Image is of the Freedom Band performing at the end of the Second National Congress of the Socialist Movement of Ghana, sourced from this article. The same article contains most of the information used in the preamble below.
A little over a week ago, the Socialist Movement of Ghana concluded its second National Delegates Congress in Aburi, gathering 300 delegates from across the country. There, they deepened their commitment to the working class of Ghana and committed to intensifying political education and organization at the grassroots. The SMG itself decided to not electorally contest the 2024 elections in Ghana, but still presented a manifesto, and nonetheless managed to get two SMG members parliamentary seats in the National Democratic Congress.
Anyway, back to the National Delegates Congress: the delegates agreed that the Western imperialist system is now under a profound crisis, in which the likely future is a heightening of brutality, chaos, and resource plundering - a future which must be resisted and organized against.
To summarize their various statements and condemnations:
- Inside Ghana: a commitment to women's rights, youth empowerment, and environmental protection.
- A condemnation of the resource plundering of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by imperialist powers.
- A salute to the people of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, in their campaign against outside imperial control in the Sahel.
- A condemnation of Morocco's illegal occupation of the Western Sahara, and a call for the UN to identify the independence of the Sahwari people.
- A strong condemnation of Israel's genocidal atrocities and massive terrorist operations against nearby countries, and support for Palestinian independence.
- Support for the people of Haiti against outside imperial domination.
- A call for the end of the blockade on Cuba and their removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
- Solidarity with Maduro and the people of Venezuela against the United States.
- A rejection of all imperialist aggression and sanctions against Iran.
- A condemnation of NATO's decades-long military expansion eastwards towards Russia, especially as it has now resulted in massive devastation and risks a third world war.
- And finally, a commitment to Pan Africanism and international solidarity with all oppressed peoples around the world.
A platform I think we all can agree to!
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The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine
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.
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.
Not good if true. Fact is the US can pretty easily swoop in from the air and take that base if they want to. It's pretty fortified too with huge concrete block barriers all around it so the US could take and hold it and its size means its somewhat self-sustaining as a mini-city with air resupply. It then just becomes an issue of morale as the troops can't leave the base, occasional suicide attacks will occur (though if they're simply using it as a fortress and the Taliban blocks anyone from selling to them anyways these will likely just mean some concrete blocks get replaced now and again as it's hard to get inside a place like that if they're not letting locals in or leaving much to go out themselves). Also an issue of cost but because the US can print unlimited money it can just afford to constantly fly in all the supplies they need from neighboring countries. If anything the strain will be more on how it will occupy some amount of their air force supply chain into the future keeping that place open. They'll need to deploy some advanced anti-drone and anti-man-pad systems to prevent the Taliban shooting down their transports I suppose but that, some bombing of the areas around it and a no-go zone will make it harder.
Total aside but I read a kind of funny piece from RT where they were talking about how because Russia, Iran, and China are against it the US can't possibly take the base. My thinking on that is yes they can. Iran is a paper tiger who backs down at the first opportunity and doesn't want to truly provoke the US, they're not going to fire a massive missile salvo there to try and dislodge the US. Their economic power to punish the US is zero. Russia is already near maximally sanctioned by and decoupled from the US, their economic influence on the US is zero. They've also show zero appetite for a direct engagement with even European lapdogs of NATO and constantly duck their escalations despite all their rhetoric so they're not going to militarily stop the US. China has zero appetite for militarily challenging the US especially over this. Given the trade war, decoupling, stuff, etc they don't have leverage to play against the US that won't cost them a higher price than they're willing to pay at this point. The article brought up economic leverage against the Taliban but that assumes they have a choice in the matter and if they don't all of China's cutting trade to Afghanistan won't mean a thing. If anything if the US pushes in against the will of the Taliban then China will be incentivized to continue and upgrade trade in an attempt to prevent the US normalizing economic relations and gaining more influence and operational freedom though this may not work.
Pakistan also won't do shit. India will cheer it on as they're cheering on Trump's genocide plan in Gaza because Modi and his Hindu fascist brigade have a genocidal hatred of Muslims.
The nearby 'stan countries are unlikely to cheer this on but most likely at least one of them will quietly cut a deal with the US for selling supplies and/or use of airbases in exchange for money and investment.
No one in the region will like it, Russia/China won't like it. They'll condemn, issue strong speeches, maybe some veiled threats but none of them are going to go to war with the US to put a stop to it. Nor do I suspect Russia or China will go as far as say giving the Taliban advanced anti-air systems to make air-resupply impossible which would shut the whole thing down or require a massive US commitment for a full invasion which I don't think they'll go for.
The Taliban are likely to greatly resent the US doing a forced invasion and taking of it but I doubt they'll have a meaningful ability to dislodge them if they're able to rely on air resupply as between air power and base defenses they'll be able to hold off the type of light mechanized stuff the Taliban can throw at them. If anything it might pressure them to try and negotiate and spin the situation and Trump might even agree to some sanctions relief in exchange for some level of cooperation like allowing Afghan merchants to supply the base and for them to avoid attacking it.
I honestly don't how how heavy an ask air re-supply of a 10,000 strong force there would be so maybe it wouldn't be viable without Taliban cooperation but if anyone can do it the US can.
This map does a good idea of showing why the US wants it:
They could from this base use helicopters to ferry ISIS fighters up towards the corridor with China, move CIA assets up there as well and of course they'd like to be able to launch bombers/missiles at China from the west when it comes down to a war with them.