This year really is just gonna be us swinging from election to election, I suppose. I feel Lenin's beaming red eyes on me.
Up next on our electoral tour is Portugal. The current government - a coalition of the center-left Socialists and the center-right Social Democrats - has been mired in corruption scandals, resulting in a general election being called a mere two years after the last one. The fascist and vaguely populist Chega party has gained significant support over the last two years due to the economic hardships. Yesterday, the Social Democrats secured a narrow win of 79 seats compared to the Socialists' 77. Chega, in third place at 48, would appear to be the best candidate for a coalition, though the leader of the Social Democrats has said that they would refuse a coalition with them due to their xenophobic views. Regardless, the fascist surge is worrying, if expected.
Portugal's economy is going pretty badly even as European countries go, with little growth in productivity or investment over the last decade. The origins of this crisis date back to Portugal making the euro their national currency in the early 2000s, thus surrendering their ability to control their own currency, becoming reliant on investment from Germany and France, and suffering greatly in the 2012 European debt crisis. Unemployment and low wages spurred emigration; in 2013, the youth employment rate was about 40%; this has only come down to 25% recently and is increasing again. The government is heavily reliant on debt for public spending, with a debt-to-GDP ratio skyrocketing to over 100% in the two decades since the turn of the millennium. The capitalist sector is simply not profitable enough and hasn't been for 40 years, which is only a problem if you are a capitalist economy. For more on the Portuguese economy, check out Michael Roberts' recent analysis, from which I obtained a lot of this information.
Inside Portugal is the same story playing out across much of Europe. A failing center or center-left political party, unable to cope with the economic troubles of the last few years due to absolute obedience to neoliberal policies. A fascist party rising, but with no alternative economic plan, hoping that perhaps oppressing minorities and going after "wokeism" will make their God, The Economy, rain blessings down on them again.
The COTW (Country of the Week) label is designed to spur discussion and debate about a specific country every week in order to help the community gain greater understanding of the domestic situation of often-understudied nations. If you've wanted to talk about the country or share your experiences, but have never found a relevant place to do so, now is your chance! However, don't worry - this is still a general news megathread where you can post about ongoing events from any country.
The Country of the Week is Portugal! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section. Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war. Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language. https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one. https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts. https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel. https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator. https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps. https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language. https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language. https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses. https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
there are roumors of it beeing a "Double tap" strike tho , meaning you strike the same place again , to kill the Helpers , which to be clear, is a warcrime .
I was interested in the idea of double taps being a war crime (sounds like a war crime to me, honestly, if the intent is to hit the first responders) and I hit this scholarly article:
Double tap strikes aren't in general war crimes. The drone strikes taking place are largely in rural areas where the only people going in after a strike are members of the same group to do cleanup. Find me an instance where civilian rescuers were deliberately targeted.
Which I freely admit is whatabouttism on my part because targeting medical responders is or definitely should be a war crime.
But it seems it’s quasi-official US military policy? Or at least an accepted and defended common practice.
Also another report that provides the US legal defense of the practice, saying that
Referencing the International Red Cross Committee saying that double taps are not a war crime unless it can be established the target is in fact incapacitated. Saying there is a legalese combat status of being wounded / ill / disabled but still capable of causing harm so merely being wounded isn’t the same as incapacitated.
First responders and helpful civilians who “are deemed to have accepted the risk of harm by proximity to a military target”… those who go near to a military target to render aid become justifiable targets or at least justifiable collateral damage. Basically the same logic as to why Bomber Harris was allowed to level all the workers cottages in Dresden, but applied to first responders.
To be clear, I’m engaging in pure whataboutism here. Double tap strikes to kill firefighters and paramedics, or even to target regular soldiers who are in the act of carrying out medical aid and evacuation, is morally horrendous to me.
Double tap strikes aren't in general war crimes. The drone strikes taking place are largely in rural areas where the only people going in after a strike are members of the same group to do cleanup. Find me an instance where civilian rescuers were deliberately targeted.
Except of course when they aren't, like when it's civilians in a city, or a wedding, or an MSF hospital.
But it seems it’s quasi-official US military policy? Or at least an accepted and defended common practice.
Remember that the US does not recognize the ICC. It doesn't even need to be quasi-official, the US can just admit to war crimes and cannot be prosecuted for it
Today's blow to Odessa, to the Victoria/Mriya sanatorium. 550 people died, all from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Two generals were eliminated.
The Lyut and Tsunami police units were stationed there.
For reference :
The Assault Regiment of the National Police of Ukraine "tsunami" is a paramilitary unit of the Special Purpose Police Department No. 2 in the Special Purpose Police Department "OSB NPU" rage."
The United Assault Brigade of the National Police of Ukraine "fury" (OSB NPU "fury") is a paramilitary unit of the Special Purpose Police Department of Ukraine.
goddamn. hopefully most of those 550 were police, troops, and/or fascist government officials as it claims, and hopefully the double-tap rumors aren't true
A medic and rescuer were killed by a second missile after rushing to the scene to treat people hurt in the initial attack. Ten people had suffered serious injuries, Kiper added.
If it is only 2 people who rushed to the scene. doesn't sound like a "double tap" so much as a 2 missile strike. Maybe they just got the timing on the flight times wrong and they meant for them to hit closer together than they did.