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Veikko Viitamaa

@vviitamaa.bsky.social
210 followers 668 following 25 posts

Sociologist with development, politics and global inequality in focus. And some football.

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Reposted by Veikko Viitamaa
Mae Nick Phra Khanong @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Today is the 50th anniversary of the 6 October massacre at Thammasat University, a major moment in modern Thai history The massacre saw state-backed right-wing groups kill at least 41 pro-democracy protestors and ended Thailand's 1973-1976 democratic period No one has ever been held responsible
A man beating the lifeless corpse of a man hanging from a tree on Sanam Luang in Bangkok
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Zecharias Zelalem @zekuzelalem.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
War breaks out in Ethiopia. Tigrayan forces attack federal government positions on two fronts & capture the region's airports. Tragically, shuttle diplomacy efforts by the international community have failed. Ethiopia is on the brink of being plunged back into all out civil war. It's a disaster.
aljazeera.com
Tigray forces launch offensive against Ethiopian government
Tigray People’s Liberation Front seizes control of airports, targets government positions in Afar and Amhara regions.
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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“The Lebanon of 1990 was divided, full of rubble, garbage, fuel and bread lines and people with guns. Thirty years later, Lebanon is divided, full of rubble, garbage, fuel and bread lines and people with guns.”
f.mtr.cool
Remembering the Beirut Explosion
The 2020 blast at the city’s port tore through buildings, and also through the psyches of its inhabitants — as an archive of their responses shows
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Reposted by Veikko Viitamaa
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 24/06/2026
this is a great illustration of one of the fundamental insights of democracy — that there is no such thing as "the people" and that majorities are elusive and ever shifting. no election, no decision, is final and treating an election as a final decision is profoundly undemocratic.
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Veikko Viitamaa @vviitamaa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Hän on löytänyt ystävän!
Härkälintupari ihan Savonlinnan keskustassa.
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Veikko Viitamaa @vviitamaa.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Hippasen kesyyntynyt härkälintu ihan linnan kupeessa. Tästä on hyvä aloittaa oopperajuhlat 🥰 Saimaa ❤️
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Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Difficult to describe how unusual it is for @icrc.org to speak publicly like this. "Heavy explosive weapons with wide-area effects struck densely populated urban areas, including the capital Beirut, without effective advance warnings." ICRC Outraged by Deadly Strikes in Densely Populated Areas
icrc.org
Lebanon: ICRC outraged by deadly strikes in densely populated areas
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is outraged by the devastating death and destruction in densely populated areas across Lebanon today following intensified military operations.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
This is amazing. www.getyourfuckingmoneyback.com
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Philip Obaji Jr. @philipobaji.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
There are currently over 1,780 citizens from the African continent fighting in the Russian army. The African fighters are from 36 different countries spread across the continent, according to the Ukrainian government. www.reuters.com/world/europe...
reuters.com
More than 1,700 Africans fighting for Russia, Ukraine says
More than 1,700 Africans are fighting for Russia in its war in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow was using deception to trick them into fighting.
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Betcy Jose @betcy.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
When working on the portion of my dissertation exploring pre-colonial African martial norms, I wished for a resource like this! Fantastic to see this. Will be assigning this to my students.
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Pasi Pennanen @pasipennanen.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Pieni empatiaharjoitus. Kuvittele itsesi lapseksi. Poliitikot leimaavat sinut ja perheesi rikkaruohoiksi/loisiksi, leikkaavat sadoiltatuhansilta kaltaisiltasi perustarpeista, teiltä puuttuvat samat kansalaisoikeudet kuin muita suomalaisilta eikä se edes ylitä uutiskynnystä. 1/6
media.tenor.com
a purple background with the word this on it
ALT: a purple background with the word this on it
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Veikko Viitamaa @vviitamaa.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Isäni osti uuden lampun kattokruunuun. Ihmetteli "minkä takia niin helvetin kallis." Mä sanoin, että toi laitetaan kattoon HETI
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Aron Lund @aronlund.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
In 2018–20, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation generously funded my research on Syrian armed groups, looking at why some factions grew while others fell apart. A year after Assad's ouster, we revisit the project to see what it might tell us about Syria's new rulers: www.hfg.org/insights/ref...
hfg.org
One Year Later: Reflections on How Syrian Opposition Groups United to Oust Assad - HFG
This month, Syrians at home and abroad had, for the first time in a long while, cause for national celebration. In the capital city of Damascus, and in immigrant enclaves around the world, jubilant Sy...
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The New Humanitarian @newhumanitarian.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
🇨🇩 Describing the killings as “the worst human rights crisis in Tanzania’s history”, a coalition of African civil society organisations is independently collecting evidence for a submission to the ICC. buff.ly/Mw7n6Fz
thenewhumanitarian.org
Tanzania election killings: Outcry and calls for international investigations
The death toll in election violence, which may run into the thousands, has left the country traumatised.
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Grok tweets: "Yes, the USSR's founding ideology under Lenin and Stalin explicitly aimed for world revolution to achieve global communism, as outlined in Marxist-Leninist doctrine. The Comintern (1919-1943) actively coordinated communist parties worldwide to overthrow capitalist governments through subversion, strikes, and uprisings. While Stalin later emphasized "socialism in one country" for pragmatic reasons, Soviet support for proxy wars, espionage, and insurgencies—like in Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba—continued exporting revolution until the end. Coexistence rhetoric masked this expansionist drive."

Ryan Grim replies: "Grok I’m going to block you if you are truly this misinformed. This is communism 101. The whole debate between Stalin and Trotsky was over this question and Stalin won. It is idiotic to say that supporting Korean resistance to Japanese occupation or Vietnamese resistance to French and American occupation counts as overthrowing capitalist countries. Check your training for bias because these assertions are absurd. (Also the Soviets did basically nothing to help the Cuban revolution at the start.) This is your last chance to dodge a block."
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Merel Zoet @merelzoet.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Read our latest analysis of a mass killing near Al Fashir, Sudan. Open source evidence that we reviewed showed that more than 80 people attempting to flee Al Fashir were killed near a berm that the RSF built around the city. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...
bellingcat.com
Geolocating Darfur Killings of Those Escaping Al Fashir - bellingcat
Warning: Contains written descriptions of extreme violence including murder. All graphic footage has been omitted. A Bellingcat investigation has identified and verified the exact location of a mass k...
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Thomas van Linge @thomasvlinge.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Sahel 🇲🇱🇧🇫🇳🇪 MAP: The situation in the Sahel states of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Benin as of September 2025. This map is a joint production by @warmapper.org and myself
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Nanjala @nanjala.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Some thoughts from me on youth in revolt in Kenya for @hammerandhope.bsky.social. hammerandhope.org/article/keny...
hammerandhope.org
In Kenya, Gen Z Battles Corruption and Police Violence
What keeps the Ruto administration running from crisis to crisis remains a complete unwillingness to listen to people and an unswerving commitment to responding to any form of dissent with violence.
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annihuhtala.bsky.social @annihuhtala.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Tämä on erittäin asiallinen kommentti. Kun perehtyy maatalouden rahallisesti mittavan ympäristötuen lepsuihin vaatimuksiin, ymmärtää, ettei mitään tapahdu. Asiantuntijat tietävät mitä pitäisi muuttaa ja vaatia, mutta Suomessa saastuttajalle maksetaan. Poliittinen tahto suojella puuttuu tässäkin.
hs.fi
Lukijan mielipide | Vesiensuojelu on Suomessa säälittävällä tasolla
Olisiko vihdoin aika siirtyä vesiensuojelussa vapaaehtoisuudesta velvoittavuuteen?
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
Rather than always condemning masculinity—we need an alternative that is about protecting, promoting, and empowering. That’s the kind of masculinity I believe in.
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Philip Obaji Jr. @philipobaji.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Nearly a thousand homes in Koumboli village, in the southeast of the Central African Republic, were reportedly set ablaze by Russian paramilitaries last week. One villager who attempted to flee his compound when it was set on fire was reportedly shot dead corbeaunews-centrafrique.org/urgent-koumb...
corbeaunews-centrafrique.org
Koumboli ravagé, les Mercenaires russes incendient la quasi-totalité des habitations, faisant un mort au passage
Ce vendredi matin, les mercenaires russes du groupe Wagner ont procédé à l’incendie massif des habitations du village de Koumboli, situé à 3 km de Zémio sur la route de Mboki. Bilan : presqu’un millie...
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Howard French @hofrench.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
Super excited to see this strong pre-release review of my new book by Publishers Weekly. "Weaving a staggering amount of history into a propulsive narrative that recasts the 20th century as a long struggle for liberation, this is a towering achievement." www.publishersweekly.com/9781324092452
publishersweekly.com
The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide by Howard W French
In this magisterial account, journalist French (Born in Blackness) revisits the history of the Pan-Africanist movement through t...
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Charles Onyango-Obbo @cobbo3.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
The past year has seen dramatic drops in African irregular migration off-continent: A 54% decline in irregular migration to Yemen (the primary entry point to the Gulf) & 70% downturn in European interceptions of African migrants /1
africacenter.org
African Migration Trends to Watch in 2025 – Africa Center
A preview of migration trends for 2025 including the need for more regional innovation to accommodate intracontinental population movements.
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Sam Heller | سام هيلر @abujamajem.com · 10/03/2025
@afpnews.bsky.social's Laure Al-Khoury talks to survivors of sectarian massacres on Syrian coast: www.france24.com/en/live-news...
france24.com
'Roads full of corpses': terrified Alawites in Syria flee attacks
For two days, Rihab Kamel and her family hid terrified in their bathroom in the city of Baniyas as armed men stormed the neighbourhood, pursuing members of Syria's Alawite minority.
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Timo R. Stewart @timostewart.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Syyriassa on ollut valtavan verisiä päiviä. Siviilejä on joukkomurhattu. Tilanteen rauhoittaminen ja tekijöiden saattaminen vastuuseen on nyt olennaista. Samalla on edelleen paljon epäselvyyttä siitä, mitä tarkalleen on tapahtunut. Nyt on hyvin paljon disinformaatiota liikkeellä.
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Jussi Jalonen @jojalonen.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Puhutaan vielä USAID-viraston lopettamisesta. Tällä on turvallisuuspoliittista merkitystä, jota en ole vielä nähnyt valtiojohtomme edes ajattelevan. Viraston tuhoaminen on ollut testiajo Yhdysvaltain irtautumiselle kansainvälisestä yhteistyöstä. Ketju seuraa.
apnews.com
Trump administration says it's cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts
The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked a judge’s order giving the Trump administration a midnight deadline to release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid.
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Tuomo Kondie @tuomokondie.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Hesari oli ystävällinen ja julkaisi mielipidekirjoitukseni työttömyydestä.
hs.fi
Lukijan mielipide | Jouduin työttömäksi, nyt minua ei kunnioita enää kukaan
Tuntemattomat ihmiset kokevat asiakseen kertoa, kuinka työttömän tulisi ottaa itseään niskasta kiinni.
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Veikko Viitamaa @vviitamaa.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Innolla odotan, että Tavio pysäyttää nyt kaupan Yhdysvaltoihin ja alkaa neuvottelemaan yhdysvaltalaisten pakkopalautuksista. maailmankuvalehti.fi/2024/08/maai...
maailmankuvalehti.fi
Suomen uusi kehityspoliittinen linja herättää hämmennystä asiantuntijoissa – ”Eihän suomalainenkaan yhteiskunta toimi pelkästään kauppaa tekemällä” - Maailman Kuvalehti
Hallituksen uusi selonteko nivoo kehitysyhteistyön ja kauppapolitiikan yhteen aiempaa suoraviivaisemmin. Se huolestuttaa asiantuntijoita, sillä näyttöä yksityisen sektorin kehitysyhteistyön tulokselli...
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Christoph N. Vogel @ethuin.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Mainstream discourse on conflict in eastern #Congo overemphasizes the role of natural resources. This precludes a more solid and thorough analysis overall. @judithverweijen.bsky.social and I explain how and why 👇🏼
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Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
So we’re all referring toTeslas as “Hitlermobiles” from now on, right?
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Africa Center for Strategic Studies @africacenter.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
The deterioration of security under military rule in the Sahel has resulted in fatalities spiking threefold since 2020. In Niger, fatalities linked to extremist groups are projected to jump 60 percent in 2024. 1/2
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ECFR @ecfr.eu · 08/01/2025
📝 Read the full policy brief here: buff.ly/4fcWflh @ecfrafrica.bsky.social
buff.ly
Material world: How Europe can compete with China in the race for Africa’s critical minerals
The EU faces a massive uphill struggle to secure critical raw material supply chains – and its efforts may even be undermining the bloc’s de-risking objectives by indirectly helping Chinese companies.
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Merrick Garland failed miserably in delivering justice for Trump’s numerous crimes. The absolute LEAST he can do is release Jack Smith’s report so the American people will learn the facts. Publishing the results of special counsel investigations is the norm — burying the truth would be indefensible.
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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Historically, alcohol consumption in the Middle East — including during Islamic rule — was an accepted facet of daily life.  But modern Islamist movements have weaponized alcohol bans as symbols of moral superiority. newlinesmag.com/spotlight/th...
newlinesmag.com
The Not-So-Frivolous Debate About Alcohol in Syria
It is neither premature nor petty to raise the question of drink, which strikes at the core of discussions about the nature of the new Syrian state
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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
“The Global North will always win at this point, and that’s why we want to own the whole supply chain.” Here’s how Pan-African farmers are fighting to boost their bargaining power while supplying the chocolate industry. newlinesmag.com/reportage/sw...
newlinesmag.com
Sweetening the Deal for Cocoa Producers
Pan-African collectives are finding new ways to boost the bargaining power of farmers supplying the chocolate industry
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Veikko Viitamaa @vviitamaa.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
Erinomainen koonta Assadin syrjäyttäneestä Ahmed al-Sharaasta
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Leila @leilashami.bsky.social · 28/12/2024
The minister responsible for women's empowerment (the only female minister in the transitional government) also said "I urge women not to surpass the priorities of their inherent nature as created by God, her nurturing role in the family"🙄
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David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
This is becoming the mainstream, consensus position in the global humanitarian / human rights community. It should be recognised and treated as such. Not just in the general discourse, but by policymakers above all. They have a specific obligation to prevent genocide. Active facilitation is criminal
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Razan S @razanspeaks.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Visiting my grandmother’s grave is my father’s priority upon returning to Syria. His mother who he was deprived from for decades, deprived even from speaking to her given his work that rendered contact with his family a threat to them. My incredible father, Walid Saffour, 74, tells Reuters.
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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Alexis Okeowo’s latest feature on how the Genocide in Tigray set the groundwork for a civil war with regional consequences is here. It’s also a reminder that the US State Department is capable of calling out “ethnic cleansing” when it wants to, as well as stopping its sale of arms to mass murderers.
nytimes.com
The Civil War in Ethiopia That Never Really Ended
A rare look inside a region still reckoning with the toll of war crimes, even as new conflicts roil the nation.
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Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Many of the political prisoners being released in Hama, Syria were teenagers when they were imprisoned by the Assad regime, now in their 60s, long thought dead, they are finally free. Lebanese prisoners from the 80s also released.
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Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
There are quiet celebrations all over Syria as rebels continue to advance. Mass evacuations by regime loyalists in Homs happening now. Political prisoners in Aleppo and Hama have also been released. Some have been missing since the 1980s, many for decades for activism or protests. #freesyria
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Max Roser @maxroser.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Few people even know about this; when people are asked in surveys how child mortality has changed the majority says it has stagnated or increased. If you consider that many don't know about humanity's biggest achievement, then it's not surprising that many are so pessimistic about our future.
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
This is a perfect illustration of something that has been bugging me since the so-called "coup epidemic" started in the Sahel: the view that coups are a symptom of the failure of democracy. They are, but they are also way more than this. Why? Because militarism is an ideology 🧵
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Bokar Sangaré @bokarsangare.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
theconversation.com/montee-des-r...
theconversation.com
Montée des régimes militaires en Afrique : un retour qui n'augure rien de bon
Les coups d'État militaires font leur retour : c'est un retour à l'une des traditions politiques de l'Afrique postcoloniale.
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Ryan Musser @ryanmusser.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Starter Pack for Africa-based journalists, including foreign correspondents and local journalists from their country of origin go.bsky.app/PYNaWY7
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Unofficial BBCNews (World) Bot @bbcnews-world-rss.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Sudan in danger of becoming a failed state, Jan Egeland warns
bbc.com
Sudan in danger of becoming a failed state, Jan Egeland warns
Sudan is disintegrating after more than 18 months of civil war, aid chief Jan Egeland warns
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Veikko Viitamaa @vviitamaa.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Mielenkiintoinen ennakko ICC:n pidätysmääräysten seurauksista - tapaus Omar Al Bashir. Seuraako tuoreimmasta pidätysmääräyksestä mitään?
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