Image is of China’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Zhao Sheng, meeting Taliban Prime Minister Hasan Akhund in September 2023.

I know the Rambo title card is a hoax.

The COTW was chosen in the wake of the aborted sequel to the attempted assassination of Trump being performed by a guy who is VERY enthusiastic about Ukraine, to the point of trying to sneak Afghan soldiers into Ukraine by setting up a house in Pakistan to house them and then further transport them. He also apparently offered to send thousands of Afghan soldiers to Haiti to help them combat gang violence. Whomst among us doesn’t have the numbers of thousands of Afghan soldiers on speed-dial. Do you reckon there’s a group chat?

Anyway, while there is still no official recognition of the Taliban’s government by any country, China has taken a different course than the late USSR and the US - forming economic in-roads, rather than trying their own invasion. This has been a big boon for the struggling country, with various mines and oil and agriculture deals helping keep things barely afloat. A total disintegration of the social fabric of Afghanistan is not in the interest of any of the powers that border it - China, Pakistan, and Iran, with Russia not too far away - so an interesting dynamic of helping-without-official-recognition has been established. I wonder who will be the first country to fully recognize them?

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 Afghanistan! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.

Please check out the HexAtlas!

The bulletins site is here!
The RSS feed is here.
Last week’s thread is here.

Israel-Palestine Conflict

If you have evidence of Israeli crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. 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.

  • Kolibri [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    33·
    2 months ago

    I want to to prose a rule for no defeatism? and also for “nothing ever happens” stuff? I dunno how to word that properly for the best so if someone knows how to word it better? but it is really annoying seeing others saying nothing ever happens, when things are always happening, and trivializing things as if all of this is entertainment. Then there the defeatist side of stuff to where I understand the grief that comes from these things, but to say everything is all over isn’t right. It’s also very disrespectful to, like for example, towards everything the axis of resistance has done

    • FungiDebord [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
      54·
      2 months ago

      defeatism

      the news mega should try to provide clear-eyed and varied analysis; to insist that everything is going to plan, and to restrict posts to only those that take an optimistic-spin on world events, would be QAnon-esque cope, imho.

      • Kolibri [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
        11·
        2 months ago

        I don’t think it’s fair to compare it to QAnon-esque cope. Perhaps an alternative would maybe be requiring a cw spoiler tag then for very defeatist stuff?

        • HarryLime [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
          53·
          2 months ago

          A content warning for “defeatism?” I’m sorry, but isn’t this a bit silly?

          Frankly, the left loses a lot more often, and for a lot longer, than it wins, and it’s not defeatist to face up to that fact or to express frustration with it.

          • AssortedBiscuits [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
            19·
            2 months ago

            No, there’s a difference between discussing the Ls and thinking the cause is lost with just one L. And most of the time, the doomerism is entirely unwarranted. People were losing their shit when Ukraine launched their doomed excursion into Russian territory and despite the repeated assurance from more sober minded people that the excursion was doomed, too many people were losing their shit and spreading doomer takes until it turned out Ukraine predictably wasn’t able to do what the Swedes, French, and Germans failed to do.

            Doomerism is technically reactionary. There’s a reason why revolutionary optimism is a thing, why “pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will” gets repeated. In regards to the pager attack, this is fine while this is doomer nonsense. Someone personally feeling emotionally distraught over an L doesn’t give them license to dump those negative feelings onto the rest of us. Those negative emotional dumping almost never comes with analysis anyways, certainly not good analysis.

            • carpoftruth [any, any]@hexbear.netMEnglish
              16·
              2 months ago

              People were losing their shit when Ukraine launched their doomed excursion into Russian territory and despite the repeated assurance from more sober minded people that the excursion was doomed

              I am once again asking news mega posters to read clausewitz

              • AssortedBiscuits [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
                27·
                2 months ago

                If Iran and Hezbollah don’t attack Israel in the next few hours, they will have essentially surrendered.

                This is absolutely news and not just you giving your hot doomer take on the situation.

              • SeekTheDeletion [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
                9·
                2 months ago

                As someone whose phone occasionally heats up, all I can say is that we need to put down the copium. If Israel can do this, so can the CIA. It is highly likely that the age of mass communication is about to functionally end as soon as we reach the societal breakdown stage of late capitalism. As for Lebanon itself, it will likely collapse before Israel does. The zionists likely plan to genocide everyone within the borders of greater israel.

                This you? Can you point me to where the “news” is here? Looks a lot like Nostradamus doom saying and reading tea leaves to me.

                  • carpoftruth [any, any]@hexbear.netMEnglish
                    16·
                    2 months ago

                    This is liberal nonsense that imagines the mossad as all powerful. This is exactly the kind of unhinged commentary that is not productive. This isn’t the same as having rose coloured glasses or “coping”, this is just you working out your fear in the thread. It is toxic and not helpful. Demonstrate that you are capable of taking part in this community in a respectful and thoughtful way or I will do more than just delete your worst posts.

        • FungiDebord [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
          22·
          2 months ago

          maybe not a fair characterization.

          i should still not like doomer stuff to be removed by the mods; other posters and the community at large should be responsible for correcting and responding as necessary – as Harry notes, we lose all the time, and its good practice to notice this and find the strength and support to keep the faith up.

      • SeekTheDeletion [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
        11·
        2 months ago

        Except the cope is coming from the doomers, who pop into this thread every time Ukraine has a PR victory to gloat/whinge. It’s a purely emotional and selfish reaction, not analysis

        • carpoftruth [any, any]@hexbear.netMEnglish
          20·
          2 months ago

          You are jumping at shadows if you think there is some horde of ukraine-NAFO doomers waiting to pounce on these threads. I’ve read every post in the newsmegas since the beginning. Idiots stumble in, to be sure, but it is not a meaningful pattern.

    • Commiejones [comrade/them, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      38·
      2 months ago

      A little defeatism is good for discussion. Denouncing defeatism can really be uplifting. Having doubts is fair and rational. If you don’t voice your fears how are your comrades supposed to help you see that your fears are unfounded?

      “nothing ever happens” bugs me because the idea is founded in western chauvinist comfort. “nothing ever happens to me” while every day there is another massacre in Palestine.

    • AssortedBiscuits [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      37·
      2 months ago

      “Nothing ever happens” is undialectical. The dialectic is ever in motion. What seems like nothing happening is actually contradictions pushing against each other towards a temporary equilibrium, but one contradiction will eventually overcome the other.

      • Ram_The_Manparts [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        44·
        2 months ago

        This you?

        Does anyone know if Project 2025 has a Russian connection behind it?

        Honestly “Project [number]” is such a Soviet/Russian way of naming a project/plan, and rather uncommon in the American lingo, that I find it hard to believe that the GOP is naming it this way without Russia behind it as a consultant/mastermind or something.

        “Vibes-based” indeed miyazaki-laugh

            • BynarsAreOk [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
              16·
              2 months ago

              What are you even talking about? Nobody took their conspiracy theories seriously or bad enough to dunk on, in fact the always get engagement and post insightful comments about other stuff too. It realy feels like you’re not reading the room here. They’re not a malicious or dishonest poster, at least not that I can tell.

              Stop acting as if you’re some authority here trying to clean shit, this is the lamest internet trope to date, that one guy that thinks they’re representing others with authority.

              • SeekTheDeletion [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
                9·
                2 months ago

                i don’t like users here repeating 2016 era russiagate shower thoughts. I’ll keep mocking them until the day I die. This user is shipwreck and often posts bait lib comments in extremely serious tone of voice.

                • BynarsAreOk [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
                  12·
                  2 months ago

                  You have a weird definition of bait then, bait is not when you disagree with shit. I don’t think they were correct either, I’ve contested their posts many times btw I know the rhetoric.

                  But as I said, you’re being hostile towards someone that was not even dishonest and often contributes in other areas.

                  This whole chain points out the amount of cope people post here approaches its own conspiracy theory level. “Iran will retaliate at any day now” is literally becoming a meme. But its the random project whatever post from 3 months ago that is relevant?

                  • SeekTheDeletion [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
                    9·
                    2 months ago

                    https://hexbear.net/comment/5398810

                    This is bait. Everyone in the entire thread either is clowning on them or recognizes it as bait. Either it’s incoherent lib gibberish or it’s purposeful trolling, either way, why is this type of comment tolerated? 3 months ago? This was yesterday. They keep doing this, keep making comments like this, and did it repeatedly on shipwreck. Hundreds of these types of stupid ass liberal takes mixed in with their other comments.

                    I don’t think they should be banned or anything, but I do think all of their lib showerthought bait comments should be removed. In addition, I don’t really value their input on moderation questions as they post a lot of shit I believe shouldn’t be here.

    • PorkrollPosadist [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      33·
      2 months ago

      My only problem concern with this is that defeatism is extremely subjective. Every NAFO shithole on the Internet strictly moderates “defeatism” and the end result is a perspective completely detached from reality. On here, people will make shitposts (e.g. a day or two after the occupation of Kursk, someone was like “has anybody told Putin about this yet”) and people will get really bent out of shape over inconsequential banter.

      I think, foremost, we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. Whether we are blooming or dooming, it is not like the Axis of Resistance is loading up Hexbear dot net every day and taking cues from our big brain analysis. The Russian MOD isn’t reading our shitposts to decide where to commit their resources. The soldiers of Hezbollah and Ansarallah are not going to be deterred from the righteous path because a handful of westoids are suddenly feeling uneasy. BRICS isn’t going to unravel just because there are skeptics of dedollarization among us.

      We should deter outright panic, but this is a news discussion forum and let me tell ya, most of the news is bad. eric-andre The global workers movement has already been defeated. We are only now, two generations later, beginning to claw our way out of the tomb we were buried in at the end of the cold war, and there are still many setbacks ahead of us.

      • SeekTheDeletion [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
        19·
        2 months ago

        can we at least agree to remove top level comments like this:

        As someone whose phone occasionally heats up, all I can say is that we need to put down the copium. If Israel can do this, so can the CIA. It is highly likely that the age of mass communication is about to functionally end as soon as we reach the societal breakdown stage of late capitalism. As for Lebanon itself, it will likely collapse before Israel does. The zionists likely plan to genocide everyone within the borders of greater israel.

        This is pretty cut and dry defeatism, without adding any type of factual analysis.

        • PorkrollPosadist [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
          18·
          2 months ago

          Yeah, there are a handful of egregious examples like this. Even this comment though, has the potential for some fruitful analysis if it weren’t such a low effort throwaway.

          As for Lebanon itself, it will likely collapse before Israel does.

          You could make this argument. The Lebanese Republic is deeply dysfunctional and probably moribund, with or without Israeli intervention, whereas “Israel,” even at the bottom of the deepest crisis in its history, with the overwhelming support of the US and it’s lousy dogs, has already survived long past its expiration date.

          But there are a lot more details to the way this will play out than the picture this poster is painting. The weakness of the Lebanese state is a significant factor in why Hezbollah is able to take matters into their own hands in the first place. Considering Hezbollah is significantly more powerful than the Lebanese army, and politically more coherent (in the literal sense) than the Republic, whatever happens to the government in Beirut seems kind of immaterial as far as “Israel” achieving its objectives goes. They aren’t going to just march north and expand “Greater Israel.” They are going to face intense resistance, in greater numbers, with greater armaments than they have in Gaza, which they still haven’t managed to pacify.

          So yeah, the “state of Israel” very well might outlive the state of Lebanon, but so will Hezbollah, so what changes exactly?

    • FuckyWucky [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
      31·
      2 months ago

      I don’t believe in the “nothing ever happens” nonsense, things change.

      But I look at 2014 headlines on Israeli crimes in Gaza, it’s the same shit repeating at a larger scale.

        • GlueBear [they/them, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
          16·
          2 months ago

          I think we should only ban racist comments, posters that frequently misgender others, and spam posts.

          I don’t want this place to become an echo chamber. If someone makes debunked or blatantly bigoted idea posts (example I saw here: “native Americans should let bygones be bygones so we can build socialism”) we should be able to have them banned on a case by case basis.