CounterVortex

Planet Watch

Ukraine, Greenland and the global struggle for lithium

In Episode 265 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg examines Trump’s ultimatum to Ukraine to hand over a large share of its wealth in strategic minerals such as lithium in exchange for continued US military aid—and whether a race with China for control of the lithium and rare earth elements needed for Elon Musk‘s industrial interests might also be the agenda behind the Trump regime’s annexationist designs on Greenland. Trump is meanwhile opening Native American lands in Nevada to lithium exploitation, while Musk’s Tesla has sought to grab a share of Bolivia‘s lithium reserves—now also coveted by China. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. (Photo: rare earth mine at Mountain Pass, Calif. Credit: Tmy350 via Wikimedia Commons)

Palestine

Palestinian-owned bookshops raided in Jerusalem

Israeli police raided two branches of a renowned bookshop in occupied East Jerusalem, seizing books and arresting the owner and his nephew. Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna were accused of selling books that incite terrorism, and later charged with disturbing public order. The family-owned Educational Bookshop is a Jerusalem landmark and cultural hub, and publishers, academics and rights groups came out to protest and support the Munas and their shop. The rights watchdog B’Tselem said in a statement that “the attempt to crush the Palestinian people includes the harassment and arrest of intellectuals… Israel must immediately release [Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna] from detention and stop persecuting Palestinian intellectuals.” The Munas were held for two nights and released on five days’ house arrest—but the family re-opened the shop even before that. “They want to make us afraid. Not just us, they want to send a message to all Palestinian people,” said Morad Muna, Mahmoud’s brother. He said the re-opening was “the best reaction that we can do to such a situation.” (Image: Educational Bookshop)

South Asia

Amnesty: India must end Manipur violence

Amnesty International called on Indian authorities to take immediate steps to end ongoing ethnic violence and ensure human rights protections in the conflict-torn northeastern state of Manipur. The statement comes as N. Biren Singh resigned as chief minister of Manipur. Since May 2023, ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have left over 250 dead and more than 60,000 displaced. Villages, businesses, and places of worship have been destroyed, as vigilante groups operate with impunity. The resignation of Singh follows a Supreme Court-ordered forensic inquiry into leaked audio tapes that allegedly link him to instigating ethnic violence. Amnesty emphasized that Singh’s resignation provides an opportunity for authorities to break the cycle of violence and impunity that has plagued Manipur for nearly two years. (Photo: Asia Media Centre)

Europe

Trump prepares grab for Ukraine’s lithium

As Trump and Hegseth explicitly broach the surrender of Ukrainian territory to Russia, a poorly positioned Zelensky is acceding to demands that he turn a large portion of his country’s strategic mineral wealth over to the US in compensation for military aid. Especially at issue are Ukraine’s significant reserves of lithium—critical to de facto “co-president” Elon Musk’s e-vehicle interests. In announcing a new lithium refinery in Texas, Musk called the mineral “the new oil.” The premium on Ukraine’s strategic minerals is elevated by China’s perceived design to establish control over the planet’s rare earth elements. However, as Zelensky is quick to emphasize, nearly 20% of Ukraine’s mineral resources are in areas under Russian occupation. (Map: ResearchGate)

North America

Nevada lithium permit violates indigenous rights: HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) charged that the US government’s decision to permit Lithium Americas company to mine at Thacker Pass in Nevada violates indigenous people’s rights by failing to obtain free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in accordance with international law. The report determined that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) permitted the lithium mine without the FPIC of the Numu, Nuwu and Newe peoples. In the 2021 BLM decision to approve the mining project, the agency stated it had been in contact with tribal governments since 2018 and that “no comments or concerns have been raised.” HRW challenges that assertion, claiming there was no meaningful consultation, and that US courts have rebuffed all efforts by affected indigenous peoples to challenge the adequacy of the consultation process. Thacker Pass contains one of the largest known lithium deposits in the world. The project sprawls over 18,000 acres of Numu, Nuwu and Newe ancestral lands. (Photo: Protect Thacker Pass)

Southeast Asia

Burma: deadly junta air-strikes escalate

Junta air-strikes killed over 170 people across Burma in January, a fourfold increase over the previous month, according to an analysis by The Irrawaddy, an independent exile-based newspaper that maintains a network of reporters on the ground. The strikes hit villages, health facilities, a prison and a gold mine in various areas held by the resistance, although most of those killed were civilians. More than 1,800 people have been killed in air-strikes since the February 2021 coup. (Image: The Irrawaddy)

Africa

Sudan’s army advances, abuses multiply

The Sudanese army appears close to retaking the capital city Khartoum from the paramilitary-turned-rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as momentum continues to swing in its favor following nearly two years of conflict. Reports suggest the army has been advancing on multiple fronts, having broken a bruising siege on its Khartoum headquarters last month. It has also won back significant territory in other parts of central Sudan, including Gezira state. Military control, however, has come at a significant cost, with the UN reporting that soldiers and allied militia have been carrying out summary executions of civilians they accuse of being RSF collaborators. Workers in self-organized “mutual aid” groups—the backbone of the humanitarian response in Sudan—have also been targeted in the reprisals. (Map: Sudan War Monitor)

New York City

Podcast: Cantonese & Toisan language promotion with Kim

In Episode 264 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg interviews Kim of New York City’s Chinatown Cantonese Toisan group about her efforts to promote Cantonese and Toisan language and culture. Indigenous to China’s Guangdong province, these tongues are spoken by millions in a global diaspora. Thanks to the efforts of State Sen. Iwen Chu, Feb. 12 is now Taishan (Toisan) Day in New York state, commemorating the day in 1499, during the Ming Dynasty, that Toisan County was officially created—and honoring the contributions of Toisan immigrants, most notably in the dangerous work of building the Transcontinental Railroad. It was a Toisan man born in San Francisco, Wong Kim Ark, who won the 1898 Supreme Court case that established birthright citizenship as a constitutional right. Yet in China, Cantonese and Toisan are relegated to the status of fangyan (regional dialects) and officially discouragedin favor of Mandarin—leading to protests in provincial capital Guangzhou in 2010. Even in the US, the children’s book Coolies, about the Cantonese railroad workers, has been banned from public libraries by local forces of intolerance. Through exhibits, social gatherings and a weekly language class, Kim works to keep Cantonese and Toisan heritage and pride alive in the New York metropolitan area. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.

Watching the Shadows

Trump signs order sanctioning ICC

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. The order imposes significant sanctions on ICC officials and their immediate families, including the blocking of property and assets and suspension of entry into the United States. The order asserts that the ICC has improperly claimed jurisdiction over the US and Israel, and that the ICC’s actions endanger US personnel and threaten US sovereignty and national security. (Photo: OSeveno/WikiMedia)

Mexico

Mexico launches ‘Operativo Frontera Norte’

Mexico has launched a massive deployment of 10,000 troops to cities and towns on the border with the United States. Videos and photos posted on social media by Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) showed military and National Guard troops lined up boarding transport planes and rows of army trucks rolling out from bases in Mexico City, Tlaxcala and other cities. The response—dubbed “Operativo Frontera Norte”—is part of an agreement reached between US President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum postponing trade tariff threats for a month. (Photo: SEDENA via Peninsula360)

Europe

UN: Russia increasing executions of Ukrainian POWs

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that captured Ukrainian soldiers are being executed by Russian forces at an alarming rate. The mission has recorded 79 executions in 24 separate incidents since August 2024. For all incidents, the mission obtained video and photo material showing executions or dead bodies. The spike in executions is part of a pattern of abuse against Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). The mission recorded at least three phone calls in 2024 in which Russian officials called for executions. The armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine is ostensibly governed by international humanitarian treaties. Both nations are parties to the Third Geneva Convention, which states that POWs may not be subjected to torture or ill-treatment. Article 13 of the convention provides for the humane treatment of POWs, including the prohibition of any acts or omissions that will cause death or seriously endanger health. (Map via Wikipedia)

The Caucasus

Georgia: opposition leaders arrested amid protests

Georgia police arrested several anti-government protesters, including two prominent opposition leaders, amid demonstrations demanding new parliamentary elections. Nika Melia, former chairman of the opposition United National Movement, and Gigi Ugulava, former mayor of capital Tbilisi, were detained as thousands of protesters attempted to block a highway entrance into the capital. Georgia has faced ongoing anti-government demonstrations since the immediate aftermath of October’s controversial parliamentary elections, and the subsequent decision of newly-elected Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to suspend membership negotiations with the EU. The pro-EU president of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, has consistently refused demands that she step down and turn power over to a new president chosen by a special body appointed by the ruling bloc in parliament, which she rejects as illegitimate. Tensions escalated at the end of December, with the inauguration of the right-wing populist Mikheil Kavelashvili, leaving the country with two rival presidencies. (Photo: Jelger Groeneveld via Wikimedia Commons)