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Colonialism

Trump Plans To Make Ukraine A US Economic Colony

March 2, 2025 Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. , , , ,
The fight that broke out in the White House between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, on February 28 was a stark symbol of the colonial relationship between the two countries. “You’re in no position to dictate”, Trump yelled at Zelensky in the Oval Office. “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards”. The Trump administration has sought to impose an exploitative deal that will “make Ukraine a US economic colony”, in the words of the conservative British newspaper The Telegraph.

Javier Milei Is Destroying Argentina’s Economy

February 28, 2025 Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. , , , , , , , , ,
Argentina is governed by a right-wing libertarian named Javier Milei. He proudly identifies as an “anarcho-capitalist”. His career has been cultivated by powerful billionaire oligarchs, such as Eduardo Eurnekián, who employed Milei and several of his cabinet members. Milei has also enjoyed the support of US billionaires like Elon Musk and Silicon Valley oligarch Peter Thiel. US President Donald Trump considers Milei to be an obedient ally. When he campaigned for president in 2023, Milei embraced the nickname “el loco” (the madman). He brought a chainsaw to rallies, pledging to cut government down to the bone.

122 Years Of US Imperialism In Guantánamo

February 11, 2025 Abraham Marquez, Geopolitical Economy. , , , , , , , , , , ,
Colonialist Christopher Columbus landed in Guantánamo Bay on his second voyage to the Americas in 1494. The empires of England, France, and Spain later disputed Guantánamo, a territory of 45 square miles. This “discovery” of the Cuban island unleashed a Spanish extermination campaign against the indigenous population, through disease, starvation, and brutality. What followed the genocide was the “vertiginous growth of the slave trade based in Havana”. Today, Guantánamo Bay remains occupied by the United States. It is used as a detention center by the most powerful military in history.

Trump Vows To ‘Expand’ US territory, Invokes Manifest Destiny

January 23, 2025 Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. , , , , , ,
Donald Trump began his second term as president by vowing to grow the US empire. In his inauguration speech, Trump used explicitly imperialist rhetoric, promising to “expand our territory”. He even invoked “Manifest Destiny”, a concept employed by 19th-century US colonialists to justify ethnically cleansing Indigenous nations and stealing their land. “The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations, and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons”, Trump said, adding, “And we will pursue our Manifest Destiny into the stars”.

Turkey Takes Aleppo

December 9, 2024 Justin Podur, Orinoco Tribune. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Before it fell under 20th century Anglo-American colonialism, Syria was the core of the Levant, encompassing (today’s) Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, the site of multireligious, multicultural cities between which people traveled and traded freely. In the countryside, peasants and herders tended an agricultural and pastoral landscape of olive and orange trees, pasture, forest, and drylands. This region was under the control of the Ottoman Empire for hundreds of years (perhaps Erdogan’s dream is to take some of it back. He’s been accused of “neo-Ottoman” fantasies).

President Maduro Calls For Creation Of ‘Powerful Media Network For The People’

December 2, 2024 Alba Ciudad, Orinoco Tribune. , , , , , , ,
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, proposed the creation of a “powerful media network for the truth of the peoples across all continents, with all languages and on all existing social media of today and those that will be born as alternatives.” He made this proposal on Friday, November 29, at the International Conference in Solidarity with Palestine, held in Caracas. He commented that there is a consensus across the world for “the cause of the struggle for freedom and the right to life of the Palestinian people, and we must do more for Palestine, because still there are many people who are misinformed about the brutal genocide that is being broadcast live.”

African Nations Push For Urgent United Nations Reforms

September 28, 2024 Abdul Rahman, People's Dispatch. , , , , , , , , ,
In the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, heads of state from African countries reiterated their demand for an urgent reform in global decision making and greater representation of their continent in the Security Council. The African leaders claim that their current exclusion from the crucial decision making institutions is a legacy of colonialism and demanded urgent changes. They underlined that highlighting their exclusion is not merely an attempt to claim representation but to gain real say in crucial decision making on issues directly affecting the African countries and their future, such as peace and security challenges, conflict resolution, climate change, and sustainable development.

Colonialism As A Bulwark Against China

August 27, 2024 Mick Hall, Consortium News. , , , ,
The 53rd annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which opened Monday in Tonga, takes place amid a backdrop of simmering violence and confrontations between French security forces and protesters in New Caledonia that has so far left a dozen dead, as well as increased geopolitical tensions between China and the U.S. with its regional allies. On the agenda are talks on the impact of climate change. But for the West, the political thrust of the gathering is keeping Pacific nations outside of China’s orbit and enmeshed instead in Western military architecture. The five-day meeting, which runs until Friday, is being attended by the 18 leaders of strategically important islands and archipelagos spread across the vast Pacific Ocean, as well as think-tank analysts and politicians from sub-imperial countries like Australia and New Zealand who are sounding the alarm over the supposed dangers of “malign” Chinese influence in the region.

The War In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Will End

July 4, 2024 Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. , , , ,
On 20 June, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the attacks on civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ‘in the strongest terms’. In its press statement, the UNSC wrote that these attacks – by both the DRC’s armed forces and various rebel groups supported by neighbouring countries such as Rwanda and Uganda – ‘are worsening the volatile security and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the region and further exacerbating the current humanitarian situation’. Five days later, on 25 June, the United Nations peacekeeping force in eastern DRC withdrew, in accordance with a December 2023 UNSC resolution that pledged both to provide security for the DRC’s general elections on 20 December and to begin to gradually withdraw the peacekeeping force from the country.

France, Its Far-right, And Africa

July 4, 2024 Kossi "Ayomide" Paul, Black Agenda Report. , , , ,
Elections for the European Parliament took place on June 9, 2024. These elections are generally shunned by the French electorate, and the latest was no exception with nearly 50% abstaining from voting. This is one of the highest abstention rates in the region - a clear sign of the disconnect between the people and its institutions. The results[1] were clear-cut: over 30% of votes for France's main far-right party, the Rassemblement National (and around 10% more for the various conservative and nationalist right-wing movements),  less than 15% for the party of the current government, and less than 25% overall for the two main left-wing parties presented.

Israel Approves Largest West Bank Land Grab In Three Decades

July 3, 2024 News Desk, The Cradle. , , , , , , , ,
Israeli authorities last month approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades, anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now revealed on 3 July. The activists said the approval allows for the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometers of land in the Jordan Valley, northeast of the West Bank city of Ramallah. By illegally authorizing their seizure, Tel Aviv is allowing the land to be leased to Israelis and banning private Palestinian ownership. According to Peace Now, this marks the largest single appropriation approved since the 1993 Oslo Accords. The move comes after the seizure of 8 square kilometers of land in the West Bank in March and 2.6 square kilometers in February.

Anti-War Organizers On The Pacific Coast Protest US Military Exercises

June 30, 2024 People's Dispatch. , , , , , , , , , , ,
Anti-war activists with the international Cancel RIMPAC Campaign and the Resist NATO Coalition are organizing to protest the RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise), the largest international maritime warfare exercise, taking place in Hawai’i, which is hosted by the United States Navy‘s Indo-Pacific Command, set to begin on June 27. Organizers are also opposing the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington, DC, which will take place from July 9 to 11. These two groups held a joint press conference to quick off future actions on June 26. Cancel RIMPAC is holding a week of action culminating in a People’s Summit and mobilizations in San Diego on June 29 and 30.

The Congolese People Proclaim: The Congo Is Not For Sale!

June 26, 2024 People's Dispatch. , , , , , , ,
The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to face paramilitary attacks against refugee camps and health centers, as the extraction of Congolese natural resources continues to produce unfettered conflict. Paramilitary conflict in the country has resulted in the displacement of seven million Congolese people, with more constantly forced to flee. In light of the ongoing violence in the DRC, the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research has published new dossier entitled, “The Congolese Fight for Their Own Wealth,” in recognition of the need for a better understanding of the colonial and imperial roots of resource extraction in the DRC, and the current fight against imperialism in the region.

Native American Lawsuit Sheds Light On Dark Aspect Of US History

March 19, 2024 John Miles, Orinoco Tribune. , , , , ,
“The doctrine of discovery refers to a principle in public international law under which, when a nation ‘discovers’ land, it directly acquires rights on that land,” according to a definition offered by Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute. “This doctrine arose when the European nations discovered non-European lands, and therefore acquired special rights.” “​​More broadly, the doctrine of discovery can be described as an international law doctrine giving authorization to explorers to claim terra nullius [‘uninhabited’ land]… in the name of their sovereign when the land was not populated by Christians.”

The Prophecies Of Malcolm X: Zionism Is A New Kind Of Colonialism

February 22, 2024 Sam Husseini, Scheer Post. , , , , ,
I doubt it’s a coincidence that Malcolm — born 99 years ago this year and assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965 — was a model for the martyred Palestinian writer Refaat Alareer. Indeed, at a talk in 2012, Alareer would recall his introduction to Malcolm: “I was teaching a course, and there was an amazing passage about this man, of whom I had never heard before. The passage was so eloquent, so articulate, so amazing that it pulled me into this personality, this area of knowledge that I, again, never knew before. … Malcolm X has had, since then, an amazing influence on my life, to the extent that I now name him as my number one role model.’“
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