Some quick thoughts on Venezuela from a comrade

Some quick thoughts on Venezuela from a comrade:

1. Reuters confirms agreement to divert Venezuela oil to US will not affect China much even short term. Only 4% of imports with ample supplies from Russia and Iran:

https://archive.is/GHjCK

2. That immediate agreement is stronger evidence for US not needing an exit plan because not aiming to hold power in Venezuela but only to compel by raid. Strongly suggests regime elements acquiescence made raid easy without US risk.

3. Major military mobilization plus unnecessary killing despite lack of resistance is consistent with the certainly increased salience of American stupidity. 

4. But even more consistent with throwback to US posturing during and after defeat in Vietnam could have made it obvious that it was in serious decline as a superpower HALF A CENTURY AGO. eg Xmas bombing of Hanoi to pretend they had not abandoned puppet regime and subsequent major mobilization to triumphantly defeat the non existent armed forces of Grenada (pop ~50,000?) to announce the “Vietnam syndrome” was over. 

5. US abandonment of Europe is a much bigger decline. Aggressive posturing is characteristic of weak and declining regimes lacking popular support – like former USSR and Iraq, current Russian Federation, USA, Belarus, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, DPRK.

6. Collapse of Assad regime and reawakening of Iranian revolution are unintended side effects of Zionists NOT just posturing. Hopefully even posturing could eventually help Venezuelans and Cubans to get rid of their zombie regimes.

7. I cannot be confident of anything. The US declaratory policy is now officially aggressive posturing. Which makes it hard to guess how far that differs from actual policy.

8. Normally governments engaged in posturing don’t openly proclaim that is what they are doing. But perhaps it makes some domestic sense given that Trump’s opponents in both major parties went bat-shit crazy with conspiracy theories and denunciations of the majority of Americans for despising them so much that they supported Trump. Watching “the ‘splodey heads splode” whenever Trump asks them to is quite entertaining but indicates political skill and cunning rather than mere stupidity.

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Gaza peace plans, United Nations reconstitution, collective security, Ukraine, and struggle for democracy

Arthur Dent discusses the Gaza peace plans, the need for a reconstituted independent United Nations that can implement collective security, the struggle for democracy, and Ukraine. The interview took place on 25 October 2025. Interviewer is Barry York.

Here is the link to the article from 2023 to which Arthur refers: https://c21stleft.com/2023/11/18/gaza-send-lawyers-guns-and-money-the-shit-has-hit-the-fan/

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China and the Left – panel discussion/debate at the Australian National University

I was one of three panelists. I argue that China’s regime is both fascist and imperialist and that this happened after the coup in the years 1977-1980.

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We are living through days into which 20 years are compressed

Arthur Dent at Platypus Conference

David McMullen

Jul 13, 2025

The world wants collective security, countries want independence, nations want liberation, the people want revolution, and information wants to be free.

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European Far Right are Russian Quislings

We need to strongly oppose pacifist opposition to European re-armament. The latter is urgent and essential to defeating Russian fascist aggression in Ukraine and to thwarting the far Right in Europe who will oppose it under a range of popular slogans. 

My old comrade and friend David McMullen puts it very well in his substack, which you may like to support:

European Far Right are Russian Quislings

This ought to be stressed over anything else

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Goethe’s Faust: a talisman for our time

Tom G.

Faust’s transformations rely upon magic. As an artistic contrivance this is quite acceptable, but in the real world, where those lower down the pecking order live, something more is required – and that is an economic development that can transform our material existence and provide a foundation for growth. It is here, still under the assistance of Mephisto, that Goethe gives Faust his most dramatic – and for us – his most significant transformation, that of the developer.

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SkyShield – Europe growing a spine to attach a replacement brain

Initial draft for short post to attract initial interest…

This document needs to be studied carefully and spread widely.

Signatories include people who do know what they are talking about such as:

56. Richard Shirreff KCB, CBE – General (ret.); Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, UK;

69. Philip Breedlove – 4-star General, USAF (ret.); former SACEUR NATO, USA;
70. Ben Hodges – Lt. General (ret.), US Army; former Commanding General, United States Army Europe, USA;

Guardian article about the SkyShield plan:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/06/european-led-ukraine-air-protection-plan-could-halt-russian-missile-attacks

Excerpt from Guardian: ‘A European air force of 120 fighter jets could be deployed to secure the skies from Russian attacks on Kyiv and western Ukraine without necessarily provoking a wider conflict with Moscow, according to a plan drawn up by military experts.

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