without the kind of extensive tunnel networks that Hamas has, then 10,000 or higher would be very plausible, when compared to anti-colonial struggles like in Algeria where the number of people killed by France in a single month or so were approaching or even exceeding the death toll of the October 7th conflict so far. not to minimize this conflict, just to show how utterly obscenely brutal the European "garden" countries were within the living memory of many people still alive today.
the way I see it, if there was ample footage of Hamas fighters being killed, then there would be no need to show off those bizarre videos of the IOF shooting at nothing and pieces of furniture