Much of the discussion about the US Secretary of State's speech at the Munich Security Conference has reinforced its own Eurocentric logic by obscuring the context. But it can only be understood within *its own* context.🧵
The fall of US imperialism portends the end of "western civilization" as Rubio called it. It is a phase of human history that began with chattel slavery & the colonization of the Americas. 2/n
But that phase of human history is coming to an end. Rubio's speech is thus a clarion call, a plea for white unity against the Global Majority, the masses of the world that have had enough. It is a reflection of Western weakness, not strength. 3/n
Notably, Rubio was not the main act. China's foreign minister Wang Yi was the keynote. Rubio spoke before Yi. Thus, Rubio's subordinate presence was itself a reflection of the decline. Link below. Videos of the Q&A are online. 4/n share.google/d1dPbZ5hDxQOxj…
Among other things, Rubio lamented the loss of "supply chain sovereignty," a concern that from their vantage point is correct. They no longer have access to the vital minerals and resources that have powered Western wars and economies alike. 5/n
The speech succinctly and accurately identified national liberation movements and socialism as *the* key threats to the western order. It correctly linked national liberation to wealth redistribution & nationalization of resources. 6/n
Rubio didn't mention China in the speech itself, but he reminded the audience what China represents, the unity of national liberation & socialism. 7/n
The imagery of the speech was powerful. It wasn't the diplospeak we are used to hearing at these events. It captured the ethos of the white west, from the missionaries and the beer and rodeos to the Beatles & Stones. 8/n
Rubio deployed whiteness in its various forms - civilizational, historical, racial, continental - to disrupt Europe's flirtations with China. 9/n
The speech may be enough to keep Europe away from China. But even that won't be enough to save US imperialism and its decadent "western civilization." In the end, that speech may go down in history as one of the last great speeches of the western world. /
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The claim that anti-imperialists use Iran for their own foreign agenda is anti-dialectical, ahistorical and incorrect. Equating anti-imperialism with the far right is unconscionable and disingenuous. Here is a 🧵 explaining why.
The US views Iran as its greatest enemy in West Asia, a bulwark against US domination of the region. It uses devastating sanctions and repeated military incursions through its proxy Israel to undermine Iranian independence & sovereignty. 2/n
But Iran remains firm. It has structured nearly the whole of its national society, from politics to economy to education, to maintain its independence from US-led imperialism. The massive rallies in support of the nation-state a few days ago confirm this. 3/n
Some have asked why Iran isn't capitalist. Here is another 🧵 explaining Iran's location in the global economy. I start with some background information. Resources are included.
Many of Iran's natural resources and other enterprises are state-controlled, or majority ownership is held by state institutions. Iran is often described as a welfare state, where many necessities of modern life were once heavily subsidized. 2/n
As Western sanctions regimes against Iran expanded, the state became increasingly unable to access its own cash reserves and buy and sell goods on the global market. This led to a gradual contraction of the welfare state and decrease in subsidies. 3/n
IRAN IN THE AUTUMN OF US IMPERIALISM, a historical & analytical 🧵 to dispel the myths. Research articles included.
Since 1979, Iran has been the greatest nation-state threat to US imperialism's domination of West Asia. The US armed Iraq & launched the Iran-Iraq War to destroy the Revolution and the threat it posed to imperialism. It failed. 2/n
The US maintains one of the strongest sanctions regimes in world history against Iran, blocking it from its own bank accounts around the world, medicine, critical machinery, etc. These sanctions have also failed, even as they harm the masses. 3/n
On Imperialism's Traveling War: By launching a renewed invasion of Syria, Israel has played right into the hands of the regional anti-imperialist resistance. 1/n
The plan appears to have been to overthrow or dramatically weaken the Iranian government, and then walk into Syria and take it, both diplomatically through normalization and militarily. The problem is that Israel lost the 12-Day War with Iran. 2/n
For reasons better known to Syria experts, Syria has always represented an insurmountable quagmire for great powers and regional powers alike. The Axis of Resistance knows this well, and appears to have guided Israel right into this quagmire. 3/n
🧵 on the ceasefire deal. This is a massive victory brought about by the Palestinian resistance & the popular cradle that supported it first & foremost, followed by the forces in the Axis of Resistance next, and then solidarity movements around the world. 1/n
In fall 2023, resistance leaders said that this battle is not the final war of liberation but rather a key (and possibly penultimate) battle in the struggle for Palestinian and regional liberation from colonialism and Western imperialism. 2/n
Toward that end, they said their aim is to prepare the region & its people for liberation. Subtly invoking Fanon, they said the people need to see the resistance make important gains. Stated goals: the end of the blockade & freeing of political prisoners. 3/n
There's significant confusion about Iran & the Axis of Resistance. Each time the Axis suffers a setback, many question Irans commitment to anti-imperialism. Below, I explain why this is misguided & reflects ignorance of natl liberation theory & Irani history.
In the 46 years since the IRI came into power, it has either been at war with the US or had US wars at its borders, coupled with severe blockades & sanctions. This persistent & total violence led IRI to develop a sophisticated philosophy of self-defense. 2/n
IRI's self-defense philosophy has several pillars. First, an oft-noted quote from Imam Ali, once war has arrived to your doorstep, you've already lost. Second, the "self" extends beyond the nation-state. Third, self-reliance is paramount. 3/n