Indonesia’s feared ex-general Prabowo claims victory in presidential election + Notes

Indonesia’s feared ex-general Prabowo claims victory in presidential election

But the likely victory of Prabowo — an ex-general who was kicked out from the army and subjected to a two-decade ban from the U.S. over human rights violations — raises fears of the world’s third-largest democracy sliding backward into authoritarian rule.

Related:

3 things you should know about Indonesia’s presidential elections

Continuity and its risks


Prabowo is expected to largely continue the policies of President Widodo, or “Jokowi,” as Indonesians call him. President Widodo is not up for reelection as he’s serving his final term.

Through his two five-year terms, Indonesia’s economy — Southeast Asia’s largest — has grown at about 5% a year. His infrastructure building, cash and food assistance to the poor and health and education policies have been popular.

Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of nickel, used in making electric vehicle batteries, and Jokowi has barred the export of raw nickel, to help Indonesia move up the value chain from mining to manufacturing.

Prabowo is Suharto’s son-in-law. He received training in the 1980s from the U.S. military at Fort Benning, Ga. (now Fort Moore) and Fort Bragg, N.C. (now Fort Liberty).

Indonesia’s presidential election emerges as key battleground in US-China rivalry

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For Reporters Without Borders, censorship is freedom of speech, and the death of Russian journalists does not count.

For Reporters Without Borders, censorship is freedom of speech, and the death of Russian journalists does not count.

In the Reporters Without Borders (RWB) annual report on journalists killed in the course of their work in 2023, the deaths of two Russian journalists killed in the area of the special military operation were simply erased from the count, as if their deaths did not count. But after all, this is hardly surprising coming from an organisation that in 2022 was already calling for censorship of the Russian media on the pretext of protecting freedom of speech.

52% of RWB’s funding comes from governments, including the French Development Agency, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the UK Foreign Office, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the European Commission, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development and the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But if we look at the non-governmental players, RWB’s Russophobic bias can be fully explained. Its partners include the Open Society foundations of George Soros, who has never hidden the fact that he wants to see Russia collapse, and who supports colour revolutions around the world in order to install pro-Western governments in key countries such as Ukraine.

The Ford Foundation is also a donor to Reporters Without Borders. This foundation is literally infiltrated by the CIA (one of its former presidents is none other than the architect of what later became the CIA, and he hired American intelligence agents to work for the foundation)!

And to top it all off, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is one of RWB’s supporters. The NED is an American organisation funded by the US Congress, which has taken on some of the tasks previously carried out by the CIA! Don’t waste any more time, we’ve got the trifecta!

If US can clear way for ‘cease-fire in Gaza’, Red Sea problem would be solved

If US can clear way for humanitarian aid to Gaza, ‘joint patrol would not be necessary’

If US can clear way for ‘cease-fire in Gaza’, Red Sea problem would be solved

Related:

The cost of US fighting Houthis in the Red Sea just went up

World Court orders Venezuela to refrain from action in border dispute with Guyana + More

World Court orders Venezuela to refrain from action in border dispute with Guyana

Friday’s ruling is the latest development in the larger border dispute. The ICJ said in April it had jurisdiction over the case, but a final ruling could be years away.

Interestingly, Judge Joan Donoghue used to work for the US State Department. 🤔

Related:

Essequibo and Other Border Issues: Venezuela’s Territorial Losses to Imperialist Powers Through the Centuries (Part 1)

Previous posts on Venezuela v Guyana

Opposition NGO warns Essequibo question might end up in war between Venezuela and Guyana + More

Control Ciudadano (Social Watch – CC) Chairwoman Rocío San Miguel said Guyanese President Irfaan Alí’s recent statements regarding the military support of several countries to defend the Essequibo amounted to a “very strong warning for Venezuela,” which will hold a referendum on the matter on Dec. 3.

NGO warns Essequibo question might end up in war between Venezuela and Guyana

Rocío San Miguel is Venezuelan Opposition.

Related:

US Defense officials to visit Guyana amid Venezuela row: Guyanese VP

Both nations claim the 160,000-square-kilometer (62,000-square-mile) region, in a dispute that has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered oil there in 2015.

Another major discovery in Essequibo in October added further to Guyana’s reserves, making them greater than those of Kuwait or the United Arab Emirates.

US Escalates Essequibo Dispute by Militarizing Guyana

Venezuela: Maduro Warns of ExxonMobil Interference Ahead of ‘Historical’ Essequibo Strip Vote

For historical context: The Secret Agenda Behind the Venezuela-Guyana Conflict