I assume Trump was assassinated tbh. Depends on how they ask that question

The Sudbury Devil. Honestly a fantastic indie film but so weirdly sexual at times that I would seriously hesitate to recommend it to anyone I knew. I watched it with a friend not knowing it would be like that and while we both enjoyed it certain moments were uncomfortable to watch with company

Haha yeah we should have a single party compose only of workers with representatives paid only as much as their average constituant and subject to instant recall 👀

It’s the same thing but rephrased because americans don’t understand that both their parties are on the right

Double down

No, they just lack fear. The Athenian ruling class understood that they could be killed if they took things too far. This and that the opinions of Athenian citizens were genuinely important to their political power. Their payment of these taxes is like PR philanthropy we see today.

Counterstalking

Certainly much of the immediate death is at the hands of the Russian ruling class but to claim this happened in isolation of broader geopolitical forces because Russia just does that is infantile and chauvinistic. This is my issue with the meme. Atlanticist nations are active participants in this war and it is not even their workers dying for it. It is Ukrainian workers dying for Atlanticist goals. Imperialist war is a disgusting awful thing where workers are forced to die for the interests of their oppressors but at least the Russians are dying for Russia. Even if Ukraine miraculously “wins” this war there will not be a free Ukraine. Their rulers owe the west too much. This is a war over ownership of Ukrainian resources and labor power, nothing more.

To claim that Russia is an instinctual aggressor and Atlanticist powers are a benevolent allies of Ukraine is nakedly propagandistic.

Charles de Gaulle was right about the atlanticists.

I have strong negative feelings about Gaulle but he had balls I’ll give him that

It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy but it is deadly to be their ally

- Henry Kissinger (paraphrased)

Really I should have said this

I’m tired and had a bit to drink so I won’t be super in depth here and I apologize for that but I will explain my reasoning as simply as possible.

The 2022 and previous state of NATO member nations economic relationship with Russia was one of opportunism and convenience that does not reflect their long term strategic goals in the region.

Ukraine declared neutrality on the matter because it knew joining NATO would lead to it being invaded. This changed after the highly western backed and financed Maiden “revolution”. This occured concurrently with the Russian invasion of Crimea and it is arguable that both influenced each other in turn. Russia recognized the changing political tides towards western powers in Ukraine and responded to it while Ukrainian nationalism swelled in response to Russian invasion. None of these events were beneficial to the working people of Ukraine.

Edit: you can disagree with my reasoning here and I’d kinda understand, I don’t expect to convince you, but at least I am consistent.

It’s really not that simple either but ok. Whatever man. Country bad

I used NATO as a shorthand for the economic bloc the countries within it make up and I apologize for any confusion that caused. NATO members are and have been for some time highly economically intertwined and aligned on geostrategic goals. They tend to sanction nations that threaten the economic order they benefit from in order to preserve that system as a group. They often, though not necessarily through the organ of NATO, invade the same nations as a coalition for the same reason. NATO is not the economic organ but its members are part of an economic organ.

I wish I were paid to talk about this shit. I do it because seeing people reduce international conflicts to simplified narratives like “country bad” or “leader evil” is infuriating. Nations are complex political organs governed by their current base material conditions that have developed over the course of their history, the state of their internal class conflict, and the resulting overarching ideology created by these factors. They are not controlled by the whims of an individual but rather the economic interests of their ruling class.

Russia is not controlled by Vladimir Putin

China is not controlled by Xi Jinping

The US is not controlled by Donald Trump

Israel is not controlled by Benjamin Netanyahu

Geopolitics is not a story played out by great actors. It is a web of evolving dialectical relationships expressed through the actions of individuals and rooted in the contradictory material interests of economic classes.

Sort of, NATO was practicing an method of economic and physical encirclement intended to suffocate the Russian economy. I don’t personally think this was feasible but Russia has for about 2 decades and made their stance clear on this matter. If NATO continued on this path it would lead to war. Russia has stated this repeatedly and high ranking members of NATO have as well. Everyone involved knew this but to NATO’s credit, they pushed those boundaries for a very long time and Russia never actually did anything about it. Mostly because it was not economically or militarily feasible.

Ukraine was the final red line though. Sure, morally speaking, one nation should not be able to limit the treaties another nation decides to make or coalitions they try to join but geopolitics is not governed by morality. It was stupid to believe that Russia would just accept Ukraine’s entrance into NATO which is why no one in power genuinely believed this. Russia was not going to accept an alliance that allowed for a military buildup so close to their key infrastructure and ballistic missiles within a few minutes of Moscow. Russia fully understands that NATO is an imperial organ and necessarily a threat to its existence as a decently sized economy largely independent of it and brimming with natural resources.

Russia didn’t “have to” invade Ukraine but if it didn’t it would effectively look like rolling over to their largest geopolitical enemy and, strictly speaking, put them in a strategically compromised position.

This doesn’t make it morally right or a great thing that I just fucking love but in the world of real politik it is rational. They weren’t forced into this action but were put in a position where not doing it would be strategically untenable in the long term. The Russian ruling class is simply protecting their economic interests.

You don’t have to be Russia’s number one fan to understand this conflict as more complex than the western propaganda narrative that Russia is just an evil imperialist taking Ukraine because it wants to.

If it’s “Putin’s narrative” that wars start for more complex reasons than “some nations are just evil and bad” then I fear he just has a better understanding of how the world works than someone who accepts that premise. Some nations being simply evil and bad is the type of thinking that fascists actively encourage. Do not fall for it. At least attempt to develop an understanding of the real material reasons for international military conflict.

I probably hate the Russian ruling class more than you and for better reasons but that’s no reason to simplify geopolitics to such a degree.

I said Europe for a reason but Canada is part of NATO no? NATO is effectively the economic bloc I am referring to here so increasing tensions with Russia at least happened with Canada’s acceptance. Regardless Canada is not genuinely threatened by Russia and their support for the war in Ukraine is primarily along geopolitical lines. As a rule Nation’s do not act out of sympathy for oppressed people, look at palestine for example, so it can’t truly be argued that Canada supports Ukraine out of moral concern.

Pssssh… nuh uh

Don’t like the implication that european nations are just hapless little fishies hounded by predator. This is a large geopolitical war between economic blocs. The Europeans have agency and actively pushed boundaries as well. They aren’t victims of a mindless aggressor attacking them out of pure instinct. Both sides of this conflict have distinct political-economic motives that led to this war. Nation’s are rational actors.