The Modern Insurgent

The Groypers, also known as the ‘Groyper Army’ or America First, are a movement of far-right nationalists in the US who first emerged online, but began to also move into the offline world in 2019. The name ‘Groypers’ originates from the Groyper frog image, which rose to popularity as a racist-coded version of the Pepe the Frog meme; the Pepe image is often associated with the alt-right. Groypers typically describe themselves as American nationalists and have similar beliefs to the alt-right. Their focus on gathering Gen Z support marks them out as a new type of movement, as they seek to form a base of support among younger people. Groypers present their movement under the wider ideology of Christian nationalism, and exploit divisions in more mainstream right-wing politics to attract disaffected conservatives. In this episode, we speak to our Contributing Writer Ellie Newis about the group and its use of social media to develop a significant outreach. Our article on The Groypers → https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/the-groypers-america-first [https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/the-groypers-america-first]. Full episode only available at www.patreon.com/moderninsurgent

Sun Yee On (新義安), or the New Righteousness and Peace Commercial and Industrial Guild, is the largest and ostensibly most powerful triad society in the world. By some estimates, the organization has more than 55,000 members across the world, making it nearly twice as large as the Hong Kong Police Force. Like most triads, the Sun Yee On is based in Hong Kong, but also operates in mainland China. Triads are Chinese organized crime groups, most often based in Hong Kong. Unlike many Western organized crime groups, such as the Italian mafia, triads are not necessarily organized in a strict hierarchy. In this episode, our host Joey speaks to Jeff Hanrahan once again about the triad. One of the most interesting episodes to date, where we explore its hierarchies, internal dynamics, and cultural ties. Full episode only available at patreon.com/moderninsurgent [http://patreon.com/moderninsurgent] Our article on Sun Yee On → https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/sun-yee-on [https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/sun-yee-on]

The Tiger Forces are an elite formation of the Syrian Arab Army that was formed in 2013 by drawing select personnel from other special forces units and reorganizing them under the Air Force Intelligence Directorate, the most prominent Syrian intelligence service. The Tiger Forces were renamed as the “25th Special Mission Forces Division” in 2019 and placed under Syrian Arab Army command, but they continue operating as a brigade-size special force. They are regarded as one of the most effective military formations loyal to the Baathist regime, having served on almost all fronts while going from strength to strength. Today, we speak to Orlando Miceli, one of our writers, about the group and the mysterious rumours surrounding its leader, Major-General Suheil Salman al-Hassan, nicknamed 'The Tiger'. Full episode only available at patreon.com/moderninsurgent [http://patreon.com/moderninsurgent]. Orlando's article on the Tiger Forces → https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/tiger-forces [https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/tiger-forces]

The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is an Islamic separatist group composed mostly of Uighurs in Xinjiang, China who wish to create an Islamic state called East Turkestan that would include parts of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Xinjiang. The ETIM was founded in 1997 by Hasan Mahsoum. The US, beginning in the Trump administration, asserts that TIP and ETIM are two separate entities and have removed what they consider to be ETIM from the Terrorist Exclusion List, citing a lack of activity despite the fact that Uighur fighters are present in Syria and Afghanistan. According to a State Department spokesperson, "ETIM was removed from the list because, for more than a decade, there has been no credible evidence that ETIM continues to exist as the same organization that was conducting terrorist attacks in Syria at the time of their designation." This stance has continued with the Biden administration. In this episode, our host Joey speaks to Jeff Hanrahan, one of our writers, about the group. We explore its history within the Xinjiang province, as well as controversy surround the group's existence, leadership, and activities. Our article on the ETIM → https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/east-turkestan-islamic-movement-etim [https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/east-turkestan-islamic-movement-etim]

As a wrap-up and bonus, we speak to our Chief Reporter, Michael Archer, to investigate the elusive role of BOAK in the Ukrainian War. Thanks to Michael's work on BOAK (including our documentary on the group), we use primary information to analyse their tactics, alliances, and their broader impact on regional stability and conflict dynamics.