Geopolitics in the 2020s.

[Fullerene]

56 minutes ago, Detournement said:

They don't have any refineries.

That's how neocolonialism works. America and Europe take the raw materials from the poor countries at a cheap price then sell it back to them as expensive products.  

 

You forgot to mention Japan.

It always seemed strange to me.  The countries that had natural resources did not necessarily get rich as a result but the countries that turned those natural resources into something useful did.

[welshbairn]

I still don't get why Venezuela didn't put some of their oil revenues aside to build a refinery, given the massive value added it would provide. They've been an independent country for over 200 years, whether ruled by feudalists, capitalists or communists. You would have thought at least the capitalists and communists would have got it sorted. Castro would have.

[Detournement]

34 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I still don't get why Venezuela didn't put some of their oil revenues aside to build a refinery, given the massive value added it would provide. They've been an independent country for over 200 years, whether ruled by feudalists, capitalists or communists. You would have thought at least the capitalists and communists would have got it sorted. Castro would have.

They've only been led by socialists for 20 years and have been under sanctions for most of the time. They had a refinery but it mysteriously blew up in 2013.....

[vikingTON]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/05/hashim-thaci-kosovos-president-resigns-to-face-war-crimes-charges-in-the-hague

Not something you see every day: a statesman supposedly going to The Hague instead of just fobbing it off and fleeing to northern Cyprus or somewhere 0.2 seconds after leaving office.

Edited November 5, 2020 by vikingTON

[welshbairn]

Organ harvesting from prisoners is a bit naughty if true. It sounds like a thing baddies are accused of in Hollywood films to make the audience want revenge, rather than something that's a pragmatic way of making money for a guerrilla army. The trial will be interesting.

https://balkaninsight.com/2011/01/21/the-drenica-group/

 

 

[Detournement]

17 hours ago, welshbairn said:

Organ harvesting from prisoners is a bit naughty if true. It sounds like a thing baddies are accused of in Hollywood films to make the audience want revenge, rather than something that's a pragmatic way of making money for a guerrilla army. The trial will be interesting.

https://balkaninsight.com/2011/01/21/the-drenica-group/

 

 

The White Helmets have also been accused of this in rebel controlled areas of Syria. Their founder James Le Mesurier (who recently fell out a very high window) was involved in rebranding the extremely criminal Kosovan Liberation Army into the  Kosovan Protection Corps so he would have the correct contacts. 

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

20 minutes ago, Detournement said:

The White Helmets have also been accused of this in rebel controlled areas of Syria. Their founder James Le Mesurier (who recently fell out a very high window) was involved in rebranding the extremely criminal Kosovan Liberation Army into the  Kosovan Protection Corps so he would have the correct contacts. 

I may have massively missed something, are the White Helmets the baddy?

[welshbairn]

6 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

I may have massively missed something, are the White Helmets the baddy?

According to those who big up Assad and Milošević as humanitarian Princes.

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

2 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

According to those who big up Assad and Milošević as humanitarian Princes.

Oh, I see. Would this be similar to an "Assad has never done a chemical weapons" thing?

[welshbairn]

6 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

Oh, I see. Would this be similar to an "Assad has never done a chemical weapons" thing?

Aye, and Srebrenica never happened.

[NotThePars]

I may have massively missed something, are the White Helmets the baddy?

Yes

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

5 minutes ago, NotThePars said:

 

Yes
 

 

And why is that? Genuinely interested and I can only find some pretty cranky looking stuff about it.

Eta I get that there's a large propaganda aspect to Western involvement at all and it's a big mess of geopolitics/proxy war, but the jump to some on the left being pro-Assad isn't something I can square. Not that that's necessarily connected to the White Helmets but you see what I mean

Edited November 6, 2020 by Genuine Hibs Fan

[NotThePars]

And why is that? Genuinely interested and I can only find some pretty cranky looking stuff about it. Eta I get that there's a large propaganda aspect to Western involvement at all and it's a big mess of geopolitics/proxy war, but the jump to some on the left being pro-Assad isn't something I can square. Not that that's necessarily connected to the White Helmets but you see what I mean

 

 

I dip in and out of reporting on the Syrian Civil War because the coverage is almost as byzantine, internecine, and psychotic as the conflict itself but I thought the reception to the White Helmets had been muted for quite a while.

 

I done a quick search through my Twitter follows and got this from Mark Ames that gives some of the context. If you’re looking for generally great coverage of current and historical conflicts and have a little bit of spare cash I couldn’t recommend The War Nerd’s Patreon more. Great podcasts and a good newsletter that’s free. I’m sure I linked their critique of cancel culture. It was the only one I could find that was remotely interesting.

 

 

ETA: yea the pro-Assad stuff is just anti-Americanism taken to the extreme in supporting virtually anyone seen as acting in opposition to US interests. The Phil Greaves lot are so pro-Assad they view the Kurds as imperialists lol.

 

[Detournement]

13 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

And why is that? Genuinely interested and I can only find some pretty cranky looking stuff about it.

Eta I get that there's a large propaganda aspect to Western involvement at all and it's a big mess of geopolitics/proxy war, but the jump to some on the left being pro-Assad isn't something I can square. Not that that's necessarily connected to the White Helmets but you see what I mean

It's not about being pro Assad any more than being against the invasion of Iraq was being pro Saddam. Anyone who believes that the Jihadi army taking control of Damascus was the preferable outcome is a psychopath.

The White Helmets were created by a British spook and funded by regime change governments. They served three purposes (I) to front a propaganda campaign for Western viewers (ii) to help distribute the billions of dollars of military aid from the USA to the rebels (iii) to eventually rebrand jihadist forces into a defence force as happened in Kosovo.

The historical treatment of the war on Syria will be extremely enlightening once enough time has passed to allow for a detached perspective to emerge. 

 

[Detournement]

3 minutes ago, NotThePars said:

 

I dip in and out of reporting on the Syrian Civil War because the coverage is almost as byzantine, internecine, and psychotic as the conflict itself but I thought the reception to the White Helmets had been muted for quite a while.

 

I done a quick search through my Twitter follows and got this from Mark Ames that gives some of the context. If you’re looking for generally great coverage of current and historical conflicts and have a little bit of spare cash I couldn’t recommend The War Nerd’s Patreon more. Great podcasts and a good newsletter that’s free. I’m sure I linked their critique of cancel culture. It was the only one I could find that was remotely interesting.

 

 

he Phil Greaves lot are so pro-Assad they view the Kurds as imperialists lol.

 

The Kurds fucked up when they jumped into bed with the US military. 

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

Thanks both of you for the chat, and will definitely get on War Nerds (although is Mark Ames not the "you have to fake rape Russian women" guy?). Their subscriber feed actually seems to just be available on my podcast app so will try it out before slinging them some dough. 

I have no pretensions about understanding the cluster f**k of what's going on there as I've struggled to find any reporting that doesn't seem bent one way or the other. 

I am very excited for when Dormy discovers the last few posts on this thread though. 

[NotThePars]

12 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

Thanks both of you for the chat, and will definitely get on War Nerds (although is Mark Ames not the "you have to fake rape Russian women" guy?). Their subscriber feed actually seems to just be available on my podcast app so will try it out before slinging them some dough. 

I have no pretensions about understanding the cluster f**k of what's going on there as I've struggled to find any reporting that doesn't seem bent one way or the other. 

I am very excited for when Dormy discovers the last few posts on this thread though. 

Jesus, I just Googled that and it's, if anything, even grimmer than that. Well, John Dolan is sound. I can't believe I've never seen that before especially since Matt Taibbi was also involved and everyone was shouting at him a couple of months back.

Nobody understands what's going on and everyone is compromised. The Kurds seem broadly cool though especially the YPG. Have to respect the commitment to patter in enlisting someone like Brace Belden and being successful for so long.

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

Just now, NotThePars said:

Jesus, I just Googled that and it's, if anything, even grimmer than that. Well, John Dolan is sound. I can't believe I've never seen that before especially since Matt Taibbi was also involved and everyone was shouting at him a couple of months back.

Nobody understands what's going on and everyone is compromised. The Kurds seem broadly cool though especially the YPG. Have to respect the commitment to patter in enlisting someone like Brace Belden and being successful for so long.

Just read his response, apparently it was a (pretty dreadful in my view) bit of satire.

[NotThePars]

10 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

Just read his response, apparently it was a (pretty dreadful in my view) bit of satire.

I think we need a complete shutdown of posting from Gen X until we figure out what the hell is going on with those people

[Detournement]

Brace talked about the YPG allying with the USA and said that it's not popular with a lot of the rank and file.