Morocco (Al Maghrib), or more officially the Kingdom of Morocco (Al Mamlaka al Maghribiya), is a country located in the northwestern edge of the African continent. The name Morocco comes from the Spanish name Marruecos, which itself comes from the name of the city of Marrakesh. In Turkish for example, Morocco is known as Fas, mainly because Turks knew the land of Morocco through the city of Fes. Morocco is regarded as part of the Arab World and Arabic is the main language amongst the population, with French and Berber languages also widely spoken in the country.
Morocco was the home of mostly Berber tribes until the Muslim conquest and the subsequent Arab migrations in the 700s under the Umayyads drastically changed the character of the country. A Berber commander, Tariq ibn Ziyad, would later cross the Strait of Gibraltar (Jabal Tariq) from the northern shores of now-Morocco and conquer Andalusia, which remained under Muslim rule for nearly 800 years. The country emerged as a significant regional power during the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties in the medieval period, known for their contributions to architecture, philosophy, and trade across North Africa and southern Europe. The current ruling dynasty of Morocco, the Alaouite dynasty, came to power in the late 1600s. The Alaouites claim descent from the Prophet Muhammad through his grandson Hasan ibn Ali, giving them religious legitimacy and political authority in the region. Despite the Shia-coded claim to legitimacy, the Moroccan royal family and the population mostly follow the Maliki school of Sunni Islam.
In the early 20th century, the Treaty of Fez (1912) created the French Protectorate of Morocco, negotiated largely without input from the Moroccan people. Moroccan lands were completely divided under French and Spanish zones, with thousands of colonists pouring into the country. The royal family frequently collaborated with colonial powers, suppressing local resistance movements and prioritizing European interests. Prominent anti-colonial uprisings, like the Rif War (1921–1926), were met with brutal crackdowns, enabled by Western-backed forces. Post-independence in 1956, Morocco maintained close ties with its former colonizers, fostering economic dependence on France and Spain. The monarchy’s alignment with Western geopolitical interests often undermined Pan-African and Arab unity movements.
During the Cold War, Morocco positioned itself as a staunch ally of the West, marginalizing leftist and nationalist factions within the country. The Green March of 1975 was a Moroccan state-organized movement to assert control over Western Sahara, a territory decolonized from Spanish rule but still awaiting self-determination. This march, supported by Western powers, particularly the United States, is often criticized as a colonial expansion disguised as a popular movement. By settling Moroccans in the disputed territory, the march disregarded the Sahrawi people's right to sovereignty. U.N. resolutions on Western Sahara have seen limited enforcement, largely due to Morocco’s Western alliances shielding it from accountability. Western-backed security and intelligence partnerships continue to be the cornerstone of Morocco’s repressive nature towards any anti-colonial and leftist movements. In 2021, Algeria again severed diplomatic ties with Morocco, citing hostile actions and concerns over Morocco's ties with Israel, which Algeria views as a betrayal of pro-Palestinian solidarity. The two countries have mostly clashed over the issue of Western Sahara other than a short war in the 60s over a border dispute, with Algeria continuing to support the Sahrawi independence movement.
Morocco's relations with Israel have historically been discreet but significant, rooted in the presence of a large Moroccan Jewish diaspora in Israel. Former King Hassan II played a significant behind-the-scenes role in fostering covert ties between Morocco and Israel during his reign. King Hassan II is reported to have allowed Israeli intelligence access to critical information from a meeting of Arab leaders in Casablanca in 1965, which may have helped Israel prepare for the Six-Day War in 1967. His government provided a platform for discreet diplomatic exchanges and intelligence-sharing, including Morocco’s facilitation of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s visit to Israel in the 1970s. In 2020, Morocco formally normalized ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States, in exchange for U.S. and Israeli recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Diplomatic and trade relations have since deepened, with agreements in fields like defence, agriculture, and technology. Despite official ties, Moroccan public opinion remains largely sympathetic to Palestinians, but such opinions are rarely considered by the royal family.
Morocco's future is split between ambitious global aspirations and permanent domestic issues. The country’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal is seen as a significant opportunity to showcase its shiny infrastructure and global presence. However, these achievements are often overshadowed by criticisms of its political culture, including the monarchy's ceremonial practices, such as the humiliating tradition of publicly kissing the crown prince's hand. Allegations surrounding King Mohammed VI's personal behavior, including incidents of public drunkenness and alleged homosexuality continue to be a hot topic within opposition circles.
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful. Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section. Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war. Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis. Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language. https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one. https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts. https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel. https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator. https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps. https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language. https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language. https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses. https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
not gonna happen, he's gonna negotiate it downwards
if he is allowed to do it because he avoids getting a frank discussion from the alphabet boys in a smoke-filled room, and dodges a bunch of heart attack guns, then Trump is truly the greatest anti-imperialist of our age
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - George W. Bush
Never say never, but I'm fairly confident the shadowy-figures-that-be will reason him down to 5-10% max across the board. If he sticks to his guns we will have a full-blown market crash right when he takes office and he will look weak, which is the one thing he is actually principled against.
If it did happen, what would it mean for Europe, Africa and South America?
Would the europeans go back to trading with russia or would they just be fucked? Would Africa flourish?
If he does this lol, this cooks EVERYTHING. The China stuff was already going to be bad, but a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada cooks so many US companies. Every car, home, appliance becomes 25% more expensive, overnight. If it happens, straight up China W. They don't have to do anything.
Trump separately outlined "an additional 10% tariff, above any additional tariffs" on imports from China. It was not entirely clear what this would mean for China as he has previously pledged to end China's most-favored-nation trading status and slap tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60% - much higher than those imposed during his first term.
The 90s never ended. We're still pretending we've resolved the class conflict that colors every aspect of our lives. The Soviet Union may as well have been destroyed yesterday.
No dox, I am currently in Mexico and my god the difference in Chinese presence compared to just 5 years ago is substantial. Car factories (gas and electric), cell phones, apps (didi has a greater presence than Uber), tourism. I can’t imagine what actually joining BRICS/BaR could change in a decade. Truly a bright future, hopefully leaving the west in the dust
Yea, chinese have been investing a lot, mostly in tech/electric stuff, and i dont think we will fully join brics but trade with China will keep growing
Canada fucking hates China and has been getting into it deep with India right now, plus the standard Russophobia stance. If this happens, Canada will just take it and pay the tariffs or try to negotiate for better trading with like... Britain or something cursed
It's always been my own personal tinfoil theory that Canada only has about 20 years give or take of tangible sovereignty before the Americans inevitably looks north once climate change sinks florida
The real tip to doomsday prepping is this: You won't be able to survive on your own. Building community is in your interest. You don't have to be an organiser, but make sure you know your neighbours and they know you. You should be buying non-perishable foodstuff and stockpile water so that you can support you and your neighbours for about 3 days. The longer is better, but I assume you're as broke as I am.
This is expensive, so you can do what I do which is to just buy a few extra bags and cans when you shop normally. It's easier to budget for.
Whenever your apocalypse of choice comes, work with people in your neighbourhood. The food helps create a sense of community and helps people understand that cooperation is in all of our best interest. Also it's food, which you need to eat to continue living.
You can make granola bars pretty cheaply on your own, and they last for ages if stored right.
LMFAO all of my neighbors are rabid trump supporting racists with comically large TRUMP flags and those oversized skeleton decorations in their yards year-round, i am doomed
By neighbour I don't necessarily mean the people literally right next door, but people within walking distance of you. People within a distance of what one might be able to call a "neighbourhood".
That said, it would probably be good for your health if your rabid fascist neighbours considered you neutrally at the very least.
'walking distance' there is literally not a sidewalk for hundreds of meters or more from where i live. i get the horrors of the suburban experience except my house is outside all the local gentrifying rich ppl suburbs right on a major road so i get few of the alleged benefits. no walking and hardly any neighbors here. not a shred of a sense of community. i have to drive and spend gas money to get literally anywhere outside my house. absolutely amazing environment to go through childhood in, no out-of-school friends or sense of belonging in a community or free range child (or even adolescent) adventures or anything like that, a constant panopticon of mediocrity. no way that could possibly ever lead to being a mentally wrecked loser of an adult no way its the safest way to live. america is an alienation farm i stg