Russia doesn’t have a stake in the world imperialist system, France does and has for centuries. If France were to lose in a war against the global south, there would be a huge blow to their continued domination and subjugation of African countries. The fact that Russia has a rising communist movement is just a bonus tacked onto the end, it isn’t an indication of the country being imperialist or not. In fact, the nationalists in charge of Russia are caught between needing to appease the public yearning more and more for socialism and their own interests in perpetuating their capitalist system.
Cowbee, I disagree almost entirely with what you posted. But with respect for you clearly articulating your position I will share my response.
To your “But Russia is not imperialist” , please reflect on the following and to what extent you must stretch a rationalization:
First and Second Chechen Wars (1994, 2000)
Puppet Leader in Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko (1996)
Puppet leader in Ukraine Victor Yanukovych (2010)
Georgian War (2008)
Annexation of Crimea (2014)
Role in Syria conflict (2000 onwards)
Role in African dictatorships in Burma Faso and Niger (2010s- present)
… global south / US bad too / old Soviet vassal states must kneel ect… I get it. But the above conflicts are evidence of state capitalism exerting itself militarily for geopolitical and economic aims
I doubt this will influence you much as you are pretty invested in your world view. But from my vantage point and reading of theory (likely some overlap if you are ML) - you are wrong *respectfully
Comrade cfgaussian already answered perfectly here. Essentially, you mix in defensive wars with allyships with other countries, and claim the defensive wars are for imperialism and the allyships “puppetry.” The Sahel States are progressive, and are allied with Russia in their national liberation from France and western imperialism.
I am a Marxist-Leninist, yes. Imperialism needs to be analyzed primarily by the definition of imperialism Lenin gives, not on whether or not a country interacts with others. In most of these examples, such as the Sahel States, Russia is working against imperialism.
Imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism by which finance capital and world monopoly are dominant. Russia does not have this. Russia is currently under the control of nationalists, not finance capital, and it is the west that has that global financial monopoly.
Your error is in both erasing Lenin’s analysis of imperialism and viewing any kind of interaction Russia has as inherently imperialist working backwards from there. To use your rhetoric, I suggest you reflect first on what imperialism is, why we define it as such and how it operates, and consider why Marxist-Leninists therefore have the understanding of the Russian Federation that we do.
Purely defensive, internal conflicts on internationally recognized Russian territory against CIA backed jihadist terrorists who butchered civilians and committed heinous acts of terrorism such as taking an entire school hostage and murdering hundreds of children.
Puppet Leader in Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
Lukashenko has been the leader of Belarus longer than Putin has been president. Belarus is in a Union State with Russia, and still has more autonomy from Russia than the average EU state has from Brussels.
Puppet leader in Ukraine Victor Yanukovych
He was the furthest thing from a puppet. If anything he was Western-leaning, but trying to keep Ukraine neutral. His one unforgivable crime in the eyes of the West was rejecting a terrible EU trade deal that would have ruined Ukraine’s economy (and did) in favor of an objectively much better one from Russia.
Georgian War
Literally even the EU investigation into that conflict admitted that Georgia started it. Emboldened by believing they had NATO backing, the US puppet president, installed in a color revolution, attacked the region of South Ossetia which was under the protection of Russian peacekeepers.
Annexation of Crimea
The people of Crimea overwhelmingly voted in a referendum to rejoin Russia in response to the fascist, Western-orchestrated Maidan coup.
The majority ethnic Russian population of Crimea did not want the same brutal neo-nazi terror militias that were terrorizing ethnic Russian regions across the rest of Ukraine to come to them, nor did they want to be forced to abide by the russophobic laws passed by the illegally installed Maidan regime, which Crimea, like the Donbass, did not recognize as legitimate.
Russia’s actions in Crimea were a response to a crisis provoked by Western intervention and the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected government.
Role in Syria conflict
Russia co-operated with the legitimate Syrian government against a brutal Zionist/US armed and funded Al Qaeda/ISIS terrorist insurgency.
Role in African dictatorships in Burma Faso and Niger
Same thing. They are co-operating with the official government of those countries in counter-terrorist operations against Western backed jihadist terrorists.
None of this constitutes imperialism. In fact almost all of these are examples of Russia pushing back against Western imperialist aggression, encroachment and proxies.
Imperialism is defined as the monopoly stage of finance capital.
Russian economy is dominated by the state and oligarchs, not by independent finance capital. It’s territorial expansion while being an regional historical imperialist action is defensive and self limiting and driven mostly by nationalism and security concerns.
Your list provides critical empirical evidence for a dialectical analysis but requires contextualization to avoid oversimplification. See response from comrade @cfgaussian@lemmygrad.ml
Russia doesn’t have a stake in the world imperialist system, France does and has for centuries. If France were to lose in a war against the global south, there would be a huge blow to their continued domination and subjugation of African countries. The fact that Russia has a rising communist movement is just a bonus tacked onto the end, it isn’t an indication of the country being imperialist or not. In fact, the nationalists in charge of Russia are caught between needing to appease the public yearning more and more for socialism and their own interests in perpetuating their capitalist system.
Does that make sense?
Cowbee, I disagree almost entirely with what you posted. But with respect for you clearly articulating your position I will share my response.
To your “But Russia is not imperialist” , please reflect on the following and to what extent you must stretch a rationalization:
First and Second Chechen Wars (1994, 2000) Puppet Leader in Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko (1996) Puppet leader in Ukraine Victor Yanukovych (2010) Georgian War (2008) Annexation of Crimea (2014) Role in Syria conflict (2000 onwards) Role in African dictatorships in Burma Faso and Niger (2010s- present)
… global south / US bad too / old Soviet vassal states must kneel ect… I get it. But the above conflicts are evidence of state capitalism exerting itself militarily for geopolitical and economic aims
I doubt this will influence you much as you are pretty invested in your world view. But from my vantage point and reading of theory (likely some overlap if you are ML) - you are wrong *respectfully
Comrade cfgaussian already answered perfectly here. Essentially, you mix in defensive wars with allyships with other countries, and claim the defensive wars are for imperialism and the allyships “puppetry.” The Sahel States are progressive, and are allied with Russia in their national liberation from France and western imperialism.
I am a Marxist-Leninist, yes. Imperialism needs to be analyzed primarily by the definition of imperialism Lenin gives, not on whether or not a country interacts with others. In most of these examples, such as the Sahel States, Russia is working against imperialism.
Imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism by which finance capital and world monopoly are dominant. Russia does not have this. Russia is currently under the control of nationalists, not finance capital, and it is the west that has that global financial monopoly.
Your error is in both erasing Lenin’s analysis of imperialism and viewing any kind of interaction Russia has as inherently imperialist working backwards from there. To use your rhetoric, I suggest you reflect first on what imperialism is, why we define it as such and how it operates, and consider why Marxist-Leninists therefore have the understanding of the Russian Federation that we do.
Purely defensive, internal conflicts on internationally recognized Russian territory against CIA backed jihadist terrorists who butchered civilians and committed heinous acts of terrorism such as taking an entire school hostage and murdering hundreds of children.
Lukashenko has been the leader of Belarus longer than Putin has been president. Belarus is in a Union State with Russia, and still has more autonomy from Russia than the average EU state has from Brussels.
He was the furthest thing from a puppet. If anything he was Western-leaning, but trying to keep Ukraine neutral. His one unforgivable crime in the eyes of the West was rejecting a terrible EU trade deal that would have ruined Ukraine’s economy (and did) in favor of an objectively much better one from Russia.
Literally even the EU investigation into that conflict admitted that Georgia started it. Emboldened by believing they had NATO backing, the US puppet president, installed in a color revolution, attacked the region of South Ossetia which was under the protection of Russian peacekeepers.
The people of Crimea overwhelmingly voted in a referendum to rejoin Russia in response to the fascist, Western-orchestrated Maidan coup.
The majority ethnic Russian population of Crimea did not want the same brutal neo-nazi terror militias that were terrorizing ethnic Russian regions across the rest of Ukraine to come to them, nor did they want to be forced to abide by the russophobic laws passed by the illegally installed Maidan regime, which Crimea, like the Donbass, did not recognize as legitimate.
Russia’s actions in Crimea were a response to a crisis provoked by Western intervention and the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected government.
Russia co-operated with the legitimate Syrian government against a brutal Zionist/US armed and funded Al Qaeda/ISIS terrorist insurgency.
Same thing. They are co-operating with the official government of those countries in counter-terrorist operations against Western backed jihadist terrorists.
None of this constitutes imperialism. In fact almost all of these are examples of Russia pushing back against Western imperialist aggression, encroachment and proxies.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/index.htm#ch10
Imperialism is defined as the monopoly stage of finance capital.
Russian economy is dominated by the state and oligarchs, not by independent finance capital. It’s territorial expansion while being an regional historical imperialist action is defensive and self limiting and driven mostly by nationalism and security concerns.
Your list provides critical empirical evidence for a dialectical analysis but requires contextualization to avoid oversimplification. See response from comrade @cfgaussian@lemmygrad.ml