M. K. BHADRAKUMAR
Reading and rereading the US President Joe Biden’s statement last Monday on Ukraine Independence Day, one is reminded of English poet John Keats’ immortal line, ‘Heard melodies are sweet but those unheard are sweeter.’ Three things are striking.
Ukraine: The Ground Beneath Zelensky’s Feet is Shifting
Video via Alex Christoforou
China has pledged to forgive 23 interest-free loans for 17 African countries and will also provide food assistance to the struggling nations.
China forgives debt for 17 African nations
Ivan Loshkaryov
Since the early days of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, the diplomacy of the Сollective West has been striving to isolate Moscow, punishing it for resolving the conflict in Donbass. However, one cannot talk about isolation without accounting for the position of developing countries: Alongside the golden billion, there are another 7 billion people living in the world. It is then only natural that the eyes of Western strategists and diplomats have turned to states and regional organizations reluctant to join the anti-Russian rhetoric, seeing no point in imposing economic and political restrictions against Moscow.
How Russia and the U.S. See Africa’s Place in the World
By Yeghia Tashjian | The Cradle | August 19 2022
The US is leveraging Egypt’s gas supply to pressure Beirut over US-brokered maritime border talks with Israel
How the US controls Lebanon’s energy supply
Aug 15, 2022 – When a catastrophic fire in Matanzas threatened Cuba’s fuel supply, other countries rushed to help. What did the world’s most powerful country offer Cuba? A phone call. The lack of U.S. support has sparked outrage. And its crushing sanctions have limited Cuba’s ability to respond.
Video via Belly of The Beast Cuba
Related:
While Cuba Deals with Blazing Fire, the U.S. Heartlessly Watches and Waits
House Dems Urge Biden to Provide Assistance to Cuba Amid Fire Disaster
At Least 1 Dead and 121 Injured in Fuel Storage Depot Fire in Matanzas, Cuba
The Cuban president stated in a tweet, “We express deep gratitude to the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile, which have promptly offered solidarity and material aid in the face of this complex situation. Cuba also appreciates the offer of technical advice from the United States.”
By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram – Jul 26, 2022
SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 26 2022 (IPS) – Like so many others, Africans have long been misled. Alleged progress under imperialism has long been used to legitimize exploitation. Meanwhile, Western colonial powers have been replaced by neo-colonial governments and international institutions serving their interests.
Africa taken for ‘neo-colonial’ ride
If the ‘west’ really wants to deprive Russia of money it must immediately lift the sanctions and restart importing oil, gas and coal from Russia at then much lower prices.
Russia will not lack money to finance the rebuilding of Novorossiya’s great industries. Once that is done those areas are evidently able to support themselves and to guarantee a high standard of living. They will also have enough money to militarily defend themselves against anything the poor rest of Ukraine will be able to finance.
At the end of March, after negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey, there was nearly an agreement on a ceasefire and on the end of the war. Joe Biden then tasked Boris Johnson with telling Zelensky to continue the war. The ‘west’ would otherwise stop paying him. Zelensky did as he was told and stopped all negotiations with Russia.
An agreement with Russia at that time would have kept the Ukraine mostly as one state with only minor losses in the Donbas. But the decision to continue the hopeless war also ended all chances for Ukraine to keep its riches.
It will be poor and helpless while its ‘western’ neighbors will feast on it.
Russia’s economy is holding up better than expected amid sweeping sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, according to the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook report issued on Tuesday.
Despite sweeping sanctions, Russia’s economic outlook has improved since April — but it’s gotten worse for almost every other country
by Patrick Macfarlane | Jul 14, 2022
Since at least February 2018, a German-born anthropologist named Adrian Zenz has alleged that China is persecuting the Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim minority that inhabits Xinjiang, China’s westernmost autonomous region.
Credibility and the ‘Xinjiang Police Files’ (archived)
Related:
Xinjiang Police Files: Zenz’ Reality Warping
Xinjiang (Updated to include the above links)
Mishel Kondi, also worked as research assistant for the VOC and was an analyst for Foreign Brief. “Foreign Brief is an industry-leading source of open source geopolitical intelligence focused first on the Indo-Pacific.” They’re an Australian company with offices in the US, Europe, and Australia.
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