International affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda tells Misfit hosts Bob Schlehuber and Jamarl Thomas that the conflict in Libya is now more complicated even than in Syria but gamely breaks it down for listeners anyway, including the usual misleading media representations. Russia has pulled back and shifted support for specific factions there, aiming for a more frozen conflict and a real ceasefire. He also explains Russia and China’s opposition to snapping back sanctions on Iran, the US’ duplicitous stance on those sanctions, and the effect the pandemic is having on the Middle East. The US’ soft power globally is waning, he notes, and its pandemic response, economic crisis and domestic upheaval definitely aren’t helping the empire save face.
Ashton Woods, founder of Black Lives Matter Houston and a past contender for a Congressional seat in Texas, discussed the funeral of George Floyd yesterday and the embarrassing spectacle of Congressional Democrats. The Congressional Black Caucus needs to stop engaging in performance and push for real change, he said. And just voting isn’t enough, considering the candidates consistently on offer, and the efforts to suppress the vote in states across the country, including the frightening scenes on display in Georgia. Stop voting in cowards who give nothing but empty gestures and make sure voting isn’t the end of engagement, he says. Be willing to make people uncomfortable, and be focused on what is effective - and it isn’t Blue No Matter Who. They also discussed climate justice and the impact of climate change on organizing.
The Misfits also discussed the artistic and cultural reckoning American streaming platforms and production houses are undergoing, the best way forward for this protest movement, the lawsuit filed by Black Lives Matter against Donald Trump for the attack on protesters in front of the White House, and the latest signals we’re receiving from space.
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