Yasha Levine $6 / month

Yasha Levine's newsletter explores the complexities of nationalism, socialism versus capitalism, the impacts of technology on society, and Jewish identity, through the lens of historical and current events. It offers critical analysis on American imperial strategies, the role of mass media in shaping national identities, and reflections on Soviet history and Jewish modernity.

Nationalism Socialism vs. Capitalism Technology and Society Jewish Identity and History American Imperialism Mass Media's Role in National Identity Soviet History Environmental Concerns Political Critique

The hottest Substack posts of Yasha Levine

And their main takeaways

The myth of the Jewish Lobby

668 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Foreign Relations Nationalism Imperialism Propaganda International Conflicts
  1. The United States has historically supported specific ethnic and cultural groups to project its power abroad.
  2. The American Empire weaponized immigrant populations, using their nationalist identities to destabilize enemy states.
  3. Support for Israel is not solely due to the Jewish Lobby, but aligns with the interests of the imperial consensus.

Human Shields

845 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Ethnic Cleansing Conflict History Military
  1. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich proposes reducing Gaza population by 90% as a solution to conflict.
  2. Israeli settlements near Gaza were strategically placed as human shields for protection.
  3. The historical military roots of Nahal brigades led to the development of armed pioneer settler communities in Israel.

Autochthonous Wars

648 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Identity Middle East Religion History
  1. The debate over Jewish autochthonous status to the Holy Land is complex and influenced by personal bias and politics.
  2. Genetic studies on Jewish ancestry can be interpreted in multiple ways, leading to conflicting conclusions.
  3. The issue of Jewish identity and origins is more of a cultural and political question than a scientific one.

Jewish Nationalism, publishing, public relations, and Hollywood

393 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Publishing Public Relations Hollywood
  1. The novel 'Exodus' had a significant impact in promoting Jewish nationalism among American and Soviet Jews.
  2. The book was essentially zionist propaganda, helping to shape narratives and ideals for Jewish communities.
  3. The creation and promotion of 'Exodus' was part of a strategic public relations effort by the Israeli government to influence American perspectives on Israel.

What do you expect?

1375 implied HN points • 09 Oct 23
🌍 World Politics Israel-Palestine conflict Zionism Genocide Occupation
  1. The history of displacement and conflict in Israel/Palestine is rooted in the colonial aspirations of early Zionist leaders.
  2. Diaspora Jews may need to confront the reality of supporting a colonial state or push for reconciliation in Israel.
  3. The ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians shows little sign of resolution, with challenging paths ahead.
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Jews for killers of Jews...and other thoughts on post-Soviet nationalism

1061 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
🌍 World Politics Nationalism Identity Genocide Symbols
  1. Recent events in Canada brought attention to Ukrainian nationalist controversies involving Nazi symbolism and history.
  2. The adoption of nationalist symbols in Ukraine stems from an identity vacuum post-Soviet collapse, with a rebranding to align with modern values.
  3. Nationalism remains a dominant organizing principle for countries post-monarchies, shaping identities and symbols to reflect specific historical narratives.

Victims of comm…capitalism

1316 implied HN points • 05 Feb 23
  1. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution denouncing socialism in a bipartisan vote.
  2. The Victims of Communism Foundation influenced the resolution to condemn socialism.
  3. The author considers launching a Victims of Capitalism Foundation to showcase the negative impacts of capitalism.

Book Talk: Cults and Degrowth and Zardoz

157 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
📚 Literature Cults Degrowth
  1. The event is a book talk hosting Anthony Galluzzo about his new book 'Against the Vortex: Zardoz and Degrowth Utopias'
  2. The book is a critique of society's techno-utopianism and offers a new path forward past industrialization
  3. The event is on January 14, 2024, in Brooklyn at Spoonbill bookstore

Radioactive Living — with grand views of San Francisco!

727 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🌍 World Politics Environmental Impact
  1. Treasure Island in San Francisco has a radioactive past due to experiments with radioactive materials and ships contaminated with nuclear fallout.
  2. The island's history includes training with real radioactive materials, raising concerns about radiation exposure for residents and construction workers.
  3. Despite the radioactive risks, major developments and construction projects are ongoing on Treasure Island, leading to concerns about the spread of radioactive dust to surrounding areas.

The New York Times simps for nationalism abroad

648 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🌍 World Politics Nationalism Russia Democracy International relations
  1. The New York Times is accused of projecting nationalist ideas onto foreign countries while not supporting nationalism domestically.
  2. The writer critiques the idea that Russia needs to be broken up for democracy to flourish, highlighting the implication that a multi-ethnic country is seen as illegitimate.
  3. The essay discusses the importance of homogeneity in a nation-state, contrasting it with the diversity of multi-ethnic societies.

Introduction to The Soviet Jew

589 implied HN points • 28 May 23
💾 History Soviet Union Immigration Cold War Nationalism
  1. The Soviet Jew memoir is being restarted and will be released in installments for paid subscribers.
  2. The Victims of Communism Foundation focuses on educating about the evils of communism and collaborating with various anti-communist figures and activists.
  3. The author realized the personal connection of his family's immigration from the Soviet Union to the broader theme of America weaponizing nationalist diasporas.

What You Should Know

471 implied HN points • 24 Jun 23
🌍 World Politics Russian Politics Warfare Espionage Middle East Immigration
  1. Prigozhin criticizes Putin's military leadership and corruption, highlighting issues in Russia's military structure.
  2. Czech president suggests monitoring Russians abroad, drawing parallels to Japanese internment during WWII.
  3. Discussion on forgotten history, liberal bigotry, and a new book revealing Israel's secret service attacks in Baghdad to trigger Jewish migration.

The technology of nationalism

589 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Nationalism Media Internet Ideology Culture
  1. The concept of nationalism is tied to the emergence of mass media technology like the printing press.
  2. Print technology created national identities by standardizing languages and expanding cultural identity beyond local communities.
  3. The Internet may not be creating new ideologies, but rather reproducing existing nationalist ideals from before.

Jews, the first modern people

471 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Religion History Literature Identity
  1. Jews have been successful in the modern world because they historically valued text and learning, being ahead of the game when it comes to worshipping the written word.
  2. The Jews were seen as the first modern people by embracing modernization traits such as urbanization, literacy, and intellectual pursuits.
  3. The Jewish specialties like commerce, law, medicine, textual interpretation, and cultural mediation have become core pursuits in modern society, making Jews exemplary ancients and model moderns.

The Unabomber Fallacy

471 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
📖 Philosophy Technology Politics Ideology Critique
  1. Revolution against industrial technology may not succeed without global reach.
  2. Ted Kaczynski's revolution against industrial society was ultimately doomed to fail.
  3. Critique of technology being political can apply to various ideologies of the industrial age.

Hyperion and boring techno futures

412 implied HN points • 02 May 23
📚 Literature Science fiction Critique Existentialism
  1. The story of Hyperion explores a conflict between a traditional civilization reliant on AI technology and a post-humanist society embracing genetic tinkering and self-directed evolution.
  2. The author questions the idealized futuristic utopia presented in the Hyperion series, highlighting the potential downsides and complexities of a tech-driven society.
  3. There is a comparison drawn between the themes in the Hyperion series and ideologies of technology-driven utopias seen in history, pointing out the different perspectives and potential outcomes.