⚠️ Exclusive: UN experts say Rwanda exercises command and control over M23 rebel forces in eastern DRC—raising serious regional security concerns.

📖 Full report: https://bluewaterhealthyliving.com/news/world-news/exclusive-rwanda-exercises-command-and-control-over-m23-rebels-say-un-experts/

#Rwanda #M23 #UN #DRC #AfricaSecurity #ConflictAnalysis

Our @stephenmbland.bsky.social reports Central Asia balances on a geopolitical tightrope as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates, impacting trade, security, and diplomacy timesca.com/the-ripple-e... #CentralAsia #Geopolitics #IsraelIranConflict #RegionalStability #ConflictAnalysis

The Ripple Effects of the Isra...

Central Asia balances on a geopolitical tightrope as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates, impacting trade, security, and diplomacy https://timesca.com/the-ripple-effects-of-the-israel-iran-conflict-on-central-asia/ #CentralAsia #Geopolitics #IsraelIranConflict #RegionalStability #ConflictAnalysis

Explore the devil's strategy to ignite internal conflict and doubt within believers, potentially causing external issues. Discover how internal struggles can spill over into relationships, especially with spouses, creating a ripple effect. Join us as we dissect these conflicts! #InternalConflict #DoubtAndBelief #RelationshipConflict #SpousalStruggles #ConflictResolution #Devil'sStrategy #ExternalIssues #InnerTurmoil #EmotionalSpillover #ConflictAnalysis

**Video Title:**
"DAY 1046: SOLDIER-SLAVES UNDER RUSSIAN COMMANDERS / 50,000 MISSING / DIARY OF A NORTH KOREAN"

https://bastyon.com/index?v=98d3afaec58800a2cfbd36ac57552c79792568e677eb50ab27aa42119d5b3520&video=1&ref=PPuoSzXpSnY1Q4w1MLeVdLcbaUpVDCwpBp

**Introduction:**
In this powerful and revealing video, Michael Naki takes us through the harsh realities faced by soldiers under the command of Russian officers, where the concept of "soldier-slaves" emerges. The video also explores the disturbing issue of 50,000 missing individuals in the ongoing conflict, shedding light on the human cost of war. Additionally, viewers are given a glimpse into the daily life of a North Korean soldier, providing unique insight into a perspective rarely seen.
**Description:**
Michael Naki's diary-style report dives into the struggles and hardships that soldiers under Russian command endure, calling attention to the difficult living conditions, exploitation, and the shocking statistics of missing personnel. The video reflects on the broader impact of war and offers a glimpse into the mindset of a North Korean soldier.
**Watch Here:**
Video Link
**Hashtags:**
#MichaelNaki #WarDiaries #RussianCommand #MissingSoldiers #NorthKoreanSoldier #WarImpact #MilitaryExploitation #ConflictAnalysis #MackNack

Syria’s fragile ceasefire holds, but for how long? With shifting alliances and rising tensions, the region’s future hangs in the balance. Explore the dynamics shaping Syria’s fate. 📰 https://www.ryanjhite.com/2024/11/28/syrias-fragile-ceasefire-a-nation-teetering-on-the-brink-of-renewed-chaos/ #Syria #ConflictAnalysis

"The mainstream media has failed us after 7 October" opinion piece by Peter Beinart "Journalists aren’t wrong to interview people in power. But when that’s all they do, they let power – rather than expertise – define the boundaries of legitimate public debate."

#journalism #Israel #gaza #palestine #hamas #media #USmedia #conflictanalysis
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/07/mainstream-media-israel-denies-palestinian-freedom

🌍💬 Watch this insightful video about the Russian war economy and its impact on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Many people assume that Russia has endless resources to sustain the war indefinitely.

This is an important topic for understanding the future of the Ukraine war and the broader geopolitical landscape.

🔗 Watch the video by @anderspuck here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7sbS92R4cg

#UkraineWar #RussianEconomy #Geopolitics #MilitaryEconomics #Ukraine #Russia #ConflictAnalysis #NAFO #SlavaUkraini

Israel's focus shifts to Hezbollah on the northern border. Discover the stakes and potential outcomes of this escalating conflict. #IsraelHezbollah #MiddleEast #ConflictAnalysis https://www.ryanjhite.com/2024/07/06/israels-pivot-to-hezbollah-the-looming-threat-from-the-north/

Undertones: A dictionary to understand the war in Gaza
#Gaza #Palestine #GazaConflict #GazaNarratives #War #LanguageDecoded #PowerDynamics #UndertonesInsights #LinguisticManipulation #ConflictAnalysis #Hypocrisy #DoubleStandards #TheTruth #Undertones
https://the-14.com/undertones-a-dictionary-to-understand-the-war-in-gaza/

Echoes of Despair: A Glimpse into Gaza’s Crisis Through an Outsider’s Eyes

Thus Far: An Overview

On October 7, 2023, an act of violence broke through our subconscious and enlightened most to see something that has been going on for 75 years. Hamas, a rebellious group from Palestine that has been categorized as a terrorist group by various countries, attacked and killed Israeli civilians attending a concert. As retaliation to this, Israel began a massive attack on Palestinian territory.

The debate began with Israel having a right to defend itself. A lot of countries’ leaders repeated this phrase over and over. Yes, the US was one of those countries, but here’s the thing: the Western world has been awakened since the indiscriminate killing of Black People reached a very public level in 2019-2020. These events kind of prepared the public to see through rhetorical bullshit. So, of course, social media began peeling the layers between Israel and Palestine.

Activists and Palestinians began to share their experiences. At first, it was only a whisper. For me, unrest settled in my heart. La pullita of something not being right and remembering the restrictions that I saw when I visited the area slowly came together as an almost fully formed picture. Then came the book recommendations.

Goddess that broke the seal, if there was even one. I learn through reading, so opening these digital books solidified for me everything that I have seen and heard from family and friends on the subject of Israel and Palestine. Because here’s the thing, people in Latin America have these spirited political discourses while drinking cafesito, having dinner, going on a walk, you name it, every event is just as good as the previous one to talk politics.

So, while I have known that what happened to the Palestinian people was an unfair act that came to fruition by a perfect storm of racism and, you guessed it, genocide, reading from activists and scholars gave the subject a nuance I didn’t have before.

From my own experiences, I understand how easily the Western world builds its own narrative of people and events in order to maintain public favor. But like I said before, the wool had been pulled from the public’s eyes. The public was aware. So marches began.

At first, during the UN voting for a ceasefire, there were more countries saying no, but as of today December 21, 2023, the US is standing more alone than before in their vote against a ceasefire. See the UN website.

Here’s more history on what the UN calls The Palestine Question (there’s no charge for the downloads)

Free – Purchase CheckoutAdded to cart

Free – Purchase CheckoutAdded to cart

Free – Purchase CheckoutAdded to cart

Free – Purchase CheckoutAdded to cart

Then, the boycott happened. Starbucks became one of the primary boycott targets because they did not allow a social media account from their union to advocate for a free Palestine, so they censored them. And talking about censorship. A lot of censorship has been happening in two ways.

I have personally experienced a sort of shadow ban where my posts where I advocate for Palestine are restricted. I went from three-digit views to one or two digits. Other content creators have experienced the same, and then came the most insidious of the censorship. Zionist-leaning accounts began to assert that free Palestine or from the river to the sea are phrases that are antisemitic because they advocate for the demise of Jewish people.

Yet antisemitism is happening and has been happening, but the definition of this term has become conflated, thanks to this censorship. I believe this to be a dangerous predicament since it can lead to actual antisemitism flying below the radar, and this is not good.

Also, Islamophobia has been at its highest, but because the focus is mostly on antisemitism (the one used to censor and the real kind), this is not getting much attention. But in the US, I hate to say this, Islamophobia has been the norm ever since 9/11 happened.

I go back to the thing about how the US creates its own narrative to appease the collective consciousness. Don’t believe me? Why are Moms for Liberty working overtime to ban books? Why is it that public schools don’t get a realistic depiction of US History, which should include Native American, African American, and Mexican history?

You can google the arguments on that dilemma, but let me save you the trip; it all boils down to white folks not wanting to see it or even talk about it because it will depict them as inhumane, and they can’t be the villain in this story! No, they must be the savior. Hence, Jesus, a brown man, is depicted as white. Anything, I mean anything, to change the narrative so they can be the hero.

So I know all about how Black and Brown people would more likely than not find themselves playing the villain or the savage in Western-made narratives. If you don’t believe me on this one, look at Hollywood films. Even now, in 2023, there is still a big disparity in representation and compensation. I’ll leave it at that.

But yeah, I had to read for myself and experience culture and treat people on my own accord to understand that a religion, skin color, gender, or any other classification does not make a person good or bad. Because first of all, we are a mixture of both and it is the actions that determine whether someone is kind or a jerk.

But we live in these mental traps that keep us comfortable. Unfortunately, because of these inflexible mental traps, some of us won’t admit that there are groups of people suffering and being subjugated for over 70 years to brutal and restrictive colonization.

It’s December 21, 2023, and there have been 18K Palestinian deaths from the incessant Israeli bombardment. There were two temporary pauses, but no mighty Western country has stepped up in an unbiased manner to bring diplomacy and peace to this situation because we don’t want to admit that we are the villains in this story.

I pray that we realize this soon and do something about it. Until then, I’ll continue to amplify, highlight and write. It’s what I do best, so it’s what I’m going to do.

Stick around, as this will be an ongoing thread with new information as a means to journal everything that happens so the narrative doesn’t get twisted in the future, which will prevent us from learning from it and mitigating a repeat.

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Is the Ship Sinking?

Last night I saw a video of Chelsea Handler, a Hollywood actress and stand-up comic. She was alongside an influencer. Their video was misleading because the introduction was something along the lines of: You can be pro-Palestine and anti-Hamas, AND You can be pro-Israel and anti-Israeli policies. This sounded convoluted to me, but I kept watching.

I waited for an explanation of this introduction. The video continues with the influencer asking whether Chelsea likes her freedom, LGBTQIA people, and other things that are part of a democratic country. Chelsea answered yes to all of them, and then she said if Israel is no longer, we wouldn’t have those things in the Middle East, and we wouldn’t have this country to champion democracy in the Middle East. This is a logical fallacy.

In one of my recent episodes, I talked about logical fallacies and how rampant they are in social media now that we are going through a global crisis. What Chelsea said sounds like ‘False Dichotomy’ or ‘Black and White.’ When someone employs this logical fallacy, they express a problem as having only two solutions. In the case of Chelsea Handler and her video, she says that either we have Israel in the Middle East, which will lead to prosperity in the area, or we don’t, which will lead to the demise of the area. But we know there are more than two answers to this problem, right?

Navigating Logical Fallacies in the Digital Age

Please read The 100 Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi. It has a comprehensive account of the history of the territory and the back-and-forth accounts of leaders taking and giving land that was not theirs to give. When I read it, my mouth dropped at the notice of colonization tactics that would have had Christopher Columbus giving the zionist movement a fist bump.

That is why you see a majority of marginalized folks backing Palestine because we know colonization. It is in our blood; it’s in our DNA. When I look at my ancestry, I am part colonized and part colonizer. I remember telling my husband, “You know? Someone was raped for me to be here right now.”

Because let’s be real, when someone holds power over another person, sex is NEVER consensual.

That thought haunts me.

So we know there are more than the two solutions Handler presents. Israel can let Palestinians live in their own land and adopt an equitable two-state solution. Or both groups of people can live in that territory as equal citizens in a one-state solution, under one governance that both groups represent. Or it can be a two-state with a hard deadline to become one-state, and during that time frame, a non-biased international leader can act as the mediator and facilitator. The UN can ensure progress is being made towards a one-state solution through periodical meetings. With support from the international community, this is very doable. 

And those are just three solutions that I could think of right now. So you see, saying that the only two choices are Israel and prosper or no Israel and die is not accurate. If anything, this reeks of white saviorism and, like I said before, colonization.

In essence, Handler is discounting the ability that other Middle Eastern countries have to govern themselves. It’s almost as if she’s saying they are incapable of democracy and need to be under Israel’s governance so they can thrive as a people. That sounds very Christopher Columbus of her.

“Native Americans have long been framed and rationalized as unlike whites and savage, primitive, and even devil-servants. This centuries-old framing persists aggressively in today’s history and children’s books, sports mascots, and popular media—wherein Native Americans are not only often viewed as uncivilized savages but sometimes romanticized as disappearing “noble savages” with mystical, but savage, connections to nature. ” (Mackay & Feagin, 2022)

Mackay, R. E., & Feagin, J. (2022). “Merciless Indian Savages”: Deconstructing Anti-Indigenous Framing. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 8(4), 518-533. https://doi.org/10.1177/23326492221112040

Handler is not doing anything new when she uses the false dichotomy fallacy; she’s following colonizers’ footsteps that frame non-white people as less than, incapable, savage, and primitive. This framing then appeases their mind when they are treating human beings as less than humans. 

Because, let’s be honest, the Palestinian people are not thriving under Israeli governance. Even before October 7, 2023, the Palestinian people have had to endure seizures, searches, unlawful arrests, inhumane treatment, and indiscriminate incarceration. After October 7, 2023, the Palestinian people are living through bombardment. They are quite literally running for their lives. 

So, I don’t agree with Handler. There are other solutions to this problem. But thinking about what she and the influence said caused me to think that perhaps Israeli propaganda is not packing the punch it used to pack before. Perhaps their ship is sinking…Why else would the zionist movement censor comments, hashtags, and any wording that implies freedom for Palestinian people? Why would there be a change of narrative? At the beginning of this, most news outlets were reporting in favor of Israel. They took information from the Israeli government and published it as facts (research the bit about beheaded babies), no questions asked. But now, see below.

Even though the US advocated removing the ceasefire language from the resolution, this passed resolution is a bit of hope for the Palestinian people.

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It’s a hallowed Christmas today. As the beginning of this post said, October 7, 2023, ruptured human consciousness on this issue. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it, and the more I compare and contrast what I know from my upbringing, culture, and religion, the more that I find what’s happening to the people of Gaza to be unfair and inhumane. 

Most social media are talking about how Meta (the company that owns IG, FB, and Threads, amongst other things) inactivated Shawn King’s Instagram account. According to King’s Wikipedia page, “King has repeatedly faced accusations from colleagues and fellow activists of raising money for unclear purposes, or overpromising results from fundraising. He has also faced calls of fiscal mismanagement, inattention to his projects, and “radical incompetence.”[5]” 

I read something on Threads today that gave this incongruency some more nuance. Someone said that we tend to view people as good or bad when we are both and that while King has done some messy things, he has also done some good things. But as we all know, sometimes our wrongdoing clouds our good deeds, and I think that’s what’s happening here with King. A good portion of people won’t listen to him because of his past behavior. 

Nevertheless, what people should pay attention to is the censorship that occurred here. An activist who was posting about Palestinian freedom was shut down, while those who are clearly on the other side of the debate are being allowed to post and maintain their accounts. Threads currently has seen a barrage of trolls. This is reminiscent of what happened in X, formerly known as Twitter, during the Clinton-Trump elections, and it disheartens me. 

So today, for Christmas, I am focusing on the disillusioned state of personal freedom and how voices are silenced when it is not aligned with the majority. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard of this around the family table as aunts and uncles chatted about aristocratic governments in Latin America that control information to the point where the people they serve have no say, and the narrative the world would see would be what the government approved. I just didn’t think I would experience it here.

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January 12, 2024

Palestinian Journalists

New year, same shit but worst. Palestinian journalists seem to be targeted by the Israeli military. From BBC News, “The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for an independent investigation into the strike. At least 79 journalists and media workers – 72 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese – have been killed since the start of the war, according to the group.” Sometimes, truth is more gruesome than fiction.

But as someone who writes fiction, this reality that Palestinians are going through, no one could have written it. Before someone corrects me, I will correct myself: The Palestinians living under oppression from Israel would have been able to write it; in fact, they have. https://bookriot.com/palestinian-fiction/

If you are an avid reader, even in these fiction stories, you will be able to sense the grief of the loss of a place they know lives in their heart, which contradicts the exterior gruesome reality. Some journalists have said enough and have turned to protect themselves and their families. They knew the world was not listening but was merely watching and allowing the genocide to continue. These posts broke my heart. 

Former Harvard President, Dr. Claudine Gay

But that’s not all. Presidents from various universities had to come to Congress to testify about their stance on the supposed bullying happening to their Jewish students. But if you read the beginning of this online chronicle, you will note that I had smelled that a while back. Zionist-leaning people and entities are using anti-semitism as a way to silence anyone who dares question or protest the Israel attacks on Palestinian civilians. According to Al Jazeera, 23,469 Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023. CNN says one in 100 people in Gaza have been killed. As of December 10, 2023, Reuters accounts for 18,000 deaths. Once again, these are not military combatant deaths. These are civilian, women, children, and men’s deaths. But a university president allowing their students freedom of speech, a freedom that is so often called upon by EVERYONE, especially white supremacists who holler hateful rhetoric that incites violence against other groups, now is not allowed when advocating for an oppressed group.

That is the key here. Hollering about freedom of speech rights seems to only work for people who sit higher on the racial hierarchy. Mind you, I am not saying that those comments that advocated for violence for a group, be it Muslim, Jewish, or any other group, are right. No, no one should advocate for violence, and that kind of speech should not be allowed. But these presidents didn’t come to Congress to identify and do something about actual anti-semitism in their respective campuses. No, they were there to serve as an example of what happens to those who bite the hand that feeds the US politicians. That is all.

And if you have any doubt, follow the money. Follow the donations that AIPAC gives and to whom, and that will tell you why Congress reacted in that manner. 

When it comes to former Harvard President Dr. Claudine Gay, not only was she persecuted because of the pro-Palestine protests that occurred on campus, which, to most of the Western World, being pro-Palestine has become synonymous with anti-semitism she was also attacked on the tone and wording during the Congressional hearing, and then when none of that stuck, these AIPAC sympathizers scrubbed every article this woman had written to find proof of plagiarism.

Radical Idea Coming Up…

The former Harvard President is a black woman in a white institution. That had always been her biggest ‘sin,’ and for anyone to say otherwise, they profit from white supremacy. The nail in this metaphorical coffin was her refusal to bow down to pro-Israel politicians’ demands.

I heard a friend once say that she would love it if there were black-only spaces. She explained that most places in the US were never made with Black People in mind, and because of that, these places prevent Black People from presenting as their best selves because of the code-switching/ masking they have to do while still not truly fitting in. 

While at that time, I didn’t really grasp this idea because I felt as if we were going back in time when we do that, as I started to understand systemic racism better, I came to the conclusion that unless the entire system is rebuilt from the ground up, these Black-Only Spaces are necessary for the well being of all Black People.

This recent event with Mrs. Gay reminded me of this moment.

Yet, There’s A Bit of Positivity

South Africa has gone to court on behalf of the Palestinian People. Gosh, there’s hope!

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Valentine’s Passed, and the Genocide is still happening.

While South Africa took Israel to the courts—The International Court of Justice at Hague—the courts did the cowardly thing and slapped Israel on the wrist. They said try not to annihilate Palestinians while you are looking for Hamas. We knew then that was not going to happen, and as I am writing this today, Israel has killed over 1,864 Palestinians since the ruling. If you are wondering, from that number, you have 690 children and 441 women.

This is where I got that information: Fifteen days after ICJ ruling, Israel’s genocide in Gaza Strip continues on the same scale [EN/AR]

Here’s the Arabic version of the report:

And That’s Not All…

The place where Palestinians sought refuge—Rafah—is now going through a ground invasion. So, imagine being told to go to the south so you can stay safe from bombings and then going there, by foot with whatever you can carry, and your family, with some of those family members being kids, elderly, disabled folk, reaching the ‘safe spot’ and then getting bombed. It makes me wonder if the hate Israel has against Hamas blinds them to the fact that in their so-called search for this group, they are killing innocent people. Or have they brainwashed themselves so well to believe that Palestinian people are not deserving of mercy and compassion? As this goes on, I believe it is the latter.

I read it in the Israeli government apologists who lump every Palestinian as being one way or another in cahoots with Hamas, which is an erroneous generalization, almost as erroneous as saying all white people are in cahoots with a white supremacist group or any other group of people being in cahoots with an extremist subgroup, which we all know that’s not true. Yet none of the powerful entities of the world has said anything to condemn the continuous acts of violence against non-combatants. 

Well, I take that back. Powerful entities have been vocal in condemning violent acts against Israeli non-combatants but silent against violent acts against Palestinian non-combatants, and I ask myself, what is the difference here?

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In this podcast episode, I delve deep into the logical fallacies that permeate social media platforms and other online spaces. It’s fascinating how these fallacies can distort arguments and discussions, leading to misinformation and confusion. I draw parallels to the infamous Russian interference in the election, as both involve manipulation and deception in order to sway opinions and influence outcomes.

One common fallacy that I explore is the ad hominem attack, where people resort to attacking the person making the argument instead of addressing the actual argument. This tactic is often used to discredit someone’s viewpoint without actually engaging with the substance of their argument. By highlighting examples of this fallacy, I hope to shed light on the importance of focusing on the content of an argument rather than resorting to personal attacks.

Another fallacy I discuss is the slippery slope argument, which is often used to make exaggerated predictions about the consequences of a certain action or decision. This fallacy can be particularly persuasive, as it plays on people’s fears and emotions. By dissecting this fallacy and showcasing how it can be misleading, I aim to empower listeners to evaluate the arguments they encounter online critically.

Throughout the episode, I provide tips on identifying and countering these logical fallacies, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning. My goal is to foster a more informed and rational discourse in the digital sphere by equipping listeners with the tools to recognize and challenge flawed arguments. So, join me as we navigate the maze of logical fallacies and uncover the truth behind the rhetoric.

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#andHumanitarianCrisis #conflictAnalysis #culturalUnderstanding #GazaConflict #geopoliticalCommentary #globalAwareness #humanRightsInGaza #internationalViewpoint #MiddleEasternPolitics #PalestinianAuthors #PalestinianPerspective #scholarlyInsights #socialJusticeIssues

Let's explore the unique dynamics between North Korea and Hamas and what it means for global defense strategies. Join the conversation here: https://www.overtoperator.com/p/northkoreahamascomparisonwarningdefense #DefenseIntelligence #GlobalSecurity #ConflictAnalysis

This is my first post on Mastodon.
Who am I? I'm L.L.M student in Public International Law at the University of Oslo. I've background in EU & International Law. In addition to those topics, I'm interested in geopolitics, conflict analysis & also data protection. Thus, you can expect hoepfully a lot of posts on those topics I'm originally from Estonia, but currently reside in Oslo, Norway.

#internationallaw #geopolitics #dataprotection #conflictanalysis