Vietnam as BRICS partner strengthens Southeast Asian, Global South voices

some paragraphs removed for brevity

Vietnam recently joined the BRICS as the group's 10th partner country. Among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Indonesia holds full membership in BRICS, while Malaysia and Thailand are official partner countries.

This evolving trend underscores a gradual but notable shift among key Southeast Asian economies toward deeper engagement with alternative global governance platforms beyond the traditional Western-dominated order.

Vietnam's acceptance into BRICS as a partner country marks a significant development, which increases the likelihood of other ASEAN nations seeking BRICS membership and closer ties with the group.

ASEAN member states' growing interest in joining BRICS stems, in part, from geopolitical positioning. As ASEAN countries increasingly navigate a complex geopolitical landscape, seeking to balance relationships with major powers, BRICS offers an alternative platform for cooperation outside traditional Western-dominated structures.

Another reason is the economic benefits the membership offers. It provides access to new markets, investment opportunities and technological advancements, which is particularly attractive for developing ASEAN economies.

However, one of the main factors that may hinder the inclusion of other ASEAN countries in BRICS is the "US factor". Some ASEAN countries maintain strong ties with the United States and may hesitate to deepen relations with BRICS to avoid a potential US backlash.

While BRICS offers an alternative to Western-dominated global financial and governance structures, the calculus for some ASEAN countries is not merely economic, but deeply strategic. These countries often walk a tightrope between maximizing economic opportunities and preserving their established security and diplomatic alignments.

In such contexts, the political-diplomatic cost of aligning more closely with BRICS can be high, especially when BRICS is increasingly perceived as a counterweight to Western hegemony and a challenger to the US-led global order. This is especially true for a country like the Philippines, whose foreign policy now under the present government very much lean toward the US.

Moreover, Vietnam's inclusion in BRICS as a partner country is highly significant in the evolving architecture of Global South cooperation. Vietnam's presence expands BRICS' geographic and developmental diversity.

It represents a mid-sized, rapidly developing Southeast Asian economy that has successfully balanced socialist governance with market reforms. Its inclusion will, to some extent, elevate ASEAN's visibility within BRICS, signaling a shift toward more inclusive multipolar leadership in the Global South.

Its BRICS partnership enhances connectivity among the Belt and Road Initiative, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and potentially BRICS+financial cooperation, primarily through infrastructure finance via the New Development Bank, and cross-border settlement initiatives that reduce reliance on the US dollar.

Likewise, Vietnam's inclusion in BRICS symbolizes post-colonial economic autonomy. Vietnam's history of anti-colonial struggle and post-war development success resonates strongly with other Global South nations.

It stands as a symbol of resilience, economic self-determination, and the possibility of development without strict Western alignment or International Monetary Fund-style conditionalities. This enhances the normative narrative of BRICS as a platform for alternative development models beyond neoliberal prescriptions.

Additionally, Vietnam's inclusion reflects Hanoi's balanced, nonaligned foreign policy that bridges ties with both East and West, aligning ASEAN's outlook with BRICS-led Global South initiatives rooted in sovereignty and development-driven multilateralism.

Vietnam's BRICS partner status is more than symbolic — it is a strategic elevation of a Southeast Asian voice in reshaping global economic governance. It reinforces South-South cooperation and development, multipolarity, and a more equitable world order. It is also a subtle but strong message to the West: The Global South is organizing itself on its own terms.

The “Israel”-Singapore connection

I would have written a much longer post, but I was brought to attention by this nifty post (archived link) by the “Israeli” trade mission to Singapore which sums it all up quite well:

Singapore has a remarkable story to tell, and paradoxically this south east Asian city-state has quite a lot in common with [the Zionist Entity], a small nation with a history of struggle and resilience. The two small nations have populations comprised of immigrants [the Zionists admitted it themselves which is somewhat hilarious] with different cultures and customs, surrounded by large countries with their own political and ethnic tensions. Both of these small nations have managed against all odds to turn themselves in a single generation from poor, underdeveloped markets to global economic powerhouses with advanced infrastructures, skilled and highly educated workforces and ambitious entrepreneurs. Singapore has grown to become a global financial hub and an Economic giant in a single generation.

The thing to realize is, what the anglophone Chinese bourgeoisie in Singapore hate more than sinophone Chinese people, are the Muslims, but especially Malay-Muslims, who rejected their liberal secular capitalism. Their nation-building myths are quite similar, which justifies Singapore’s hefty military budget - larger than every other Southeast Asian country, both in per capita and absolute terms.

A true liberation of the peoples of Southeast Asia necessitates the fall of the financial capitalists, chiefly represented by the largest banks in Southeast Asia, all based in Singapore. That’s why a lot of hysteria historically propagated here are based on “Indonesian” and “Malaysian” terrorists and supporters who’d like to see the downfall of “Singapore”. Nowadays, the rhetoric is a bit more muted, but echoes of this Islamophobia show-up from time to time.

Christmas Eve, 1965, is the unofficial date of the start of the ‘love story’ between Israel and Singapore, an affair that was kept a deep, dark secret. The international press, like the Israeli media, tried to bring the tale to light. Occasionally, scraps of information leaked out; some were published, some were denied, many were disregarded. The fear that the ties would be terminated if they became public knowledge had its effect. Israel imposed a total blackout on the story and the secret was preserved.

But ultimately the mysterious history between Israel and Singapore came to light. In his book, “From Third World to First: The Singapore Story 1965-2000,” published in 2000, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father and its first prime minister, disclosed the secret that had been kept for almost 40 years: It was the Israel Defense Forces that established the Singaporean army. Lee wrote, “To disguise their presence, we called them `Mexicans.’ They looked swarthy enough.”

To link it to a current news article: S’pore increased its security posture amid rising tensions from Iran-Israel conflict: Shanmugam

People in this region, other regions, or extremist organisations might want to make a point against Israeli, American or other Western assets, he said, adding that there could be attacks from the far right on Muslim assets..

If Singapore is ever attacked, it will make international headlines, he said. There is a possibility of attacks on both sides, he said, either by the far right attacking Muslims, or representatives of Muslim countries including Iran, and attacks on Western assets – American, European or Israeli.

“So we have increased our security posture, working off different scenarios, but you know, you can never be absolutely sure,” he added.

Israel-Hamas conflict a 'reminder' for Singapore that it has national interests at stake: Vivian Balakrishnan

This quick ejaculation of “terrorism” when it comes to West Asian or Islamic related foreign policy remains a defining motto of the Singaporean government’s continual targeting of (Malay-)Muslim people, in a “we care about terrorism, but especially from the muslims” sense and also that of it would be “bad for business” since it would harm the hard-fought “social harmony”.

"This episode is also a reminder to all Singaporeans that we do have our national interests at stake ... We must reject terrorism in all its forms. No excuses, no ifs, no buts, no short-term political advantage. Reject terrorism. If attacked, all of us here must give the government of the day the ability to exercise the right of self-defence," said Dr Balakrishnan, supporting the motion.

"But even when it does so, we will expect the government of the day to uphold international law. And as Singaporeans, we will continue to extend humanitarian assistance and protection to all civilians. We should support the peaceful resolution of disputes. And we must nurture and protect our own precious cohesion and harmony."

The misused word “harmony” crops up again. Wonder if they’ll stop using this tired phrase. Clearly the harmony didn’t apply to those that didn’t fit into their vision of Western Modernity.

And a quick note about the current Foreign Minister:

I would say it is expected, and it is, but still embarrassing.

Finkelstein giving his thoughts on many things including Palestine & Mamdani. There's one section where he discusses the degree of evil with which Israel is committing genocide that he contemplates whether they are more evil than the Nazis, who were more scientific/methodical in their approach to committing genocide while Israelis are doing so gleefully. He connects Mamdani to popular support for Palestine's struggle for liberation and urges him to remain true to his message.

https://youtu.be/JADy940qXHY

Someone here previously posted a post from Gaza journalist Omar Hamad about the US-israel using sugar as bait to lure starving Palestinians into a death trap in Gaza. Now he has deactivated his twitter account in response to threats from the official US-military-run "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" twitter account.

Other fascistic countries are copying Trump admin's arguments on deportation, almost like they put it through ChatGPT to change the wording slightly:

The Union Home Ministry’s (MHA) appeal against a Jammu and Kashmir High Court order to repatriate a 62-year-old housewife who was deported to Pakistan post Pahalgam terror attack said the “judiciary should not override” the executive’s decision to deport a foreign national.

It said the High Court order was constitutionally impermissible and unsustainable, as it directed the enforcement of a judicial writ beyond the sovereign territory of India to Pakistan, where she was deported and was thus ultra vires.

The Ministry also said that the court’s direction was “legally unenforceable and diplomatically untenable”.

“There exists no extradition treaty, legal instrument, or international obligation binding Pakistan to return her to India. The Indian government cannot, under existing international law, compel a sovereign nation to surrender a non-citizen,” the MHA said.

Source

versus

A federal judge did not have the authority to order the Trump administration to broker the return of a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported from the U.S. to a notorious El Salvador prison, government attorneys argued Saturday as they urged an appeals court to suspend the ruling.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on Friday ordered the administration to "facilitate and effectuate" Kilmar Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S. by late Monday night. Justice Department lawyers asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to immediately pause the judge's order.

"A judicial order that forces the Executive to engage with a foreign power in a certain way, let alone compel a certain action by a foreign sovereign, is constitutionally intolerable," they wrote.

Abrego Garcia's lawyers in response on Sunday urged the court to deny the government's request, arguing lawyers for the Justice Department failed to demonstrate their argument would likely succeed on the merits. They also argued the government's claim that the order to return Abrego Garcia "is neither possible nor proper" is "wrong on both counts."

Source

Some combat footage of Russian forces recently liberating Dachnoye (the first liberated settlement in Dnepropetrovsk oblast):

https://s5.cdnstatic.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/dachnoe.mp4?_=1

GUESS WHO'S GOING TO THE HOSPITAL AGAIN?

Jair Bolsonaro (Liberal Party) feels ill again and cancels agenda with parliamentarians. Jair Bolsonaro said he was suffering from hiccups and vomiting that prevented him from speaking.

"As a medical requirement, I will not be attending the Liberal Party meeting this Tuesday. Hiccups and vomiting prevent me from speaking. Thank you. I'm Jair Bolsonaro", says the forwarded message. According to CNN, the former president felt unwell yesterday and today. He didn't go to the Liberal Party headquarters on Tuesday and, on medical advice, he shouldn't go on Wednesday either.

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The Democratic party are showing themselves to be a disfuncional party. That said, I have a question: How likely is the Democratic party to collapse?

If the Dems end up collapsing, IMO that's the best possible outcome for the political left wing, considering that:

a) The democrats usually are more attuned to the needs of the national and international bourgeoisie in material terms.

And

b) The democrats are the only left wing outlet today, so them collapsing provides an opening for a proper left wing party to gain prominence.

Not posting the Trump statement unless Hamas confirm agreement or rejection

This is from June 8 but still relevant: The real reason why Israel is arming gangs in Gaza

Tiktok comment sections have discovered "dd to the idf" does not get filtered by the automod and it's showing up everywhere even on non political posts.