[1999] Philippines: The Great Left Divide

May 2, 2024May 2, 2024 Ms. CatLeave a comment

A SPECTER is haunting the revolutionary movement in the Philippines — the specter of seemingly interminable splits.

In the seven years since Armando Liwanag issued his “Reaffirm our Basic Principles and Rectify Errors” document, the Left — or more appropriately, the Left of the national democratic (ND) tradition — has gone through an unprecedented period of metastasis. The once monolithic movement that at its peak in the mid-1980s commanded 35,000 Party members, 60 guerrilla fronts, two battalions and 37 company formations, and foisted ideological and organizational hegemony in the progressive politics during the Marcos dictatorship is now history. Out of it have emerged fragments of disparate groups — eight at least — that continue to wage “revolution” in similarly disparate forms.

The Great Left Divide

Related:

Philippine Socialism Archive

Banned or Suppressed Publications in the Philippines

Sean Gervasi, 1992 lecture: The US Strategy to Dismantle the USSR

May 2, 2024May 2, 2024 Ms. CatLeave a comment

Source

Sean Gervasi, 1992 lecture: The US Strategy to Dismantle the USSR

Related RAND Corporation documents:

Economic factors affecting Soviet foreign and defense policy: a summary outline

The Costs of the Soviet Empire

Sitting on bayonets : the Soviet defense burden and the slowdown of Soviet defense spending

Moscow’s Economic Dilemma: The Burden of Soviet Defense

Exploiting ‘fault lines’ in the Soviet empire: an overview

Into the US-NATO Plot for South Caucasus

April 15, 2024April 15, 2024 Ms. Cat

The South Caucasus is an important aspect of Iranian and regional security, as such Iran will not allow any Western plots to harm security in the region to see the light of day.
Into the US-NATO Plot for South Caucasus

US and Israel to attack Iran?

April 12, 2024April 12, 2024 Ms. Cat

Full video

Gulf states warn US not to launch strikes on Iran from their territory or airspace

China’s Quantum Leap Forward

April 9, 2024April 9, 2024 Ms. Cat

On the Significance of Xi Jinping Thought on China and its Development

…

Mao Zedong made the Chinese nation stand up, Deng Xiaoping made the Chinese people rich, and Xi Jinping will make the Chinese people strong.
China’s Quantum Leap Forward

Why Is Arab Media Silent About the Uyghur Separatists Supporting “Israel”?

April 7, 2024April 7, 2024 Ms. Cat

We no longer hear much about the Uyghur issue, which Arab and international media outlets often promoted as a narrative to tarnish the reputation of the Chinese government and pressure it. This issue has always been framed through the lens of “generality” implying that “China is persecuting Muslims within its borders,” which is certainly not true, since the Uyghurs are not the only Muslim ethnic group in China; there are ten Muslim ethnicities in China.
Why Is Arab Media Silent About the Uyghur Separatists Supporting “Israel”?

China exposes Philippines’ reneging on South China Sea commitment

April 1, 2024April 5, 2024 Ms. Cat

Source

Wang pointed out that the Philippines has made a solemn promise to tow away the military vessel illegally grounded at Ren’ai Jiao, noting that 25 years have passed, and the Philippines has still not towed away the warship.

Noting that the Philippines has violated the understanding reached between the two sides on the proper management of the situation on Ren’ai jiao, the spokesperson said despite the Philippines’ commitment not to reinforce the grounded warship and to notify China in advance of any plans to resupply it, China, out of humanitarian considerations, has made temporary special arrangements for Philippine vessels transporting necessary supplies to the warship multiple times.

“However, the Philippines continues to send government vessels and warships to forcibly enter Ren’ai Jiao, attempting to transport construction materials for large-scale repairs and reinforcement of the warship in order to achieve permanent occupation of Ren’ai Jiao,” Wang said.

PH did promise to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin

Philippines Budgets for a Permanent Base at Second Thomas Shoal

It’s Time to Build Combined Forward Operating Base Sierra Madre

Kosovo War at 25: Blair’s secret invasion plot to ‘topple Milosevic’ revealed

March 24, 2024March 24, 2024 Ms. Cat

Source

Top secret papers reviewed by The Grayzone reveal Tony Blair demanded strikes on civilian targets in Yugoslavia days before NATO attacked them. While the UK military acknowledged a NATO strike on Hotel Jugoslavia would mean inflicting “some civilian casualties,” it insisted the deaths were “worth the cost.”
Kosovo War at 25: Blair’s secret invasion plot to ‘topple Milosevic’ revealed

Related:

Breakup of Yugoslavia

On Vladimir Lenin and Music

March 22, 2024March 22, 2024 Ms. Cat

I was just looking into the origin of this quote by Lenin, which led me to look up The Internationale on Apple Music (YouTube). While doing so, I found this album, History of the Soviet Union in Ballad and Song, Vol. 1 (YouTube). Anyway, I’m still tired, so going back to sleep.

Related:

Maxim Gorky: V. I. Lenin

…Listening to Beethoven’s sonatas played by Isai Dobrowein at the home of Y. P. Peshkova in Moscow one evening, Lenin remarked:

“I know of nothing better than the Appassionata and could listen to it every day. What astonishing, superhuman music! It always makes me proud, perhaps naively so, to think that people can work such miracles!”
Wrinkling up his eyes, he smiled rather sadly, adding:

“But I can’t listen to music very often, it affects my nerves. I want to say sweet, silly things and pat the heads of people who, living in a filthy hell, can create such beauty. One can’t pat anyone on the head nowadays, they might bite your hand off. They ought to be beaten on the head, beaten mercilessly, although ideally we are against doing any violence to people. Hm-what a hellishly difficult job!”

Lenin – Theoretician of Practice

Listening to My Dance Playlist