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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   1350 thread views

Transnational Thursday for January 23, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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The President of Columbia seems to be having a meltdown on twitter over Trump sending people back to Columbia: https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/1883624818811236502

Trump, I don't really like travelling to the US, it's a bit boring, but I confess that there are some commendable things. I like going to the black neighbourhoods of Washington, where I saw an entire fight in the US capital between blacks and Latinos with barricades, which seemed like nonsense to me, because they should join together.

I don't like your oil, Trump, you're going to wipe out the human species because of greed. Maybe one day, over a glass of whiskey, which I accept, despite my gastritis, we can talk frankly about this, but it's difficult because you consider me an inferior race and I'm not, nor is any Colombian.

You will kill me, but I will survive in my people, which is before yours, in the Americas. We are peoples of the winds, the mountains, the Caribbean Sea and of freedom.

Colombia now stops looking north, looks at the world, our blood comes from the blood of the Caliphate of Cordoba, the civilization of that time, of the Roman Latins of the Mediterranean, the civilization of that time, who founded the republic, democracy in Athens; our blood has the black resistance fighters turned into slaves by you. In Colombia is the first free territory of America, before Washington, of all America, there I take refuge in its African songs.

There's not really much point quoting individual parts, it's all just the most deranged stuff I've ever seen from a serious politician. No, I don't think Columbia can claim heritage from Ancient Egypt. I really don't understand why these small weak countries make such a big fuss on the world stage. "We are peoples of the winds and mountains" isn't so great compared to the peoples of the armies, markets and missiles.

There's probably more that can be unearthed from the implications of 'blacks and Latinos should be working together... in fights in the US capital' comment too, you get a glimpse into the minds of these people.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombias-petro-will-not-allow-us-planes-return-migrants-2025-01-26/

Trump is also playing the cringe-diplomacy game:

"These measures are just the beginning," he wrote. "We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!"

He later posted a picture of himself on Truth Social in a pinstripe suit and a fedora in front of a sign reading FAFO, a common slang acronym for "Fuck Around and Find Out".

How many years until presidents are tweeting soyjaks at eachother?

Edit: Trump victory: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/26/politics/colombia-tariffs-trump-deportation-flights/index.html

The egypt thing according to twitter's translate is

My land is made up of goldsmiths who worked in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs and of the first artists in the world in Chiribiquete.

which appears to be a reference to the Quimbaya goldsmiths whose artifacts date back to ~500 BC. Beautiful work and the pharaohs ruled until Cleopatra, so he's correct. Were the Chiribiquete natives the first artists? Probably not, but their rock paintings were pre-history so close enough.

where I saw an entire fight in the US capital between blacks and Latinos with barricades

What the hell is he referring to here? The Floyd riots?

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