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International Security and Estonia 2023
101–110 of 265 posts
Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is the mistaken understanding that this is all just an artefact of Putin. It's not. Most of the Russian elite agree with this war, since they (collectively, including before Putin) have been warning that they will not allow Ukraine to join NATO since the 1990s. This is all well documented. All the bluster about "denazification and demilitarization" and helping the DNR/LPR aside, this war is entirely about NATO.…
The Russian elite aren’t the folks who were pushing for the war. Many didn’t think it would even happen / have a clue that it would happen. I think you mistake self preservation in the form of support for a war with the will to start one and continue it. It’s a kleptocracy, most of them just want money. Putins circle is small and most elite had no idea what was going to happen.
People who have plenty of money quickly get bored and seek something stronger: power.
Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#103I wonder why Russia gets a pass from the left and right on being pretty brutal colonial empire. Even in present day borders Russia is composed of literally hundreds of colonised nations that get exploited and brutalised for the benefit of Moscow.
> I wonder why Russia gets a pass from the left and right on being pretty brutal colonial empire. Can you give some examples of what you are talking about here, and in what countries?
Mostly US.
Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Given Russia's long history of bloody invasions, I don't think this is something Americans can at all relate to. This is something which most European countries can relate to, but they don't use it (anymore) to justify imperialism.
Of course not, because they are all American vassals. Being under the Pax Americana umbrella myself, I'm quite okay with that. However, I hope you can understand why a major power like Russia might be suspicious.
> Of course not, because they are all American vassals.
Someone is eating the Russian propaganda here. Projection and all.
> However, I hope you can understand why a major power like Russia might be suspicious.
It can be as suspicious as it wants, within its borders.
Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I wonder why Russia gets a pass from the left and right on being pretty brutal colonial empire. Can you give some examples of what you are talking about here, and in what countries?
Mostly US.
How does "the left" give them a pass exactly?
Until recently, both Dems and Reps were happy to fund and expand NATO, which is basically and anti-russian expansion org. Now Republicans seem to have an issue with that though.
I just don't understand what you mean by "Russia has gotten a pass?"
Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
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Democracy has a well-known blatantly US backing. Not just being punchy: if you accuse pro-democracy movements of being US-backed coups, then that's a low bar for association. The US even tries to foist democracy where it's a terribly ineffective idea, from a US interests standpoint, see efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
oh yes, I did see those.
Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#107I wonder why Russia gets a pass from the left and right on being pretty brutal colonial empire. Even in present day borders Russia is composed of literally hundreds of colonised nations that get exploited and brutalised for the benefit of Moscow.
> I wonder why Russia gets a pass from the left and right on being pretty brutal colonial empire. Can you give some examples of what you are talking about here, and in what countries?
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Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#108I wonder why Russia gets a pass from the left and right on being pretty brutal colonial empire. Even in present day borders Russia is composed of literally hundreds of colonised nations that get exploited and brutalised for the benefit of Moscow.
You can't just say "Left" and "Right". That distinction has become rather meaningless.
While the Right as a whole is leaning stronger and stronger in at least silent support of people like Putin (Christian defender of the white race and all that), the Left does not have this problem. There is a small crew of commies and tankies that drool over Putin, but us left-leaning folk laugh at them as much as anyone.
Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
The entire expansion of Russia eastward across Asia to the Pacific ocean? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_evolution_of_Russi...
I am well aware of Russian Imperialism. Are you talking about the left and the right in the USA? Who aside from modern US Republicans is giving them a pass?
pretty much everyone on the left too. Outside of Chechen wars I've never seen Russia criticised for it's colonial practices from prominent figures on the left.
Re: International Security and Estonia 2023
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
The Russian public has proven that it can collectively switch to believing whatever needs to be believed in order to continue the war. NATO is simply an excuse to reintegrate Ukraine into the Russian empire that it was part of for very long. When Finland, also on the border with Russia, decided to join NATO, Putin said that there's no problem with that, that it was something for the Finns to decide. Fear of enemies c…
That was then. Russian leaders have recently been much more aggressive about their language towards Finland. Both Sergey Lavror and Maria Zakharova, in particular, have changed their discourse to be quite a bit more hostile as time has gone by.
But the point is that Russia does nothing to prevent Finland from joining NATO. The comment I was replying to claimed that the Ukraine war is all about NATO expansion.