• TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    Not really, as you argue without respect to the core of the problem, that is, the US is building a geopolitical tool next to Russia’s borders (obviously against Russia). Even if Putin suddenly disappears, another politician will get support from Russia’s elite and probably easy consent from the Russian public to pursue an anti-NATO foreign policy.

    Nothing will change until the US will change it’s foreign policy towards Russia and stop meddling with countries bordering with Russia.

    Also this does not contradict that Russia is not an oligarchy or Putin is not a dictator, before you call me pro-Putin. Russia can be the aggressor, an “extreme right-wing dictator ship” that attacked Ukraine and at the same time Ukraine was set up like a red flag in front of a bull by the West.

    Remember, there is no reason a country like Russia should perceive the US and its vassal states as friendly. They have no way to assume whatever they do with Ukraine or try to do with Belarus is not against them. In fact, the opposite is true, the foreign policy of the US writes that Russia is their enemy and they will allocate so and so much funds to fight it. You think you need to be a right-wing dictator or an ex-KGB agent to grasp that the goal of the west is to subdue your political class or to turn your country into a gas colony for them?

    But of course, being a biased lib that thinks the world is built like Lord of the Rings or a comic book, what’s class consciousness to you? You believe that there are ebil people like Putin, that suddenly went crazy and decided to invade Ukraine for no reason than being evil.

    Don’t you think if the Russian capitalists are investing so much money into the war because they see Ukraine as a pawn of the US and as a threat? And they will continue fund it if it stays a threat to them, beyond Putin? Nah, they put in billions for the lolz. Because Putin said so.

    • lightrush@lemmy.ca
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      2 years ago

      Even if you believe all of this, it should be obvious that the invasion was an abject failure in contributing towards these goals. There’s more NATO equipment and support around that border now than ever before. There’s even more NATO border incoming that didn’t exist before. Staying, expending more of your people’s lives, public and private capital looks like a really counterproductive thing to do. It’s only making those goals harder to meet longer term.

      • iie@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        Russia managed to hold onto Crimea, an important warm water port.

      • TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        Even if

        What do you mean by even if? Where did I say “therefore the invasion of Ukraine cannot be a failure” or “therefore Russia’s capitalist government will do the best for their people in the long term”? Again, what’s up with all this X and Y cannot be true at the same time.

        I mean, who are the winners in a Cold War at all? You say there is a NATO border incoming. Is this a win for the world population, to be closer to a nuclear war? When two blocks of oligarchies exchange punches, I would say one misses the point when they cheer on the blue-yellow one.

        • lightrush@lemmy.ca
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          2 years ago

          What do you mean by even if? Where did I say “therefore the invasion of Ukraine cannot be a failure” or “therefore Russia’s capitalist government will do the best for their people in the long term”? Again, what’s up with all this X and Y cannot be true at the same time.

          Got it.

          You say there is a NATO border incoming. Is this a win for the world population, to be closer to a nuclear war? When two blocks of oligarchies exchange punches, I would say one misses the point when they cheer on the blue-yellow one.

          For the world population, maybe. There’s an argument to be made that a weaker militarily and economically Russia is less likely to decide to throw punches and the punches would be weaker. That might be good for the rest of us people of the world. I simply can’t see any stability emerging from the status quo in Russia in the medium term and so I see it as needing mitigation. The economic development didn’t manage to put enough money and control in the hands of average Russians who could tame punch throwing impulses. 😐 The average Russians will be paying either way.

          There’s a lot of maybes and mights in there. That’s just my view. That said, a whole lot of Europe was a lot more positively inclined towards Russia before the war.

        • coffeekomrade@lemmy.ml
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          2 years ago

          Could easily argue that the winner of the Cold War was the US, considering the USSR collapsed through internal strife and balkanization.

          • TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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            2 years ago

            Not true. With the USSR went the need to support any social services in the US since there was no alternative ideology anymore, so it was a loss for the working class of the US, which is the majority. It was a rhetorical question, which you didn’t get.

            Also btw, the USSR collapsed not because of internal strife and balkanization, that was the result. It collapsed because of the introduction of profit/market economy.

            • coffeekomrade@lemmy.ml
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              2 years ago

              Sure, not because of Chernobyl, the national embarrassment of the failed soviet afghan war, the coup attempt on Gorbachov and the following turmoil causing Moscow to lose influence, followed by many republics declaring independence. but sure, just the profit/market economy

              • TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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                2 years ago

                LMAO out of all of this you mention the Chernobyl disaster, which makes me think you learn Soviet history through your Britbong “History” tv series. Maybe next you watch as well a Netflix episode on the Russian Tsar?

                Which Soviet leader betrayed the Afghan government and pulled out the military again, led the Socialist Afghanistan to collapse under terrorists?

                Which Soviet leader did everything the Americans told him, took IMF loans and put in market elements during an economic stagnation, just like pouring oil into a fire?

                Ah, I know, Europeans gave a loud applause after his “performance” and gave that traitor a nobel prize and a passport to live in Germany. You would never admit the bastard caused any of this because you guys suck his D in your history lessons.

                followed by many republics declaring independence

                you mean re-introduced neofeudalism and cut off partnership with the only country that made sure they have energy, manufacturing and built powerstations, schools and infrastructure with them?

                Go ask Moldavia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Usbekistan, the Baltics, … how their new independence feels like? Hell, ask Afghans the last time they flew into space?

                • InverseParallax@voyager.lemmy.ml
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                  1 year ago

                  I’m guessing the last time they flew into space was just before they brutally defeated and humiliated the red army.

                  They had a nice society before the USSR invaded, btw.

                  • TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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                    1 year ago

                    The last time they flew in space was when they cooperated with Soviets. And they didn’t invade wtf? The red army was invited by the socialist Afghanistan government to fight the terrorist backed by the US. Which later actually invaded and then used the geological maps created and given to the Afghans by Soviets decades prior (where they hoped the people of Afghanistan will use them to built their economy) to extract resources lmao And finally fled from the airport in Kabul, which was built by the USSR…

                    They had a nice society before Mujahideen and the Taliban, financed by the US, btw. (Actually the Taliban at least prohibited drug trafficking contrary to yanks and nato fascists)

    • socsa@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      Bro Russia would easily be the wealthiest country in Europe if they weren’t obsessed with being global antagonists. Lmao, they literally say that cringe shit out loud every time they talk about “Anglo Saxons” on Russian media. They know their entire schtick is fucking them over, yet they still do it.

      • lightrush@lemmy.ca
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        2 years ago

        And if the ruling class didn’t keep obscene amounts of wealth from reaching the average Russian.

    • Patapon Enjoyer@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      I feel like you want to have this argument with someone and, sure, go for it, but I feel like you’re painting OP as the average /r/worldnews poster, and that’s a very rude thing to do. For all I know they might agree with you but the hostility isn’t helping.

      Sorry if this is a little forward or “tone policing”, it just bugged me.

      • TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        What in OP’s comment did not seem like reddit r/worldnews level to you? And no, I don’t expect to get a reply nor a discussion with OP, it just appears to me that the top comments are usually simple one-liners, so I thought I elaborate this time on an alternative view and mock their (possible) world view that they put out as some common fact

        • Patapon Enjoyer@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          What in OP’s comment did not seem like reddit r/worldnews level to you?

          For starters, they recognized russian people also as exploited victims of the ruling class. Instead of the usual comparing them to orcs or whatever.

          I don’t think it’s productive to argue with a version of someone you came up with. There’s a way to make a point about US foreign policy and capital’s role in the war without mocking people.

    • boredtortoise@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      This is pretty much how Bush & USA justified pre-emptive strikes against non-existent WMDs. Russia don’t need to see their neighbors as friendly instead of neutral, and they definitely don’t need to conquer them just in case.

          • TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            What you said was completely unrelated and now you want to debate a different box. Classic western disinformation

            • boredtortoise@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              This is not a debate, nor was anything I said unrelated. US is as western as it gets and my comment shows contempt towards such actions. The same logic applies to both cases of unjustified per-emptive attacks.

        • InverseParallax@voyager.lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          That’s not whataboutism, both are wrong by the exact same standard, in America’s case we should have worked with the international community to ensure Iraq was unable to make progress in WMDs (if that’s what we actually cared about).

          In russia’s case they could just be nicer to their neighbors.

          If I abuse my wife and she leaves me for someone else, that’s not the fault of the wife or other man, that’s on me.

          • TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            Bro did you even read the initial comment and my long answer to that? My whole point was that russia, was put into a geopolitical corner and had to react out of material reasons, independent of their leadership. You come up with “be nice to your neighbors” as if the USA doesn’t meddle with their peripheral states and tries to put up bases there. LOL I wish I could see the world as simple as darth vader vs luke skywalker like you do

            • InverseParallax@voyager.lemmy.ml
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              1 year ago

              Russia was put in a geopolitical corner.

              By russia.

              They attacked Georgia in 2008, they attacked ukraine in 2014.

              This is why nobody likes them and everybody wants to see them suffer, this is why so many countries were happy to give ukraine weapons if it meant Russian invaders would die.

              Russia is a bully nation, and we get to watch that most beautiful moment, when the bullied stands up and blasts their bully in the face with a himars.

              Putin won’t last through the year, the thunder run destroyed his aura of invulnerability, I look forward to watching him do his Nick II impression.

              Putin wasn’t ‘put in a position’, he’s the ruler of Russia, he has agency, and now we get to watch the Russian people pay the price for his stupidity.

              • TomHardy@lemmy.ml
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                1 year ago

                By russia. They attacked Georgia in 2008, they attacked ukraine in 2014.

                Did you read my initial comment? You don’t even reply to anything and just ignore the coup by the US in 2014 and the military training of Ukrainian Neo-nazis the following 8 years, while stating Russia is their #1 enemy. Yes that’s right, the West pumped nationalism and weapons into Ukraine way before 2022.

                This is why nobody likes them and everybody wants to see them suffer, this is why so many countries were happy to give Ukraine weapons if it meant Russian invaders would die.

                “So many” countries like the G7 told by the US to donate? They are barely 10% of the world population. The US gives weapons to Ukraine because they use them as a stick to punch and weaken Russia, while using Ukrainians as flesh to achieve this. They don’t care what Ukraine will be after the war, the support will only last until the US thinks it weakened Russia enough. If you don’t like Russia, then fight yourself instead of sending them into safe death.

                Russia is a bully nation, and we get to watch that most beautiful moment, when the bullied stands up and blasts their bully in the face with a himars.

                Bruh they use Himars to shell hospitals and city centers that are still Ukrainian and a good amount of them lives there. The Ukrainian nazis killed probably more civilians of their own than the invaders, and you call that a “beautiful moment”.

                Putin won’t last through the year, the thunder run destroyed his aura of invulnerability, I look forward to watching him do his Nick II impression.

                I agree, that would be good but not worth a try for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives in exchange, especially if you don’t even know for sure if that will be the outcome. Typical lib, cheering the death of people in general.

                Putin wasn’t ‘put in a position’, he’s the ruler of Russia, he has agency, and now we get to watch the Russian people pay the price for his stupidity.

                Where do you think Putins power comes from? The oligarchs in Russia fear his force powers like from Darth Vader or what? Also then what is your big plan? You remove him, you run elections like in the 90s again, you get Yelson 2, after ten years you get another Putin 2 that again will resist the West. Did you even read my initial comment? My whole point was that is not the decision of one man because life is not Lord of the Rings, and then you reply by the great man theory, which is based on idealism. Like I said, until the West does not change it foreign policy towards Russia, the Oligarchy of Russia will put up people like Putin up and pursue similar politics.

                I am convinced that you are just a racist that thinks Russia has Putin and is evil because of their DNA or something. That’s why you refuse to accept any material analysis of the geopolitics behind and blame it on one leadership.