news
Bulletins and News Discussion from April 22nd to April 28th, 2024 - The Scramble For Africa: Green Edition - COTW: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Neptium
5 months ago
•
100%
This is a crosspost from the original on Lemmygrad here.
On the road to high-income
This is the 1st part of a 2-part series that aims to elucidate postcolonial Malaysian history. The 2nd part will focus on Malaysian-Chinese relations as an elaboration of the history and contradictions discussed here.
Each country in the region possesses its own unique and identifiable characteristic; Singapore is a hyper-capitalist dystopia, perhaps the only one in the region that could claim first-world status; Vietnam is a market socialist republic, ironically not unlike its bitter rival, China; Thailand is perhaps globally unique in its mix of royal and military authoritarianism; Brunei is akin to a Gulf State, with its oil wealth and Islamic absolute monarchy whereas the Philippines is more akin to a Latin American nation-state with its strongmen figures, cartel problems and US imperial interference.
Malaysia on the other hand can be identified by one particular characteristic: its profound mediocrity. It is rich, but not as rich as Singapore. It is authoritarian and corrupt, but never to the extent that can be found in its neighbours such as Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Leaders incompetent as such that they cannot be counted on to save their ass, and reformers so dull it cannot be counted on to pursue. On the whole, Malaysia is always reliably second place to something, in all things good or bad it always falls short of excellence. A jack of all trades, master of none. If Malaysia had another name, one could surmise it to be “Asal Boleh”.[^1]
::: spoiler the rest of the essay
Malaysia gained independence in 1957 with over 50% of the population living in poverty. The ruling classes, who collaborated with the colonizers in persecuting communists and left forces, were forced to embark on a series of developmentalist policies to negate rising class consciousness among the populace.
Ghana and Malaysia were once taught of as twin brothers, having gained independence in the same year with an economy of a similar size and structure. Now, after more than 65 years have passed, the story could be anything but different. Malaysia’s GDP per capita is now 5 times larger, life expectancy 11 years longer and manufactured goods account for more than 80% of exports. In stark contrast to Ghana, which still is stuck in raw commodity exports, priamrily gold.
Over the course of the 70s, 80s and 90s, a push for industrialisation saw the creation of a national car company, the establishment of semiconductor manufacturing in the northern state of Penang and the mechanisation of Palm Oil production, making Malaysia the world’s largest producer until 2006, when much more populous Indonesia finally overtook the country. Crucially, Malaysia also retained state control of its oil sector under the national banner of Petronas which continues to be a major source of foreign exchange and income.
The aftermath of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis prematurely ended this era of industrialisation. However unlike Malaysia’s neighbouring states, the nation’s state finances were largely positive and could afford to refuse the diktats of the IMF and World Bank that called for much more vast and expansive neoliberal structural adjustments. Additional competition from Chinese manufacturing meant Malaysia’s manufacturing sector was on the downturn during the 2000s and remained stagnant for much of the 2010s.
As the government steps into its 12th 5-year plan in 2020, an emphasis on (re-)industrialisation has now begun. Coupled with its New Industrial Master Plan 2030, the government now seeks to transform the economy to finally graduate from its upper-middle income status by 2030.
This would mark a first for a postcolonial country of a modest size and ethnic diversity to graduate to high-income. It would ultimately also be a first because it is a country that stood more in defiance than support of the West for much of its history.
The “New” Political Economy
However, this defiance in practice is quite restrained, as the country’s open economy means it is unable to antagonise any major economies, which includes the USA. This is reflected in the establishment’s reluctance in leaving the Five Powers Defence Arrangement (FDPA), a remnant of the country’s colonial history that stipulates military co-operation with it’s former colonial masters, the United Kingdom, and her other colonies, namely, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
Furthermore, there are still structural blocks that are withholding the nation’s ability to bring general prosperity to all. The racialized economic base remains largely unchanged since the colonial era, with one major exception, which is the establishment of an indigenous Malay-Muslim bourgeosie that benefits heavily from the inflated government bureaucracy and extensive network of government-owned and government-linked companies. Outside the public sector, which remains Malay-Muslim dominated, the private sector is still dominated by local Chinese and Indian haute-bourgeoisie that benefit from this racial stratification of the economy.
In the past, the British brought waves of Chinese, Indian and Javanese migrants to Malaya to work in the plantations and mines. Now, this pattern continues with Malaysia’s over-reliance and super-exploitation of foreign South Asian labour that depresses wages locally. Roughly 10% of Malaysia’s population are immigrants, amounting to 3 million, with an additional 2-3 million undocumented. Hosting the largest Bangladeshi population outside of Bangladesh itself.
The successful urbanisation and proletarianisation of a large vast of the Malaysian population, lead to the rise of a modern political Islam that, similar to Mao’s famous saying, is “surrounding the cities from the countryside”. In contrast to this radical political Islam is the rise of an affluent urban middle class, whose ideological pretensions vacillate between comprador anglophilia to “secular” cultural nationalism. This is reflected in the numerous political parties that dot the landscape of Malaysian politics, all with it's own class and ideological affiliations.
Malaysia is now at the crossroads of old and new. Questions of Marxism and Communism, which continue to be slandered in the political mainstream for being extremist, anti-thiest, and antithetical to “Asian culture”, is being countered at an astonishing rate for many who are tired of the old Cold War rhetorics. Figures that were sidelined and entire political histories ignored after the defeat of the left forces, are being rediscovered as many are fed up with the promises of development seemingly only benefiting those at the top.
Malaysia is not exempt from the transformations taking place in the larger world economy. In fact, Malaysian history is defined by its location between trading destinations which caused it to be colonized in the first place. For better or for worse, this central location allowed Malaysia to have an open (political) economy of remarkable fluidity and diversity. Internationalism is never too far from home.
[^1]:Sourced from an online essay titled "The New Cannot Be Born: Reflections on Politics in the Land of Mediocrities" by Anas Nor’Azim. Link.
:::
*This is the 1st part of a 2-part series that aims to elucidate postcolonial Malaysian history. The 2nd part will focus on Malaysian-Chinese relations as an elaboration of the history and contradictions discussed here.* > Each country in the region possesses its own unique and identifiable characteristic; Singapore is a hyper-capitalist dystopia, perhaps the only one in the region that could claim first-world status; Vietnam is a market socialist republic, ironically not unlike its bitter rival, China; Thailand is perhaps globally unique in its mix of royal and military authoritarianism; Brunei is akin to a Gulf State, with its oil wealth and Islamic absolute monarchy whereas the Philippines is more akin to a Latin American nation-state with its strongmen figures, cartel problems and US imperial interference. > Malaysia on the other hand can be identified by one particular characteristic: its profound mediocrity. It is rich, but not as rich as Singapore. It is authoritarian and corrupt, but never to the extent that can be found in its neighbours such as Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Leaders incompetent as such that they cannot be counted on to save their ass, and reformers so dull it cannot be counted on to pursue. On the whole, Malaysia is always reliably second place to something, in all things good or bad it always falls short of excellence. A jack of all trades, master of none. If Malaysia had another name, one could surmise it to be “Asal Boleh”.[^1] Malaysia gained independence in 1957 with over 50% of the population living in poverty. The ruling classes, who collaborated with the colonizers in persecuting communists and left forces, were forced to embark on a series of developmentalist policies to negate rising class consciousness among the populace. Ghana and Malaysia were once taught of as twin brothers, having gained independence in the same year with an economy of a similar size and structure. Now, after more than 65 years have passed, the story could be anything but different. Malaysia’s GDP per capita is now 5 times larger, life expectancy 11 years longer and manufactured goods account for more than 80% of exports. In stark contrast to Ghana, which still is stuck in raw commodity exports, priamrily gold. Over the course of the 70s, 80s and 90s, a push for industrialisation saw the creation of a national car company, the establishment of semiconductor manufacturing in the northern state of Penang and the mechanisation of Palm Oil production, making Malaysia the world’s largest producer until 2006, when much more populous Indonesia finally overtook the country. Crucially, Malaysia also retained state control of its oil sector under the national banner of Petronas which continues to be a major source of foreign exchange and income. The aftermath of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis prematurely ended this era of industrialisation. However unlike Malaysia’s neighbouring states, the nation’s state finances were largely positive and could afford to refuse the diktats of the IMF and World Bank that called for much more vast and expansive neoliberal structural adjustments. Additional competition from Chinese manufacturing meant Malaysia’s manufacturing sector was on the downturn during the 2000s and remained stagnant for much of the 2010s. As the government steps into its 12th 5-year plan in 2020, an emphasis on (re-)industrialisation has now begun. Coupled with its New Industrial Master Plan 2030, the government now seeks to transform the economy to finally graduate from its upper-middle income status by 2030. This would mark a first for a postcolonial country of a modest size and ethnic diversity to graduate to high-income. It would ultimately also be a first because it is a country that stood more in defiance than support of the West for much of its history. **The “New” Political Economy** However, this defiance in practice is quite restrained, as the country’s open economy means it is unable to antagonise any major economies, which includes the USA. This is reflected in the establishment’s reluctance in leaving the Five Powers Defence Arrangement (FDPA), a remnant of the country’s colonial history that stipulates military co-operation with it’s former colonial masters, the United Kingdom, and her other colonies, namely, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, there are still structural blocks that are withholding the nation’s ability to bring general prosperity to all. The racialized economic base remains largely unchanged since the colonial era, with one major exception, which is the establishment of an indigenous Malay-Muslim bourgeosie that benefits heavily from the inflated government bureaucracy and extensive network of government-owned and government-linked companies. Outside the public sector, which remains Malay-Muslim dominated, the private sector is still dominated by local Chinese and Indian haute-bourgeoisie that benefit from this racial stratification of the economy. In the past, the British brought waves of Chinese, Indian and Javanese migrants to Malaya to work in the plantations and mines. Now, this pattern continues with Malaysia’s over-reliance and super-exploitation of foreign South Asian labour that depresses wages locally. Roughly 10% of Malaysia’s population are immigrants, amounting to 3 million, with an additional 2-3 million undocumented. Hosting the largest Bangladeshi population outside of Bangladesh itself. The successful urbanisation and proletarianisation of a large vast of the Malaysian population, lead to the rise of a modern political Islam that, similar to Mao’s famous saying, is “surrounding the cities from the countryside”. In contrast to this radical political Islam is the rise of an affluent urban middle class, whose ideological pretensions vacillate between comprador anglophilia to “secular” cultural nationalism. This is reflected in the numerous political parties that dot the landscape of Malaysian politics, all with it's own class and ideological affiliations. Malaysia is now at the crossroads of old and new. Questions of Marxism and Communism, which continue to be slandered in the political mainstream for being extremist, anti-thiest, and antithetical to “Asian culture”, is being countered at an astonishing rate for many who are tired of the old Cold War rhetorics. Figures that were sidelined and entire political histories ignored after the defeat of the left forces, are being rediscovered as many are fed up with the promises of development seemingly only benefiting those at the top. Malaysia is not exempt from the transformations taking place in the larger world economy. In fact, Malaysian history is defined by its location between trading destinations which caused it to be colonized in the first place. For better or for worse, this central location allowed Malaysia to have an open (political) economy of remarkable fluidity and diversity. Internationalism is never too far from home. [^1]:Sourced from an online essay titled "The New Cannot Be Born: Reflections on Politics in the Land of Mediocrities" by Anas Nor’Azim. [Link](https://jentayu.org/2024/02/06/the-new-cannot-be-born-reflections-on-politics-in-the-land-of-mediocrities/).
news
Bulletins and News Discussion from April 8th to April 14th, 2024 - First Iran-Israel War Megathread
Neptium
5 months ago
•
100%
Late response but surau is only used in Southeast Asia.
news
Bulletins and News Discussion from April 8th to April 14th, 2024 - First Iran-Israel War Megathread
Neptium
5 months ago
•
100%
The surau (a small prayer house) is the cornerstone of every village community here. Education, communal meetings and gatherings, and spirituality is found there.
In every surau, in every prayer - 5 times a day, in every khutbah, in every doaa, Palestine and Gaza is mentioned.
The same can’t be said about Saudi Arabia.
I can’t recall the number of Palestinian flags I have came across throughout the countryside and urban areas. That’s the reality of the mass support of Palestine.
May Allah grant victory to those that have been wronged. Amin.
Death to Capitalism and Imperialism.
Death to the Persian Gulf monarchies and Israel.
Death to Amerika.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 8th to April 14th, 2024 - First Iran-Israel War Megathread
Neptium
5 months ago
•
100%
This has been the second time that I know of where there was news of an alleged Israeli normalization wrt to Indonesia.
Both are false from what I know and as you point out. It is overwhelmingly unpopular to normalize, historically, currently, and for the foreseeable future.
Normalization would anger both major factions of Indonesian Islam, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama. It is politically unfeasible.
I can only suspect the cause for such fake news to spread, probably as means of hybrid warfare of course, but the specific aims remains to be seen.
Free Malaysia Today despite the cringe name is okay in terms of news. I say it represents a neutral (Malaysian wise, so much much better) if slightly left-leaning on marginal local issues.
As for the the upgrading of military ties, yes that is true, and Western news source often amplify this fact when talking about Indonesian relations. However in reality, economically, Indonesia has always benefitted more from Chinese trade than the USA, unlike what can be said about Viet Nam, so I would still class it as par for the course for Indonesian foreign policy.
Unfortunately the aid dropping thing is common parlance for those supporting Palestine in Southeast Asia. The Jakarta Post is known to be a propaganda outlet for the ruling Indonesian establishment though. I suspect this “announcement” was made just for cheap political points locally.
Nothing fundamentally changes as of now.
It is unwise to portray all compradors and national bourgeoisie as having the same interests as each other. There are differences that can and should be exploited by left forces.
news
Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
On Friday, Bolivia's foreign ministry issued a statement, saying the country "expresses its solidarity with the sister People's Republic of China, in the face of the loss of life and severe material damage caused by a large earthquake that occurred in recent hours off the coast of Taiwan".
Lol
Taiwan slams Bolivia for quake solidarity with China - CNA
DPP authorities' politicization of earthquake a 'secondary disaster' to Taiwan residents - Global Times
I couldn’t find the actual statement on their website.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
I am not one to usually post deeply cynical stuff, but was going through Andre Vltchek’s works and this section especially relevant.
“It is a brutal horror show, the never-ending awfulness of Western neo-colonialism, as well as the sleazy servility of local rulers. The results are omnipresent: the beaches of entire countries are devastated and privatized. Whole enormous islands like Borneo, Papua and Sumatra are finished, scarred and poisoned by local and multi-national corporations. It is smoke and filth, clogged rivers, collapsed cultures. Entire ancient civilizations are wiped-out, converted to 4th rate replicas of Disneyland. No mercy, no compassion, no future.
But it is all hushed up. Crimes are denied. Outraged, confused nations are called ‘lands of smiles’, or ‘’friendly and tolerant archipelagos’.
It is insane, but tens of millions of foreign tourists descend on this ruined part of the world, annually. They see nothing. Some like it. They only nurture their complexes of superiority here. They do not want to understand anything. They choose to be blind. Cheap sex, shitty alcohol and beach food, as well as monumental sunburns. They continue the demolition work which has been triggered by their governments and corporations.”
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Thailand’s economy stumbles as Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia race ahead
Thai economy is falling far behind its Southeast Asian peers amid growing middle-income trap fears.
Growing fears? Thailand has been in the trap since the 1997-98 financial crisis that the imperialists subjected the country to. Surprising that when foreigners run a speculative roulette in your economy, it collapses! GDP growth has never been the same afterwards.
Now, under an 200 years-outdated Royal-Military superstructure I don’t see how things will improve. Suffering with a fertility rate of 1.3 without the economic development of South Korea, Japan or Singapore.
China’s BRI will help with badly needed infrastructure but the rot goes deeper. It is projected that Viet Nam will reach parity with Thailand’s economy by 2030, and soon overtake it after that. Long gone are the days of import-substitution industrialization.
Thailand may have escaped the tumultuous period of European colonization from the 1500s-1800s but is now suffering under the imperialism and “neo-imperialism” of the 1900s and 2000s.
No wonder Thailand ruling class has shifted it’s alliances towards China, as shown by the recent ISEAS poll. However, NGOs and “activists” have now been mobilised in this moribund economy to maintain US hegemony.
Betrayed and continuing to be betrayed by the West for 100 years. Sometimes we learn the lesson the hard way.
It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Ironic isn’t it?
The countries that were most influenced by Chinese culture are often the most anti-Chinese.
South Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Singapore still has the next largest proportion of muslims in Southeast Asia, 15%.
And as much as they act otherwise, Singapore is still within the cultural realm of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. They inevitably will be influenced by the trends seen in their neighbouring countries.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
From that ISEAS survey that was linked before:
12.4% in Malaysia says Hamas was justified in attacking Israel
I serve the red, white and blue 🇲🇾🇲🇾
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If forced to choose sides, China edges out US as Southeast Asia's preferred superpower: ISEAS poll
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Although that plays a large part, Muslim Southeast Asia has always been more China friendly than the rest. Even after Western propaganda regarding the Uyghurs.
In the survey itself, I think the more interesting shift is Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar edging closer or slightly surpassing the 50% mark.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
It depends on the country I feel. I think Singapore/Indonesia is more China friendly on the ground than is reflected in the polls. Philipines is much more neutral.
Myanmar - I am unsure which specific people and group they polled but I think certain ethnic enclaves are much more China friendly than it implies, especially along the border with China.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Important to note that the ISEAS-Yusof Survey has always measured the opinions of the elites and the professional middle classes moreso than the average person.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
I definitely agree.
This article “Why ‘non-alignment’ is obsolete, costly optical illusion” does go over some issues regarding the toothless Non-aligned Movement if they do not fully commit to truly being independent like Iran or Belarus. I don’t really have any good arguments against what the author is saying, even if it’s mainly referring to an African context.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
I assume you mean DPRK’s relation with Indonesia/Malaysia?
From what I know there is some trade that goes on between both countries and North Korea but it is quite minuscule.
Right now North Korea still struggles with agricultural production and requires imports but both Malaysia/Indonesia, suffering from Imperialism, means that they are unable to provide what North Korea wants. Both Indonesia and Malaysia are net food importers. Indonesia especially is neo-colonized and de-industrialized.
Although Malaysia is able to provide industrial electronic goods, North Korea is able to source them directly from China which I assume is much easier and cheaper. Military equipment wise both Indonesia/Malaysia defence industries are undeveloped and so that also hampers any potential for trade with North Korea.
The relations between North Korea and Malaysia/Indonesia has and will probably continue to be mostly symbolic but I think the future does look brighter. Inshallah.
Edit: I forgot to say that Indonesia and previously Malaysia maintaining good relations with North Korea despite no economic benefits and invites criticism by the West does showcase some semblance of independence despite facing imperialism. It should be supported.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 1st to April 7th, 2024 - The Heydey of Juche - COTW: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
I made a comment on Lemmygrad months back giving a brief overview of North Korea-Malaysia relations. Malaysians used to have visa-free access to North Korea.
::: spoiler Here’s a copy
North Korea-Malaysia diplomatic relations were cordial in the past but worsened in 2017 after the assassination of Kim Jong-nam in 2017 in KLIA. Relationships soured further in 2021 after Malaysia expedited a North Korean businessman to the US in contradiction to north Korean wishes.
Further information by an official Malaysian government website. Another Malaysian site detailing the timeline of events.
Here is north Korea's official response by their Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is important to note however the Malaysian establishment is in favour of positive diplomatic relations with North Korea. Friendly relations is especially advocated by Mahathir, a member of the traditional Malay-Muslim ascendant national bourgeoisie that governed as PM from 1981-2003 and 2018-2020. He did leave remarks that he wanted to improve relations with North Korea when he was in power. However after the Sheraton move, and subsequently 2 governent reshuffles and the 2022 election, diplomatic relations with North Korea is stuck in limbo without any sign of change in the short term.
In terms of national ideology and foreign policy, North Korea and Malaysia have more in common than differences. To speak of it in a Malaysian perspective, Malaysia was one of the first member of ASEAN to normalize relations with communist countries. Despite being a middle-power state, it has more than 111 diplomatic missions in 85 countries, with a passport holding visa-free travel through 168 territories.
Although the current circumstances is unfortunate, I don't doubt that eventually Malaysia-North Korea relations will warm up again - especially with the decline of US-led Western hegemony.
:::
As for Indonesia, this article titled Indonesia and North Korea: warm memories of the Cold War gives quite detailed information on the subject.
I’d also like to add that DPRK alongside Iran, are the only ones that maintain a strictly progressive and anti-imperialist position on “Israel” and Palestine.
All other AES and Islamic countries falter, either through their “2-state solution” rhetoric or even worse by having non-insignificant economic relations with “Israel” (looking at you Viet Nam).
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Is this a Uyghurs attempt by
?
Yes.
Iran has been facing crippling sanctions from the USA that is equivalent to that of Cuba.
We should be especially careful with narratives from Western media (Human Rights Watch) and Western-allied media (Al-Jazeera).
I did a quick read of the HRW report, which cites numerous Iranian Human Rights NGOs based in the USA, with one of them, on their wikipedia page even saying it was funded by the US Department Of State.
So much benefit of doubt is given to these Western aligned NGOs but not a single shred is given to an imperialized nation that is perhaps the only Islamic country on Earth to successfully and completely defeat Imperialism from it’s borders (except perhaps Algeria)?
Looking at the actual HRW report:
Immediately revoke all policies and repeal laws that legalize violations of the rights of Baha’is, including but not limited to:
- Article 12 of the Iranian Constitution
Oh Article 12 which states:
The official religion of Iran is Islam and the Twelver Ja'fari school [in usual al-Din and fiqh], and this principle will remain eternally immutable. Other Islamic schools, including the Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali, and Zaydi, are to be accorded full respect, and their followers are free to act in accordance with their own jurisprudence in performing their religious rites. These schools enjoy official status in matters pertaining to religious education, affairs of personal status (marriage, divorce, inheritance, and wills) and related litigation in courts of law. In regions of the country where Muslims following any one of these schools [fiqh] constitute the majority, local regulations, within the bounds of the jurisdiction of local councils, are to be in accordance with the respective school [fiqh], without infringing upon the rights of the followers of other schools.
So they basically want to reverse the popular revolution of the masses that overwhelmingly supported the Islamic revolution of 1979? Perhaps now we know what the geopolitical aims that this false narrative of persecutions and oppression is hoping to entail?
By the way here’s Article 13 and 14 of the constitution:
Article 13: Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians are the only recognized religious minorities, who, within the limits of the law, are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education.
Article 14: In accordance with the sacred verse; ("God does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with those who have not fought against you because of your religion and who have not expelled you from your homes" [60:8]), the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and all Muslims are duty-bound to treat non-Muslims in conformity with ethical norms and the principles of Islamic justice and equity, and to respect their human rights. This principle applies to all who refrain from engaging in conspiracy or activity against Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
news
Bulletins and News Discussion from March 25th to March 31st, 2024 - Friendship Ended With Taiwan, Now China Is My New Best Friend - COTW: Honduras
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
foreigners are moving in.
Was this made in the 1500s
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 25th to March 31st, 2024 - Friendship Ended With Taiwan, Now China Is My New Best Friend - COTW: Honduras
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Just read an article that talks about imperialism, neo-colonialism, coloniality, decoloniality and feminism that was funded by the NED.
We believe in collective movements and are interested in further observing the growing connectivity within and without the region, especially in the last few years: from Thailand to Myanmar and Hong Kong, as seen in the Milk Tea Alliance and pro-democracy movements. These show us the power of the people, who are constantly building political solidarity for a common goal. Our shared past (i.e. colonialism) still shapes our shared present struggle for an inclusive democracy.
Anti-imperialism in form but imperialism in substance.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 25th to March 31st, 2024 - Friendship Ended With Taiwan, Now China Is My New Best Friend - COTW: Honduras
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
So the collaborator oligarchs that are conducting genocide in West Papua had the audacity to ask the Western mining conglomerate Freeport to invest in downstream industries and they are complaining.
Freeport warns copper export ban could cost Indonesia $2 billion in lost revenue
Classic
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 25th to March 31st, 2024 - Friendship Ended With Taiwan, Now China Is My New Best Friend - COTW: Honduras
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Thanks for sharing 
Ask Lemmygrad
Thoughts on the South China/West Philippine Sea Situation?
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
I made a comment in a Hexbear news megathread about this here. Although it’s mainly just referring to news articles.
The nature of the situation will not mirror that of Ukraine fortunately, however there are other risks involved.
I have now read 2 articles advocating for “security engagements” with the West for both Malaysia and Indonesia.
I suspect this entire facade is ultimately for this exact purpose. ASEAN has it’s faults but what the West wants to currently do is undermine ASEAN centrality (as much as they claim otherwise).
The escalation ultimately led by US-led monopoly capital, wants to break apart the long-standing neutrality and non-alignment that ASEAN was built on, with their current “Indo-Pacific Strategy” basically being the classic divide and conquer. They are using the Phillipines as their age-old pawn as not only an attack on China but also a threat on other major non-aligned states in the SCS, specifically Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Let us remind ourselves that this escalation is happening right when the ASEAN-China code of conduct negotiations has been finalising (news article in the aforementioned comment). The last thing the imperialists want is a truly free and independent Southeast Asia.
You are right that as Southeast Asians we must reject all forms of US imperialism, and this meaningless agitation does not help nor is the interest of the masses.
news
Bulletins and News Discussion from March 25th to March 31st, 2024 - Friendship Ended With Taiwan, Now China Is My New Best Friend - COTW: Honduras
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Eh even if that was his intention, trashing Singapore is more of an insult to the West than Asia.
Still fine in my book.
World News
MELAKA TO HOST CELEBRATION OF 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MALAYSIA-CHINA DIPLOMATIC TIES
Neptium
6 months ago
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100%
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 25th to March 31st, 2024 - Friendship Ended With Taiwan, Now China Is My New Best Friend - COTW: Honduras
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Singaporeans/Malaysians/Indonesians always have fights online about certain dishes being from their country.
But the Singaporean version is definitely the worst version for every dish so let’s just go with yes.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 25th to March 31st, 2024 - Friendship Ended With Taiwan, Now China Is My New Best Friend - COTW: Honduras
Neptium
6 months ago
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100%
Finally, a GOOD opinion by a western-based Asian comedian.
In his Instagram Story, Chieng wrote: "This is apropos of nothing but it's a mistake to listen to any Singaporean about current affairs other than Mr Lee Kuan Yew."
The Johor-born continued: "They are just a country of small island Karens with main character syndrome who literally think they have all the answers despite having zero perspective on the world."
To soften the blow, Chieng concluded his remarks by giving a nod to a particular Singaporean dish: "Great chilli crab though."
Even giving LKY credit is a stretch but I’ll allow it.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 25th to March 31st, 2024 - Friendship Ended With Taiwan, Now China Is My New Best Friend - COTW: Honduras
Neptium
6 months ago
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MELAKA TO HOST CELEBRATION OF 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MALAYSIA-CHINA DIPLOMATIC TIES
MELAKA, March 25 (Bernama) - Melaka will serve as the host for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations established since 1974, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.
He said he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier to seek the Federal Government's approval for Melaka to be selected as the host for the celebration, considering that the state had established relations with the Great Wall country over 600 years ago.
"That's why I proposed to the Prime Minister to hold the 50th anniversary celebration of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations in Melaka and it has been generally agreed upon, and we have received a letter from the Foreign Ministry to propose the celebration events," he told Bernama.
Earlier, Ab Rauf had received a courtesy call from Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai at his office in Seri Negeri here today. Commenting further, Ab Rauf said Melaka is very famous among Chinese tourists as it is depicted in the history books of the country during the five visits of Admiral Cheng Ho to the state.
"The history books of China (studied from elementary school to university) show Admiral Cheng Ho's [Zheng He] route to Southeast Asia, he came to Melaka five times, that's why any Chinese leader who comes to Malaysia must set foot in Melaka.
"There are Chinese leaders who come to Malaysia, they take sand from Melaka and put it in a bottle, they take it back... (that's) how they appreciate the history between Melaka and China that began 600 years ago," he said.
Meanwhile, Wong said Bernama is committed to supporting all efforts undertaken by the Melaka state government in the tourism sector including the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic ties, Visit Melaka Year 2024 (VMY2024), World Tourism Day, and the World Tourism Conference 2025 which will also be held in Melaka.
"I asked some Chinese tourists on Jonker Street (in Melaka) last night and they said they are more familiar with Melaka than Kuala Lumpur.
"For them, Melaka is a historical and very important city and in conjunction with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, many events will be organised, so we assure that Bernama and other media will support the state of Melaka," he said.
Malaysia established diplomatic relations with China officially on May 31, 1974, thereby becoming the first ASEAN country to extend a hand of friendship to Beijing.
Melaka is the city in which the Straits of Malacca gets its name from. Malacca is simply the old latinised spelling for it.
China did not only interact with Islam in Central Asia, it had a a varied and influential history in Southeast Asia as part of the maritime Silk Road. Some scholars even argue that Chinese traders helped spread Islam in Southeast Asia.
I have something in the pipeline that will hopefully be finished closer to the anniversary. It will cover Malaysia-China relations over the past hundreds of years - the good and the bad, the complexities and contradictions that I hope will give readers an appreciation of SEA history and politics. I also hope it will give a brief respite to the rampant Islamophobia and Sinophobia present in Western circles.
> MELAKA, March 25 (Bernama) - Melaka will serve as the host for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations established since 1974, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh. > He said he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier to seek the Federal Government's approval for Melaka to be selected as the host for the celebration, considering that the state had established relations with the Great Wall country over 600 years ago. > "That's why I proposed to the Prime Minister to hold the 50th anniversary celebration of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations in Melaka and it has been generally agreed upon, and we have received a letter from the Foreign Ministry to propose the celebration events," he told Bernama. > Earlier, Ab Rauf had received a courtesy call from Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai at his office in Seri Negeri here today. Commenting further, Ab Rauf said Melaka is very famous among Chinese tourists as it is depicted in the history books of the country during the five visits of Admiral Cheng Ho to the state. > "The history books of China (studied from elementary school to university) show Admiral Cheng Ho's [Zheng He] route to Southeast Asia, he came to Melaka five times, that's why any Chinese leader who comes to Malaysia must set foot in Melaka. >"There are Chinese leaders who come to Malaysia, they take sand from Melaka and put it in a bottle, they take it back... (that's) how they appreciate the history between Melaka and China that began 600 years ago," he said. > Meanwhile, Wong said Bernama is committed to supporting all efforts undertaken by the Melaka state government in the tourism sector including the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic ties, Visit Melaka Year 2024 (VMY2024), World Tourism Day, and the World Tourism Conference 2025 which will also be held in Melaka. >"I asked some Chinese tourists on Jonker Street (in Melaka) last night and they said they are more familiar with Melaka than Kuala Lumpur. > "For them, Melaka is a historical and very important city and in conjunction with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, many events will be organised, so we assure that Bernama and other media will support the state of Melaka," he said. > Malaysia established diplomatic relations with China officially on May 31, 1974, thereby becoming the first ASEAN country to extend a hand of friendship to Beijing. Melaka is the city in which the Straits of Malacca gets its name from. Malacca is simply the old latinised spelling for it. China did not only interact with Islam in Central Asia, it had a a varied and influential history in Southeast Asia as part of the maritime Silk Road. Some scholars even argue that Chinese traders helped spread Islam in Southeast Asia. I have something in the pipeline that will hopefully be finished closer to the anniversary. It will cover Malaysia-China relations over the past hundreds of years - the good and the bad, the complexities and contradictions that I hope will give readers an appreciation of SEA history and politics. I also hope it will give a brief respite to the rampant Islamophobia and Sinophobia present in Western circles.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 18th to March 24th, 2024 - Ra Ra Rasputin - COTW: Russia
Neptium
6 months ago
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100%
I can’t say much about Russia’s internal divisions but muslims outside view Russia very positively.
Speaking from a Southeast Asian angle, you can easily find posts online on TikTok and YouTube praising Putin. Because to many muslims here, Orthodox Christian Russia is seen as treating muslims more favourably than the “secularists” in the West and so I don’t doubt that it was definitely intended to stoke division.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 18th to March 24th, 2024 - Ra Ra Rasputin - COTW: Russia
Neptium
6 months ago
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100%
Random SEA headlines
No excerpts this week because I was wayy too busy.
22/03/2024 Thai ports bemoan competitive decline as Srettha pushes land bridge
24/03/2024 Singapore-Malaysia's water row A good primer if anyone is interested in Singapore-Malaysia water politics.
14/03/2024 Japan, ASEAN to integrate QR code payments from 2025
Most of ASEAN have already integrated QR payments as a means of building an alternative financial system that is more resilient from Western financial warfare.
22/03/2024 ASEAN, China, Hong Kong cooperate for first time in textile industry
Controlling substance abuse is also a hot topic for Thailand’s neighbour, where there have been outcry about the government dropping GEG (Generational Endgame) and electronic smoking devices from the Anti-Smoking bill passed late last year. The GEG would have banned the consumption and sale of Tobacco for anyone born after 2005.
18/03/2024 Thai Parliament Set to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage By Year’s End, Official Says
22/03/2024 Three landmark agreements between S’pore and Indonesia take effect, including on airspace management
::: spoiler Semiconductor news on Malaysia 22/03/2024 ASML supplier Neways to build new plant in Malaysia
11/03/2024 Malaysia: the surprise winner from US-China chip wars
13/03/2024 Malaysia Rises as Crucial Link in chip supply chain
:::
cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/2124249 Figured this should be shared here aswell. > Hello and warm greetings to my fellow news mega enjoyers and to the wider hexbear, lemmygrad and lemmy.ml community, > > I've been finding myself browsing the newsmega often and was often thinking of a way that would help me contextualize the discussions and news that I'm reading. I remembered an atlas I had in school that would show the location of industries and natural ressources (and more) and decided try to recreate a digital version similar to https://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/. When I stumbled upon lemmy-js-client I found a fun way to display lemmy comments geographically, which I would like to share with you: > > https://hex-atlas.netlify.app/ > > ⚠️ **Spoiler Tags are not implemented** thus CWs are not hidden > > Nexus Features: > - [@SeventyTwoTrillion@hexbear.net](https://hexbear.net/u/SeventyTwoTrillion) Bulletins > - Hexbear Reading List (Thank you [@CARCOSA@hexbear.net](https://hexbear.net/u/CARCOSA) for the suggestions) > - ProleWiki (Thank you Lemmygrad for maintaining this) > - Wikipedia/Natopedia > - Anarchist Library > > I'm open for suggestions, but would like to continuously add new features: > - Mastodon.social (well documented) > - Marxists.org (will be difficult) > - ~~Moon of Alabama (looks easy)~~ (Thank you [@someone@hexbear.net](https://hexbear.net/u/someone) for pointing out the transphobia) > - Usability and performance improvements > - and maybe more cool features where the guiding ideas are: "IRL Victoria 3 UI" and a "cockpit for newsmega-enjoyers" (e.g. comparing regions and seeing commodity/capital flows, real-time 1% flight data, vessel data - to enjoy the ansar allah blockade, virgin chad ranking, etc.) > > > > Basic usage: > - use query to search location by query e. g. brics and find discussions pertaining to the selected location. > > - the query field can also be used to find and filter content by communities that are not listed > > - on Mobile long press pictures to unblur it (not fully tested) on desktop hover with mouse > > > It's in a prototype stage so please keep in mind: > > - ⚠️ **Spoiler Tags** are not implemented thus CWs are not hidden ⚠️ > > > - It's mostly optimized for desktops. Sry comrades with old hardware - no optimization, yet :( > [@kota@hexbear.net](https://hexbear.net/u/kota) post inspired me to look into this tho. > > > - **Provinces/Territories**: While I was doing manual edits to some regions I realized I'm doing something very political (duh). Following this, I'm looking for solutions to implement _user defined regions_ (if there's interest from you) e.g. #fromTheRiverToTheSea #brics #udssr #whatever Comrade [@SleeplessOne1917@lemmy.ml](https://lemmy.ml/u/SleeplessOne1917) offered help, but I have only experience with front-end and am not sure how and what to propose. All my ideas are leveraging the current state of development and might be annoying to you. If you have experience, suggestions, etc. on how to make this work, feel free to start a discussion, reach out, etc. > > > - **Provinces/Territories**: If you want something particularly aggravating changed asap, feel free to start a discussion and vOtE! I'll update manually. > > > - Countries that span two continents are only displayed as belonging to one e.g. Russia - Europe (Dataset used: https://github.com/lukes/ISO-3166-Countries-with-Regional-Codes) > > > - Right now this project is exclusive to hexbear, lemmygrad, lemmy.ml and their federated instances. I have an inner conflict: Generally, fuck intellectual property and I would like to make it foss, but this would make it available for lib/chud content as well. Should I? Help me resolve this. > > > - No login implemented > > > Please consider this a tribute to this community, which I've been lurking and a member since the r/CTH days (nevar forget). I started web development not too long ago and am deeply inspired by dev titans among others: > > [@nutomic@lemmy.ml](https://lemmy.ml/u/nutomic) > > [@dessalines@lemmy.ml](https://lemmy.ml/u/dessalines) > > [@SleeplessOne1917@lemmy.ml](https://lemmy.ml/u/SleeplessOne1917) > > Thank you and the mods and admins for making hexbear/lemmy what it is today. > >  > > > Enjoy your weekend :) > > > (After I post this I will leave the computer for a while and wont be able to really check and respond for a few hours) > > Death to fascism > > Death to capitalism > > Death to imperialism > > Trans rights are human rights > > 
Islamic Leftism
I'm interested in converting to Islam, but have always had hang-ups
Neptium
6 months ago
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100%
Heritage, community… I’m not sure how to explain it other than it appeals to me.
That’s an essential part of Islam. The ummah as it is called.
Which is also why Islam is deeply supported by the masses. Because it is embedded in the community.
Islam is something you can’t practice in private, well up to a certain extent, there are exceptions to this, but that’s why in my primary comment, your first avenue to understanding Islam should be a local masjid and their imam.
Islamic Leftism
I'm interested in converting to Islam, but have always had hang-ups
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
I’ll try answering your questions from my point of view, being raised muslim, however atheistic in practice. This is thus a non-expert view and my only formal Islamic classes would have been in school, which was very barebones and westernised, and also weekend saturday schools. I have also lived a majority of my life in Islamic countries but also a minority in the West.
I have limited knowledge regarding Da’wah so any more knowledgeable comrades can correct me where I am wrong.
I’ll start with your first question because I think it is the most important out of all of them.
How can I call myself a Muslim without compromising my beliefs?
I think this is a wrong approach to Islam.
In Islam, belief and faith, is encapsulated in the word iman.
An important aspect of iman is that it goes beyond superficial acceptance. It is not enough to say the shahada and be done with it. You gotta live and breathe it.
And judging from your post you already encapsulate an important part of Iman, which is seeking knowledge. This is why if you read any introduction to Islamic philosophy, their first and foremost topic would be on knowledge production and reproduction. Because the way to showcase your faith is through learning and teaching - through practice.
My point is, whatever you allegedly think Islam is against - firstly, as mentioned by @Aru it’s not about your current perceived faults or unorthodoxy that requires you to compromise. One idea that separates Islam and Christianity is that, in Islam you are born pure but corrupted by material reality. Unless you extricate yourself from reality, everyday you will be making mistakes and faults which requires you to constantly reaffirm your iman. This important emphasis on action, on doing stuff in reality, rather than just in mental masturbation, makes Islam a versatile and realist religion.
Secondly, Islam continues to change and be reformed. As of now, it’s true that a majority of muslims may not approve of those exhibiting same-sex attraction or identifying as different from your assigned gender or outside the binary. But disapproval doesn’t mean excommunication, doesn’t mean dehumanization. There is a clear understanding that separates the private from the public. And there are those that view LGBT identities as perfectly compatible with Islam - that depends on the individual and eventually the community to figure out.
Is there a sect or denomination I can seek guidance from? Am I just wasting my - and your - time?
Your primary guidance will be the Quran. Your secondary guidance will ideally be any imam from a local Masjid.
As for the sects and denominations - they don’t really matter. And what I mean by that is that the basics are the same across denominations. You shouldn’t really concern yourself with it right now unless you are specifically interested because it becomes a really specialised affair. There’s a reason why there are scholars that specialise specifically in matters of fiqh, or jurisprudence.
Also Sufism is not a separate “sect” of Islam, it forms an essential part of the Islamic experience and Islamic history for ALL muslims. Certain muslims, especially those that follow orthodox Sunni jurists, often sideline Sufi thought which were then re-propagated by Orientalist scholars. It is important to recognise this lest we fall back in the colonialist trap.
It feels like appropriation for me to want to convert to a faith, but then pick and choose which parts of it I want to believe and follow. I dabble in tarot and the occult. I’m poly. I believe all consensual love is valid and sacred.
It may shock you to find out that muslims also practice black magic and the like. There have of course been a process “standardization” of such practices, and they are less common now as they are being dissuaded by mainstream Islamic councils.
But it’s definitely not appropriation. What we need now especially with the rising tide of Islamaphobia is those with humility, introspection and courage to understand Islam. In the end, you may decide to not get into it - and that’s fine, but the journey is as valuable as the destination.
I think this blog post, Interrogating The Border Between Rationality And Faith, will be helpful for you.
If you want to know more about my personal experience and thoughts, feel free to DM me or message me on Matrix.
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 11th to March 17th, 2024 - It's Eurover - COTW: Portugal
Neptium
6 months ago
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2024/03/10 Manila’s attempt to shore up allies ‘futile’
::: spoiler excerpt
…According to estimates from open data, among the 18 defense agreements with the Philippines, only eight are regional countries while the rest are all from outside Southeast Asia, highlighting foreign interference in the South China Sea issue.
In stark contrast to the previous Duterte administration, which pursued a peaceful settlement of disputes over the South China Sea, the current government has become more and more aggressive in stirring up tensions in the region, partly due to instigations from the US and partly out of political infighting, particularly between the two families of Duterte and Marcos, Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.
"The intention of the provocations, most recently evident in the collision incident between a Filipino vessel and a Chinese coast guard ship, is to escalate this regional issue into an international one, by coaxing and misleading countries, especially those unaware of the true situation, and getting them to join the Philippine's anti-China camp," Chen said.
However, this scheme is doomed to fail. On Saturday, a Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokesperson voiced Hanoi's deep concern over the recent tensions between China and the Philippines around Ren'ai Reef, calling on self-restraint and the serious implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
Vietnam's reaction follows a visit to Manila by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in January with South China Sea issue high on the agenda, which experts said reflected Indonesia's urgency to "talk some sense" into the Philippines to stop its dangerous maneuvers.
"Most ASEAN countries do not want to complicate things because they are well aware that only with stability in the South China Sea can they maintain a friendly relationship with China, which is crucial for the development of the entire region," Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times on Sunday.
…Gu warned that among these foreign forces, China should pay special attention to Japan, Australia and India's collusion with Manila, as these countries are the key pawns in the US Indo-Pacific strategy.
Leaders of Japan and the Philippines have agreed to start negotiations for a key defense pact that would allow their troops to enter each other's territory for joint military exercises. Additional Japanese patrol vessels, defense equipment and radars would be provided to strengthen the Philippines' law enforcement capability at sea, the Associated Press reported in November 2023.
But even the US' closest allies are keeping an arm's length from South China Sea tensions.
During a summit Australia hosted with ASEAN in Melbourne last week, while Marcos addressed the Australian Parliament with fiery rhetoric, Canberra and ASEAN seemed unmoved on the matter, calling for restraint from all parties in a collective statement.
"In fact, even the US, the biggest agitator in the region, does not truly wish to directly confront China in the South China Sea," said Chen Hong. "Manila should be aware that it is merely 'cannon fodder' to serve Washington's hegemonic interests."
:::
2024/03/12 Manila’s South China Sea provocations jeopardize core ASEAN principles
::: spoiler excerpt
In the "ASEAN Perspective on the South China Sea" series, we collect wisdom and insights from former diplomats and scholars from ASEAN countries. Peter Chang (Chang), a research associate of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya, told Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Zixuan that the territorial disputes in the South China Sea are complex, yet they can and should be resolved through diplomatic means.
This is the first piece of the series.
GT: How have extra-regional countries, especially the US, influenced the situation in the South China Sea? Will Washington really help Manila if a conflict breaks out between China and the Philippines?
Chang: Certain extra-regional powers have inserted themselves into the South China Sea dispute, ostensibly in the name of upholding the freedom of navigation. These interventions have undeniably added complexity to the continuing efforts to resolve peacefully the challenges in the South China Sea.
The Biden administration has reaffirmed its commitment to defending the Philippines. The Marcos administration appears convinced that the Americans will come to their assistance in the event of a conflict. However, given the ongoing Gaza crisis and the fluctuating US support for the war in Ukraine, where American attention and resources are stretched thin, it remains uncertain whether the US has the political will to engage in yet another distant conflict on the opposite side of the globe.
GT: You once mentioned in the interview that "we've got to resolve it [the South China Sea issue] diplomatically, that is the only way." However, some scholars think that the Philippines is adopting "microphone diplomacy" on the South China Sea issue. What's your take on this? How should we work together to ensure the situation is under control through diplomacy?
Chang:…Sure, competing for and claiming territory is a source of divisions, but there are also shared goals that bind us together, such as our mutual desire for social-economic growth. It is crucial we set aside our differences and concentrate on nurturing these common aspirations, fostering economic development for the greater good of our peoples.
Without question, open hostilities between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea will have a similarly disastrous impact on countries in Southeast Asia, and beyond.
GT: …Some have said that the Philippines' current stance on the South China Sea issue goes against the principles and interests of ASEAN. What's your view?
Chang: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is guided by the principle of ASEAN centrality, which asserts that ASEAN should play a leading role in addressing issues pertaining to the Southeast Asian region.
The present strife between China and the Philippines, exacerbated by US instigation, poses the risk of entangling ASEAN in a proxy war between the US and China. If unchecked, this conflict threatens to undermine ASEAN centrality and relegate ASEAN to a mere pawn on someone else's geopolitical chessboard.
The ongoing confrontation also jeopardizes another core principle - ASEAN neutrality, wherein countries in Southeast Asia aim to maintain open ties with all nations, including both China and the US. The current standoff, with US support for the Philippines against China, has the potential to compel certain ASEAN member states to take sides, to the detriment of the broader well-being of the region.
GT: What lessons should the countries in the South China Sea learn from the wars in the Middle East and Europe?
Chang: The most important lesson to learn is that we should avoid war at all costs. What's happening with the proxy war in Ukraine, as well as the conflicts in Gaza and in the Red Sea, are devastating. If there's anything we in Asia should be mindful of, it is that these conflicts ought to be resolved peacefully and diplomatically. There must be a way in which we can compromise.
We should avoid military confrontation at all costs, because it will be a lose-lose situation for everyone if there is an open conflict. If I get the chance, I will tell my Filipino friends that it will be terrible for us to get into the situation that we see right now in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Although the phrasing and statements with regards to Gaza is a bit libby, the larger point still stands.
::: 2024/03/10 Asean and China strive for early conclusion of code of conduct in South China Sea
:::spoiler excerpt
In more uplifting news…
VIENTIANE/BEIJING (Bernama): China is working with Asean nations for the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, with the second reading of the COC completed and now into third reading.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi who said this also gave assurance that the South China Sea would remain a "sea of peace and cooperation".
"The most important experience we have drawn is that we must adhere to two principles. First, differences should be properly managed and resolved through dialogues and consultations or negotiations between states directly involved. "Second, peace at the sea should be upheld by China and Asean countries by working together. These are also the core principles in the declaration in the conduct of parties in the South China Sea signed in 2002," Wang told a media conference Thursday.
He noted that China has been exercising a high degree of restraint on maritime disputes. "We maintain that parties should find solutions that are acceptable to each other and to all by working on the spirit of good neighbours and friendship and on the basis of respecting historical and legal facts. But abuse in such good faith will not be allowed," he said. He also urged "certain countries" outside the region not to make provocations, take sides or stir up troubles and problems in the South China Sea.
:::
news
Bulletins and News Discussion from March 11th to March 17th, 2024 - It's Eurover - COTW: Portugal
Neptium
6 months ago
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100%
South China Sea Headlines
::: spoiler Random lib opinion piece that isn’t worthy enough to be shared because it was also awfully written
The opinion piece was by some “think tankie” with George W Bush in the name.
It basically complained that the Malaysian PM statements about how the West has some “China phobia” and how Malaysia doesn’t subscribe to such lose-lose scenarios, undermines ASEAN centrality because it is safeguarding it’s own economic interests instead of the interests of ASEAN lol
Yeah what is undermining ASEAN centrality is for an ASEAN member to state that we shouldn’t quarrel with a large economic powerhouse right beside our doorstep but not when Singapore/Philippines/Thailand hosts US military bases and/or frequently participates in US military exercises. Especially now with the Philippines’ intentional provocations against China (with encouragement from the US) and undermining actual peace and stability in the region.
Unsure how westerners can convince themselves into thinking that ASEAN centrality somehow includes security arrangements with AUKUS, India and EU to safeguard “freedom of navigation” when their involvement in the region had lead to multiple genocides, instability and warfare!
That will surely ensure ASEAN centrality and not divide the region into camps to the detriment of ASEAN centrality in the first place.
:::
2024/03/09 Philippines strikes security deals as tensions rise with China at sea
::: spoiler full article quoted with additional commentary
MANILA — The Philippines has been striking new defense agreements with other countries at a rapid clip, seeking to build what officials here call a “network of alliances” that could deter Chinese aggression in disputed waters.
The Philippines has signed or entered discussions over new security agreements with at least 18 countries since a Chinese coast guard vessel flashed a military-grade laser at a Philippine coast guard ship in the South China Sea last year, according to the Philippine Defense Department.
While the deepening Philippine alliance with the United States — which includes granting the U.S. military expanded access to Philippine military bases — has drawn much attention, Manila’s security campaign goes beyond Washington. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made nearly a dozen overseas visits in 2023, many to seek security assistance and military equipment. This year, his schedule includes delivering a rare address before the Australian Parliament as well as the keynote speech at Asia’s premier defense summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore.
Since 2022, the Philippines has inked new defense agreements with the European Union, India and Britain. Japan, Canada and France are looking at signing visiting-forces agreements with the Philippines, which would allow those countries to send troops to Philippine bases, according to their embassies.
If adopted, these agreements would give the Philippines one of the most robust security networks in Asia, expanding the global stakes in the rising tensions over the South China Sea, Philippine officials say. “Given that we are the underdog, we leverage our relationships with other countries,” said Jonathan Malaya, assistant director of the country’s National Security Council. “Our network of alliances is critical.”
Me when I willingly sell my country to be occupied by foreign forces.
China claims much of the South China Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean that is bounded by China, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. In recent years, China has stepped up its presence in these waters, building artificial islands with military infrastructure such as radar domes and runways.
They always ignore that there have been instances and disputes between ASEAN member states as-well in the SCS. This narrative of David vs Goliath is completely false.
Off the coast of the Philippines, Chinese ships have swarmed Philippine vessels and ignored appeals by Philippine officials to stop their aggression. Earlier this week, a Chinese coast guard ship fired water cannons at a Philippine coast guard vessel, shattering a windscreen and injuring four personnel, Philippine authorities said.
Evil China blasts our troops with high-tech pressurized water that pierces through the human skull in an instant 🤬
Last year, Marcos’s administration responded with what it called a policy of “assertive transparency,” broadcasting videos of aggressive Chinese actions at sea. But in recent interviews, top officials said the country needs more than a publicity campaign to defend its sovereignty.
Sovereignty of what exactly? The choice to be occupied by the US of A?
China has previously accused the Philippines and the United States of fueling tension in the South China Sea. Asked by reporters last year about joint air and maritime patrols between the Philippine and U.S. forces that launched in November, Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry, said Washington had “instigated and emboldened the Philippine side to infringe upon China’s sovereignty.”
More recently, Ji Lingpeng, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Manila, said that “bringing in outside forces and forming ‘small circles’ will not help resolve disputes in the South China Sea, but only complicate the regional situation [and] undermine regional peace and stability.”
Philippine officials disagree, saying their country is standing up for its sovereignty, not acting on behalf of Washington. And with a third of the world’s shipping passing through South China Sea, diplomats in Manila say many countries — not just the United States — have good reason to deter Chinese aggression.
Literally only the Philippines and the West “have good reason to deter Chinese aggression” it seems.
If other nations don’t defend international law, the “right of might” wins, Luc Véron, the European Union’s ambassador to the Philippines, said in an interview. “We cannot accept that our freedom of navigation in South China Sea will be impeded … by any players,” he added. In July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the first state visit by an E.U. leader to Manila in nearly 60 years, vowing to increase maritime security cooperation with the Philippines. “Security in Europe and security in the Indo-Pacific is indivisible,” she said.
Lol. Euros need to fuck off
Japan is negotiating a reciprocal access agreement with the Philippines that would allow the militaries of both countries to conduct joint training and exercises, similar to the Visiting Forces Agreement that the Philippines has with the United States. Diplomats from Canada and France said their countries are considering similar arrangements.
Crazy that military co-operation with the imperial power that once terrorised your populace is allowed. You are literally being doubly cucked and it’s sad to see.
Vietnam, which also borders the South China Sea, last month signed a series of new agreements with the Marcos administration, including the establishment of a hotline for maritime affairs and a memorandum of understanding on encounters with one another in the South China Sea. “Both countries very clearly recognize that the primary threat to their national sovereignty does not lie in each other, but to the north,” said Ray Powell, SeaLight director at the Stanford University Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.
Uh… still coping that Vietnam will ally with the USA I see.
The Philippines is also building up its military arsenal with foreign help. India is scheduled to deliver the first of three batteries of supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines this year, part of a $375 million contract. The Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Sweden have offered to supply drones and submarines, while the United States, on top of supporting the Philippine military’s modernization efforts, has provided $120 million annually in grant funding to the country’s security forces, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
The weapons must flow.
“The ultimate goal is for credible defense,” said Malaya, the security official. Marcos is the son of a former Philippine dictator once considered a pariah in international politics. But his efforts to push back against Chinese territorial intrusions have won him new popularity among leaders wary of Beijing’s growing ambitions, said Dindo Manhit, president of the Manila-based think tank Stratbase ADR Institute. “Why will all these countries visit this small [Southeast Asian] country being led by the son of a dictator?” Manhit said. “Simply because he said he will assert our rights.”
Stratbase ADR Institute Owned by some CSO liberal connected to other CSOs which are all of a bourgeois class character.
I would comb through each and every CSO but some interesting ones are “…the establishment of the U.S. – Philippines Strategic Initiative (USPI)… He is also an advisor to the Board of Asia Society Philippines”
Westerners and their comprador liberals really just justified being ruled by dynastic dictators. So much for freedom and democracy.
Marcos’s courtship of security partners marks a sharp shift from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who publicly “realigned” himself with China during his six-year term. Duterte took offense when world leaders criticized his war on drugs for violating human rights and civil liberties, and at various points threatened to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States and to expel European diplomats. Although Duterte’s term has ended, his daughter is Marcos’s vice president. Tension between the families has risen, and in January, the two presidents publicly traded barbs, accusing one another of being addicted to drugs. If the Duterte family returns to power, the Philippines could rescind security commitments or swing back to a more pro-China foreign policy, political analysts say.
:::
This is a repost of [my comment](https://lemmygrad.ml/comment/3823945) on Hexbear’s news megathread. I figured it would be good to post it here aswell for further visibility and perhaps invite more responses. Euros being delusional as per usual. [Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim makes ‘no apology’ for Hamas links on Germany visit](https://archive.is/2024.03.12-083415/https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3255064/malaysias-pm-anwar-ibrahim-makes-no-apology-hamas-links-germany-visit) The Malaysian PM visits Germany and gets accused of supporting Hamas by an audience member - but are these westerners completely illiterate? > Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended Malaysia's relations with Hamas, saying he made "no apologies" for his nation's historical links with the Palestinian militant group and reiterating his stance that the Middle East conflict predates the October 7 attack on Israel. > "What I reject strongly is this narrative, this obsession, as if the entire problem begins and ends with the 7th of October," the prime minister said. There had been decades of "atrocities, plunder and dispossession of Palestinians," he added at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. Despite the hysteria that the “geopolitics understanders” made about Anwar Ibrahim’s NED credentials months ago, Westerners seemingly forget that his initial rise came from the radical student organizations in the 1970s which were in-part connected with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Iranian Revolution and other influential Islamic movements at the time. Of course he will be anti-Israel. That has been the hallmark of Malaysian foreign policy since the beginning - even with our 1st PM in 1957 - and he was the most Western friendly of them all. As the article mentions: > Anwar's staunch support for the Palestinians can be traced back to his years as a student leader in the 1970s including as the leader of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement. > Muslim-majority Malaysia does not recognise Israel's statehood. It has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, hosting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1984 and 2001 and welcoming Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal, leaders of the political wing of Hamas, in 2020. This reminded me of when multiple “Israeli” news outlets accused Malaysia of [being the most anti-semitic country on Earth](https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/anti-semitism-in-malaysia), despite historically having no native Jewish population, and a residential population that at it’s peak only reached the teens. Completely unhinged and insane. And [then there’s the palm oil issue](https://www.bernama.com/en/business/news.php?id=2278111). Banning our palm oil will not change the fact that we were able to succesfully industrialize its production and outcompete your local biofuel industry. Europeans needs to stop barking like a rabid dog. It isn’t the 1800s or even the neocolonial late 1900s anymore. These deindustrialization policies will not work, especially when you yourself have lost any capabilities of enacting economic warfare. Hiding behind a facade of environmentalism doesn’t change reality. As [Bloomberg noted](https://archive.is/2024.03.05-001353/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-04/malaysia-sees-asia-africa-taking-palm-oil-europe-doesn-t-want), there will be other markets that the palm oil could be sold to. You are kneecapping yourself just to appear “environmentally friendly”. Perhaps it’s just the final cries of a region declining into subordination. The garden after all, will inevitably be reclaimed by the jungle. It just takes time. Also I read the worst thing ever when I was researching for the post, titled “[A Close Encounter With Asia’s Anti-Semitic Capital](https://forward.com/culture/327354/a-close-encounter-with-asias-anti-semitic-capital/)”. Warning: Terminal crackerism.
news
Bulletins and News Discussion from March 11th to March 17th, 2024 - It's Eurover - COTW: Portugal
Neptium
6 months ago
•
100%
Euros being delusional as per usual.
Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim makes ‘no apology’ for Hamas links on Germany visit
The Malaysian PM visits Germany and gets accused of supporting Hamas by an audience member - but are these westerners completely illiterate?
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended Malaysia's relations with Hamas, saying he made "no apologies" for his nation's historical links with the Palestinian militant group and reiterating his stance that the Middle East conflict predates the October 7 attack on Israel.
"What I reject strongly is this narrative, this obsession, as if the entire problem begins and ends with the 7th of October," the prime minister said. There had been decades of "atrocities, plunder and dispossession of Palestinians," he added at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
Despite the hysteria that the “geopolitics understanders” made about Anwar Ibrahim’s NED credentials months ago, Westerners seemingly forget that his initial rise came from the radical student organizations in the 1970s which were in-part connected with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Iranian Revolution and other influential Islamic movements at the time.
Of course he will be anti-Israel. That has been the hallmark of Malaysian foreign policy since the beginning - even with our 1st PM in 1957 - and he was the most Western friendly of them all.
As the article mentions:
Anwar's staunch support for the Palestinians can be traced back to his years as a student leader in the 1970s including as the leader of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement.
Muslim-majority Malaysia does not recognise Israel's statehood. It has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, hosting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1984 and 2001 and welcoming Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal, leaders of the political wing of Hamas, in 2020.
This reminded me of when multiple “Israeli” news outlets accused Malaysia of being the most anti-semitic country on Earth, despite historically having no native Jewish population, and a residential population that at it’s peak only reached the teens. Completely unhinged and insane.
And then there’s the palm oil issue.
Banning our palm oil will not change the fact that we were able to succesfully industrialize its production and outcompete your local biofuel industry. Europeans needs to stop barking like a rabid dog. It isn’t the 1800s or even the neocolonial late 1900s anymore.
These deindustrialization policies will not work, especially when you yourself have lost any capabilities of enacting economic warfare. Hiding behind a facade of environmentalism doesn’t change reality.
As Bloomberg noted, there will be other markets that the palm oil could be sold to. You are kneecapping yourself just to appear “environmentally friendly”.
Perhaps it’s just the final cries of a region declining into subordination. The garden after all, will inevitably be reclaimed by the jungle. It just takes time.
Also I read the worst thing ever when I was researching for the post, titled “A Close Encounter With Asia’s Anti-Semitic Capital”.
Warning: Terminal crackerism.
Neptium
7 months ago
•
100%
Kind of funny that there are those in West that still cling onto the notion that Chinese production is inferior while over here people say if you want shit done you call China lol
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Bulletins and News Discussion from March 4th to March 10th, 2024 - The Coalition of Losers - COTW: Pakistan
Neptium
7 months ago
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100%
Pardon the long response, but you ask a good question that must be answered to actually understand Indonesian affairs.
To put it simply, understanding Southeast Asian relations with China requires understanding and knowing history.
It is incredibly short-sighted to restrict yourself to the Cold War period when generations of Southeast Asians have grown with learning about hundreds and thousands of years of their history, which is reflected in government officials speeches.
The first error is thus mistakenly viewing Indonesian history to something akin to US history, that of consisting only about 3 centuries of overwhelming violence and occupation. Although a unified Indonesia with it’s modern-day borders is obviously quite a recent and colonial invention, the actual people on the ground was born into a civilisation that predates the nation-state for millennia. There have been chinese settlers in Southeast Asia for about a millenium ( hat we know of), and Southeast Asia was part of vast trade networks that stretched across the entire Indian Ocean for as long as it existed. Indonesian foreign policy is guided by such history, both good and bad, and it’s reflected in the idiosyncrasies and contradictions you find today.
How we conducted trade, how we syncretised indigenous beliefs with Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, how we socially organised ourselves, how we managed to sustain cultural diversity, how we interacted with China and India, are all woven into the social fabric of our societies. Colonialism was and continues to be awful - there are many glaring issues at hand, but just like how you can’t talk about India without understanding 4000 years of the caste system, you can’t talk about (maritime) Southeast Asia without also learning it’s history and peculiarities.
The second error is to say that after the 1965-66 mass killings Communism or any trace of socialism was wiped from Indonesian culture. We both know that isn’t possible. Dialectics tell us things continue to change and progress forward, it never remains static or goes backwards.
This can be seen from the simple fact that Indonesia is a republic - something that Malaysia and Brunei never achieved. This was directly because of the anti-colonial movements that violently retaliated against the collabarator feudal classes. Aspects of that revolutionary culture continue to live on, that even the “New Order” could never properly dislodge, like Non-Alignment, or self-guided industrialisation.
To quote an article I shared before,
58 years have gone—as dialectics tells us nothing is permanent, everything changes. Changes really have occurred, despite the wishes of those who governed Indonesia at the time. The fear and horror that once seemed to have penetrated even into the subconscious of the older generation (also called “the generation of victims”) and which, to a certain extent, still infect the younger generation, are beginning to fade little by little. We can say that, from the 2000s onwards, young people, even if they have sometimes been contaminated by fear, have increasingly wondered what they should we be afraid of and why. Who were the real “bad guys”? The PKI or those who killed, imprisoned, tortured the PKI and even non-PKI members, the innocent man in the street? And what about their own parents—often a very painful issue—what role exactly did they play in this carnage? Were they the victims or the executioners? These young people no longer see communism as a terrible thing, like a ghost. They want to understand what really happened, they want to understand their history, the history of their country and the history of their own family. Who was Bung Karno [Sukarno] and why did he need to be overthrown, and by whom? By the communists, or rather by the imperialists? What was his relationship with the Non-Aligned Movement and in particular with communist countries such as the Soviet Union, China, as well as other third world countries? What were his relations with the PKI? Why, despite great pressure from the military and Suharto himself, did Sukarno not want to ban the PKI? Finally, who exactly were the PKI members?
The third and final error is to project the specific forms of colonialism and capitalism found in the peripheral regions of Africa, West Asia and Latin America, onto Southeast Asia. There are aspects of capitalist dependency you can find in SEA, like in the Philippines, but Indonesia’s unique history meant that it was always able to chart it’s own waters.
The nature of the colonial-capitalism found in Indonesia, coupled by the aforementioned socialist movements that sought to reform the material conditions, lead them to pursue a much more independent path to modernization, riddled with it’s own contradictions.
This isn’t necessarily peculiar to Indonesia either, Malaysia also has quite a similar history. Vehemently anti-communist and yet one of the most pro-China member-states of ASEAN, even more-so than Indonesia.
This (seemingly) apparent contradiction has been utilised by many internal political factions for their own gain.
In the end, the masses are a practical bunch and they will never fall into the ideological dogmatism of individuals. If you have a neighbour that was in a similar spot as you, homeless, but now not only owns a house with the mortgage fully paid but also being completely renovated and offering you tips on how to be in the same spot as him - would you refuse?
The ruling class may have its ideologies, but they know their rule is supported in part by maintaining some legitimacy from the masses. And when the masses see their neighbour installing efficient 40% solar panels on their green roofs while theirs is falling apart leaking water into the attic, something must change.
Truth can only be suppressed. Never eliminated.
news
Bulletins and News Discussion from March 4th to March 10th, 2024 - The Coalition of Losers - COTW: Pakistan
Neptium
7 months ago
•
100%
If I ever want to feel better I just search “Nickel” and “Indonesia” online and see the massive amounts of cope from the West and the snarky responses the Indonesian government made towards the IMF and WTO.
Case in point: Indonesia's Nickel Supremacy: China's Backing and Australia's Decline
NOOOOOO you shouldn’t move away from primary raw commodity exports, you are our best mining colony!!!
GenZedong
The Economist calls Julius Malema 'the most dangerous man in South Africa' because he is for nationalization.
Neptium
7 months ago
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100%
Nationalisation might be one of their few good proposed policies along with land reform.
And that’s all that is needed. A complete reformation of the relations of production will have a profound effect in elevating the productive forces.
Your critique on the manifesto seems lazy because most bourgeois democracies and their parties over-inflate and exaggerate in their manifestoes. Doesn’t say much about their class character.
Many things can happen when a large mass movement built on consensus is in charge.
I am not saying the EFF is one either, but the critique you bring forward doesn’t showcase your points well.
Bringing back military conscription? For what?
It is answered in the quote you mentioned.
offering life skills and discipline.
Teaching the masses life skills is GOOD.
Military conscription (which in the cited quote doesn’t necessarily imply “conscription”) is not only about invading other countries or protecting sovereignty. That’s colonizer talk.
The army can help with a lot of people’s projects, mobilizing resources for the betterment of the country. Furthermore, most places that have conscription also have options to participate in other governmental bodies, like firefighting. It is not strictly just into the army.
Furthermore, all AES countries have mandatory military conscription.
The countries that do not have military conscription are often those tainted with liberal individualism, prioritising the rights of the “individual” rather than the service to the community especially wrt to Global South countries.
many of which have very little to do with Marxism.
May I get specific examples of which policies “are not relevant” to Marxism? And I want something that is unequivocally and undeniably for the empowerment of the comprador classes and Capital.
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Bulletins and News Discussion for February 19th to February 25th, 2023 - The Shadow of Suharto - COTW: Indonesia
Neptium
7 months ago
•
100%
I want to type up a proper post that will refer to many books and articles detailing Indonesian history but I will be quite busy so I don't think I'll manage to finish it within this week's COTW.
But as for now instead I wrote a quick retrospective that can be served as the "primer" for the eventual post (whenever I'll finish it).
Many westerners has some knowledge of Southeast Asian history but it typically only focuses on Western actions in the region and it never goes deeper. "the Vietnam War", "the Phillipines recolonisation" and "the 1965-66 Indonesian Genocide" gets mentioned but it never is discussed within the 3 millenia of Southeast Asian history but especially within the last 500 years of colonization.
This is especially true for the Islamicate in Southeast Asia.
Do Westerners even know the colonial origins of the exonym of the "Malay Archipelago"? What about the Islamic and Socialist internationalist movements that sweeped across the "Malay-Islamic" civilization that consists of modern-day Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia? - and how Phillipines relates to this wider "civilization"?
Do westerners even know the major maddhab that most Southeast Asians muslims follow? Do they even know anything about how Islam spread across a sub-continent as wide as Lisbon to Tehran? Can they even discuss one thing about the richest company in history - the Dutch East India company? Do they even know anything about the political economy of colonial-capitalism in Southeast Asia?
This lack of knowledge stems from two faults, the rampant Orientalism and chauvinism that has penetrated the subsconcious of Western observers and even many Southeast Asians today, but also the failures of anti-imperialist and anti-colonial movements in the region. Southeast Asian history to this day is being written by the oppressors. We can't breathe nor think for ourselves.
Can you imagine that? 700 million people, with more than 1300 indigenous languages (accounting for more than 50% of all indigenous languages spoken in Asia), without any voice!
But as materialist dialectics informs us, things continue to evolve and change. Now, ASEAN is experiencing larger economic growth (relative and absolute) than Europe. Under imperial domination for 500 years (and counting) - and still growing faster. Decolonization is not over yet.
The transcription of the talk called Dialectics and Indonesian specificity at the time of imperialism's agony - Humanity (Indonesia) captures this emotional essence quite well.
Always the Same Map
(A bit obvious but it needs to be constantly reminded) Percentage of national population below world average income
Neptium
7 months ago
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100%
And in the other way, especially accounting for costs of living.
See my comment above.
Poland, Lithuania and Estonia in the same cathegory as Switzerland or Luxembourg is like the joke about man and dog having averagely three legs.
You are merely arguing against the presentation of the data on the map, not the methodology of the data or the conclusions made from the data.
PERCENTAGE OF THE NATIONAL POPULATION BELOW WORLD AVERAGE INCOME OR CONSUMPTION
In this image found in the article I sourced the map from, it is made perfectly clear that Poland, with a population of 15% earning below the world average, is obviously vastly different than that of Switzerland of around 2%. In other words, proportionally, there are 7.5x more people in Poland that live with wages below the world average.
It is purely arbitrary that the author made the cutting off point for the legend 20%, when it could easily be in 10%, which would seperate Poland and Lithuania (but not Estonia) from Switzerland. The author could also have based it on quartile ranges (which would defeat the nature of this analysis).
Source: [Imperialism and the international split of the proletariat](https://anti-imperialist.net/blog/2023/05/23/imperialism-and-the-international-split-of-the-proletariat/).
Oh boy I thought I would cool it with the controversial LGBT stuff on this site but my country was pulled into the Western culture war this time (making my blood boil as per usual). [The British band The 1975 decided to do a stunt](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/22/malaysia-festival-halted-matty-healy-1975-criticises-anti-lgbtq-laws) where 2 male band members kissed on stage. Which was proceeded by a rant and behaviours that was very liberal, only could be done by someone who grew up in a hyper-capitalist and alienated society in which individualism festers like a plague. Needless to say, but this sort of "activism" doesn't work. That's obvious enough. Then the liberals that consume too much American media (or lives in America) comes out of the woodwork bashing the government for over-exaggerating, and/or praising this pathetic attempt at lecturing the barbarians for their bad values. Liberals really showcase remarkable cynicism and hatred of the masses. The sheer chauvinism in which you come into another country as a guest to perform and then lambast government policy in which you yourself are not affected by and in which you agreed to beforehand, while at the same time breaking many social norms - well that takes the cake. Thank you for giving right-wingers ammo to further politicize and police "LGBT" communities in this country - making it worse for everyone here by enflaming the already vicious identity politics prevalent here (referring to the local identity politics - not commenting on the American one). Good job, colonizer. I see that the Brits still think that anyone cares about what they have to say. The coverage by the [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-1975-malaysia-festival-matty-healy-slams-anti-lgbtq-laws-1234793551/) and [The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-1975-malaysia-matty-healy-denise-welch-b2379860.html) is as chauvinistic as ever. I'd prefer it if you just called us primatives directly instead of this whole fake concern for human rights. Atleast [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/rock-band-1975s-set-stopped-malaysia-after-onstage-kiss-2023-07-22/) had the decency to mention that: > Friday's incident sparked uproar on Malaysian social media, including among some members of the LGBT community, who accused Healy of "performative activism" and said his action could expose the community to more stigma and discrimination. but in typical fashion doesn't mention that such behaviours, even if advocating for something the majority of the people agree, is not acceptable. It's a *concert*, not a political debate. Narcissistic behaviour and dysfunctional interpersonal skills (as determined by our culture and society at large) isn't something that should be promoted. Furthermore, this isn't even mentioning colonial history and ongoing imperialism. Liberals needs to be sent into re-education camps for decades to deworm their minds from their terminal brain disease. Alhamdullilah that most people here don't have it and recognised the chauvinism for what it is. ([All non-english and many English replies on this tweet for example](https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1682434753520361474?s=20).)
I know pirating is always an option, and I used to play EU4 completely pirated. But I got some credit remaining on Steam and they’re on sale right now, so lads, which should I go for? Background info being I only played EU4 before, and enjoyed the nation-building side more rather than the military strategy. Although I was able to do some WCs back in the day and I do like micromanaging and extending a 20hr campaign into a 100hr one.
I was debating whether to insert this within LGBT+ or Islamic Leftism but I do think ultimately it might fit here better because it covers the specific experience of French indigènes, which makes it more relevant here. I feel like in these sort of online Islamic “progressive” spaces, there’s no genuine discussions happening. These spaces are often almost defensive in nature - like the existence of this community is just to prove to disapproving whites that Islam isn’t this, or isn’t that. This is a result of being in a Western dominated space in general. Gender and sexual minorities is a very important phenomenon that must require a response, yet it is almost ignored or never spoken about because this muslim-homophobia dichotomy is so engrained that people are (rightfully) scared to even talk about it, especially across the White left. I’d of course invite everyone to treat this article critically, and contribute if you have any qualms against their conclusions, although I will admit my opinions have slowly drifted closer to the article as the years went by.
learningfromchina.net
This is a good followup to the previously shared article over here by the same writer on “[Peak China](https://mronline.org/2023/05/23/peak-china-a-new-low-in-western-attempts-to-persuade-china-to-commit-suicide/)”. The article gives a much more historical view on the role of US imperialism, in dominating other previously (and still somewhat) productive centres of the capitalist world economy - Germany and Japan, and hindering growth in other parts of Asia as well.
I was reading *Socialism's Ignored Success: Iranian Islamic Socialism* by Ramin Mazaheri, and they mentioned something that has become a common sight here too: Islamic finance. Iran is leading in Islamic financing, with Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the UAE and Qatar filling the rest of the Top 5 according to this [report](https://icd-ps.org/uploads/files/ICD%20Refinitiv%20ifdi-report-20221669878247_1582.pdf). For those who don't know, it's basically finance but with Islamic principles as accorded to the Quran and various *Madhhab*s (schools of jurisprudence). Some of it's principles are (quoting [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_banking_and_finance#Principles)), among others: > 1. Paying or charging interest. "All forms of interest are riba and hence prohibited". Islamic rules on transactions (known as Fiqh al-Muamalat) have been created to prevent use of interest. > 2. Investing in businesses involved in activities that are forbidden (haraam). These include things such as selling alcohol or pork, or producing media such as gossip columns or pornography. > 3. Charging extra for late payment. This applies to murâbaḥah or other fixed payment financing transactions, although some authors believe late fees may be charged if they are donated to charity,or if the buyer has "deliberately refused" to make a payment. Has any comrades read much on this? How viable do you think is such a financial system, especially now, with renewed *interest* in de-dollarisation? (see what I did there?) Can it fully live up to it's socialistic principles in a world capitalist system?
Over the past few years, honestly more than that, maybe even a decade or so now, there’s been more and more forms of e-payments over here that are independent from Global North systems. The government has been pushing for digitalisation of payments, as part of the wider ASEAN push for more localized and independent systems. Now you see stores and stalls accepting a lot of payment systems, such as Chinese ones like WeChat and Alipay, but also local ones such as TouchnGo and MaybankQRpay. You can actually see more than 10+ logos on each cashier stall, accepting a wide range of payment mediums. Of course Global North ones like Visa and Mastercard are still accepted. Just “recently” Singapore and Malaysia signed a deal to further integrate each other’s local QR payment systems. I think the deal with Thailand is ongoing with the [wider ASEAN agreement](https://www.lowyat.net/2022/279218/southeast-asia-link-qr-code-payment/) on E-commerce. De-linking from the Global North is increasingly important as they retreat from their neocolonial “free markets” to open domination and sanctions of “rowdy” and “authoritarian” Global South countries. South-south co-operation is always a good thing.
About the multiracial, working class [hartal](https://lemmygrad.ml/comment/354470) I mentioned before that took place prior to the supposed communist emergency in what was then Malaya.
www.youtube.com
Again this applies to a lot of global south countries, including southeast asia. When he mentions the race to the bottom, this is seen through the overemphasis on foreign direct investment (FDI) taking place in ASEAN countries. We see leaders in the region bend over backwards for Western entrepreneurs and capitalists, giving them overly favourable conditions so they can exploit our labour, our land, and our environment.
Skip to conclusion and discussion for TLDR. Firstly, I want to discuss an article on the “Journal of Democracy”, the NED’s “academic” propaganda outlet. The China one is [not surprising whatsoever](https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/chinas-threat-to-global-democracy/). And the [Malaysian one](https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/the-final-rise-of-anwar-ibrahim/)… exhibit the same eurocentric rhetoric, although is less obvious at first. The article recognises Anwar Ibrahim’s (AI) shapeshifting politics depending on the climate, literally the most politician ever to politicking. The article mentions that corruption has been a problem for Malaysian democracy since the beginning. That is true. It is a DOTB after all. Typical politicians and western commentators only say that the ruling party has corruption, but corruption and nepotism infects Malaysian society in all of its popular bourgeois parties and beyond parliamentary politics and the state. **On Mahathir and his “anti-imperialism”** Western media always depicts Mahathir as more anti-West than he actually is. It was during his rule that a large scale privatisation programme took place. You can’t even blame Western neocolonial institutions because Malaysia was lucky than most countries and had no sovereign debt. [He literally oversaw an economy that was 50% run by the state to one that is <10%](https://tradingeconomics.com/malaysia/credit-to-government-and-state-owned-enterprises-to-gdp-percent-wb-data.html). The only reason the resulting financial crash in 1997-8 didn’t destroy us was due to both Chinese and Japanese cooperation with ASEAN. Mahathir literally asked Reagan for and subsequently allowed Amerikan troops into our land in the 80s. The high GDP growth in the late 80s to mid 90s was due to the very profitable state-run oil sector, and a lot of FDI that funded all these privatisation programmes. Privatisation and economic growth continues to be a myth perpetuated by the ruling parties during that time. Post-crash, even the economic growth had decreased compared to pre-crash. Not to mention it enabled the shift of the Malaysian economy to “importing” (to use their terms) of foreign labour to pay them subsistence wages for plantation work. Our real wages may have increased but it ignores at how much of that is subsidized by “importing” labour from poorer countries, considering that 10% of the Malaysian population in 2020 are immigrants. Another example would be the privatisation of our power grid through TPPs, in which specific capitalists and their cronies benefit from favourable government lending contracts. This economic liberalisation also lead to chronic food insecurity and a destruction of our rainforests for cash crop plantations. After the 1997-8 crash, the government relaxed their privatisation policy. This is because lots of privatised industries failed, and not only that, but they stopped mentioning privatisation by their 11th five year plan (yes we have 5 year plans that are also produced in English!) due to the failures. This neoliberal policy, however, was continued and maintained by his successors. The 97-98 crash prompted Mahathir to kick out AI, justifying it by saying AI was an IMF stooge. Mahathir exploited the anti-imperialist tendencies found in a postcolonial population. We are not the west, we still remember, either through popular discourse or even through current material conditions, the role of imperialism and colonialism in our country and global history more generally. It is a matter in which this sentiment is channelled towards. As I demonstrated before, this depiction that Mahathir was a principled anti-imperialist in any regard falls apart with any close inspection. Akshually, Mahathir and BN/UMNO generally was doing a based anti-imperialism because they didn’t fully subscribe to Westernisation and follow what Westerners expected. Wow! The… _Oxford graduate_ really told the colonizers off! **On “Anti-imperialist” westerners** AI will not impose [Reaganite neoliberal measures](https://twitter.com/historic_ly/status/1596212182332870657?s=46&t=h-evPbr3P64yhK5R8MVHYg ) because that already happened. AI can’t discontinue every single [chinese-linked project](https://piped.video/watch?v=SlJ-BRHCBUQ) because he doesn’t have the power to do so. The prominence of [bourgeois Malay-muslim money that went into all these projects](https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/08/debunking-myth-debt-trap-diplomacy/5-malaysia-and-bri) further secures the development of these projects. Most of the “development” (including some of the BRI projects) as well, are high-rises like the country hasn’t already seen 10 million condominiums for the T20 (top 20%, see previous link). A lot of them are for the inflated and speculative property market in Malaysia. It was for political convenience that these programs were determined to be part of BRI, NOT something China itself proposed. Not to mention the [flagship ECRL project was continued](https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/ecrl-project-proceed-cost-reduced-rm1101b-says-pm-anwar). If you actually followed Malaysian politics, read the coalition manifestoes, it would have been obvious that none of the parties had any form of bare privatisation policy in mind. All of them are an eclectic mix of social democratic policies. Of course, manifestos are not representative of what the coalition will actually do - a limitation of bourgeois democracy, I might add - but it is still useful to see what the parties think is valued to Malaysian voters. Furthermore, the New Atlas uses statements from AI as fact. Of course the dude in front of anglos would be a neoconservative war hawk. I can easily find quotes of him being a centrist liberal in local media. Like [here](https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/79250/wisma-putra-to-maintain-principles-of-neutrality-new-minister-zambry), and [here](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/anwar-ibrahim-advocates-neutral-malaysia-amid-great-power-rivalry-in-asia-pacific/2645166) (from the Turkish Anadolu Agency), and [here](https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/idss/ip22081-malaysia-is-back-the-foreign-policy-of-anwar-ibrahim/#.Y7tEqRanwlQ): > The new government’s foreign policy will be largely shaped by Anwar himself. Since Malaysia’s foreign policy is highly consistent and institutionalised, his approach to foreign affairs will be like that of his predecessors but with his characteristic energy and self-confidence. …and [here](https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/11/26/anwar-draws-kudos-for-adept-foreign-policy-stance/): > “(Of course) he (Anwar) will expand the process of diversifying our economic dependence and trade relations with other major economic players in Asean, India and the US.” […] > “China is an important neighbour. Of course it’s a priority to enhance bilateral, trade, investment and cultural relations with China,” said Anwar. “I would not just leave (ties with China) as it is. (They) need to be enhanced.” Even in the clip of the IRI the New Atlas referred to, they mentioned how other US agencies (USAID) said that the current Malaysian governments were friendly to the US, and they didn’t want to jeopardise the relationship. Great choice we have here in a bourgeois democracy, Western-friendly reactionary right or Western-friendly reactionary right enabler. Like Malaysia’s 2021 GDP PPP per capita (29000) is closer to states like Russia and Turkey (33000, 31000) than even her immediate neighbours (Indonesia, 13000, and Phillipines, 9000). GDP isn’t everything, but you need to understand, the Malaysian ruling class has matured and isn’t composed of weak neocolonial compradors (mostly). We don’t even have a prominent communist or socialist opposition in the government like in Turkiye or Russia. It is simply ridiculous to support the bourgeois Malaysian government. As for the bersih movement, that is much more complicated. Again, like other protests, it came from a genuine result of the bourgeois dictatorship. The nature of protests I think are much more organic than it is made out to be. Somehow when the *rakyat* face succeeding economic downturns, marketisation of welfare, racialized and spatialized gap between rich and poor, rising living costs, and corruption and rentierism, the assessment is: akshually this is all concocted by the West and we should support a bourgeois government because they are marginally not as anti-Chinese geopolitically (even that is subjected towards the government’s own need to villify and scapegoat the chinese minority and I remain unconvinced that Najib was anymore pro-Chinese and anti-West than his predecessors). The protests was done through a so-called united front, including Marxist and socialist, as well as petty bourgeois-liberal and social democratic elements. So the claim that the Marxists involved in organising, who had faced police harassment, threats of death penalty, and arbitrary detention throughout their entire lives, are actually “Western agents” is not only tone-deaf about the Malaysian political reality, but screams Western chauvinism. In Malaysian politics, foreign funding is a constant political trope levelled against the opposition. It’s nothing new. Not saying its wrong but acting like Malaysians don’t care is simply wrong. There were already concerns [raised about NED funding of AI](https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/08/30/reveal-funding-by-us-based-ned-suaram-tells-ph/) by Malaysians prior to the western “anti-imperialist” saviours! Right-wingers in this country especially love talking about foreign intervention (unless it’s disguised under US-allied Saudi Wahhabist flavour). The government had always accused anyone critical of them for destabilization and other red scare propaganda to scare the people into submission. But the government are the good guys! The protests are bad because some people and organisations that participated in the protest took some NED money! Ignore that the major orgs have stopped taking NED money after IRI-NED connections were discovered. Regardless, the Marxist orgs involved of course had no NED funding. Imagine if this was Amerikan politics, and someone insisted that you vote for the Libertarian party because they are isolationist (ie. they have a “good” foreign policy), not recognising this is part of the election cycle of Western bourgeois dictatorships. Dissent is allowed, and isolationist tendencies are just a reactionary response to labour aristocrats receiving less of the imperial profits. In the talk of Malaysian elections, ignoring the alternative coalition, headed by a radicalised and chauvinistic PAS is a grave error. It simply is dangerous for the party who wants to introduce Sharia to all people in the country to be in charge. Not only is that unwanted by the ethnic minorities and the bumiputera of East Malaysia, it is this right-wing political Islam that may actually pivot Malaysian foreign policy more to the West. They act like typical religious chauvinistic political movements. They perpetuate red scare propaganda and ostracize Jews and the Chinese. It is a no-brainer that in the long term their interests lie more with the West, considering recently in their party propaganda they claim that [Communist colonialism was worse than the Western colonialism](https://twitter.com/abdulhadiawang/status/1582673132082823170). I probably don’t need to explain why that is wrong and dangerous now do I? And all these westerners have the gall to say that Malaysians are propagandized! Yes they are! But they are propagandized by the denial of the explicitly left-wing and communist movements that gave our independence! They are propagandized about neoliberal capitalism and democracy! They are misled by those who resort to ethnic chauvinism for their support! What Malaysians want is continual equitable prosperity and modernisation. Stability and peace is highly valued. This weird fear mongering that AI will want war with China, when it runs counter to the aims of the Malaysian ruling class and the *rakyat*, is ridiculous. China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner, and Malaysia has been China’s largest ASEAN partner, for a decade plus. Although we form part of the FPDA, and host an Australian military base (which also counter the assertions that previous Malaysian governments were anti-western in the first place), these bilateral arrangements are well, bilateral, and a more comprehensive military partnership is domestically unpopular. It is only the Global North that has a fully developed Military Industrial Complex. Malaysian opinion polls show that they have a positive opinion of China and US for years now as well. Although I wish Malaysians would hate the US more, these polls show how non-alignment, not playing into Amerikan geopolitical games, is popular. So when they talk about Malaysia - clueless of its history and culture, doesn’t attempt to understand the complexity of a postcolonial semi-peripheral state - is it not just eurocentrism? What’s with this fear-mongering about AI’s ascension like you have an attention span of a liberal (one election season)? **Conclusion and discussion** The culmination of events that led to AI's prime ministership was a result of decades long bourgeois rule. It was inevitable. Communalist/racialist politics perpetuated by the British and ruling classes after independence is inherently unsustainable and destructive for society. To simply attribute it to US influence is simplistic and signifies a lack of knowledge and understanding of southeast asian and Malaysian politics, and reeks of eurocentrism in which the only thing they seem to know about the country is that the flag looks similar to the Amerikan flag. Malaysian, and in general SEA politics, is a result of numerous upon numerous contradictions of colonialism and capitalism. This is reflected through our politics. Please do not import your understandings of geopolitics, colonialism and capitalism from the Americas and Europe. Like it’s amazing that a [Trotskyist website](https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/11/28/zgjn-n28.html) was more accurate, which is a low-bar considering their most profound analysis is “Malaysians should rise up against their bourgeoisie”! Malaysia normalised relations with communist countries after the cold war, and is part of the NAM and ASEAN, which may have had anti-communist roots, but by the late 1990s had changed with the ascension of Laos and Viet Nam. Malaysian foreign policy has been largely consistent since then, and will continue to maintain certain “non-negotiables” such as Palestinian support and a safe distance between any great power (neutrality). Euro-Amerikan news media likes to picture foreign politics as solely about them and their anxieties. It must always be about China-US relations. It must always be about them because people in the global south don’t make history, only northerners do!
Although the entire article has full of bangers, the quote below is my favourite. > The program of the "rules based order" is more maximalist than the Cold War. Anglosphere policy elites occupy a narrative-based reality. Their narrative of the necessity of liberal democracy and neoliberal capitalism for all places and all times must be maintained whatever the facts. They are the heroes of an eschatological conflict between light and darkness, good and evil, democracy and totalitarianism. Compromise with their satanized adversary is appeasement and coexistence is a dirty word. The West is the last bastion of ideology, the crusader of a deformed, late liberalism with the right to fashion every society on earth in its own image. The rest of us must either be re-made according to the latest iteration of "values," however inimical or repulsive to tradition, culture and faith, or be marked for expulsion. There is nothing in between. > Good luck forcing this infantile logic on the foreign policies of the most culturally and politically diverse region in the world, with a shared identity constituted by two thousand years of cultural cross-pollination across the trade routes of the Old World. Southeast Asia is constituted by its very in-betweenness with respect to the civilizational poles of Islamic, Indic and Sinic worlds. Today it is what makes ASEAN central to the multilateral architecture of East Asia, the crossroads of an "Asian Century" made possible by the rise of China.
Colonial capitalism moment. Was reading a book chapter this topic so take this post as a daily reminder to hate the Brits. Admittedly, this is the full quote: > Many ‘coolies’ perished in this brutal and coercive colonial capitalist economy due to diseases, largely malaria, poor diet and harsh working conditions for long hours. On some plantations, the mortality rates were huge ‘as many as 60 rising to 90% of the labourer’s died within a year of their arrival’ (Sandhu, 1969: 171). These appalling and deplorable living conditions were prolonged for a long time (Sasidaran, 2012), and the education and medical facilities were far from adequate (Tinker, 1976: 153). But what's interesting was the book mentioned that more than 2million south Indian labourers had arrived into the colony by 1939, but the actual recorded Indian population from census never reached above [700,000](https://www.ehm.my/publications/articles/malayas-early-20th-century-population-change). Although they could have emigrated back, another possibility is well, as mentioned above, they died. Regardless, the population statistics do add up. Book chapter referenced: Selvaratnam V. (2021) ‘Malaysia’s South Indian ‘Coolies’: Legacies of Imperialism, Colonial Capitalism and Racism’ in R. Rasiah, A. Hashim and J.S. Sidhu (eds) Contesting Malaysia’s Integration into the World Economy, Singapore: Palgrave Macmillian, 169-200.
I’d be more distressed if I didn’t know that the global south will stay winning and these racist fucks and their colonial apologists (there were a lot in this thread), can continue crying in a decadent West. [Thread](https://youtube.com/shorts/-c6uYuApQHs?feature=share). I am on my phone so can’t link to the actual comment. But the shorts itself is as good as one would expect from an account named “history revealed”.
This is how I saved the image.  Source: [Chapter 1 of Take Back the Economy](https://libgen.fun/book/index.php?md5=0D9DE77E7F3E2821A64DB4C5A4CD6E9F) (Warning: Terminal Liberalism) Edit: To be fair, it may be more accurate to describe it as a Postmodern feminist book.
yes, i am flexing 😎 [Website](https://www.geoguessr.com/seterra/en/vgp/3199). "Only" took 30minutes of practicing the regions I suck at (Central Asia/America, the Carribean, Oceania and Africa) and... another 2hrs of tries. RIP to this run though. Accidentally clicked the US when I was aiming for Canada (it was mid-way and I just carried on with the run to see the time taken)....  Meanwhile my first attempt (I have played this site before so not truly a first attempt per se):  But to be somewhat serious, being able to generally know the area of a certain country or nation helped me a lot with reading in general ie. current day news and also historical/political books and articles and especially geopolitics. But I do realise that many people just can't do the same. If anything, knowing general regions and sub-continents is already enough. Also, I used to play EU4 a lot and would just stare at the map sometimes so that definitely helped.
www.youtube.com
Set in a feudalistic fictional world, the song espouses a liberal (to use the term a bit anachronistically) feminist form of class collaborationism. Although both expresses ill-feelings toward the heteronormative patriarchy that they live in, the film tries to make a false equivalence between both of their lives just because of their gender. Erika exhibits false consciousness believing that a princess has the same experiences as her, an indentured servant whose forced to work due to her parent’s debts. This is clearly shown in the first few lines of the song, where Erika had to manually toil away in hard day’s work to even feed herself and yet brushes it off as being ‘used to it’, while Anneliese (the princess) just ‘has to ring a bell’ to have an omelette delivered to her bed. Erika, being kept ignorant by the ruling class, exclaims that they have the same lives. To use Frier’s analysis, it can be seen that Anneliese, although still part of the aristocracy, is denied humanity (agency) not only through her gender but also due to her class as shown by the song’s chorus ‘We carry through to do what we need to do’. Showcasing how everyone is oppressed to some extent in class society.
youtu.be
The TED edutainment industrial complex must be stopped. Contains standard (neo)liberal propaganda so I don't really see the need to 'debunk'. Just watch and laugh.
The word must be something non-political that is in everyday use or in common speech. For example, in my mother language there's the word *muak*, which describes the feeling you get after eating the same dish repeatedly, leading to you being sick of it and not wanting to eat that dish anymore. Tired (ie. tired of eating the same x dish/food) may be the closest word/phrase in the English language that captures the meaning, but not exactly.
Westerners crying that China helped subsidized their shitty liberal democracies since the 2000s and subsequently probably saved them from an even worse crisis than they are facing now. From [Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/06/29/negative-views-of-china-tied-to-critical-views-of-its-policies-on-human-rights/). Quoted from [South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3186192/why-do-singapore-and-malaysia-have-more-favourable-view-china-us?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article&campaign=3186192) (paywalled): > Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said populations in Singapore and Malaysia were more “primed towards pliancy to authority” and tended to place more emphasis on economic performance. I really do hate this rhetoric that somehow Malaysia/Singapore values authoritarianism (whatever that means). Liberal politics will never understand how even if the 2 countries are functionally 1 party states and may not be the most socially liberal places in the world, the parties carried and boosted economic performance, making both nations the top 3 in GDP per capita in southeast asia. Personally, they would never get how economic performance has allowed my family to literally escape from poverty and peasant level subsistance farming to clean, modern houses and high-school/university education. Of course they wouldn't understand. Muh liberal values and hooman rights. The West would rather see us fighting for scraps and being unstable and war torn like the Middle East. Fuck them.
blogs.worldbank.org
cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/345560 > Went and dug a little deeper and it seems that for high-income nations, this trend of more women than men graduating in universities (as well as outperforming in school) has been going on for multiple decades now. > > Apart of me wants to think its just right-wing hysteria because this was brought to my attention by some random podcast clip using this example as somehow proof that patriarchy doesn't exist lol. Some articles I read did mention how other factors (particularly class and race) was a higher determinant of school/university success. > > And I particularly do not like biological explanations anyways (too essentialist to my taste, but I can't say for sure). I forgot which article in particular but it did argue it's because men used to be able find jobs in more traditional blue-collar industries, leading to this present day discrepancy. > > What do you all think?
blogs.worldbank.org
Went and dug a little deeper and it seems that for high-income nations, this trend of more women than men graduating in universities (as well as outperforming in school) has been going on for multiple decades now. Apart of me wants to think its just right-wing hysteria because this was brought to my attention by some random podcast clip using this example as somehow proof that patriarchy doesn't exist lol. Some articles I read did mention how other factors (particularly class and race) was a higher determinant of school/university success. And I particularly do not like biological explanations anyways (too essentialist to my taste, but I can't say for sure). I forgot which article in particular but it did argue it's because men used to be able find jobs in more traditional blue-collar industries, leading to this present day discrepancy. What do you all think?
youtu.be
www.scmp.com
Copied below. The BRICS countries have backed a Chinese suggestion that the bloc should be expanded, but have not named the candidate countries. A joint statement by the foreign ministers of the bloc – whose other members are Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa – following an online meeting on Thursday supported its first expansion in a decade, but said they needed to clarify relevant guiding principles, standards and procedures. Although no candidate countries have been named, earlier this year Argentine President Alberto Fernández said he wanted his country to join, and analysts have said Indonesia is another likely candidate. Brazil, Russia, India and China initially formed the bloc in 2009, with South Africa joining in 2010. The meeting of five foreign ministers, including Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, was the first since his country invaded Ukraine in February. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi repeated Beijing’s position calling for peace talks and criticised Western countries for providing arms to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia. “Delivering arms cannot bring peace to Ukraine, and pressure by sanctions cannot solve the European security dilemma,” Wang said, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry. He said China opposes the weaponisation of international economic and financial cooperation and coercing other countries to choose sides. He also called for an effort to reduce the spillover effect of the war, which has hit international trade and food supplies “especially in supporting vulnerable developing countries to tide over the difficulties”. The minister also urged the other BRICS countries to be “independent” and “fair” over Ukraine. Three BRICS members – China, India and South Africa – earlier abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution to condemn Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. The joint statement, with a brief address on the Ukraine issues, said the foreign ministers “supported Russia negotiating with Ukraine” and “discussed concerns over the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and beyond”. Without naming the United States, Wang called on the bloc to resist the creation of “parallel systems” to divide the world. He also said BRICS nations should oppose all kinds of unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction”. The 25-point joint statement issued after the meeting included pledges to work together on issues such as global governance, climate change, anti-terrorism, arms control, human rights, and AI technology. China and Russia also expressed support for the three other members playing a greater role in the United Nations. Argentina was among the nine developing countries and emerging economies taking part in a separate meeting with the BRICS countries on Thursday night. Argentina’s ambassador to China, Sabino Vaca Narvaja, said the invitation to take part “was extremely important,” and constituted a step toward “formal entry” into the bloc. The other eight participants were Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, Senegal, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand. Jiang Shixue, director of the Centre for Latin American Studies at Shanghai University, said the expansion of BRICS is seen as an “irreversible trend” by many observers. “Facing an increasing attack by the developed countries led by the United States, developing countries and emerging economies should expand our strength to play a bigger role in global governance,” Jiang said. Jiang said China has been making efforts in this direction since the “BRICS Plus” formulation was first mooted in 2017 with the objective of widening the bloc’s “circle of friends”. Xu Hongcai, from the China Association of Policy Science, said the bloc should invite Group of 20 countries with international influence and large economies, such as Indonesia and Argentina. “The G20 is composed of major developed and developing countries, BRICS lacks representation in ignoring other developing nations. It will be a good idea to first select G20 member nations to join the bloc,” Xu said.
historibersama.com
The way mixed race marriages especially of colonised and coloniser (through their offspring) allowed Europe to exercise greater control of her colonies, acting as a bridge or middleman. Its thoroughly fucked up. Not to mention the racial/ethnic hierarchy that was then embedded in colonial societies across the global south, still present in the modern day. This is what happens when you take liberal idpol to its conclusions. You apologize and give prizes to ‘one of the good ones’, in this case the ‘Indo-Europeans’ minority while ignoring and leaving the vast majority of Indonesians, in Indonesia, to suffer. We do not express enough hatred of the Dutch in particular tbh.
www.businessinsider.com
cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/236002 > Copy pasted below. Amazing that news such as this is pay-walled. > > For more than 20 years, successive US presidents have given Saudi Arabia a pass on the question of whether the kingdom's government had anything to do with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As the story goes, plenty of individual Saudis were involved — including 15 of the 19 hijackers and Osama bin Laden — but there was no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government itself was behind the attacks. That's more or less what the 9/11 Commission concluded, and the Saudi government continues to cite the commission's report in official statements as proof that "Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with this terrible crime." > > In its report, the commission took particular pains not to implicate Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who met two of the 9/11 hijackers in Los Angeles shortly after they arrived in the US. Bayoumi then helped them move to San Diego, where he signed as the guarantor on an apartment they rented. > > Bayoumi has long maintained that he met the hijackers by coincidence, a claim the commission did little to contradict. Instead, it painted a mostly innocuous portrait of Bayoumi's background, concluding that he was in the US "as a business student" and that he worked for the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. "I don't believe he was a 'Saudi government agent' working to help terrorists," wrote Philip Zelikow, the 9/11 Commission's executive director, in response to questions from a journalist in 2007. > > But over the past several months, a raft of new documents released by the American and British governments suggest that the 9/11 Commission got it wrong. An FBI memo declassified in March, in response to an executive order by President Joe Biden, reported that Bayoumi was receiving a monthly stipend from Saudi intelligence. In other words, he was not a student but a spy. According to the FBI memo, dated June 14, 2017, Bayoumi was tasked with gathering information "on persons of interest in the Saudi community" and passing the intelligence to Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud, the Saudi ambassador at the time. > > "Allegations of Albayoumi's involvement with Saudi intelligence were not confirmed at the time of the 9/11 Commission Report," writes the memo's author, an FBI special agent at the bureau's Washington field office, whose name is redacted. "The above information confirms those allegations." > > A second declassified FBI memo shows that a confidential source told the FBI there was a "50/50 chance" that Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks and "assisted two of the hijackers while residing in San Diego." > > The FBI declined to comment. But the revelations appear to undercut the Saudi government's claims that it had no ties to the 9/11 attacks. While US intelligence agencies have repeatedly concluded that the Saudi government as a whole had no advance knowledge of the 2001 plot, they have flagged specific Saudi agencies and members of the royal family as having ties to Al Qaeda. Last year, newly declassified FBI files complicated another crucial piece of Bayoumi's narrative, suggesting that his initial meeting with the two hijackers had been arranged by contacts at the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles. > > Zelikow, the executive director of the 9/11 Commission, told Insider he's skeptical that Bayoumi knew about the plot, or that he was working for Saudi intelligence. Many high-ranking Saudis, Zelikow pointed out, were despised by bin Laden and opposed to his efforts. "The information that Bayoumi might have been a paid informant ... if it is true, actually tends to cut the other way," Zelikow said — suggesting that Bayoumi would have been working against the hijackers. > > In an interview with Insider, Thomas Kean, the former New Jersey governor who chaired the 9/11 Commission, acknowledged that Bayoumi "was definitely involved" with the Saudi government. But he remains uncertain about what form that involvement took. "There's no question he was involved with Saudi..." Kean said, and did not complete that sentence before continuing. "It's difficult in Saudi Arabia to decide who's who — whether it's the royal family or Saudi intelligence." Kean also reiterated that the commission found no evidence to suggest that Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the attacks. > > But a second raft of documents — released by the British government last week in response to a civil lawsuit against the Saudi government by the families of 9/11 victims — points to the possibility that Bayoumi knew about the attacks before they took place. Among Bayoumi's papers was a diagram depicting a plane descending toward a target on the horizon. Beside the diagram is a formula used to calculate the distance to the target. > A diagram showing a plane descending, beside a mathematical formula. > Among Bayoumi's belongings, British investigators discovered a drawing of a plane descending toward a target — and an equation that an FBI source said was used to calculate "the height of an aircraft necessary to see a target." UK Metropolitan Police via Kreindler LLP > > The diagram was seized by British police in late 2001, but its existence wasn't noted until 2007 — three years after the 9/11 commission issued its final report. It's hard to imagine an innocuous explanation for anyone possessing such a diagram shortly before the 9/11 attacks. "Sure looks suspicious — and sinister," said Philip Shenon, author of "The Commission," a history of the 9/11 report, which recounted dissent from some of the commission's staff regarding the extent of Saudi involvement. "Fair to wonder whether it suggests he knew in detail about the 9/11 plot." > > Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent who worked as a liaison to the CIA's bin Laden unit, didn't believe the Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, which, he said, was limited to a small circle within Al Qaeda. But after reviewing the diagram, he changed his mind. "There's no question that guy was a Saudi agent," Rossini told Insider. "He lied. It's unequivocal." > > Zelikow, for his part, remains skeptical. He suggested that the drawing and calculations might be related to Bayoumi's work with the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. "It is possible that someone working in civil aviation might have worked on such equations, for various reasons," he said. > > Bayoumi, who has returned to Saudi Arabia, has given multiple interviews to law enforcement over the years, but the deposition he gave in the civil lawsuit brought by the families of 9/11 victims remains under seal. It's unclear whether he has been asked about the diagram but, it's hard to see how the core question of Saudi involvement in 9/11 can be resolved without a full and credible account of his actions. > > The evidence declassified by the British government also includes videos showing Bayoumi filming himself and his circle during his time in San Diego. One shows him embracing Anwar al-Awlaki, a local imam at the time who had ties to Al Qaeda. Like Bayoumi, Awlaki was close to the hijackers. In 2011, he was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen. A second video shows Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the two San Diego hijackers, in the kitchen of the apartment that Bayoumi helped him rent. > Still frame from a video showing Khalid al-Mihdhar at a party. > This video still shows Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the 9/11 hijackers, in the kitchen of an apartment rented for him by Bayoumi. UK Metropolitan Police via Kreindler LLP > > The release of these new documents comes at an inconvenient time for the Biden administration. The US wants cheap oil, continued rights for military bases, and a revived nuclear deal with Iran. Saudi Arabia wants to end all discussion of the state-sponsored murder of Jamal Khashoggi and a free hand to pursue its brutal proxy war in Yemen. The last thing either country wants is a renewed debate over the Saudi role in 9/11. "The sad truth is that because of geopolitical issues, especially petroleum, we'll never go after the Saudis or hold them accountable," said Rossini, the former FBI agent. > > For decades, the US has allowed its codependent relationship with the Saudi royal family to circumscribe what was supposed to be an exhaustive 9/11 investigation. The more the loose ends become public, the harder it will be to avoid taking a closer, more complete look at who supported the hijackers, and why. The reason we have new information about Bayoumi's ties to the Saudis, it's worth noting, is because Biden decided to declassify more documents related to 9/11 — a much-needed step toward greater transparency. > > "All of a sudden, all of this information is available," said Karen Greenberg, who directs the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School. "Maybe we're finally coming to a sense as a country that we can look these facts in the face and tell the story of what happened."
www.businessinsider.com
Copy pasted below. Amazing that news such as this is pay-walled. For more than 20 years, successive US presidents have given Saudi Arabia a pass on the question of whether the kingdom's government had anything to do with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As the story goes, plenty of individual Saudis were involved — including 15 of the 19 hijackers and Osama bin Laden — but there was no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government itself was behind the attacks. That's more or less what the 9/11 Commission concluded, and the Saudi government continues to cite the commission's report in official statements as proof that "Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with this terrible crime." In its report, the commission took particular pains not to implicate Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who met two of the 9/11 hijackers in Los Angeles shortly after they arrived in the US. Bayoumi then helped them move to San Diego, where he signed as the guarantor on an apartment they rented. Bayoumi has long maintained that he met the hijackers by coincidence, a claim the commission did little to contradict. Instead, it painted a mostly innocuous portrait of Bayoumi's background, concluding that he was in the US "as a business student" and that he worked for the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. "I don't believe he was a 'Saudi government agent' working to help terrorists," wrote Philip Zelikow, the 9/11 Commission's executive director, in response to questions from a journalist in 2007. But over the past several months, a raft of new documents released by the American and British governments suggest that the 9/11 Commission got it wrong. An FBI memo declassified in March, in response to an executive order by President Joe Biden, reported that Bayoumi was receiving a monthly stipend from Saudi intelligence. In other words, he was not a student but a spy. According to the FBI memo, dated June 14, 2017, Bayoumi was tasked with gathering information "on persons of interest in the Saudi community" and passing the intelligence to Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud, the Saudi ambassador at the time. "Allegations of Albayoumi's involvement with Saudi intelligence were not confirmed at the time of the 9/11 Commission Report," writes the memo's author, an FBI special agent at the bureau's Washington field office, whose name is redacted. "The above information confirms those allegations." A second declassified FBI memo shows that a confidential source told the FBI there was a "50/50 chance" that Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks and "assisted two of the hijackers while residing in San Diego." The FBI declined to comment. But the revelations appear to undercut the Saudi government's claims that it had no ties to the 9/11 attacks. While US intelligence agencies have repeatedly concluded that the Saudi government as a whole had no advance knowledge of the 2001 plot, they have flagged specific Saudi agencies and members of the royal family as having ties to Al Qaeda. Last year, newly declassified FBI files complicated another crucial piece of Bayoumi's narrative, suggesting that his initial meeting with the two hijackers had been arranged by contacts at the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles. Zelikow, the executive director of the 9/11 Commission, told Insider he's skeptical that Bayoumi knew about the plot, or that he was working for Saudi intelligence. Many high-ranking Saudis, Zelikow pointed out, were despised by bin Laden and opposed to his efforts. "The information that Bayoumi might have been a paid informant ... if it is true, actually tends to cut the other way," Zelikow said — suggesting that Bayoumi would have been working against the hijackers. In an interview with Insider, Thomas Kean, the former New Jersey governor who chaired the 9/11 Commission, acknowledged that Bayoumi "was definitely involved" with the Saudi government. But he remains uncertain about what form that involvement took. "There's no question he was involved with Saudi..." Kean said, and did not complete that sentence before continuing. "It's difficult in Saudi Arabia to decide who's who — whether it's the royal family or Saudi intelligence." Kean also reiterated that the commission found no evidence to suggest that Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the attacks. But a second raft of documents — released by the British government last week in response to a civil lawsuit against the Saudi government by the families of 9/11 victims — points to the possibility that Bayoumi knew about the attacks before they took place. Among Bayoumi's papers was a diagram depicting a plane descending toward a target on the horizon. Beside the diagram is a formula used to calculate the distance to the target. A diagram showing a plane descending, beside a mathematical formula. Among Bayoumi's belongings, British investigators discovered a drawing of a plane descending toward a target — and an equation that an FBI source said was used to calculate "the height of an aircraft necessary to see a target." UK Metropolitan Police via Kreindler LLP The diagram was seized by British police in late 2001, but its existence wasn't noted until 2007 — three years after the 9/11 commission issued its final report. It's hard to imagine an innocuous explanation for anyone possessing such a diagram shortly before the 9/11 attacks. "Sure looks suspicious — and sinister," said Philip Shenon, author of "The Commission," a history of the 9/11 report, which recounted dissent from some of the commission's staff regarding the extent of Saudi involvement. "Fair to wonder whether it suggests he knew in detail about the 9/11 plot." Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent who worked as a liaison to the CIA's bin Laden unit, didn't believe the Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, which, he said, was limited to a small circle within Al Qaeda. But after reviewing the diagram, he changed his mind. "There's no question that guy was a Saudi agent," Rossini told Insider. "He lied. It's unequivocal." Zelikow, for his part, remains skeptical. He suggested that the drawing and calculations might be related to Bayoumi's work with the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. "It is possible that someone working in civil aviation might have worked on such equations, for various reasons," he said. Bayoumi, who has returned to Saudi Arabia, has given multiple interviews to law enforcement over the years, but the deposition he gave in the civil lawsuit brought by the families of 9/11 victims remains under seal. It's unclear whether he has been asked about the diagram but, it's hard to see how the core question of Saudi involvement in 9/11 can be resolved without a full and credible account of his actions. The evidence declassified by the British government also includes videos showing Bayoumi filming himself and his circle during his time in San Diego. One shows him embracing Anwar al-Awlaki, a local imam at the time who had ties to Al Qaeda. Like Bayoumi, Awlaki was close to the hijackers. In 2011, he was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen. A second video shows Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the two San Diego hijackers, in the kitchen of the apartment that Bayoumi helped him rent. Still frame from a video showing Khalid al-Mihdhar at a party. This video still shows Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the 9/11 hijackers, in the kitchen of an apartment rented for him by Bayoumi. UK Metropolitan Police via Kreindler LLP The release of these new documents comes at an inconvenient time for the Biden administration. The US wants cheap oil, continued rights for military bases, and a revived nuclear deal with Iran. Saudi Arabia wants to end all discussion of the state-sponsored murder of Jamal Khashoggi and a free hand to pursue its brutal proxy war in Yemen. The last thing either country wants is a renewed debate over the Saudi role in 9/11. "The sad truth is that because of geopolitical issues, especially petroleum, we'll never go after the Saudis or hold them accountable," said Rossini, the former FBI agent. For decades, the US has allowed its codependent relationship with the Saudi royal family to circumscribe what was supposed to be an exhaustive 9/11 investigation. The more the loose ends become public, the harder it will be to avoid taking a closer, more complete look at who supported the hijackers, and why. The reason we have new information about Bayoumi's ties to the Saudis, it's worth noting, is because Biden decided to declassify more documents related to 9/11 — a much-needed step toward greater transparency. "All of a sudden, all of this information is available," said Karen Greenberg, who directs the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School. "Maybe we're finally coming to a sense as a country that we can look these facts in the face and tell the story of what happened."
Link to twitter thread [here](https://twitter.com/phagafaga/status/1520788122178662400?s=21&t=LZdiY6_XqxvxxoqXHblvvQ). So today’s been a real stressful day since Eid is tomorrow (technically today its AM right now) and I have an essay due the day after aswell as exams in the few days. I am stressing the hell out on how I can make a coherent argument in my essay dealing with world-systems theory, eurocentrism and use of “networks” and flows in viewing the history of globalisation but reading the twitter thread made me realise, even if I fail at writing anything coherent it will never be as embarassing as any takes anarchist twitter has 💀