I hope I'm not gonna jinx it just by dropping a comment here, but it looks like the far right will come up short, according to preliminary exit polls... But, even if they lose this election, the extreme right isn't going anywhere... it's here to stay.
What's important is mobilization of civic society. If enough are despondent about the "corrupt political system" and fall prey to decades of Russian psy-ops against Western democracies and political culture, then extremes are bound to do well. At this point we've seen this in Moldova, France, Germany, now in Romania. Thankfully when things seem to be getting really hairy, sufficient mass mobilizes to prevent some of the more extreme scenarios.
People must understand that no political system is perfect and corruption to some degree will always exist, but that avoiding to vote empowers extremists which could be determined to wreck havoc and destroy the existing political system beyond recognition (as Americans and Georgians discover now in real time). Vote better, put pressure on political system through other measures like personal involvement in local politics or even NGO work. But do not disengage, otherwise fascism or worse lurks around propped by helpful hands like the Kremlin's. You never know when your last election will be the last.
"No, you read that right - Alexandr Dugin is on Substack."
I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise. Unfortunately Substack isn't necessarily the pro-democracy platform that many expect/hope it to be. And Dugin is in "good" company here along with the likes of Curtis Yarvin, who provides the philosophical foundation for the current dismantlement of the US Federal government and implementation of white nationalist and segregationist (read: racist and apartheid) policies and agenda. Since 2023 Substack has been under the spotlight for hosting paid newsletters that promoted Nazi ideology and symbols explicitly, so nothing new here.
It is owned and financed by some of the same major Tech forces that are currently involved in overthrowing the constitutional order in the US. Marc Andreessen is a major investor in Substack, and is also a major Musk ally, recruiting staff for DOGE. Like Twitter, Substack is an integral part of the plan promoted by the likes of Balaji Srinivasan and Peter Thiel for setting up 'Network States' as a replacement for democratic governance. So no one should be surprised when Substack takes a turn for the Facebook or Twitter. Those who try to build audiences on Substack risk being deplatformed at some point without notice (with all the disruption that that entails).
For a primer on the Tech Fascists' plan for replacing democratic government with 'Network States' see this:
Yes, I agree that substack has a history of hosting some very unsavory characters. Mostly I do think it is different than facebook (for example) because relatively few subscription on this platform are driven by algorithms. At its core it is still an email newsletter platform rather than a social network. But your point is well taken.
What I was trying to highlight was how Russian propagandists are connecting with an English speaking audience here. Dugin's arrival is relatively new. Iurie Rosca has been here for a while. None of their audiences are *huge* but they are adept at connecting to other lunatics which amplifies them.
This is in contrast to the relatively small ecosystem of like-minded publications in which Moldova Matters swims.
I hope I'm not gonna jinx it just by dropping a comment here, but it looks like the far right will come up short, according to preliminary exit polls... But, even if they lose this election, the extreme right isn't going anywhere... it's here to stay.
What's important is mobilization of civic society. If enough are despondent about the "corrupt political system" and fall prey to decades of Russian psy-ops against Western democracies and political culture, then extremes are bound to do well. At this point we've seen this in Moldova, France, Germany, now in Romania. Thankfully when things seem to be getting really hairy, sufficient mass mobilizes to prevent some of the more extreme scenarios.
People must understand that no political system is perfect and corruption to some degree will always exist, but that avoiding to vote empowers extremists which could be determined to wreck havoc and destroy the existing political system beyond recognition (as Americans and Georgians discover now in real time). Vote better, put pressure on political system through other measures like personal involvement in local politics or even NGO work. But do not disengage, otherwise fascism or worse lurks around propped by helpful hands like the Kremlin's. You never know when your last election will be the last.
"George Simion: Stop the Steal"
Trump redux. We all saw how that ended in the US.
"No, you read that right - Alexandr Dugin is on Substack."
I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise. Unfortunately Substack isn't necessarily the pro-democracy platform that many expect/hope it to be. And Dugin is in "good" company here along with the likes of Curtis Yarvin, who provides the philosophical foundation for the current dismantlement of the US Federal government and implementation of white nationalist and segregationist (read: racist and apartheid) policies and agenda. Since 2023 Substack has been under the spotlight for hosting paid newsletters that promoted Nazi ideology and symbols explicitly, so nothing new here.
So careful with Substack:
https://america2.news/the-substack-dilemma-how-creators-are-inadvertently-fueling-americas-failure/ ("The Substack Dilemma: How Creators Are Inadvertently Fueling America's Failure")
It is owned and financed by some of the same major Tech forces that are currently involved in overthrowing the constitutional order in the US. Marc Andreessen is a major investor in Substack, and is also a major Musk ally, recruiting staff for DOGE. Like Twitter, Substack is an integral part of the plan promoted by the likes of Balaji Srinivasan and Peter Thiel for setting up 'Network States' as a replacement for democratic governance. So no one should be surprised when Substack takes a turn for the Facebook or Twitter. Those who try to build audiences on Substack risk being deplatformed at some point without notice (with all the disruption that that entails).
For a primer on the Tech Fascists' plan for replacing democratic government with 'Network States' see this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCj_q8tw-mI ("Trump's 'Freedom Cities'? A Tech Blueprint to Dismantle the USA")
Hi arita,
Yes, I agree that substack has a history of hosting some very unsavory characters. Mostly I do think it is different than facebook (for example) because relatively few subscription on this platform are driven by algorithms. At its core it is still an email newsletter platform rather than a social network. But your point is well taken.
Lots of good things are happening on here too of course - I wrote about that a few months back : https://outofplaceoutofcontext.substack.com/p/journalism-is-changing-fast
What I was trying to highlight was how Russian propagandists are connecting with an English speaking audience here. Dugin's arrival is relatively new. Iurie Rosca has been here for a while. None of their audiences are *huge* but they are adept at connecting to other lunatics which amplifies them.
This is in contrast to the relatively small ecosystem of like-minded publications in which Moldova Matters swims.
Anyhow, thanks for the comment and the links!