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
During his second term as the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro has achieved fundamental milestones to overcome the crises generated by the far-right opposition and the United States. These achievements have led the country towards political, economic, and social stability. They have strengthened his leadership within Chavismo and have positioned him as the natural candidate to represent the Bolivarian Revolution in the presidential election scheduled for July 28 this year.
Venezuela: 5 Strategic Reasons for Nicolás Maduro’s Presidential Candidacy
For charts, see the original post.
Today Russians are set to head to the polls for their country’s presidential election over three days – with only one expected outcome. Incumbent President Vladimir Putin will win comfortably. The Russian president is elected by direct popular vote. If no candidate receives over 50% of the vote, then a second round is held between the two most popular candidates three weeks later. It’s the first time that multi-day voting has been used in a Russian presidential election, as well as the first allowing voters to cast ballots online.
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Russia’s war economy is holding up. Wages have soared by double digits, the rouble is relatively stable and poverty and unemployment are at record lows. For the country’s lowest earners, salaries over the last three quarters have risen faster than for any other segment of society, clocking an annual growth rate of about 20%.
The government is spending massively on social support for families, pension increases, mortgage subsidies and compensation for the relatives of those serving in the military.
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I’m attempting to read Capitalism and Disability: Essays by Marta Russell (you can listen, here) for personal reasons. I say attempting because I easily get distracted, and am already reading The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State. In Capitalism and Disability, a documentary produced by Marta is mentioned, Disabled & The Cost of Saying I Do, so I decided to watch it. It’s also on YouTube here, and in higher video quality here.
The documentary covers the unfair disincentives that those who are disabled, on Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI), and get married face. This marriage penalty doesn’t apply if you are on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) unless you’re a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) or a widow or widower of a SSDI recipient. If SSI recipients marry someone with even a small income or level of assets, they could lose their benefits and Medicaid. This is because the Social Security Administration (SSA) considers a portion of the spouse’s income and assets as belonging to the SSI recipient. SSI recipients are often deemed to have income or assets that are too high for SSI or Medicaid because of this.
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund gets funding from the Department of Education, but they cover SSI and the marriage penalty decently here and here. More resources on capitalism and disability can be found, here.
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.
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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
Read More »In this episode I’ll be discussing Kollontai’s career throughout the February and October revolutions, and briefly her work as a commissar for social welfare.
Political biography of Alexandra Kollontai (Ep. 4): October Revolution and Social-Welfare
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, lashed out at Argentina’s public sector workers, threatening to deduct their salary if they join the upcoming national strike that was called by the General Confederation of Workers (CGT) for January 24.
Milei Threatens Argentina’s Public Sector Workers
At the beginning of 2023, the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Havana, Benjamin Ziff, said in an interview with The Associated Press that “it was difficult to go back” in normalizing relation with Cuba.
US Subversion Attempts Against Cuba During 2023
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com) — The United Kingdom is preparing to send a warship to Guyana allegedly in a gesture of diplomatic and military support for the former British colony. But in reality, this is a clear military provocation that violates the agreements reached by Guyana and Venezuela in a recent presidential summit in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Imperialist Provocations: UK to Send Warship to Guyana
On August 31st 2023 the Finnish government released a rather confusing document advocating the banning of communist symbols. The completely outlandish document is called a “Government statement to Parliament on promoting equality, gender equality and non-discrimination in Finnish society”. What does a document with such a title have to do with communism?
The Finnish government plans to criminalize communist symbols
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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