For the queer Yemeni, liberation comes from opposing imperialism first and foremost. This is clear, and is why I take issue with framing the government as a reactionary nightmare. Rather, in resisting imperialism, it’s more common for social progress to accelerate. Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world, and trying to frame it as an “authoritarian nightmare” just cedes the narrative to imperialists.

Yemen is progressive in the global context, and socially has a long way to go, but in that it already fights imperialism, is capable of progressing socially more expediently. This is the problem with trying to use moralistic terminology and loaded phrases like “authoritarian nightmare,” it makes it seem like Yemen needs outside intervention to progress, rather than internal progress.

Framing their government as “conservative authoritarian nightmare” follows the imperialist narrative. It’s a progressive nationalist country resisting imperialism, they would be thrown backwards with regime-change. It’s not about binaries, but about forces at play.

🫡 thanks comrade!

The problem with your framing, and the disconnect between you and I, seems to be that you look at progression/regression as simply personal choices, and to be weighed out on scales of positive and negative. You have to analyze the actual underlying systems, ie US Imperialism vs a nationalist country under siege by imperialism. These movements aren’t to be weighed up on a scale, but the overarching forces at play have to be recognized and analyzed. Yemen’s path to progress socially is most accelerated by assisting them against imperialism, liberating queer Yemenis from US imperialism and making their social progress easier.

Often, material the US Empire reports as “aid” is in the form of money supposedly earmarked for development, but in practice ends up in the pockets of pro-US politicians and very little ends up doing anything. The Empire calls it “aid,” but really it’s bribery, and impacts very little in a positive direction.

Secondly, I find it disgusting that you’d use the fact that I’m fine with using they/them pronouns as a means to bludgeon my point. I’m pansexual, and consider myself cisgender. I am queer, and a number of movements I support would oppose that, such as Palestinian liberation. At the same time, I also understand that the path to progress is ending imperialism, not punishing these otherwise progressive movements. By cedeing the narrative to imperialists, you morally justify any terror they inflict, because the Empire has labeled them “bad” and you’ve agreed with them.

The path to liberation for queer Yemenis is made far easier when they have ended imperialism. Progressive social movements in Yemen should be supported regardless, but to try to foster the narrative that Yemen is socially conservative, therefore they are “bad” and thus the imperialists are justified is wrong.

I’m not stupid, and I’d rather you not treat me as such.

The US Empire isn’t giving out true aid, though. Even if we can find minor instances of aid, it’s done in the purposes of perpetuating imperialism, which aligns with the genocide. The centuries of human rights abuses by the US Empire, domestic and foreign, are aligned on that.

Yemeni human rights abuses are in the context of victims of imperialism, and the strong nationalism that springs in resistance to that. Yemen has every reason to improve socially as imperialism falls, their social conservativism isn’t intrinsic to being Yemeni but is a consequence of nationalist resistance to imperialism. Once free of imperialism, social progress can continue at far faster a pace.

You can read the book I linked if you want more depth than internet articles can provide. This is a well-documented process.

Here’s an article from Jacobin, and here’s an article from The Nation. If you want a deep-dive on how the US Empire functions, Super-Imperialism by Michael Hudson is a good read.

Why would the US Empire give so much aid? To further its imperialist ambitions by solidifying a class of compradors and puppet states.

Bingo.

The aid the US gives out is usually just given to compradors as bribes, it isn’t done with humanitarian intent but to keep the world under the thumb of imperialism.

I just call myself a communist/Marxist-Leninist. It’s clear and honest.

There’s pretty clearly a big difference between saying we cannot ally with the DNC and must organize outside of that, vs saying cooperation itself is bad and we should organize on our own.

It did not, because I didn’t lie.

Nope.

Nope.

I’m not a liar, and I already explained myself. The length of your reply doesn’t matter at all in that.

Nope.

No, your use of slurs isn’t something I’ve redefined, nor did I try to redefine right-wing as “using slurs.” I said use of slurs is most common among the far-right, not that that is definitional to being right-wing.

You repeat yourself because you’re wrong.

It isn’t, and I’ve already explained why.

Incredible.