eastern front . ukraine
The Great Famine – Building the myth
On 30/11/2022 by Mario LoboAlthough both Snyder and Applebaum are presented as historians, dressing themselves up with the validity of science, truth is they never went to the extent of having their views on the 1933-32 famine validated by the scientific community: this would be done by submitting their theses to a peer revied reviewed publications.
ukraine
Von der Leyen’s hiccup
On 30/11/2022 by Mario LoboThe most recent hiccup, let’s call it hiccup, of von der Leyen has three quick readings to be made. For those not aware the European Commission published a statement by its president announcing 100 thousand dead Ukrainian soldiers, plus 20 thousand dead civilians.
belarus
Ponto Rebuçado
On 27/11/2022 by Mario LoboMas as caixas de comentário mostram outra realidade. Mostram uma realidade duma sociedade em ponto rebuçado, pronta para explodir. Entre a total ignorância sobre ser a Belarus um país independente, forçado a uma maior dependência da Rússia por via das inconsequentes sanções que lhe são impostas, e o axioma primeiro da escola de relações internacionais de Varsóvia, em que tudo o que acontece à oriente do Bug (ou mesmo do Oder) é da responsabilidade de Moscovo, o condicionado useiro da caixa de comentário salta espumando a gritar “Rússia… Rússia…”
Este caso é paradigmático da ignorância de tudo o que se passa agora na Ucrânia. Ninguém de facto sabe seja o que for desse zona da Europa. Muitos não sabiam sequer localizar a Ucrânia no mapa, muitos ainda não sabem, mas são especialistas em geopolítica. Outros sem distinguir uma pistola dum regador conhecem tudo sobre misseis.
ukraine
Da Partilha de Valores
On 15/11/2022 by Mario LoboDurante todo este tempo ouvimos repetidas vezes da boca da senhora Von Der Leyen, cuja função deveria ser a gerir a comissão e não de fazer declarações de orientação política, a apelo aos valores partilhados entre a UE e a Ucrânia. Nunca, no entanto, foram especificados quais são esses valores.
ukraine
AI-Ukraine head resignation
On 25/08/2022 by Mario LoboOksana Pokalchuk Facebook post announcing her resignation from the head post in the Kyiv Office of Amnesty International Я звільняюсь з Amnesty International в Україні. Це – ще одна втрата, яку мені принесла війна. Улюблена робота, 7 років життя, плани на мабутнє, а останні 5 місяців – ще і рятівний круг у вигляді правозахисної роботи
ukraine
Protest report AI-Ukraine
On 25/08/2022 by Mario LoboCopy of Oksana Pokalchuk’s post on Facebook, at the time head of the Ukrainian office of Amnesty International, against the organisation’s report on the Ukrainian Army war crimes Сьогодні на англомовному сайті Amnesty International вийшов матеріал, у якому критикувалися дії Збройних Сил України. Його створили на основі даних, які зібрали іноземні дослідники та дослідниці Департаменту
ukraine
Godspeed Mrs Pokalchuk
On 06/08/2022 by Mario LoboOksana Pokalchuk, head of Amnesty International in Ukraine presented her resignation (…) after “representatives of the Ukrainian office [doing] everything they could to prevent this [report] from being made public”. In her defence for trying to silence the organisation she claims to be so proud of she has worked with, Pokalchuk states that those who have “not felt this pain” of living in a country “invaders are tearing to pieces”, “don’t understand what it’s like to condemn an army of defenders”. The argument of Mrs Pokalchuck is that the eventual war crimes of committed by the Ukrainian army should not be investigated.
ukraine
Fog of war
On 21/01/2022 by Mario LoboBut even before this last hype, on November 11th, the Press Secretary of the Ukrainian president came forward to state that the presidency of Ukraine has no exact information on the number of Russian troops that might be, so gave notice the Russian version of the Deutsche Welle. The government official goes as far as to state that “[it] remains an open question why the American media disseminate such information, whether it is true.”
belarus . poland
The Bruzgi Jungle
On 09/11/2021 by Mario LoboWe can largely discuss the responsibility of Lukashenko’s regime in the crowding of this portion of the border, the Bruzgi Jungle, with thousands of pilgrims on the way to the promised Germany. Fact is most of those using the Minsk route into European Union now would eventually try their luck elsewhere. If you explain to those now living in Bruzgi that they are being instrumentalized by Lukashenko they may understand it. They may even agree with you. But they will not, for one second, stop being thankful to him for this opportunity to come closer the end of their path.
belarus . left . repository
When you come in, close the door behind you?
On 08/08/2021 by Mario LoboThe last straw for our team was the jubilation on social networks after the “export” of Iraqis from Belarus. Many of us are migrants ourselves, and we condemn attempts to promote anti-immigration sentiments within the Belarusian society.
belarus
The Strangest Thing
On 05/10/2020 by Mario LoboBut it must be accepted that the situation in Belarus seems to have come to a stalemate. There is no need to actually arrest (as in court sentence, even if administrative arrest) or even detain (as in grabbed in the street or at home) everyone. The randomness and time discrepancy (more and more cases related to past actions are happening )of detentions and, from within those, of arrests, is precisely what allows to play the long game.
belarus
Bélarus : commentaires pour la lutte sociale
On 20/08/2020 by Mario LoboCe texte est une réponse à l’analyse sur Bélarus publié sur le site Arguments pour la Lutte Sociale sous le titre Bélarus : portée, taches, perspectives (1er partie).
belarus
A Belarus
On 19/08/2020 by Mario LoboNotas para a esquerda séria portuguesa A extrema direita na Belarus representa na pior das hipóteses possível (em termos de identificação e não de militância) 2% da população. O nacionalismo bielorrusso é fabricação da RFE para consumo ocidental e não tem representatividade alguma no interior do país. A título de exemplo, não conheci nunca nenhum
belarus . eastern front
Major Tomahsenko
On 07/08/2020 by Mario LoboBig proclamations are always more likely to be hit in the face by a contradicting reality, but the events at Kyiv Square may as well be the last step into converting Belarusian opposition movement into something that intrinsically becomes part of society. The fact that Tikhanovskaya, nor Tsepkala or Kalesnikava, ever made it to Kyiv Square seems now irrelevant.
belarus
Revalucyja (noun, feminine, plural)
On 02/08/2020 by Mario LoboMaybe as a consequence of overconfidence or simply of not realising that the audience has developed more acute hearing capabilities, these adjustments sounded as if Siegfried just failed to grab Princess Odette and she smashed her face on the stage. The conductor Lukashenko rushed on to the stage to explain that a woman cannot have the main role in a country where the constitution is not adapted for a fragile woman.
belarus
Душа человека при лукашизме
On 20/07/2020 by Mario LoboВозможность продавить политические перемены обусловлены не только размером протестного движения, но и пониманием того, что существуют и другие люди, которые поддержат твои идеи. Ченовет однозначно утверждает, что все участники координированных акций, в которых будут участвовать 3,5% населения, должны четко осознавать, что помимо них, есть еще 3,49% населения, готовые в этой деятельности участвовать.
belarus . eastern front
The soul of Man under ‘Lukashenkism’
On 16/07/2020 by Mario LoboThe capability to force political change comes not from the size of the movement alone, but also from the perception that there are other people who would support the same ideas. Chenoweth is clear when she says that 3.5 per cent of the population, who are actively engaged in their respective movement for change, is needed for success to be assured: “do I, part of the 3.5 per cent, perceive that there are 3.49 per cent more out there?”
belarus
Wind of Change
On 16/06/2020 by Mario Lobo(…) at dawn on Monday the city awoke out of its lethargy of centuries with the warm, soft breeze of a great man dead and rotting grandeur. Only then did we dare go in without attacking the crumbling walls of reinforced stone, as the more resolute had wished, and without using oxbows to knock the main door off its hinges, as others had proposed, because all that was needed was for someone to give a push and the great armored doors that had resisted the bombards of William Dampier during the building’s heroic days gave way (…)
belarus
PSRER: A haven for wildlife
On 16/12/2019 by Mario LoboThe year of 1986 brought upon Belarus what is most likely the worst disaster ever caused by mankind. The territory of Belarus, with special incidence to the southwestern part of Gomel Oblast where the radioactive fallout was of magnitude not be found elsewhere. The aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster led, among many other consequences, to
belarus . thoughts
Bela-what!?
On 14/11/2019 by Mario LoboFrom a geopolitical perspective Belarus is more ready now to be seduced by the west that it ever was. Further postponing on action from the EU will only push the country into Russia – although or different reasons, similar to what happened with Moldova where Russia constitutes more and more the “escape pod”. The recent developments with the prices of oil supply show that the tension is increasing. We cannot, nonetheless, expect for Belarus to, single-handed and extremis, simply cuts bonds with Russia – winters are pretty cold in Belarus without Russian energy.
thoughts . ukraine
Ukraine: normalisation of fascism
On 14/11/2019 by Mario LoboMazur, we are informed by the Unian, works for the Commissioner for Human Rights in the scope of the Ukrainian parliament. A noble mission, in fact.
Meanwhile he is one of the leaders of the Ukrainian National Assembly, of which the Ukrainian People’s Self-Defense Party is the paramilitary branch. The UNA is a far-right political formation and the UNSO is known for it’s participation in multiple post-soviet conflicts.
thoughts . ukraine
Ukraine: On antisemitism
On 08/02/2019 by Mario LoboFurther down the text we can read that “[the] main anti-Semitic crime observed is that of vandalism, including desecration of graves, synagogues and memorials to victims of the Holocaust, with the methods including the breaking of windows, arson or anti-Semitic or neo-Nazi graffiti.”