Image is of Stepanakert, essentially the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is now a ghost city, and Azerbaijan has recently torn down the parliament building and various other important places. Sourced from this article.
Despite the predictions and assertions of various NATO-aligned commentators that Russia’s influence is waning, the opposite generally appears to be occurring. ASEAN has become more strongly aligned with Russia despite claims to the contrary. In Central Asia, there has been a propaganda push to declare that countries there are “emerging from Russia’s shadow”, while in reality, as Bhadrakumar analyzes, Russia’s significant economic growth and ongoing march towards victory in Ukraine is creating opportunities for further integration, not separation, and there are no major political shifts there in terms of Russian ties. And in Niger, Russian soldiers have now entered an airbase which once hosted American soldiers, now kicked out, and generally Russia’s diplomacy and economic deals (nuclear power plant construction, military equipment, grain shipments, etc) have accelerated in Africa.
Where Russia’s influence has actually seemed to decrease (outside of the West, of course) is in Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh’s remarkably rapid collapse in late 2023 demonstrated that Russia was not willing to escalate things in defense of Armenia to fend off Azerbaijan. One hundred thousand Armenians - most but not all of them in the region - fled in advance to avoid mass persecution, which received remarkably little attention by a West which calls itself overwhelmingly concerned with borders changing due to military action as in Ukraine. Since then, Armenia seems to be on some kind of self-annihilating bender, allured by the potential of Western military and economic deals. Armenia froze its membership in the CSTO due to its failure to protect them, and the head of NATO, Stoltenberg, visited the region in March. The West has offered up hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to Armenia and is helping them “modernize their military”; given the poor track record of Western military equipment in Ukraine, one wonders why they’re even bothering. RAND has advocated for a balancing act; America should, in their eyes, realize that they can’t entirely remove Russia’s influence but nonetheless should make inroads to protect Armenia from Azerbaijan (which is an interesting position given that Israel provided arms to Azerbaijan to help them take Nagorno-Karabakh).
A quick look at Armenia’s geographical position reveals the folly of trying to create some kind of Western outpost. With a hostile Azerbaijan to their east, a very unfriendly (albeit NATO member) Turkiye to their west, an ascendant Iran to their south, and Russia not far from the action, there is little hope of doing much more than causing a little chaos in the hopes it’ll momentarily distract Russia while it makes inroads most everywhere else on the planet. The political situation appears miserable for Pashinyan, but there isn’t really a popular alternative to take the reins. A truly cursed situation.
The COTW (Country of the Week) label is designed to spur discussion and debate about a specific country every week in order to help the community gain greater understanding of the domestic situation of often-understudied nations. If you’ve wanted to talk about the country 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 country.
The Country of the Week is Armenia! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.
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The bulletins site is here!
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Last week’s thread is here.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA daily-ish 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 (and has automated posting when the person running it goes to sleep).
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.
Various sources that are covering the Ukraine conflict are also covering the one in Palestine, like Rybar.
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.
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.
Excerpt from an insightful interview with Palestinian communist Khaled Barakat
As for Palestine’s geopolitical significance, Barakat highlighted that “Palestine signifies the balance of power” both regionally and globally. “Everything related to Palestine is by default related to the Zionist entity as well. So if there is a war, then everybody gets affected, and the effects are immediately felt worldwide, but particularly in our region, in West Asia, which is a very important area in determining the global system,” he explained.
Based on their position towards Palestine, Barakat divided the West Asian countries into three groups: countries like Turkey and Qatar that have close relations with the US and the NATO, which are trying to push the Palestinian resistance into accepting a two-state solution or to extract concessions; the camp comprising Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt that is directly collaborating with the Zionist entity to the detriment of the Palestinian cause; and countries like Iran and Syria and entities like Hezbollah, Ansarallah, Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units, etc., that are openly backing the Palestinian resistance. “These three camps actually exist globally, not just in our region,” he pointed out. “In the fight that is happening in Gaza, you have a Global South pushing for Gaza’s victory because it is pushing for its own victory, while the Western imperialist powers are supporting Israel because they are supporting their own interests. So this fight is not just between Palestinians and Israelis, instead it is two international camps that are actually in this conflict in a time when a new world order is needed. People cannot go on living with the United States determining the fate of the world, and a multipolar system is being born.”
“At the same time, the United States must accept the fact today that the world is changing and its empire is shrinking, it is getting weak,” he continued. “We are going to witness more and more internal crises in the United States, and Palestine would have a lot to do with that.” As an example of this, he highlighted the pro-Palestine student protests in several US universities. “Those who think that the battle in Gaza will remain in Gaza, that is not going to happen… Those who support the Palestinian people are actually playing a major role today worldwide, in geopolitics, while those who are not supporting Palestine are actually on the sidelines.”
Moscow Warns It Will Strike UK Military Targets If British Weapons Are Used in Attacks on Russia
Russia has warned the UK that it could target British military installations and equipment in “Ukraine and beyond” if Ukrainian forces use British-provided weapons to strike Russian territory.
Russia made the warning directly to the British ambassador in Moscow, who was summonsed in response to UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron saying Ukraine has the “right” to use British weapons in attacks on Russia.
“Any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond could be a response to Ukrainian strikes with the use of British weapons on the territory of Russia,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The ambassador was called upon to reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps by London and to immediately refute the belligerent provocative statements of the head of the Foreign Office in the most decisive and unequivocal way,” the ministry said.
London has been providing Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of up to 155 miles. Earlier this year, the UK confirmed it had a “small number” of troops inside Ukraine, and a German military leak revealed British troops “on the ground” in Ukraine are helping Ukrainian forces fire the Storm Shadow missiles.
The NATO missile supply and targeting support for Ukraine has always risked a major escalation of the war. But as the conflict has dragged on, the US, Britain, and other NATO countries have increased their involvement in the war despite the risk of provoking a direct confrontation between the Western alliance and Russia, which could quickly turn nuclear.
Hamas knew the invasion of Rafah was imminent and made the correct decision to publicly announce as loud as possible that they accepted the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
This in turn put the zionists into an impossible position. Either they accept the terms of the ceasefire which would necessitate their eventual withdrawal from Gaza (accepting defeat) or they go forward with the incredible war crime of invading Rafah after the entire world was notified that Hamas accepted a ceasefire.
The US chose the latter. The zionist entity will be annihilated for their arrogance, God willing.
Additionally Yemen has already announced “phase 4” of their operations earlier this week. The pressure is on.
Pray for the martyrs and all the resistant peoples in the region and especially the steadfast people of Gaza. Pray for victory for the Resistance.
deleted by creator
Boeing 737 skids off runway in Senegal
It just keeps happening
Armenia is where Brits go to learn persian, they are excluded from Iran, and I guess Tajikistan is too “exotic” for them or something (CIA goons go to tajikistan, if you meet an ami, with a tajik accent in his persian, you know why). So they go to Yerevan, have the “orient lite” experience, and learn persian from iranian teachers.
It is why all of those academic programs to yerevan are so expensive, because the british upper class/junior spies go there.
Yerevan itself is a lovely city, an beautiful example of soviet urban architecture. Outside of the big cities the country becomes very poor from what I have seen.
https://podverse.fm/episode/l2d_2J2_k Here is a good podcast episode of the war with azerbaijan, from an Armenian
this resistance hype video is dope, Abu Obeida narrates
https://twitter.com/BIG__Brother7/status/1789387827148427433
Full Text
The Biden administration moved Friday to terminate a decades-old agreement that governs conditions for migrant children in government custody, according to a court filing, which argues that the settlement was meant to be temporary.
The 1997 Flores settlement, as the agreement is known, requires the government to release children from government custody without unnecessary delay to sponsors, like parents or adult relatives, and dictates conditions by which children are held. The Health and Human Services Department is charged with the care of unaccompanied migrant children.
The Biden administration has previously signaled that it planned to end the Flores agreement, instead preparing a federal regulation that, the administration argues, “faithfully implements” the requirements spelled out in the settlement, provides additional protections and responds to “unforeseen changed circumstances since 1997.” The regulation was published in late April.
“By its own terms the FSA was meant to be temporary. The parties initially agreed that the FSA would terminate no later than five years after final court approval and then later agreed that the FSA would terminate 45 days after the INS published final regulations implementing the FSA,” Friday’s court filing reads.
“The Rule is expansive and responsive to the changing needs of ORR’s (Unaccompanied Children) Program. ORR anticipates it will guide its operations and provide needed protections to unaccompanied children for years to come,” the filing adds, referring to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an agency within HHS.
But immigration attorneys have expressed concern over the lack of outside oversight if the Flores settlement is terminated. “If the government were to prevail in its motion, HHS would no longer be bound by the Flores settlement. As Flores counsel, we would no longer be able to interview children in HHS custody, or file motions to enforce when the rights guaranteed by Flores are denied to children in HHS custody,” said Neha Desai, senior director of immigration at the National Center for Youth Law.
i hope biden fucking dies soon
Absolutely insane wording here from the times
A small breakdown of student protests in The Netherlands:
Monday
Amsterdam: On Monday May 6th students and teachers at the UVA, VU and AUC barricaded a part of the UVA university terrain and set up an encampment to demand their institutions to break their ties with Israel.
15 Counter protesters entered the terrain in the evening with torches to threaten the protesters and to entice the police to break down the encampment. The counter protesters were quickly disarmed and chased out of the encampment. A video of a pro Palestine protester is going around X/Twitter where he beats a counter protester with a wooden plank, politicians are sharing this video as an example of antisemitism and aggression by the protesters, ignoring the fact that the man that was beaten created a very dangerous situation prior by running around with a torch in a crowd of people. There is another video going around where a pro Palestine protester burns an Israeli flag which he supposedly stole from one of the counter protesters.
After the altercation the protests continued on peacefully. Around 3:30 am the riot police broke down the barricades and arrested around 150 protesters. There are videos of riot police beating students who are running away or sitting down in a human chain. The police in general looked very agitated while making the arrests and were not holding back on their aggression.
Tuesday
Amsterdam: In a reaction to the videos of police violence being used against peaceful protesters, students and employees of UVA organised a new protest on Tuesday to demand the board of UVA (who ordered the riot police to intervene) to resign. Thousands of people marched through the city during the day, and a few hundred set up a new encampment and stayed overnight. They also occupied one of the university buildings. This time the UVA did not order the police to intervene. On Wednesday morning the UVA board has agreed to have a conversation with the protesters.
Utrecht: Inspired by the encampment in Amsterdam, students of Utrecht University set up their own encampment on university terrain on Tuesday May 7th to demand their university to cut their ties with Israel. There were no altercations until 23:00 when the police was ordered by the UU board to arrest the about 50 protesters that refused to leave. There are videos in which the police is beating protesters who are holding the gate to the encampment, and dragging protesters across the ground to the arrest bus.
Other universities in the country had protests as well on Tuesday, but there the protests were ended early in agreement with the university boards.
You can follow the Amsterdam and Utrecht encampments on instagram: @amsterdam.encampment @encampment.uu More student protests are expected today and during the week
Full text
Hamas accepts Egypt, Qatar’s ceasefire proposal, Al Jazeera reports
CAIRO, May 6 (Reuters) - Hamas told Egyptian and Qatari mediators that it had accepted their Gaza ceasefire proposal, Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported on Monday, citing a leading Hamas official. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
“I have depicted you as the soyjak and me as the chad.” - Ali Mortada
