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       #Post#: 7406--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: 90sRetroFan Date: July 4, 2021, 5:46 am
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       I like this move:
  HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-big-plan-post-u-091239086.html
       [quote]China is poised to make an exclusive entry into post-U.S.
       Afghanistan with its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Speaking on
       condition of anonymity, a source close to government officials
       in Afghanistan told The Daily Beast that Kabul authorities are
       growing more intensively engaged with China on an extension of
       the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)—the
       flagship project of BRI, which involves the construction of
       highways, railways and energy pipelines between Pakistan and
       China—to Afghanistan.
       ...
       According to the source, a senior officer in Afghanistan’s
       foreign service had told him that Chinese officials had engaged
       with foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani about five years ago,
       to discuss the extension of CPEC and BRI. The minister was
       interested—that is, until an Indian ambassador went on the
       offensive to push back on the deal. The Indian ambassador to
       Afghanistan even approached the U.S. ambassador in Kabul to
       express his concerns, the source said. Ultimately, the American
       ambassador allegedly pressured Rabbani into backing away from
       further talks on CPEC with the Chinese.
       ...
       “The Taliban certainly offers a more unified partner to Chinese.
       But other regional countries have been trying to bring together
       warlords to think of resistance rather than of peace with the
       Taliban,” the source revealed to The Daily Beast.
       ...
       As China’s strategic partner, Pakistan could prove a trump card
       for China in the Afghan endgame.
       “I think China could achieve more success than the U.S. in
       Afghanistan given its close ties with and enormous leverage over
       Pakistan,” Sudha Ramachandran, an India-based analyst on South
       Asian political and security issues, told The Daily Beast.
       “China wants to ensure that instability in Afghanistan does not
       impact BRI adversely, and it wants to push Afghanistan to join
       CPEC or BRI.”
       Still, China’s ability, Kugelman explained, to deepen its
       footprint in Afghanistan will “depend in great part on whether
       it reaches an understanding with the Taliban, which will see its
       influence continue to grow whether it holds power or not. If the
       Taliban is okay with China building out infrastructure and other
       projects in Afghanistan, Beijing will be in a much better
       place.”
       “China could well bring the Taliban on board with BRI. The
       insurgents have said they will support development projects if
       they serve Afghan national interests,” he added.
       What China actually needs to extend its Belt and Road program to
       Afghanistan is, ultimately, peace. Beijing has gone so far as to
       offer infrastructure and energy projects worth billions of
       dollars to the Taliban in return for peace in Afghanistan.
       “The Taliban isn’t the only challenge to overcome,” said
       Kugelman. “There are many sources of violence, both anti- and
       pro-state, in Afghanistan. So China will still face an extremely
       insecure environment, even if it gets Taliban buy-in for its
       projects.”
       [/quote]
       Older article:
  HTML https://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/afghanistan-taliban-fidaye-mahaz-china-visit-2944921/
       Also, the following point cannot be emphasized enough:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan%E2%80%93China_relations#Military_cooperation
       [quote]The Chinese People's Liberation Army trained and
       supported the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan war.
       The training camps were moved from Pakistan into China itself.
       Anti-aircraft missiles, rocket launchers and machine guns,
       valued at hundreds of millions, were given to the mujahideen by
       the Chinese. Chinese military advisors and army troops were
       present with the Mujahidin during training.[25][/quote]
       Yes, China and America were fighting on the same side
       (supporting Afghanistan) against Russia:
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/issues/military-decolonization/msg6761/#msg6761
       This is what we need to get back to ASAP.
       #Post#: 7522--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: 90sRetroFan Date: July 13, 2021, 3:34 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Nice!
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ-DfaE_WSE
       #Post#: 7565--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: rp Date: July 17, 2021, 3:05 am
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  HTML https://twitter.com/Anti_Parasitism/status/1413430584110723072?s=19
       [Quote]
       Yes, this is precisely my concern - unpreparedness against CBRN
       (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) threats.
       The IRI does not possess a sufficient amount of hardware to
       inflict overwhelming defeat upon the enemies.
       Operation Martyr Soleimani was underwhelming.
       [/Quote]
       I would add one more: T - for Technological - The IRI must also
       be equipped to counter technological threats, chiefly those
       posed by Artificial Intelligence, cybernetics, and cyber
       warfare.
       The solution is for the U.S. to provide Iran with these tools to
       fight the common enemy.
       #Post#: 7756--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: 90sRetroFan Date: July 28, 2021, 11:41 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-says-taliban-expected-play-071534731.html
       [quote]KABUL (Reuters) -China told a visiting Taliban delegation
       on Wednesday it expected the insurgent group to play an
       important role in ending Afghanistan's war and rebuilding the
       country, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
       ...
       The visit was likely to further cement the insurgent group's
       recognition on the international stage at a sensitive time even
       as violence increases in Afghanistan. The militants have a
       political office in Qatar where peace talks are taking place and
       this month sent representatives to Iran where they had meetings
       with an Afghan government delegation.[/quote]
       Good!
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvZ7jJT3cg4
       Too bad the Chinese representatives looked like a bunch of
       cowards in their Western suits. They need:
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/issues/dress-decolonization/
       #Post#: 8164--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: 90sRetroFan Date: August 20, 2021, 12:19 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       China's rhetorical cowardliness on display again:
  HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-pushes-adoption-language-cultural-070855581.html
       [quote]China's ruling Communist Party says it “peacefully
       liberated" Tibetan peasants from an oppressive theocracy and
       restored Chinese rule over a region under threat from outside
       powers.[/quote]
       Firstly, it doesn't matter whether or not the liberation was
       peaceful. Either it is justified or it is not. If it is
       justified, it remains justified no matter how much bloodshed it
       required. If it is unjustified, it remains unjustified even if
       it was peaceful. That China feels a need to emphasize the
       "peaceful" attribute actually reveals its lack of confidence in
       the justification of the liberation, when it should have no
       reason to lack such confidence.
       [quote]Wang, who is a member of the Politburo Standing Committee
       — the apex of party power — and who oversees policy toward
       ethnic minorities, said “separatist and sabotage activities
       committed by the Dalai (Lama) group and hostile external forces
       have been crushed.”[/quote]
       This part is OK. But here is where the screwup happens:
       [quote]Since 1951, Tibet has “embarked on a path from darkness
       to brightness, from backwardness to progress, from poverty to
       prosperity, from autocracy to democracy, and from closeness to
       openness,” Wang said.[/quote]
       Everyone knows China itself is an autocracy, not a democracy. So
       why claim the opposite? Why use rhetoric that no one will
       believe, yet which explicitly validates the notion that
       democracy is superior? Does Wang not understand how bad this
       makes China look? Does Wang not understand that each time he
       praises democracy, he is in debasing all the historical ruling
       dynasties of China while pedestalizing Western civilization? So
       why do it?!
       Contrast with the Taliban, who at least have the courage to
       simply admit Afghanistan is not democratic:
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/issues/legal-decolonization/msg8147/#msg8147
       Who is more impressive? (And yes, we could have guessed the
       answer just from the clothes.....)
       #Post#: 8323--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: 90sRetroFan Date: August 25, 2021, 10:12 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/meet-africa-newest-friend-turkey-141049365.html
       [quote]Perhaps the pertinent question is how Turkey might
       smooth-talk African countries at a time when other investors
       face pushback. In the Sahel region, where hundreds of French
       companies run everything from mobile networks to mines, and
       which hosts some 5,000 French troops, there have been protests
       calling for France to withdraw. Citizens complain that their
       sovereignty has been undermined and their mineral resources
       exploited by the former colonial power.
       ...
       Turkey has designated relations with Africa as a core pillar of
       its foreign policy, and opened 30 new embassies between 2002 and
       2019, while Turkish Airlines is a major carrier on Africa-Europe
       routes. In 2008, the African Union designated Turkey as a
       strategic partner.
       ...
       Perhaps the most important reason for Africa’s romance with
       Turkey, analysts say, is that the country doesn’t carry the
       baggage of ex-colonial powers like France. Another is religion:
       Almost all of the countries Turkey has wooed have significant
       Muslim populations that are more receptive to a partnership with
       an Islamic power.
       Turkey’s relationship with Africa is not saddled with “a complex
       or paternalistic spirit that most often characterizes the
       partnership between African countries and Western or American
       countries,” says Mr. Abdou.[/quote]
       Keep up the good work! (And America should also be trying to
       learn how to relate to other former colonized countries in an
       anti-Western way, namely as a fellow formerly colonized country
       itself.)
       #Post#: 8527--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Afghanistan
       By: guest55 Date: September 1, 2021, 1:35 pm
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       China Says It's Ready to Work With Taliban
       [quote]WASHINGTON - With the U.S. military drawdown in
       Afghanistan, China says it is ready to move ahead in its
       relations with the Taliban, but foreign policy experts say
       Beijing remains apprehensive about what comes next and may not
       devote a vast security and economic commitment to Afghanistan in
       the near future.
       U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Monday with Chinese
       State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi about developments
       in Afghanistan. The State Department said the two discussed the
       security situation and the two countries’ respective efforts to
       bring their citizens to safety.
       “China keeps in contact and communication with the Afghan
       Taliban on the basis of fully respecting Afghanistan’s
       sovereignty and the will of all parties in the country and has
       been playing a constructive role in seeking a political solution
       to the Afghan issue,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’
       spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Monday during a briefing.
       Hua’s remarks were seen as the latest indication that China is
       laying the groundwork to endorse the Taliban as Afghanistan’s
       legitimate government.[/quote]
  HTML https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/china-says-its-ready-work-taliban
       #Post#: 8712--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: 90sRetroFan Date: September 10, 2021, 11:58 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Good move!
  HTML https://sputniknews.com/20210907/taliban-ready-to-have-relations-with-us-welcomes-participation-in-afghan-reconstruction-1088847179.html
       [quote]Taliban Ready to Have Relations With US, Welcomes
       Participation in Afghan Reconstruction
       ...
       "Yes, of course, in a new chapter if America wants to have a
       relation with us, which could be in the interest of both
       countries and both peoples, and if they want to participate in
       the reconstruction of Afghanistan, they are welcome", Shaheen
       said.[/quote]
       The ball is now solely in the US' court. Is the US prepared to
       be American instead of Western and hence go back to being a
       Taliban ally just like in the good old days?
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/issues/military-decolonization/msg6761/#msg6761
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/issues/military-decolonization/msg7334/#msg7334
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/news/afghanistan/msg7390/#msg7390
       In fact, it could be even better than the old days. The Taliban
       hints at how:
       [quote]"Of course, we won't have any relation with Israel. We
       want to have relations with other countries, Israel is not among
       these countries … We would like to have relations with all the
       regional countries and neighbouring countries as well as Asian
       countries", Shaheen added.[/quote]
       If the US really wants to make amends, there could be no better
       first gesture of sincerity than to end its own recognition of
       Israel.
       #Post#: 8722--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: guest55 Date: September 11, 2021, 11:34 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       If I were a country I would also like relations with almost
       every other country in the world EXCEPT FOR ISRAEL!!! The fact
       that this sentiment is shared by so many across the globe speaks
       volumes about Israel. The fact that many rightists are still
       willing to defend Israel in the face of these facts speaks
       volumes about rightists!!!
       #Post#: 8756--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
       By: 90sRetroFan Date: September 13, 2021, 2:20 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://news.yahoo.com/china-pakistan-offer-aid-taliban-225107114.html
       [quote]As Western nations debate how best to provide
       humanitarian aid to Afghanistan without enriching the Taliban,
       China and Pakistan have already sent planeloads of supplies to
       the country and are willing to send more, Reuters reports.
       ...
       “China is our most important partner and represents a
       fundamental and extraordinary opportunity for us,” Taliban
       spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said recently, according to NBC
       News. “It is ready to invest and rebuild our country.”
       It is possible that Afghanistan will join the China-Pakistan
       Economic Corridor (CPEC).
       "The new administration in Kabul would also be receptive to
       this and they are keen on it," Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a
       Pakistani senator and former chairman of the China-Pakistan
       Institute, told Reuters.
       China's Belt and Road initiative also offers a pathway to
       "economic viability," Reuters noted.[/quote]
       Also:
  HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinas-fm-wang-visiting-cambodia-053946804.html
       [quote]PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun
       Sen said Sunday that China has agreed to provide the Southeast
       Asian nation with grant aid of 1.75 billion yuan ($272 million),
       announcing the assistance during a visit by Chinese Foreign
       Minister Wang Yi.
       ...
       Washington’s relations with Hun Sen’s government are frosty, as
       Beijing’s support allows Cambodia to disregard Western concerns
       about its poor record in human and political rights, and in turn
       Cambodia generally supports Beijing’s geopolitical positions on
       issues such as its territorial claims in the South China
       Sea.[/quote]
       All the US needs to do to immediately improve its relations with
       Cambodia (as well as China, Pakistan and Afghanistan) is to
       become less Western. Remember: what we have in common is that we
       are all countries formerly colonized by the Western colonial
       powers!
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