Bulletins and News Discussion from December 4th to December 10th, 2023 - The Legacy of Kissinger - COTW: Laos

Due to American cluster bombing campaigns advised by Kissinger during the Vietnam War to damage supply lines, over 2 million tonnes of ordinance were dropped on Laos over about a decade, averaging a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes. Laos is thus the most bombed country on the planet up to this point. 80 million bombs failed to explode - the cleanup operation is expected to take centuries, and 25,000 people have been killed and injured by bombs in the last 50 years. About 50 people are killed or injured every year to this day.

After the United States withdrew from Laos, the Pathet Lao took power and abolished the monarchy. Kaysone Phomvihane became a dominant figure in Laotian politics, keeping the course on Marxism-Leninism and implementing the first Five Year Plan in 1981. The second Five Year Plan in 1986 was modelled on Lenin's NEP, and this doubled rice production and significantly increased sugar production. After the fall of the USSR, Laos allowed a small capitalist class to exist, with similar control over them as in China. Laos maintains a 48-hour work week with paid sick leave, vacation time, and maternity leave, and workers are well-represented in trade unions. They faired relatively well during coronavirus from a social standpoint due to quick and efficient action to lock down the country, experiencing ~750 deaths out of a population of over 7 million.

There is hope even after utter destruction by genocidal oppressors.

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The Country of the Week is Laos! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.

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Your Tuesday Briefing
I'm having a busy December. You know how it is.
Over 2000 fossil fuel lobbyists were present at COP28 this year - a record number. This occurs as the leader of COP28 talks about how we don't actually need to reduce the size of the fossil fuel industry, and carbon capture is sufficient (most carbon captured in current programs is piped underground into oil reservoirs to boost their production).
The Kremlin has announced that Putin will visit the UAE and Saudi Arabia tomorrow, and then the next day meet with Iran.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan seem to be heading towards a border demarcation deal which could put an end to decades of border violence.
Xi Jinping and Lukashenko met in Beijing yesterday to strengthen coordination, etc etc.
Chinese scientists have developed the Havana Syndrome gun, which can fire microwaves while attached to drones, allowing electronic warfare on mobile platforms to disrupt enemy radars on planes.
After Nepal's Supreme Court allowed the registration of same-sex marriages earlier in the year, and some government infighting, a couple of the same legal gender have become the first in Nepalese history to be officially married - although one is a trans woman whose legal gender is still nonetheless male. Sunil Babu Pant, a key figure in the LGBTQIA+ movement was present at the registration.
The United States has announced that Ugandan officials and their family members, if they have been found to play a role in the repression of members of marginalized or vulnerable populations (environmental and human rights defenders, journalists, LGBTQIA+ people, etc) will not be allowed visas. This measure was prompted by the recent decision of the Ugandan government to enforce life imprisonment or even the death penalty on people who have gay relations or "promote" them.
Niger is ending two EU security and defence missions in the country - EUCAP Sahel Niger, and EUMPM - and simultaneously welcomed a Russian delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Defense to discuss military matters. Additionally, Burkina Faso and Niger are quitting the G5 anti-jihadist force, which was created in 2014, initially consisting of those two countries, Chad, Mauritania, and Mali (Mali quit the G5 last year), as it is failing to achieve its objectives and France has an outsized role in it.
Nigeria accidentally killed 85 people in a drone strike in Kaduna state - intended to kill insurgents, but instead killing dozens of civilians and injuring many others to gathered to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed.
An attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau has led to President Embalo to dissolve the opposition-dominated parliament, whom he accuses of having relations with the National Guard, which clashed with the Presidential Guard last week.
Argentinian trade unions have stated that they will not accept any rollback of rights or delays in bargaining negotiations, and rejected Milei's threats to paralyse public works and privatize railways and airlines.
The US, Japan, and South Korea will fully operationalize a missile warning system by the end of December, as the steps towards an Asian NATO continue.
IBM has announced the first ever quantum chip with over 1000 qubits, following the doubling-every-year roadmap.
- Fuck yeah, love is love. Even straight couples should have the right to gay marriage. 🥰
- The United States seems to be taking at least some action against homophobia in Uganda. Why are they doing it? Is the Ugandan regime not taking their IMF medicine or is it simply a relatively low-cost PR operation to make liberals feel good and gain a fig-leaf of freedom and human rights to cover all their numerous atrocities?
  
  Part of it is to punish Uganda's president for having second thoughts about being a loyal comprador. He's one of those rare breed of compradors who's smart enough to know when to abandon a sinking ship.

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