[2019] Is Russia imperialist?

Source

Russia is said to be an imperialist world power, one in conflict with the imperialist superpower, the U.S. Russia has been characterized in this manner both during the period of the Soviet Union, and after the Soviet Union collapsed and separate states were formed. Russia has said to be imperialist both when it was a socialist state and now as a capitalist state.

Is Russia imperialist?

Related:

Georgia started war with Russia: EU-backed report (archived)

Russia and China Are Not Imperialist

Philippines’ ‘assertive transparency’ strategy is causing them to miss out economically

The Philippines is going all in with the United States and bracing itself against lost Chinese largesse. President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr will fly to Washington next month to attend the US-Japan-Philippines trilateral leaders’ summit. It will be his fourth visit to the US since taking office as president less than two years ago.

South China Sea: Philippines must softly manage disputes or miss out economically

Previously:

PH: Compared To China, US Trade, Investment Offers Laughable + More

SCS: The Office of Naval Research funded Stanford’s GKC

US Ban on Xinjiang cotton is likely reducing Western artillery shell production

US Ban on Xinjiang cotton is likely reducing Western artillery shell production

Now, after passing this legislation [Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act], the West is bitching that China is withholding cotton from them, and that cotton cellulose is hard to find.

Related:

Europe battles gunpowder shortage amid Ukraine war

“To make powder, you need a specific kind of cotton, which mostly comes from China,” he said.

European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton on Friday told reporters in Paris that the bloc also faced challenges finding the raw materials for gunpowder.

Nitrocellulose, also known as guncotton, is a key ingredient in gunpowder manufacture.

Xinjiang

Tens of Thousands Forced to Flee Democratic Republic of Congo as US/Rwanda-Supported M23 Attacks Intensify (+Coltan)

Source (2nacheki)

Attacks by the Rwanda-backed M23 have led to another wave of mass displacement in the province of North Kivu. The rebel group has tried to make advances towards the provincial capital of Goma, attacking the town of Sake which lies just 25 kilometers away.

Tens of Thousands Forced to Flee Democratic Republic of Congo as US/Rwanda-Supported M23 Attacks Intensify (+Coltan)

Related:

CONGRESS: Do Not Allow Our Tax Dollars To Fund Conflict In The Congo!

China Overtakes Europe in Clean Energy Tech Research

China has become a powerhouse in clean energy, and has overtaken the EU on clean technology research, a paper prepared for the European Commission has shown.

“China has caught up with the EU in R&D expenditure. While Chinese R&D intensity more than doubled since 2000, EU R&D intensity grew much slower. As a result, China caught up with the EU while the US keeps a consistent lead,” according to the brief on the EU-China exposure in trade, investment, and technology.

“China is increasingly becoming a world leader in science and innovation, for several critical technologies outlined in the 2023 Commission Recommendation on critical technology areas for the EU’s economic security,” the authors of the study for the Commission wrote.

China Overtakes Europe in Clean Energy Tech Research

China is eating Europe’s lunch, as well! On another note, the EU should worry more about their dependence, on the US, than on China. Then again, they’re a vassal state of the US.

Previously:

50 years after Chile’s coup, Salvador Allende’s grandson speaks about Britain’s role in the rise of Pinochet

Margaret Thatcher with Chilean dictator, General Augusto Pinochet
(Reuters)

In Santiago, Declassified spoke with Pablo Sepúlveda Allende about Margaret Thatcher’s friendship with Chile’s dictator and how Labour helped him evade justice for crimes against humanity.

50 years after Chile’s coup, Salvador Allende’s grandson speaks about Britain’s role in the rise of Pinochet

Related:

The end of Allende

Why might Africa want France gone? + ECOWAS Activates Standby Force for Potential Niger Intervention

Let’s continue to follow the post-coup situation in Niger. We had Victoria Nuland travel to Niger, presumably to help organize the overthrow of the government since 1- that’s usually what a visit from Nuland portends and 2 – a “rebel movement” called the Council of Resistance for the Republic under the leadership of someone named Rhissa Ag Boula started just after her visit. If there is going to be a Western war over this coup, it is likely that Nigeria – the giant country in West Africa with 224M people, much bigger than all other countries in the region combined – will be a part of the intervention, as would France and presumably the US. Other countries of the region are lining up on one or the other side, with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Algeria all lining up with the post-coup Niger government, so we are in a scary situation.

Why might Africa want France gone?

Related:

ECOWAS Activates Standby Force for Potential Niger Intervention