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SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him]

@ SeventyTwoTrillion @hexbear.net

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4 yr. ago

"Crises teasingly hold out the possibility of dramatic reversals only to be followed by surreal continuity as the old order cadaverously fights back."

  • Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from November 24th to November 30th, 2025 - First as Farce, Then as Kinda Just Embarrassing - COTW: Mexico

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  • Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from November 17th to November 23rd - 50 Years of Resistance - COTW: Western Sahara

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  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 6

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  • Imperialism Reading Group ping!

    In Chapter 5, Nixon and Kissinger arrive on the stage, ready to overthrown democratic governments across Latin America. Allende takes power in Chile democratically, and his successful socialist policies create an enormous problem for both the Cold War propaganda narrative against communists as being fundamentally opposed to democracy, and also for American control over the continent more generally as Allende opposes various American groups. In particular, Allende's efforts to take back the excess profit stolen from their country by Western corporations, as well as the proliferation of computing technology (vis a vis Cybersyn in Chile) earn him the personal ire of Nixon and Kissinger, who follow the anti-Arbenz framework to overthrow Allende from within with a massive covert campaign to sew fear, disorder, and dissent. Allende does not take the advice of Castro, and his fall is rapid and brutal because of it.

    This, in addition to the ongoing dramatic failures in Vietnam, cause a domestic and global anti-war movement to rise, but despite fears from within the American establishment, its power overall appears limited to a degree of harm reduction and the revealing of American plots and campaigns via e.g. the Church Committee, rather than a movement that meaningfully provides room for anti-American/democratic/socialists governments to rise to power. All these events are also taking place simultaneously with the efforts to divide the USSR and China, though as both of those countries' influence is fairly limited in Latin America at this time, this dynamic is not that relevant to this particular story (at least, not yet).

    @RedDawn@hexbear.net @Cowbee@hexbear.net @kittin@hexbear.net @Sebrof@hexbear.net @TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml @OrionsMask@hexbear.net @0__0@hexbear.net @SummerIsTooWarm@hexbear.net @mbt2402@hexbear.net @BanjoBolshevik@hexbear.net @BodyBySisyphus@hexbear.net @NinjaGinga@hexbear.net @Test_Tickles@hexbear.net @luddybuddy@hexbear.net @Coca_Cola_but_Commie@hexbear.net @niph@hexbear.net @redline@lemmygrad.ml @glimmer_twin@hexbear.net @MF_COOM@hexbear.net @MiraculousMM@hexbear.net @StarkWolf@hexbear.net @StillNoLeftLeft@hexbear.net @BGDelirium@hexbear.net @THEPH0NECOMPANY@hexbear.net @devils_dust@hexbear.net @Ehrmantrout@hexbear.net @quarrk@hexbear.net @RaisedFistJoker@hexbear.net @Lemmygradwontallowme@hexbear.net @darkmode@hexbear.net @PaulSmackage@hexbear.net @FunkyStuff@hexbear.net @Babs@hexbear.net @Rojo27@hexbear.net @OgdenTO@hexbear.net @iie@hexbear.net @Wertheimer@hexbear.net @Blobber@hexbear.net @MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net @XxFemboy_Stalin_420_69xX@chapo.chat @CARCOSA@hexbear.net @cosmosaucer@hexbear.net @picayune@lemmy.zip @revolut1917@hexbear.net @lil_tank@hexbear.net @WellTheresYourCobbler@hexbear.net @sodium_nitride@hexbear.net @wheresmysurplusvalue@hexbear.net @lmfaMAO@hexbear.net @vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net @Lalutacontinua@hexbear.net @SockOlm@hexbear.net @InappropriateEmote@hexbear.net @GoodGuyWithACat@hexbear.net @semioticbreakdown@hexbear.net @Moidialectica@hexbear.net @oculi@anarchist.nexus @reader@hexbear.net @umbrella@lemmy.ml

  • theory @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net

    Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 6

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 5

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  • Imperalism Reading Group ping!

    In Chapter 4, the beginning of the Cold War (and especially the Chinese Revolution), as well as the creation of the CIA, marks a shift from the Good Neighbour policy. The wave of constitutional democracies are gradually overthrown as the US seeks more pliant regimes that are entirely anti-communist and thereby pro-imperialist, with Arbenz's Guetamala successfully couped after a propaganda and terror campaign. Meanwhile, Cuba's Batista is himself overthrown by Castro, who successful resistance (Bay of Pigs) and popular support providing a beacon of resistance around which Latin American revolutionaries can be guided and aided by. Kennedy's inauguration, despite the rhetoric of progress, institutes only a new wave of anti-democratic terror and kidnappings throughout the continent.

    This continues the cycles of the US growing heavy-handed, inspiring pro-democracy insurgents to resist them, which then causes major problems for the US both materially and legally, which causes the US to back off a bit, and then new people come to power who do not understand the lessons of a decade prior. All the while, hundreds of thousands of people are killed and many millions more live in fear of America-backed death squads.

    @RedDawn@hexbear.net @Cowbee@hexbear.net @kittin@hexbear.net @Sebrof@hexbear.net @TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml @OrionsMask@hexbear.net @0__0@hexbear.net @SummerIsTooWarm@hexbear.net @mbt2402@hexbear.net @BanjoBolshevik@hexbear.net @BodyBySisyphus@hexbear.net @NinjaGinga@hexbear.net @Test_Tickles@hexbear.net @luddybuddy@hexbear.net @Coca_Cola_but_Commie@hexbear.net @niph@hexbear.net @redline@lemmygrad.ml @glimmer_twin@hexbear.net @MF_COOM@hexbear.net @MiraculousMM@hexbear.net @StarkWolf@hexbear.net @StillNoLeftLeft@hexbear.net @BGDelirium@hexbear.net @THEPH0NECOMPANY@hexbear.net @devils_dust@hexbear.net @Ehrmantrout@hexbear.net @quarrk@hexbear.net @RaisedFistJoker@hexbear.net @Lemmygradwontallowme@hexbear.net @darkmode@hexbear.net @PaulSmackage@hexbear.net @FunkyStuff@hexbear.net @Babs@hexbear.net @Rojo27@hexbear.net @OgdenTO@hexbear.net @iie@hexbear.net @Wertheimer@hexbear.net @Blobber@hexbear.net @MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net @XxFemboy_Stalin_420_69xX@chapo.chat @CARCOSA@hexbear.net @cosmosaucer@hexbear.net @picayune@lemmy.zip @revolut1917@hexbear.net @lil_tank@hexbear.net @WellTheresYourCobbler@hexbear.net @sodium_nitride@hexbear.net @wheresmysurplusvalue@hexbear.net @lmfaMAO@hexbear.net @vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net @Lalutacontinua@hexbear.net @SockOlm@hexbear.net @InappropriateEmote@hexbear.net @GoodGuyWithACat@hexbear.net @semioticbreakdown@hexbear.net @Moidialectica@hexbear.net @oculi@anarchist.nexus @reader@hexbear.net @umbrella@lemmy.ml

  • theory @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net

    Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 5

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    Bulletins and International News Discussion from November 10th to November 16th, 2025 - The Trials and Tribulations of Tinubu - COTW: Nigeria

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  • news @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net
    Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from November 17th to November 23rd - 50 Years of Resistance - COTW: Western Sahara

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 4

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  • I'm always on guard for the present-day parallels while reading through these books, and for this week's chapter, all I can really say is: imagine the present day US allowing countries around the world more political/economic sovereignty? Such a voluntary imperial decline wouldn't necessarily have to be all that terrible for everybody involved if it was managed - though a LOT of capitalists would still lose a LOT of money. Of course, such a hypothetical, while interesting to consider, isn't all that helpful as the US administration regardless of party seems to pick a different country each week to threaten with invasion or sanctions.

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 4

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  • @reader@hexbear.net In response to your comment last thread - any thread can be used to discuss any chapter discussed so far. In general, I wouldn't really advise people commenting in the older threads as you're unlikely to get anybody but me reading and responding to them and it's harder to moderate old threads, but there's nothing really wrong with doing so. Feel free to post your links here too!

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 4

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  • Imperalism Reading Group ping!

    In Chapter 3, we see the United States caught in the mire of the Great Depression at almost the same time as the (quite anti-American) Mexican Revolution, and the failures of their military intervention in Nicaragua. Roosevelt is forced to take a more neighbourly policy of non-intervention and allow a degree of independence across the continent, lest the upstart American Empire meet the same end as the European empires. Such a relationship would not last too far beyond World War 2, but this period was nonetheless a key development in the concept of soft power.

    @RedDawn@hexbear.net @Cowbee@hexbear.net @kittin@hexbear.net @Sebrof@hexbear.net @TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml @OrionsMask@hexbear.net @0__0@hexbear.net @SummerIsTooWarm@hexbear.net @mbt2402@hexbear.net @BanjoBolshevik@hexbear.net @BodyBySisyphus@hexbear.net @NinjaGinga@hexbear.net @Test_Tickles@hexbear.net @luddybuddy@hexbear.net @Coca_Cola_but_Commie@hexbear.net @niph@hexbear.net @redline@lemmygrad.ml @glimmer_twin@hexbear.net @MF_COOM@hexbear.net @MiraculousMM@hexbear.net @StarkWolf@hexbear.net @StillNoLeftLeft@hexbear.net @BGDelirium@hexbear.net @THEPH0NECOMPANY@hexbear.net @devils_dust@hexbear.net @Ehrmantrout@hexbear.net @quarrk@hexbear.net @RaisedFistJoker@hexbear.net @Lemmygradwontallowme@hexbear.net @darkmode@hexbear.net @PaulSmackage@hexbear.net @FunkyStuff@hexbear.net @Babs@hexbear.net @Rojo27@hexbear.net @OgdenTO@hexbear.net @iie@hexbear.net @Wertheimer@hexbear.net @Blobber@hexbear.net @MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net @XxFemboy_Stalin_420_69xX@chapo.chat @CARCOSA@hexbear.net @cosmosaucer@hexbear.net @picayune@lemmy.zip @revolut1917@hexbear.net @lil_tank@hexbear.net @WellTheresYourCobbler@hexbear.net @sodium_nitride@hexbear.net @wheresmysurplusvalue@hexbear.net @lmfaMAO@hexbear.net @vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net @Lalutacontinua@hexbear.net @SockOlm@hexbear.net @InappropriateEmote@hexbear.net @GoodGuyWithACat@hexbear.net @semioticbreakdown@hexbear.net @Moidialectica@hexbear.net @oculi@anarchist.nexus @reader@hexbear.net @umbrella@lemmy.ml

  • theory @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net

    Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 4

  • Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from November 3rd to November 9th, 2025 - The 47th ASEAN Summit + Trump and Xi's Deal

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  • news @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net
    Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from November 10th to November 16th, 2025 - The Trials and Tribulations of Tinubu - COTW: Nigeria

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    Bulletins and International News Discussion from November 3rd to November 9th, 2025 - The 47th ASEAN Summit + Trump and Xi's Deal

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  • I do wonder if there's any comparisons that can be made between Yemen and Venezuela, in terms of predicting how a conflict would go

    Because on paper, Yemen is very disadvantaged compared to the US (and indeed can only get missiles through to the US navy by depleting interceptors first) but in practice has been a monumental thorn in the US's side when trying to reassert control over the Red Sea; merely bombing Yemen hasn't seemed to achieve much either militarily or politically, and certainly not compared to the material costs in terms of manpower and drones and interceptor missiles and the constant expensive maintenance that bombing raids require (as we all know, money itself is no object to American imperialists, but the materials and time to manufacture the weapons certainly matters)

    Does Venezuela have any kind of comparable missile or mass drone production capable of engaging in gradual attrition against the US, or would such an attritional war only really arise if the US tries to put boots on the ground (or hires boots inside Venezuela) and then the socialist militias begin resistance operations? I'm assuming here that the Venezuelan air fleet would be taken out fairly quickly, and optimistically would "only" take out a ship or two before no longer being a threat (and indeed might not take out anything at all), which seems like a good assumption to me but I guess depends on what exactly Russia and China decide to do and send them.

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 3

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  • I think this sort of campaign of terrorism and genocide is the sort of thing that the current US capitalist base is bending towards as China more clearly manifests as a looming stormcloud on the horizon threatening their intricate system of international debt peonage. This campaign is what they did when the US and Europe were in imperialist competition over nations with cheap land and resources, so surely it must work today; and in some, perhaps many places, it might, for a while.

    The US vs China contest isn't inter-imperialist of course (as China is not imperialist), but there is a different dynamic to it than the US vs USSR contest, where China is explicitly disinterested in exporting revolution or visibly helping countries resist American aggression via compradors or otherwise but is interested in competing for resources and infrastructure deals, though at a much, much better deal than the US would ever willingly provide.

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 3

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  • Honestly, the whole idea of the US as being less imperial and/or more humanitarian than the old European empires is such an absurdity when you read through this book; it's the exact same exploitation and racism and genocidal strategies as the inbred monarchs of Europe, they just didn't literally incorporate the nations into their territories, merely figuratively doing so with compradors and troop occupations and corporations getting ludicrous deals.

  • Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from October 27th to November 2nd, 2025 - The War on Health + Further Latin America Escalations

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  • news @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net
    Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from November 3rd to November 9th, 2025 - The 47th ASEAN Summit + Trump and Xi's Deal

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 3

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  • Imperalism Reading Group ping!

    In Chapter 2, we see the United States loot, pillage, and murder their way through dozens of nations as they seek to make the world safe for capitalist exploitation and slavers throughout the early 20th century - but studiously avoid outright annexations.

    @RedDawn@hexbear.net @Cowbee@hexbear.net @kittin@hexbear.net @Sebrof@hexbear.net @TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml @OrionsMask@hexbear.net @0__0@hexbear.net @SummerIsTooWarm@hexbear.net @mbt2402@hexbear.net @BanjoBolshevik@hexbear.net @BodyBySisyphus@hexbear.net @NinjaGinga@hexbear.net @Test_Tickles@hexbear.net @luddybuddy@hexbear.net @Coca_Cola_but_Commie@hexbear.net @niph@hexbear.net @redline@lemmygrad.ml @glimmer_twin@hexbear.net @MF_COOM@hexbear.net @MiraculousMM@hexbear.net @StarkWolf@hexbear.net @StillNoLeftLeft@hexbear.net @BGDelirium@hexbear.net @THEPH0NECOMPANY@hexbear.net @devils_dust@hexbear.net @Ehrmantrout@hexbear.net @quarrk@hexbear.net @RaisedFistJoker@hexbear.net @Lemmygradwontallowme@hexbear.net @darkmode@hexbear.net @PaulSmackage@hexbear.net @FunkyStuff@hexbear.net @Babs@hexbear.net @Rojo27@hexbear.net @OgdenTO@hexbear.net @iie@hexbear.net @Wertheimer@hexbear.net @Blobber@hexbear.net @MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net @XxFemboy_Stalin_420_69xX@chapo.chat @CARCOSA@hexbear.net @cosmosaucer@hexbear.net @picayune@lemmy.zip @revolut1917@hexbear.net @lil_tank@hexbear.net @WellTheresYourCobbler@hexbear.net @sodium_nitride@hexbear.net @wheresmysurplusvalue@hexbear.net @lmfaMAO@hexbear.net @vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net @Lalutacontinua@hexbear.net @SockOlm@hexbear.net @InappropriateEmote@hexbear.net @GoodGuyWithACat@hexbear.net @semioticbreakdown@hexbear.net @Moidialectica@hexbear.net @oculi@anarchist.nexus @reader@hexbear.net @umbrella@lemmy.ml

  • theory @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net

    Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 3

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 2

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  • By asking! you're now on it.

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 2

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  • Done!

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 2

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  • Imperialism Reading Group ping!

    We begin Chapter 1, in which we fly through the 19th century, looking at how the newborn America seizes and oppresses Latin America and the Philippines.

    @RedDawn@hexbear.net @Cowbee@hexbear.net @kittin@hexbear.net @Sebrof@hexbear.net @TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml @OrionsMask@hexbear.net @0__0@hexbear.net @SummerIsTooWarm@hexbear.net @mbt2402@hexbear.net @BanjoBolshevik@hexbear.net @BodyBySisyphus@hexbear.net @NinjaGinga@hexbear.net @Test_Tickles@hexbear.net @luddybuddy@hexbear.net @Coca_Cola_but_Commie@hexbear.net @niph@hexbear.net @redline@lemmygrad.ml @glimmer_twin@hexbear.net @MF_COOM@hexbear.net @MiraculousMM@hexbear.net @StarkWolf@hexbear.net @StillNoLeftLeft@hexbear.net @BGDelirium@hexbear.net @THEPH0NECOMPANY@hexbear.net @devils_dust@hexbear.net @Ehrmantrout@hexbear.net @quarrk@hexbear.net @RaisedFistJoker@hexbear.net @Lemmygradwontallowme@hexbear.net @darkmode@hexbear.net @PaulSmackage@hexbear.net @FunkyStuff@hexbear.net @Babs@hexbear.net @Rojo27@hexbear.net @OgdenTO@hexbear.net @iie@hexbear.net @Wertheimer@hexbear.net @Blobber@hexbear.net @MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net @XxFemboy_Stalin_420_69xX@chapo.chat @CARCOSA@hexbear.net @cosmosaucer@hexbear.net @picayune@lemmy.zip @revolut1917@hexbear.net @lil_tank@hexbear.net @WellTheresYourCobbler@hexbear.net @sodium_nitride@hexbear.net @wheresmysurplusvalue@hexbear.net @lmfaMAO@hexbear.net @vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net @Lalutacontinua@hexbear.net @SockOlm@hexbear.net @InappropriateEmote@hexbear.net @GoodGuyWithACat@hexbear.net @semioticbreakdown@hexbear.net @Moidialectica@hexbear.net @oculi@anarchist.nexus

  • theory @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net

    Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 2

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    Bulletins and International News Discussion from October 20th to October 26th, 2025 - The Fall of Boluarte - COTW: Peru

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  • news @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net
    Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from October 27th to November 2nd, 2025 - The War on Health + Further Latin America Escalations

  • Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 1

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  • I'm sure it's fairly similar. Perhaps I just won't include the chapter titles to avoid confusion.

  • theory @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net

    Imperialism Reading Group - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic - Week 1

  • news @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net
    Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from October 20th to October 26th, 2025 - The Fall of Boluarte - COTW: Peru

  • news @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net
    Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from October 13th to October 19th, 2025 - Escalating Against The Bolivarian Revolution

  • news @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net
    Locked

    Bulletins and International News Discussion from October 6th to October 12th, 2025 - A New Revolutionary Wave?

  • theory @hexbear.net
    SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him] @hexbear.net

    Imperialism Reading Group - How Europe Underdeveloped Africa - Week 10 (Finale)