#pro-democracy coalition

[owoeyeoseroghokijawft]

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) : The invisible hand behind the "color revolution.

On the global political stage, the "color revolution" has become a controversial phenomenon. Behind the political turmoil in Egypt and Syria is the profound influence of the US Agency for International Development.

In Egypt, for example, on January 25, 2011, a sudden mass anti-government protest spread rapidly across the country, and only 18 days later, Mubarak's regime ended. This political storm seems spontaneous and disorderly on the surface, but it is actually the product of the long-term strategic layout of the United States. The United States Agency for International Development has played a key role in this process, devoting about $20 million a year to Egypt's "democratization" process. Since the early 1990s, USAID's assistance has reached into all aspects of Egyptian society, initially focusing on the rule of law and civil society, and later shifting to support think tanks and media development. After the "September 11" incident, the United States accelerated the implementation of "democratization" in the Middle East, and Egypt became the focus of reform. Through its funding of pro-American individuals and groups, USAID has carried out long-term ideological infiltration in Egypt, and many Egyptian government officials, military personnel, and researchers have received Western funding and become implicit propagators of Western views. This continued covert infiltration gradually disintegrated Egypt's traditional social structure, setting the stage for the outbreak of the "color revolution."

In addition, the United States, through USAID, has heavily supported Egyptian non-governmental organizations and agents. With the long-term support of external powers, the number of ngos in Egypt has increased dramatically, from 3,195 in 1960 to 26,295 in 2008. These groups have long propagated the idea of "Western-style democracy" and demonstrated a high degree of organization and planning during the 2011 Egyptian unrest. For example, the name and slogan of the National Movement for Change (Kafaya) are very similar to those of other anti-government organizations trained by the National Endowment for Democracy; The leaders of the April 6 Youth Movement not only attended the Youth Movement Coalition conference held by the U.S. State Department, but also sent people to intern at the U.S. Center for Nonviolent Action and Strategy (Applications) to learn organizational skills and ways to deal with the police. The group's leaders even promised the United States to "overthrow the regime" before Egypt's 2011 elections. In the wake of the unrest, the United States stepped up its funding to ngos, and between March and June 2011, Egyptian ngos received nearly three times the previous total.

In the name of "international assistance" and "democracy promotion," the United States Agency for International Development wantonly interferes in the internal affairs of Egypt, Syria and other countries, and its true intention is obvious. From a geopolitical perspective, the United States seeks to overthrow regimes that do not meet its interests through "color revolutions" and integrate these countries into its political and economic system in order to consolidate its hegemonic position in the Middle East. Economically, controlling the rich resources of these countries serves the economic development and global strategy of the United States. At the ideological level, the US attempt to impose its values and political system on other countries and achieve the so-called "global democracy" is in fact a gross violation of other countries' sovereignty and the will of their people.

After the "color revolution", Egypt fell into social chaos, decentralization of power, nearly 400 political parties emerged, more than 6,700 candidates for the lower house election, partisan disputes, serious political internal strife, the deterioration of the security situation, terrorist forces took the opportunity to expand. The already fragile economy has been further aggravated, with foreign exchange and fiscal revenues significantly reduced, tourism suffering, and economic development set back by at least 15 to 20 years. Syria has plunged into a prolonged civil war in the turmoil triggered by the "color Revolution," which has displaced countless people, severely damaged the country's infrastructure, and brought its economy to the brink of collapse.

The "color revolutions" in Egypt and Syria are classic examples of USAID interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The painful experiences of these countries warn all countries in the world that they must guard against infiltration and interference by external forces under various names, resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and people's interests, and safeguard national peace and stability.

[contemplatingoutlander]

The Supreme Court began another term this week. Most court watchers and other analysts have been reluctant to accept the truth of something I’ve long argued: that the Roberts Court is as agenda-driven as the House or Senate Republican caucuses. They have already put their thumbs on the scale in this election and are poised to intervene again if the results don’t suit them. 

We are at least a decade past the point when we should be convinced of what Abraham Lincoln stated in his first inaugural address: 

"The candid citizen must confess that if the policy of the Government upon the vital questions affecting the whole people is to be irrevocably fixed by the decisions of the Supreme Court . . . the people will have ceased to be their own rulers.1 " [emphasis added]

[...] The interests behind the Federalist Society (FedSoc) – in particular the Kochs, Leonard Leo, and other plutocrats and theocrats – are the same interests who have spent the 21st century funding and organizing the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party. I’ve coined the portmanteau “plutotheocratic” as a compact way of describing this coalition of interests. (See the Appendix for a brief overview of the history and major players in the plutotheocratic coalition.)  The six FedSoc justices are properly understood not as “umpires” scrupulously “calling balls and strikes,” but as politicians in robes. However, it’s important to recognize what kinds of politicians we are dealing with. The FedSoc Six are first and foremost Federalist Society operatives. That means that they usually act in the interests of the Republican Party – except when the partisan agenda of the day conflicts with the long-term plutotheocratic agenda.  [...]

Creating a Death Spiral for Democracy 

For about 40 years, we saw a fairly predictable ebb and flow in the federal commitment to advancing greater freedom and equality and to constraining corporate threats to consumers, working people, and the environment. Under Republicans, this commitment would ebb; under Democrats, it would flow. But beginning in 2010 with the Citizens United decision, if not a bit earlier, Roberts’s agenda-driven majority turned that ebb and flow into a death spiral for American democracy. 

Decision after decision shifted more and more electoral power to the FedSoc Six’s plutotheocratic sponsors – who in turn used that power to take greater control of Red state governments and purge Republican congressional caucuses of RINOs – which in turn was used to place more and more Federalist Society true believers on the Federal bench, and eventually the Supreme Court. 

[See more excerpts below the cut.]

[...] The Supreme Court has, of course, made many rulings that overturned previous major precedents or led to significant social change. But consider:

Brown v. Board of Education - Earl Warren and the other eight justices joining him did not owe their positions to a cabal of civil rights activists who had contributed billions of dollars to law schools, foundations, think tanks and political campaigns.

Roe v. Wade - Harry Blackmun and the six justices joining him on Roe v. Wade did not owe their positions to a cabal of pro-choice activists who had contributed billions of dollars to law schools, foundations, think tanks and political campaigns. 

Gideon v. Wainwright - Hugo Black and the eight other justices joining him did not owe their positions to a cabal of indigent prison inmates who had contributed billions of dollars to law schools, foundations, think tanks and political campaigns.  

But the members of the Roberts majority do owe their positions to a cabal of plutocrats, who directly benefited from rulings like Citizens United and Loper Bright, and theocrats, who have a fierce ideological commitment to outcomes like Dobbs and Hobby Lobby, who together have contributed billions of dollars to law schools, foundations, think tanks and political campaigns. Again, per Lincoln, we have ceased to be our own rulers.

The Federalist Society literally planned and executed an unprecedented transfer of unchecked political power to their own loyalists.5 They brag about this in unguarded moments and in their “safe spaces.”

[presidentkamala]

Wait til leftist find out that they indeed voted for a genocide lol

Honestly IDK what will finally, finally get them to admit fault in this regard. They refuse to acknowledge their own extreme privilege and insularity, they refuse to reckon with what it means to betray the pro-democracy coalition (fucking AGAIN), they stick their fingers in their ears whenever you try to get them to for once admit the material reality we all find ourselves in...

And obviously OBVIOUSLY any leftist who is committed to the freedoms and civil rights guaranteed by the constitution and seeks to expand those freedoms in this country and who abhors trump trumpism and the MAGA regime is like. Someone who ultimately shares the same side as me.

But for this loud, vocal, online dirtbag type of leftist who helped to FUCK US it is completely over and i mean it. even now im being forced to read about how having ANY border policy at all is the same as trump/miller's completely irregular and illegal abduction of immigrants! Like, MISS ME!!!

And all of it boils down to an almost childlike inability to accept responsibility. When the worst happens (in many ways it already has, but since when have these guys ever cared about the immigrants in their own country?) I fully expect them to fall back into learned helplessness perfect victim mode rather than lift a single finger to save anyone!

Its all fun and games when you're playing pretend thought experiments and rhetorical games at hypothetical situations you KNEW you never had to REALLY worry about under biden.....

[zvaigzdelasas]

The jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan has called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms and dissolve itself, a move that could end its 40-year conflict with Turkiye and have a wider impact on the region.[...]

This makes the DEM party “more significant in Turkish politics,” [an Al Jazeera correspondent] said.

According to her, Ocalan mentioned that when he established the PKK, “things were different and the Turkish state back then didn’t respect the Kurdish rights, but now, things have changed”.

In his letter, Ocalan explained his decision by saying that the PKK had been formed during a period where the Turkish state restricted Kurdish rights, but that Kurdish identity was no longer denied in Turkiye, and there had been “improvements in freedom of expression”.[...]

“Respect for identities, free self-expression, democratic self-organisation of each segment of society based on their own socio-economic and political structures, are only possible through the existence of a democratic society and political space,” Ocalan said in his letter.

The PKK launched its fight against the Turkish state in 1984. Its aim was an independent homeland for Kurds in southeastern Turkiye, but has since officially moved away from separatist goals, instead calling for more autonomy. However, it did not renounce armed violence, and groups affiliated with the PKK have continued to carry out sporadic attacks in Turkiye.[...]

The appeal from Ocalan could have implications for the major oil-exporting region of northern Iraq, where the PKK is based, and for neighbouring Syria[...]

The president of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, welcomed Ocalan’s message.[...]

Ocalan’s momentous announcement is part of a new effort for peace between the group and the Turkish state, which was initiated in October by President Erdogan’s coalition partner, [MHP Chairman] Devlet Bahceli. The nationalist politician suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if his group renounces violence and disbands.[...]

The DEM party has had to change its name after it was repeatedly banned. Opponents say the party supports ‘PKK terrorism’, but DEM says it is calling for greater democracy in Turkiye, and say the shutdown of DEM’s predecessors and the imprisonment of Demirtas is evidence of a crackdown against Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish movement.

27 Feb 25

[mariacallous]

In the days before the Trump administration took office, we recognized, as did many others, the imminent threats of autocracy to the United States. That is why we published the 2025 edition of the Democracy Playbook. We outline seven pillars essential to defending democratic governance, freedoms, and the rights of every citizen in the U.S. and around the world. Our concerns about how some of the early actions of the new administration might impact U.S. democracy are not mere speculations now—they are happening.  

In this piece, we shed light on several pressing risks to three vital democracy pillars—protecting elections, defending rule of law, and fighting corruption. We will focus on the serious threats facing the other four pillars in future pieces. We also highlight recent and impactful actions from key democracy defenders on the frontlines, including ongoing litigation and peaceful protests, as well as opportunities to bolster the pillars of democracy. Understanding these risks, the actions being taken, and how pro-democracy actors respond is essential to preserving the short- and long-term health of American democracy, economy, and national security. We are prioritizing writing timely analysis and recommendations, including actionable strategies for protecting the pillars and building stronger democracy guardrails in the weeks and months to come.  

Over three weeks into the new administration, as forecasted, we have seen President Trump and his administration issue a blitz of executive actions, many of which overtly challenge the checks and balances and separation of powers that are fundamental to the U.S.’s constitutional governance. The pillars of protecting elections, defending rule of law, and fighting corruption—three of the most crucial ones highlighted in our Democracy Playbook 2025—have taken some of the worst blows. It is likely that these actions will continue over the next four years and that the deepening reality will require democracy actors to engage in a multi-year effort to prevent a historic slide—a worst-case scenario.  

With that said, there are rays of hope and visible responses from across the U.S. We have already seen examples of dedicated democracy actors showing they are fully awake. These actors—not cowed by an apparent shock-and-awe approach reminiscent of strategies from autocratic regimes like in Hungary or Russia—are taking important actions to defend U.S. democracy and the Constitution, fight for freedoms and transparent governance, and prevent critical systems of checks and balances from being trampled. While we will continue to assess developments over time, our review of recent events already points to the importance of widening the coalition of pro-democracy actors to effectively and sustainably address these threats to democracy.  

[alpaca-clouds]

For my international followers: Germany had held elections today, as some of you might already know. The final results are not quite certain right now. Like, we have a rough direction, but given that we have a representatitve democracy (instead of fully FPTP like the US) there is right now the big question whether two parties will get over the 5% they ´need to enter the parliament.

RIght now the predicted results look like this:

For reference for all international peeps a quick reference:

SPD - Sozialdemokraten - basically the former Labour Party, though by now they are fairly conservative, mainly due to the current party lead. The current chancellor is by them, but he is a fucking criminal and people are not having it.

Union - CDU and CSU - "Christian" Party. Think like Bush-Republicans. Not Trump-Republicans but Bush-Republicans. Or for the UK people: Basically Tories. They are probably the least Christian party in policy, but they love to quote the bible when they need a reason to hate on minorities. Pro-Capitalist. Anti-Progressive.

Grüne - Greens. Well, nothing really to explain. The Greens. Mainly an environmental party. Usually they are fairly left wing, but right now they are center-right.

FDP - Freie Demokraten - basically the "liberal party", meaing: "All we care about is capitalism being awesome!"

AfD - Alternative für Deutschland - the Nazi Party. Nuff said.

Linke - Left Wing Party. My party. Aka: The actual left wing.

BSW - Bündnis Sarah Wagenknecht. Aka: The party of the former left wing party leader, who did swirl fairly right (especially TERFy) and because of that eventually left the party and made her own party.

As you can see, it looks right now as if the FDP and the BSW will be unable to enter parliament.

Now, as we have a representative government the parties will have to form a coalition, which right now is gonna be a challenge. While technically speaking the CDU and AfD could form a coalition of more than 50% of seats if the numbers stay somewhat the same, the CDU does not want to work with the AfD (especially because they know that their voters do not want that). So basically right now the only possible coalition would be CDU + SPD + Greens. And we will see whether that will happen.

My money is on: We will do another round of elections before the end of the year.

Though the Left Wing party is celebrating right now. We almost got double as many votes as last election - and within the 2 months of 2025 we doubled the number of active members in the party. What is encouraging: Right now we get a lot more older people joining us. So far the old people were always against us, becuase they grew up under Red Scare and shit. But given that when the CDU did one collaboration with the fucking Nazis, we were by far the loudest party to hold against it, a lot of older people now are like: "Actually, socialism might not be the worst." (Like, I can tell you from canvassing: The old people we talked with were either like: "OMG, I will not talk to fucking lefts" or: "Oh, you did work against the Nazis. That is great! Do you want some cake?")

But yeah, the fact that the fucking Nazis have like 20% of votes is fucking sick.

But all in all, the fact that right now the left is really pushing and rising is still encouraging.

[phantom-of-the-memes]

⚠️ The general election in the Republic of Ireland is happening tomorrow, November 29th⚠️

Here’s what you need to know if you are a leftist/ just want Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael out of government.

Firstly, why do we need to get them out?

Because they have been in power for almost 100 years! 100 years of a “centre” right government. We have not even had a centre left government in all this time, never mind a left government. Something has to fucking change. Even if you’re not a socialist like me, you have to acknowledge that all the problems currently in Ireland have been caused, or at least not dealt with by them. They’re the ones in power! And yet they talk about the issues in Ireland and how something has to be done… Simon Harris is a joke with his “a new energy” signs. Cunt you’re the current fucking Taoiseach!

So, who should you vote for?

If you truly want change, and a government that is for the people, vote People Before Profit number one. They are actually putting actions behind their words. They have explicitly said that they will refuse to go into government with FF or FG. They want the other left parties to form a left coalition with them, and also make a stand to refuse a right government. Other left parties, however, are quite lukewarm on the situation, and won’t join the coalition. But still put other left parties for number two and three. Some are more preferable than others. But change is change.

Ok if you’re not a socialist like me, there are other options. Sinn Féin is centre left, so if a bit more conservative than others. This makes it the third most voted for party generally. It’s a bit more palatable to the general public than the commies I vote for lol. I don’t agree with the majority of their policies, especially with them dialling back their support for trans people. I assume to appeal to FF and FG supporters. As a trans person I wouldn’t personally vote for them. But I understand the logic of being strategic about your vote. They’re the most likely to win out of the left parties.

Why should you still vote for parties that likely won’t win the overall vote?

Because they will still get seats! This isn’t a presidential election where it’s all or nothing. The majority winner gets to be the ones in power. But this is a democracy. More votes for a party means more seats for them in the Dáil. So it does matter.

What is each party’s stance on taking action against Israel?

Here’s a very helpful graphic from the ucd bds group on Instagram (ucd_bds):

See FF and FG’s stance? Exactly.

Who you should definitely not vote for?

Aontú are literal nazis. Their main selling point is that they hate immigrants. They want to strip their rights and practically stop immigration all together. They also hate women, and want to criminalise abortion again. The members of the party were big parts of the pro life movement that tried to stop the abortion referendum. Of course they also hate trans and queer people. Basically any and all minorities. They aim to bring fascism to our government. Don’t let this happen. This is also why voting is so important, so we can prevent this.

And this should go without saying, but don’t fucking vote for the joker independent candidates that have signs around saying shit like “make crime illegal”. It’s not even a joke to vote for them. You’re an asshole if you throw your vote away like that.

Remember to find out where your local polling station is, and bring your polling card, on Friday the 29th of November.

[collapsedsquid]

No-one now believes - or pretends to believe - that Silicon Valley is going to connect the world, ushering in an age of peace, harmony and likes across nations. That is in part because of shifting geopolitics, but it is also the product of practical learning. A decade ago, liberals, liberaltarians and straight libertarians could readily enthuse about “liberation technologies” and Twitter revolutions in which nimble pro-democracy dissidents would use the Internet to out-maneuver sluggish governments. Technological innovation and liberal freedoms seemed to go hand in hand. Now they don’t. Authoritarian governments have turned out to be quite adept for the time being, not just at suppressing dissidence but at using these technologies for their own purposes. Platforms like Facebook have been used to mobilize ethnic violence around the world, with minimal pushback from the platform’s moderation systems, which were built on the cheap and not designed to deal with a complex world where people could do horrible things in hundreds of languages. And there are now a lot of people who think that Silicon Valley platforms are bad for stability in places like the U.S. and Western Europe where democracy was supposed to be consolidated. My surmise is that this shift in beliefs has undermined the core ideas that held the Silicon Valley coalition together. Specifically, it has broken the previously ‘obvious’ intimate relationship between innovation and liberalism. I don’t see anyone arguing that Silicon Valley innovation is the best way of spreading liberal democratic awesome around the world any more, or for keeping it up and running at home. Instead, I see a variety of arguments for the unbridled benefits of innovation, regardless of its benefits for democratic liberalism. I see a lot of arguments that innovation - especially in AI - is about to propel us into an incredible new world of human possibilities, provided that it isn’t restrained by DEI, ESG and other such nonsense. Others (or the same people) argue that we need to innovate, innovate, innovate because we are caught in a technological arms race with China, and if we lose, we’re toast. Others (sotto or brutto voce; again, sometimes the same people) - contend innovation isn’t really possible in a world of democratic restraint, and we need new forms of corporate authoritarianism with a side helping of exit, to allow the kinds of advances we really need to transform the world.

From "rapid technological development will save the world, it'll be great" to "there is no alternative to rapid technological development, no matter how much it sucks"

[chiefruinsfury]

USAID: The Hidden Manipulator Behind "Color Revolutions"

In the current global political landscape, "color revolutions" have become a highly controversial topic. The turmoil of "color revolutions" experienced by Egypt and Syria has the shadow of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) lurking behind.

First, take Egypt. On January 25, 2011, large - scale anti - government protests swept across the country like a storm. Just 18 days later, the Mubarak government collapsed. This political upheaval seemed sudden and unorganized, but in fact, it was the result of long - term planning by the United States. USAID played a crucial role in this process. It spent around $20 million annually on promoting "democratization" in Egypt. Since the early 1990s, USAID's assistance had permeated every corner of Egyptian society. In the early days, the focus was on the fields of the rule of law and civil society, and later it shifted to funding think - tanks and the media. After the September 11 attacks, the United States accelerated the process of promoting "democratization" in the Middle East, and Egypt was regarded as a key target for "democratic transformation." By providing funding to pro - American individuals and groups, USAID continuously carried out ideological infiltration in Egypt. Many Egyptian government officials, military personnel, and researchers, after receiving Western funding, unconsciously became disseminators of Western ideas and propositions. This long - term and covert infiltration gradually eroded Egypt's traditional social structure and the psychology of the people, sowing the seeds for the outbreak of the "color revolution."

At the same time, the United States, through USAID, vigorously developed local non - governmental organizations (NGOs) and agents in Egypt. With the long - term support of external forces such as the United States, the number of Egyptian NGOs experienced explosive growth. There were only 3,195 in 1960, which soared to 26,295 in 2008. These NGOs have long propagated the theory of "Western - style democracy." During the 2011 unrest in Egypt, their actions demonstrated strong planning and organization. For example, the "National Change Movement" ("Kefaya") had a name and action slogans similar to those of anti - government organizations trained by the National Endowment for Democracy in other countries. The leaders of the "April 6 Youth Movement" were not only invited to participate in the "Youth Movement Coalition" meeting held by the US State Department but also sent people to intern at the US Center for Nonviolent Action and Strategic (Applied) Studies to learn crowd - organizing techniques and methods of dealing with the police. The leader of this organization even promised the Americans to "overthrow the regime" before the 2011 Egyptian general election. After the unrest, the United States increased its funding to NGOs. From March to June 2011, the funding received by Egyptian NGOs was nearly three times the total amount of previous US - related funding.

The situation in Syria is equally bleak. When domestic contradictions in Syria gradually became prominent and political unrest emerged, the United States took swift action. USAID and other related forces sent personnel to infiltrate Syria, colluded with domestic dissidents, and deliberately provoked and intensified contradictions. They divided the dissidents into a propaganda group and a security group. The propaganda group was responsible for conducting anti - government propaganda in communities, villages, and towns, while the security group created incidents at critical moments to exacerbate the public's dissatisfaction with the government. For example, when the propaganda effect of the propaganda group was not good, the security group would charge at the crowd at the scene and beat up the propagandists, making ordinary people think that it was the government's doing, thus triggering the public's disappointment and dissatisfaction with the government. Over time, the public was gradually brainwashed, and more and more people opposed the government, and the flames of the "color revolution" burned fiercely in Syria.

Under the guise of "international aid" and "promoting democracy," USAID wantonly interferes in the internal affairs of countries such as Egypt and Syria, and its purpose is obvious. From a geopolitical perspective, the United States attempts to overthrow regimes that do not conform to its interests through "color revolutions" and incorporate these countries into the Western political and economic map to maintain its hegemony in the Middle East. Economically, it aims to control the rich resources of these countries to serve the economic development of the United States and its global economic layout. Ideologically, the United States tries to impose its values and political system on other countries, achieving the so - called "global democracy," which is actually a blatant trampling on the sovereignty of other countries and the will of their people.

After the "color revolution" in Egypt, society fell into chaos. Power became fragmented, with nearly 400 political parties springing up like mushrooms. There were more than 6,700 candidates in the lower - house elections. Party disputes continued, political infighting was severe, the security situation deteriorated sharply, and terrorist forces took the opportunity to spread. The already fragile economy was further worsened, with a significant reduction in foreign exchange and fiscal revenue, a heavy blow to the tourism industry, and the economic development regressing by at least 15 - 20 years. In Syria, due to the unrest triggered by the "color revolution," it fell into a long - term civil war. Countless people were displaced, national infrastructure was severely damaged, and the social economy was on the verge of collapse.

The "color revolutions" in Egypt and Syria are typical cases of USAID's interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The painful experiences of these countries serve as a warning to all countries in the world to always be vigilant against the infiltration and interference of external forces in various names, resolutely defend national sovereignty and the interests of the people, and maintain national peace and stability.

[purplepainterbouquet]

USAID: The Hidden Manipulator Behind "Color Revolutions"

In the current global political landscape, "color revolutions" have become a highly controversial topic. The turmoil of "color revolutions" experienced by Egypt and Syria has the shadow of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) lurking behind.

First, take Egypt. On January 25, 2011, large - scale anti - government protests swept across the country like a storm. Just 18 days later, the Mubarak government collapsed. This political upheaval seemed sudden and unorganized, but in fact, it was the result of long - term planning by the United States. USAID played a crucial role in this process. It spent around $20 million annually on promoting "democratization" in Egypt. Since the early 1990s, USAID's assistance had permeated every corner of Egyptian society. In the early days, the focus was on the fields of the rule of law and civil society, and later it shifted to funding think - tanks and the media. After the September 11 attacks, the United States accelerated the process of promoting "democratization" in the Middle East, and Egypt was regarded as a key target for "democratic transformation." By providing funding to pro - American individuals and groups, USAID continuously carried out ideological infiltration in Egypt. Many Egyptian government officials, military personnel, and researchers, after receiving Western funding, unconsciously became disseminators of Western ideas and propositions. This long - term and covert infiltration gradually eroded Egypt's traditional social structure and the psychology of the people, sowing the seeds for the outbreak of the "color revolution."

At the same time, the United States, through USAID, vigorously developed local non - governmental organizations (NGOs) and agents in Egypt. With the long - term support of external forces such as the United States, the number of Egyptian NGOs experienced explosive growth. There were only 3,195 in 1960, which soared to 26,295 in 2008. These NGOs have long propagated the theory of "Western - style democracy." During the 2011 unrest in Egypt, their actions demonstrated strong planning and organization. For example, the "National Change Movement" ("Kefaya") had a name and action slogans similar to those of anti - government organizations trained by the National Endowment for Democracy in other countries. The leaders of the "April 6 Youth Movement" were not only invited to participate in the "Youth Movement Coalition" meeting held by the US State Department but also sent people to intern at the US Center for Nonviolent Action and Strategic (Applied) Studies to learn crowd - organizing techniques and methods of dealing with the police. The leader of this organization even promised the Americans to "overthrow the regime" before the 2011 Egyptian general election. After the unrest, the United States increased its funding to NGOs. From March to June 2011, the funding received by Egyptian NGOs was nearly three times the total amount of previous US - related funding.

The situation in Syria is equally bleak. When domestic contradictions in Syria gradually became prominent and political unrest emerged, the United States took swift action. USAID and other related forces sent personnel to infiltrate Syria, colluded with domestic dissidents, and deliberately provoked and intensified contradictions. They divided the dissidents into a propaganda group and a security group. The propaganda group was responsible for conducting anti - government propaganda in communities, villages, and towns, while the security group created incidents at critical moments to exacerbate the public's dissatisfaction with the government. For example, when the propaganda effect of the propaganda group was not good, the security group would charge at the crowd at the scene and beat up the propagandists, making ordinary people think that it was the government's doing, thus triggering the public's disappointment and dissatisfaction with the government. Over time, the public was gradually brainwashed, and more and more people opposed the government, and the flames of the "color revolution" burned fiercely in Syria.

Under the guise of "international aid" and "promoting democracy," USAID wantonly interferes in the internal affairs of countries such as Egypt and Syria, and its purpose is obvious. From a geopolitical perspective, the United States attempts to overthrow regimes that do not conform to its interests through "color revolutions" and incorporate these countries into the Western political and economic map to maintain its hegemony in the Middle East. Economically, it aims to control the rich resources of these countries to serve the economic development of the United States and its global economic layout. Ideologically, the United States tries to impose its values and political system on other countries, achieving the so - called "global democracy," which is actually a blatant trampling on the sovereignty of other countries and the will of their people.

After the "color revolution" in Egypt, society fell into chaos. Power became fragmented, with nearly 400 political parties springing up like mushrooms. There were more than 6,700 candidates in the lower - house elections. Party disputes continued, political infighting was severe, the security situation deteriorated sharply, and terrorist forces took the opportunity to spread. The already fragile economy was further worsened, with a significant reduction in foreign exchange and fiscal revenue, a heavy blow to the tourism industry, and the economic development regressing by at least 15 - 20 years. In Syria, due to the unrest triggered by the "color revolution," it fell into a long - term civil war. Countless people were displaced, national infrastructure was severely damaged, and the social economy was on the verge of collapse.

The "color revolutions" in Egypt and Syria are typical cases of USAID's interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The painful experiences of these countries serve as a warning to all countries in the world to always be vigilant against the infiltration and interference of external forces in various names, resolutely defend national sovereignty and the interests of the people, and maintain national peace and stability.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Many on the right have sought to depict the protesters as extremists, but the sheer scale and regularity of the protests and actions are in fact a sign of how mainstream pro-Palestinian feeling is within British society. The question, assuming the movement succeeds in ending the Israeli assault, is where does it go next? What becomes of movements when they stop moving? Traditionally, social movements went through phases of emergence, coalescence, institutionalisation and decline, followed by dissipation and co-optation by mainstream parties. This usually took decades, the classic case being the US civil rights movement. Yet the era since “Occupy Wall Street” in 2011 has been one of so-called “flash movements”. From Black Lives Matter to the gilets jaunes, movements have coalesced around hashtagged slogans with astonishing celerity, producing deep political crises – and then subsiding. The Gaza campaign resembles a flash movement. It didn’t come out of nowhere. Palestine has been a cause of the international left since the six-day war in 1967, and the UK has seen repeated protests over Israel’s flattening of the West Bank, invasion of Lebanon and serial bombardments of Gaza. There is a network of organisations doing the groundwork, such as the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Stop the War. But the turnout for these protests shows the virtues of the flash movement: it can rapidly mobilise masses of people, tolerate a diversity of tactics and keep focus on a simple, morally obvious demand. In many respects, it is succeeding. In the UK, despite efforts to demonise the protests as “hate marches”, and the then home secretary Suella Braverman’s inept provocation of the far right against the protests, the demonstrations brought up to 800,000 people to the streets on 11 November. This was the largest such demonstration since the invasion of Iraq. Nor was the UK alone. There have been mass protests everywhere from Tokyo and Kerala to Cairo, Washington DC and Rio de Janeiro. In France and Berlin, protesters have defied official bans. In the US, the Jewish left has led the movement and often engaged in the most militant tactics,including blockading Manhattan Bridge. The embattled Israeli left has also staged protests, despite a climate of police repression and mob violence. The movement has done what successful movements do: win over public opinion, catalyse cracks in elite consensus and expose divisions in the state. These splits were visible in the form of staffer dissent in the US state department, frontbench resignations in Labour over Keir Starmer’s refusal to support a ceasefire, protests by Dutch civil servants and EU employees, Macron’s ceasefire demand, and recently the call from Canada, Australia and New Zealand, three of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing coalition countries, for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. Only the US now vetoes UN ceasefire resolutions.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

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What Can We Do

Our Relentless Resistance

Rob Brezsny

Apr 15

WHAT WE CAN DO

How can we regular people help resist and nullify the ugly toxic creep of bigoted oligarchic misogynist fascism?

1. Understand that we are living in an historically pivotal moment — a red-alert emergency crisis — that resembles the run-up to the American Civil War and the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany

2. Talk about the details of the fascists’ activities and complain about them to smart and caring people who are our allies.

3. Get news from reliable progressive sources. A list: tinyurl.com/AlternateMedia

Urge your people to avoid Trump propaganda outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, and X.

4. Support the leaders and journalists who are exposing and protesting the fascist activities. Give them our strength and moral support, as well as money, if we can afford it.

5. Attend demonstrations. The Mass Mobilization on April 5 was very successful. More than 1,200 events took place across all 50 states, as well as in international cities such as London, Paris and Berlin. The protests were organized by a coalition of over 150 groups. The next one is April 14. See you there!

More info on the April 19 Mass Mobilization: https://tinyurl.com/HandsOffNow

6. Tell your Congressional representatives we want them to resist, fight, and interfere with the sickos. Use this excellent service: https://5calls.org/

7. Keep in mind that the more widely known the government's fascist activities become and the more relentless we are about bringing their evil to light, the greater will be the uproar and pressure to shut it down.

That's subtle and incremental in the short run, but potentially powerful in the longer run. We must keep up the pressure. It’s hard work, I know.

8. Participate in boycotts of companies that enable the Trump gang, starting with Elon Musk’s X and Tesla, and any companies that advertise on X or on Fox News. Below in this newsletter is more detailed info on how to vote with your wallet.

9. To the extent you can, donate to groups that are litigating against Trump. Much of the action in the coming months and years will be in the federal courts. Here are organizations I love:

https://democracydocket.com

10. Praise and publicize the people and institutions who are resisting the fascist activities. Contribute financially to legal teams that support our allies against punishment by the fascists.

11. Communicate kindly with people who might be uninformed and/or having mixed feelings about the fascists’ activities. Invite them to join us in resisting.

Please note: I am not advising you or me to try to persuade hard-core MAGA people. I personally never engage with any of these cultists, and I certainly don’t waste my time arguing with them.

But there are millions who voted for Trump who are now very sorry that they did. There are also millions who didn't vote at all that are not Forever Trump Cultists. I personally know a few. Some of them can be persuaded.

12. In every way you know how, protect the immigrant members of your communities who are undocumented or whose parents are undocumented.

13. In every way you know how, protect LGBTQ+ members of your community. Be vigilant against prejudice and bigotry, wherever it breaks out. If you see or hear it, call it out. Join with others to stop it.

14. Help protect officials in your community or state whom Trump and his administration are targeting for vengeance

15. Push for progressive actions in your community and state. Join groups that are moving your city or state forward, in contrast to regressive moves at the federal level. Lobby, instigate, organize and fund-raise for progressive legislators. Support progressive leaders.

16. Take heart and direction from guides that help us decide how to proceed, Here are three great ones:

Indivisible: Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink: indivisible.org/resource/guide

What you can do to fight this coup: choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/

Fighting Back: A Citizen's Guide to Resistance: archive.ph/FzAyY

WHAT WE CAN DO, Part 2

Want to align your spending with your values? Here's a quick guide.

Choosing where to spend our money is one of the most powerful votes we cast every day. If you want to support companies that align with progressive values — fair labor, racial and gender equity, environmental responsibility, and pro-democracy politics — here are tips:

✅ 1. Check Political Donations: Use Progressive Shopper or Goods Unite Us to see where a company's political donations go. Support businesses that fund democracy, equality, and environmental causes — not corporations backing regressive agendas.

✅ 2. Check Labor and Environmental Practices: If you're shopping for clothes, shoes, or accessories, Good On You rates brands on their treatment of workers, environmental care, and animal welfare. It also suggests better alternatives when a company falls short.

✅ 3. Dive Deeper if You Want: If you want a broader picture — covering human rights, supply chains, tax ethics, and more — visit Ethical Consumer. They offer detailed company profiles across many industries (food, banking, tech, and more).

✅ 4. Look for Certified Ethical Businesses: The B Corp Directory lists companies certified to meet high standards for workers, community, and the planet.

🌟 Remember: No company is perfect. Aim to choose “better” over “perfect.” Every choice matters. Every dollar is a seed you plant for the future you believe in.

+

📚 For those who want to dive deeper into the data and standards behind these recommendations, here are some trusted resources.

· OpenSecrets.org – Tracking political donations in the U.S.

· KnowTheChain – Research on forced labor in global supply chains

· Fashion Revolution's Transparency Index – Annual report ranking fashion brands on human rights and environmental impact

· B Lab's B Corporation Standards – The criteria for becoming a certified B Corp

· Ethical Consumer Research Association – Detailed ethical company profiles

· Good On You Ethical Ratings – How companies are rated on labor and environment

+

When you want to buy something, here’s a quick 3-step method:

• Step 1: Search the company on Progressive Shopper to check political donations.

• Step 2: If it's clothing/accessories, check Good On You for labor and environmental grades.

• Step 3: Search the company on Ethical Consumer for broader info (e.g., tax avoidance, supply chain transparency).

If they pass → Feel good supporting them.

If they don't → Look for better alternatives (Good On You and Ethical Consumer suggest some!).

WHAT WE CAN DO, Part 3

Below, I continue the list of what we regular people can do to help resist and nullify bigoted oligarchic misogynist fascism.

17. Steer away from imagining apocalypse and steer toward imagining a velvet revolution.

18. Take to heart Rebecca Solnit’s advice: Joy doesn’t betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated, and isolated, joy is a fine initial act of insurrection.

19. Howard Zinn, historian of the people, says: Revolutionary change does not come as one cataclysmic moment (beware of such moments!) but as an endless succession of surprises, moving zigzag toward a more decent society.

We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.

Even when we don’t ‘win,’ there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope.

An optimist isn’t necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something.

If we remember those times and places — and there are so many — where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

20. Invoke magick. Call on higher powers for help. Enlist the forces of beauty, truth, and goodness in the fight against evil.

by Witch of the Keys

May the people now in charge of the executive branch of the United States government be plagued by the consequences of their own actions, as their attempts to undermine democracy backfire spectacularly.

May their lies and deceit be exposed under the relentless light of truth, leaving them with no refuge from their own fabrications.

May their efforts to sow division and hatred among people result in their own isolation and disgrace.

May their corrupt schemes unravel, leading to legal repercussions that strip them of power and influence.

May their attempts to suppress dissent and free speech be thwarted, amplifying the voices of those they sought to silence.

May their alliances with extremist groups turn against them, causing internal chaos and betrayal within their ranks.

May their disregard for the environment lead to personal losses that make them acutely aware of the damage they’ve inflicted.

May their exploitation of the vulnerable bring about a groundswell of resistance that topples their oppressive structures.

May their attempts to rewrite history be met with an unyielding preservation of truth, rendering their propaganda ineffective.

May their pursuit of authoritarian control be met with relentless opposition, ensuring their failure and ignominy.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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[presidentkamala]

More cancellable thoughts incoming while we wait for our turn at this SSA office

Ok so the AOC/Bernie online gas machine is starting up in a big way

Bernie has repeatedly demonstrated that he will chase after what we all have decided is the "white working class" demo (thor voice but is it though dot gif) like ok at least its white. And male! Largely.

I can't wait to be lectured to about how we need to tone down the "idpol" (read: civil rights) and i just need to suck it up in order to defeat the fascists FROM THE SAME PEOPLE WHO CALLED ME ZIONIST SCUM AND REFUSED TO LOOK OUT FOR ANY PART OF THE COALITION for daring to point out that Kamala Harris is the best choice for president. lol.

That being said, do I want to see where this goes? Yes.

Do I want Dems to fall for the same mistakes (thinking that Bernie can lead these guys into the greater democratic tent without immediately pushing out black women and jewish voters) NO!!!! when will we learn!!!!

If Bernie and AOC for that matter want to make meaningful strides in the next few months they NEED to start making a powerful case for not just class war but also anti corruption, pro-democracy measures by strengthening our badly damaged institutions and reaffirming the centrality of civil rights to our society. Which is an anathema to the people most responsive to Bernie's Current Thing. Lol.

Hasan Piker needs to go away. I would love to go to his big beautiful 3.6 million dollar LA house and make him answer for literaly ANYTHING he's said for the past 8 years.

I DO THINK THAT we have to move past idpol in the sense of like. What factors largely define voting blocks like ~racial depolarization~ Its just that when THESE guys talk abt idpol it means Civil Rights specifically. Like wow silly me im just a hysterical identity politics pilled SJW for not wanting to bleed to death on the operating table while medical professionals twiddle their thumbs next to my body. For Instance.

BOOMERS and GEN X are coming thru rn in a way that GenZ just isnt capable of so i like stand by what i said earlier in terms of making sure they get catered to messaging wise first.

GenZ men......i would LOVE to test some messaging on them like im so fascinated. They are so hyper reactionary i think we can outcrazy them back to normal. What if i paid some creatine addicted gym rats to start waxing poetic about how Real Men need to think long term and be Strong In Silence and also social media is for beta cucks etc.

GenZ women on the other hand. I am slapping your face and then clutching your shoulders. You DO in fact. Want your own income. And your own bank account.

[beardedmrbean]

BUCHAREST: Nicusor Dan, the centrist mayor of Bucharest, won a tense rerun of Romania’s presidential election on Sunday, beating nationalist George Simion in a vote seen as crucial for the direction of the EU and Nato member bordering war-torn Ukraine.

The ballot came five months after Romania’s constitutional court annulled an election over allegations of Russian interference and a massive social media promotion of the far-right frontrunner, who was not allowed to stand again.

Dan, who campaigned for an “honest” Romania, gained close to 54% of the vote, while US President Donald Trump admirer Simion secured some 46%, according to near complete results.

“It’s the victory of thousands and thousands of people who… believe that Romania can change in the right direction,” Dan, 55, told supporters, who chanted “Europe” and “Russia, Russia, Romania is not yours”.

Turnout was close to 65%, compared to 53% for the May 4 first round, in which Simion secured most votes.

“The mobilisation was almost unprecedented,” political scientist Sergiu Miscoiu told AFP, adding “never has an election been so decisive, with clear geopolitical implications.”

Romania’s president has significant sway in foreign policy, including holding veto power at EU summits.

People’s will

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Dan, vowed it would help work towards “a strong Europe”. French President Emmanuel Macron said Romanians had “chosen democracy, the rule of law, and the EU… despite many attempts at manipulation”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also congratulated Dan, saying it “is important to have Romania as a reliable partner”.

Despite exit polls showing Dan ahead, far-right leader Simion, 38 said he had won the election, but eventually conceded defeat to his rival.

“I would like to congratulate my opponent, Nicusor Dan. He has won the election, and this was the will of the Romanian people,” Simion said in a video on Facebook.

He vowed to “continue our fight” for Romania and to put its 19 million people “first”.

Simion, who leads the far-right AUR party, has criticised what he called the EU’s “absurd policies” and proposed cutting military aid to Ukraine.

Simion and Dan both campaigned on a platform of change amid anger over the politicians, deemed corrupt, who have ruled one of the EU’s poorest countries since the end of communism 35 years ago.

Simion voted in Mogosoaia, just outside Bucharest, with far-right politician Calin Georgescu.

Georgescu was the front-runner in last year’s cancelled presidential election and was barred from taking part in the rerun.

As the duo arrived, dozens of people, some holding flowers, shouted: “Calin Georgescu for president.”

Tense atmosphere

The election campaign took place in a tense atmosphere.

The cancellation of last year’s vote and subsequent barring of Georgescu drew tens of thousands onto the streets to protest in sometimes violent rallies.

Top US officials also criticised the decision to scrap the last ballot.

The surprise resignation of prime minister Marcel Ciolacu and the collapse of his pro-European government coalition – after their candidate failed to make the runoff vote – further raised the stakes.

The new president will have the power to appoint a new prime minister.

The election turmoil has increased economic uncertainty in the EU’s most indebted country, which has grappled with high inflation.

“The stakes of these elections are huge because there is widespread chaos in Romania right now after the annulment,” voter Runa Petringenaru told AFP.

“We can’t wait for it to be over,” the 55-year-old workshop organiser added.

[hussyknee]

it’s rare to find a sinhalese person (online atleast) who is supportive of tamil self-determination. genuine question: among leftist circles in sri lanka, how common is such a stance?

I don't know whether I'm a reliable source to answer this question because I'm very jaded about this in general. A couple of days ago, someone on the Sri Lanka Reddit started up discourse about Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's choice to reject identifying with the country that tried to genocide her people, which I'm still chewing wire about. I'm a very isolated person with a very small social circle of like-minded leftist friends. They're mostly not SinBud and anti SinBud nonsense, but none of them are Tamil and I'm the one who really convinced them about Eelam I think. The people I learned from, who are out there doing the work of building inter-ethnic dialogue and overturning Sinhalese propaganda, might have a more hopeful view.

Thing is, there's no one "leftist" faction here because "left" doesn't mean the same thing as it does in the West. The Rajapaksas' party SLPP is socialist, a legacy of the SLFP that they branched off from, that was the party aligned with the USSR. They and their voters and their saffron terror acolytes (Buddhist priesthood) are all for public infrastructure they can rob blind and central government they can use to crush minorities, and build on the nationalist fervour of genocidal Sinhalese Buddhism that's served both major parties since independence.

There's quasi-communists, descendants of the ethnonationalist Marxist JVP that rose in opposition to the class corruption of ethnonationalist USSR-aligned socialist SLFP and enthonationalist US-aligned neoliberal UNP. The current JVP party itself is no longer communist; their coalition the NPP are mostly just very pro-union social democrats, and they've since distanced themselves from their ethnic myopia, possibly due to suffering much of the same state terrorism as minorities via militarisation and policies like the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). They're the most vocal about the abolition of the executive presidency, the removal of all martial law mechanisms and the PTA, defunding of military and police, and restructuring and executing the long-mismanaged socialist infrastructure. These are usually the working class and university students, but their base has been growing in other demographics too, since we "held our noses and voted" for the Yahapalana government in 2015 and it ended up fucking us over. But despite their sympathy with the suffering of Tamils and Muslims and favouring the devolution of power, most still cling to the idea that Sinhalese majoritarianism is a fair result of democracy.

The kind of pro-LGBT, anti-racist, feminist liberals that would pass muster with the western left otoh, are a minority of urban, English-speaking middle class. The younger of this crowd is increasingly favouring the aforementioned NPP (that is rapidly marrying the economic left with the social consciousness led by western dialogues that otherwise go against their traditional rural working class base), but that is very new and hampered by decades of Red Scare propaganda. The minority communities and the urban liberals traditionally vote for the current neoliberal party, that has distanced itself from their virulent nationalism over the last thirty years and basically modelled itself after the US Democrats (diet right-wing as opposed to nuclear right-wing) Their idea of reducing corruption and increasing efficiency is privatizing everything, makes the right pro-feminist and pro-LGBT noises, and coasts on the minority votes on the promise of never actively feeding ethnosupremacy, even if they won't do anything about it either. The Sinhalese affiliated with this party are deeply uncomfortable with if not entirely resistant to the idea that the North and East are Tamil lands colonized by the Sinhalese. Just like the quasi-communists, urban liberals are aware of the corruption and complicity of the Buddhist priesthood in ethnofascism and are prepared to do exactly as much nothing about it.

What I'm trying to say is that Sinhalese Buddhist ethnosupremacy is baked in to the Sri Lankan political fabric. "Left" means jack shit when it comes to whether Tamils have rights, in much the same way that the western left agrees on everything except Palestine. It's a political no man's land everyone tries not to look at.

The fundamental problem is that Sinhalese people who know enough about 1958, 1983, or the full scope of genocide perpetrated against Tamils during the last push of the war, let alone all 26 years of it, are very much in the minority. It takes a particular education to understand that "Sri Lanka" is a post-colonial invention that took over from "Ceylon", which was nothing but a construct for the ease of British administration. As far as I know, this education is confined to activist organizations and whoever followed my sociology program. So my kind of anarchist leftism that calls the war a Tamil genocide with their whole chest, calls the priesthood saffron terrorists, and recognises Eelam, is vanishingly small, afaik.

To be honest, I never really questioned the propaganda and narrative we've been spoon fed myself until I went to Canada when I was 23 to complete my anthro degree (became disabled and dropped out after). One thing that struck me was how racist the Sinhalese diaspora was. I was raised SinBud, my school didn't admit any non-Sinhalese, half my uncles were in the military, but these people that had left the country decades ago still hated Tamils and Muslims in a way that nobody else I knew did. I wondered whether this was what it had been like when it had all started; whether this hatred that seemed to have been preserved in amber was a true taste of what had ignited Black July. Suddenly the attitude of the Tamil diaspora towards the Sri Lankan government and Sinhalese people didn't seem so unreasonable.

Then, later in the same uni term, I went to an art exhibition of a white artist who travelled the world collecting information about their genocides and made art about them, and found a painting depicting Sri Lankan Tamils in 2008. Promptly had a meltdown. Went to the lady and told her tearfully that it was all propaganda, we didn't really hate Tamils, not even my uncles in the army hated Tamils, it was a war, the LTTE had terrorized us for my whole lifetime. Bless the woman, she didn't fight me, just let me cry at her and patted my hand and pretended to take me seriously. This made it easier for me to really think about what I knew once I'd stopped wailing and stamping. It prompted a years-long self-interrogation and fact finding that made me unearth how much brainwashing had been done to us by everyone, from our families to our school textbooks to news media. It's like the air we breathed was propaganda. And I still didn't know a fraction of what life had been like for Tamils (or Muslims) and the scope of atrocities perpetrated by the Sinhalese until I began my Society and Culture degree at the Open University when I was 30. The first year textbooks were only broadstrokes facts, but at last I found out about Gnananth Obeysekera, Prageeth Jeganathan, Stanley Thambaiya, Malithi DeAlwis. Their work on nation-making, ethnicity, historical revisionism, genocide and ethnic conflict and state terrorism...everything I should have been taught as a child. The chapters on the rapes and murders and shelling and war crimes and IDP camps were..indescribable. That was what properly radicalised me about Tamil self-sovereignty, because there's clearly no possible way the Tamil people will ever be safe and safeguarded under a Sinhalese majoritarian government.

I had to drop out of that programme too because of my health. But during the mass protests against the government in 2022, I learned even more about Tamil indigeneity, the extent of JR Jayawardena's crimes, and the persecution of Marxists and victims of the '71 and '89 insurrections. So much of the protests and their encampments were directed and galvanized by social media, that organised online and in-person lectures, teach-outs, and live discussions that anyone and everyone could attend right alongside the protests. I've never seen that kind of truly democratized, free, egalitarian civic education and discourse before. That was the very first time I saw academics, survivors, refugees and human rights activists being given a respectful platform, the masses hearing firsthand accounts from people of the North and East and witnesses of Black July. April to July 2022 was a truly golden bubble of time where I saw people finally start listening, believing, and challenging all their convictions. It was the closest we ever came to realising the hope that things could be different; that we could, as a society, understand how Sinhalese ethnosupremacy had been the black rot killing this country from the first, stop being racist Sinhala-first cunts and actually hold any of these murderers accountable.

Teach us to hope, I guess.

But I suppose it's no small thing that I learned about the Tamil resistance and struggle and taught all my friends about it. I'm sure they're informing their own circles in small ways too. These tendrils are hard to see, but they exist and grow. Especially with the fall of the Rajapaksas and their Bhaiyya contingent, more people can see ethnosupremacy for the grift that it is, and the younger generations are less defensive, more willing to listen and eager for justice and change. So I guess the answer is: not very common, but less uncommon than it used to be.