Image is of thousands of Cubans gathering in 2026 to honor José Martí.
After the Soviet Union fell, in the 1990s, Cuba entered a period (known as the Special Period) of extreme economic pressure, losing almost all of its international trade and fuel imports. Caloric intake almost halved, and electricity was mostly unavailable for much of the day. In response, Cuba undertook Option Zero, in which the country prioritized distributing resources to the most vulnerable, and rationed what little was available as fairly as possible. During this time, the threat of total collapse led to experiments and innovations, and, paradoxically to those on the outside, Cuba’s population came together under pressure, rather than shattering. The collective understanding that their suffering resulted from abroad rather than from internal inefficiencies and corruption meant that Cuba’s government, and thus their sovereignty, survived.
As the American Empire contracts in the wake of multipolarity and can now no longer tolerate sovereignty in the Western Hemisphere, we are seeing a return to the time of the Special Period, with the illegal blockade being dramatically worsened - among other measures, the US is preventing all fuel from entering the island, a strategy made more viable with Venezuela’s fuel exports now restricted. Imperialist supporters are predicting an imminent collapse, after which American mining corporations would descend on Cuba’s massive nickel and cobalt reserves.
While it’s absolutely possible that this time Cuba’s government could collapse, it’s important to note four things: 1) as noted, Cuba has been in a situation like this before and survived; 2) the geopolitical situation is quite different to how it was in the 1990s, with China and other powers increasing in power and influence compared to the USSR’s incompetent final leaders leaving the lane wide open to American exploitation; 3) there has been a concerted effort to transition to renewable energy sources recently, with solar panels being imported from China and making up an increasing amount of the energy supply; and 4) Cuba’s government is taking this threat very seriously, and beginning rationing efforts immediately.
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The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on Israel’s destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
Mirrors of Telegram channels that have been erased by Zionist censorship.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Defense Politics Asia’s youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
It was farcical by the end to pretend it wasn’t over when it was over. I agree the revolution was genuine originally and Venezuela lost to decades of hybrid warfare. But a loss is a loss. Why cant people here accept that fact? Because they are coping. Just like they were with Hezbollah and Syria.
That’s an interesting pivot from you, because half of this thread is you saying that Venezuela should fight a war it can’t. There’s no jungle warfare. There’s no sanctions. There’s no navy or airforce. There’s no economic pressure or sanctions or leverage. The US isn’t occupying Venezuela, the country was strangled to death. And dead it is. But even so, you required it to fight. And do what, exactly? Conjure food and medication from the ether?
If we aren’t gonna fight the imperialists ever let’s just throw in the towel team. They’re stronger than us and we’ll take greater losses so Socialism can never happen. Wrap it up folks.
Is your argument just that yes, Venezuela just surrendered and the revolution has been strangled but I’m being too rude about it? I’m not couching it in enough euphemisms and excuses for us to pretend like socialism wasn’t just defeated in yet another nation?
What fighting are you doing aside from shit posting about the people who actually live a constant war against imperialism?
Care to argue about the facts of the situation instead of positional ad hominems? All this type of posturing does is restrict discourse and cause errors
you are saying
while talking down to and about people who are actually doing the fighting and I think it is entirely valid to question someone’s credentials; no investigation no right to speak.
marxism is a practice and for colonized people fighting for their lives against the concentrated forces of empire, it is literally life and death. I see you have a lot of criticism for those who have been born out of that very real struggle, so I’m wondering what your experience is to be able to have any transferable lessons for the Bolivarian revolution.
I’m an active card carrying communist of a ML party and a union steward. I’m also an immigrant and born in North Africa. The “we” is the workers of the world, of which we all are. I shouldn’t have to list my resume certifications to you though, as again, your entire premise of the argument is incorrect. Observers don’t become correct or not based on how much praxis they’re doing. This type of Liberal identitarianism and positionalism creeping into the left is damaging to Marxist materialist analysis. I make arguments regarding imperialism, natural resources, colonialism, trade - while you make arguments about how I must be a white savior (I’m not white nor claiming to be a savior, literally just a person describing the shit he sees). We’re not playing the same game, and I fundamentally reject your entire notion that one has to be of a certain identity to make observations and describe them.
You aren’t talking like there is a “we” with the workers of the world, there is not a trace of solidarity in anything you say here. Just calling balls and strikes, you’ve struck out entirely on that front.
Someone who only has a cursory “knowledge” of Marxism without any real organizing experience is absolutely a spectator and has not investigated the material enough to be taken seriously, particularly when they are so overly confident and yet obviously wrong. Observers don’t become correct by not knowing what the fuck they are looking at and just saying things based on vibes.
Your “arguments” are based on intentionally misleading and so far discredited propaganda and your “analysis” is in essence great man theory about Maduro and claiming the Bolivarian revolution which exists as a living movement with millions of participants is dead because bloomberg said Venezuelan crude is being sold directly to Israel. Your “analysis” is that all the power of Venezuela lies not in the hands of the masses but in the hands of Chevron and Gusanos in Miami. This is not analysis, it is a rejection of the fundamental principles of the social and political theories you pretend to know about.
Your idealist doomerism is even forcing you to make up arguments to fight instead of acknowledging the things other people are saying, you’ve done it with multiple different people in this thread. I didn’t make any arguments about white saviors, nor that anyone has to be of a certain identity to make observations and describe them. You are reaching, desperately.
Correct. The people of Venezuela no longer control their oil. There were material concessions, huge. Stop beating around the bush and calling this idealism and engage. Oil is being controlled, and the sales is being mediated by the US, who handles all the funds and approves of and vetoes what it wishes to fund. This strangles and isolates Cuba, who now has to cancel airplane flights and lose their tourism income. This money will fund rightwing extremism and CIA shit in the country as we all know. This is a major and material blow, a major defeat. I don’t believe any Great Person of Maduro, I believe those around him seem to have sold him out and are selling out the people of the country for their own protection. If the Venezuelan revolution is alive and well as you say, then will they go along with the governments scheme to hand over the oil and starve Cuba? This is the path of doom. Funding the gusano rightwing, killing off your own allies, betraying your own people after hyping them up. Where does this go?
Yes it is, I’m talking about the actual concessions. The alters in flow of oil from anti-imperialists to imperialists. The concession, at gunpoint, to handing over their natural resources and economy.
No?
It’s in this comment thread.