- cross-posted to:
- colombia@lemmy.blahaj.zone
rocket_dragon ( @rocket_dragon@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English167•1 month agoFunny wojak faces but to clear up an apparent misconception here, Ukrainian weren’t fighting for abstract concepts like “freedom” and Democracy", they were fighting to stop Russian soldiers from killing their families, raping their children, and burning their homes to the ground.
I hope this helps!
johny ( @johny@feddit.org ) English31•1 month agoUkrainians were/are still fighting to defend themselves from an illegal invasion. But America sees and has always seen Ukraine as a proxy to weaken a geo-strategic rival. NATO was not realistically on the table as long as the conflict in the Donbas was ongoing (it would have immediately triggered art.5) to keep promising NATO instead of working on a more realistic path to peace has probably caused the death of 100000s of Ukrainians. And just as with many other imperial proxies in history, the proxy is left to deal with the fallout while the empire retreats to the metropol and prepares for the next conflict.
rocket_dragon ( @rocket_dragon@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English8•1 month agoReally spot on except America isn’t exactly retreating, it’s just now under the leadership of an administration that would prefer to have Russia as an ally.
Instead of two imperialist powers fighting via proxy, they could just work together and strip smaller counties of their natural resources, side by side. Imperialism united.
alcoholicorn ( @alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml ) 12•1 month agoUkraine was always getting stripped of its resources and immiserated; the IMF loan required them to privatize and sell off their ports, power grids, factories, schools, etc for pennies.
I think you’ll find they were fighting other Ukrainians (if you can call the carpet bombing of civilians “fighting”) to maintain the US financed Poroshenko in power long before Russia went in, about eight years in fact.
Skua ( @Skua@kbin.earth ) 50•1 month agolong before Russia went in
There’s a problem with this, because Russia has had troops in Ukraine since early 2014, before Poroshenko’s government
The Sbovoda interim was also financed by the USA, with Victoria Nuland discussing on a leaked call who to name after they deposed Yanukovich.
Russia had troops in Crimea as requested by the Crimean government, which also seceded via referendum after said coup, as is its right under Ukrainian law. That proved to be the right move given that they didn’t have the astronomical number of casualties that Donbas had, with over 14 thousand dead before 2022, most of them civilians, and a huge number of injured civilians and destroyed infrastructure as per the Donbas documentary.
Skua ( @Skua@kbin.earth ) 37•1 month agoIf America’s goal was to put Svoboda in power, they didn’t do a very good job of keeping them there, did they?
I have read the Nuland transcript. She’s talking about the existing leader of the opposition. Of course she said Yatsenyuk was the guy, he was the goddamn leader of the opposition. He was the one guy avalable with the best democratic mandate at the last election. Yanukovych even offered to make him prime minister at one point.
Russia put troops into Crimea before the referendum, and the referendum was run by the occupying army. Do you normally trust occupying armies to run referendums about whether or not they should get to keep the land they’re occupying?
Perhaps if Russia was so concerned about casualties in the Donbas, it should not have invaded and caused hundreds of thousands more casualties.
Lmao so the US did finance them, did appoint their best liked interim, did have congresspeople on the ground supporting the coup, did send in the money to arm the Nazis but just… quietly let democracy take its course once they spent all that time and money? America doesn’t give a fuck if Sbovoda remains as long as the shock therapy has happened already, by then they’ll take anyone who’ll toe the line.
I want to give y’all the benefit of the doubt and conclude that you think we’re stupid but sometimes I think there’s a more obvious answer.
Skua ( @Skua@kbin.earth ) 32•1 month agoUkrainians already wanted to align with the EU. The US didn’t need to do a damn thing to influence that, a long history of Russian imperialism did it all for them
America spent fuck all on Ukraine in the entire history of its independence up until Euromaidan (pg 167). They simply did not spend “all that money”, because a single digit millions of dollars a year is a rounding error in the US budget. American spending on Ukraine in 2013 was 0.00024% of the federal budget.
davel [he/him] ( @davel@lemmy.ml ) English18•1 month agoIf Ukrainians already wanted to align with the EU, then why did they democratically elect Yanukovych, which the US subsequently couped in coordination with the Banderites?
America spent fuck all on Ukraine in the entire history of its independence up until Euromaidan
Oh fr? Let’s ask as-US-backed-as-US-backed-gets Kyiv Independent then: https://kyivindependent.com/how-us-foreign-aid-transformed-ukraine-through-the-years/
With the signing of a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and USAID in 1992, the agency started working alongside the Ukrainian government to build a competitive market economy, implement crucial social reforms […] In over 30 years of working in Ukraine, USAID has played a key role in transforming numerous sectors […] Dmytro Boyarchuk, the executive director of the Centre for Social and Economic Research (CASE Ukraine), said that Ukraine would not have been able to implement vital reforms without the support of international donors like USAID.
Obfuscate it as much as you want, pro-western Ukrainians themselves are telling everyone how maintaining a pro-western system depends on US funds.
The US didn’t need to do a damn thing
Nice deflection but the fact is that it did, often and extensively. If the US didn’t need to spend that money, then you shouldn’t worry, pretty soon they might not be. Let’s see how friendly that world is to the US and their chickenshit vassals in the UK et al, I yearn to see it. Most of all I yearn that y’all see it.
American spending on Ukraine in 2013
Good thing we’re talking about the money it spent on the coup and the aftermath, then.
So the fact that America funded through USAID 9 out of every 10 media outlets means they didn’t spend “anything” in Ukraine because… It spends way more fucking money than that everywhere else too?
Also, implying the US only spends the money in a country via direct government cash injection lmao. Most of the money the US spends is channelled through NGOs for propaganda and covert action. Why the fuck would they ever just give money away to a government before it’s thoroughly vassalized. What’s more: there’s ample evidence that US and UK propaganda specialists were employed by Subversive elements within Ukraine as well as extensive funding of NGOs and collaboration with psyop specialists.
In future resumes, they cited the Ukraine coup as well as the selling of the civil war as a “war against russian separatists” as an example of a successful psychological operation.
humanspiral ( @humanspiral@lemmy.ca ) 5•1 month agoRussia put troops into Crimea before the referendum, and the referendum was run by the occupying army. Do you normally trust occupying armies to run referendums about whether or not they should get to keep the land they’re occupying?
97% in favour of Crimea joining Russia. Western polling was a solid 70%+. The new 2014 regime was legitimately divisive to the point that the majority ethnic Russian populations in Ukraine did not want to submit to them.
Fidel_Cashflow ( @Fidel_Cashflow@lemmy.ml ) 28•1 month agoumm actually history started on February 24th, 2022 ☝️🤓
It actually started on February 2014 and then abruptly stopped around May for 8 years
zitrone 🍋 ( @quantenzitrone@lemmings.world ) 4•1 month agoi was wondering why i suddently see russian-imperialism apologists in the comment sections
but then i noticed I’m in the federated global feed particularly lemmy.ml
i really need to block this instance
AlmightyTritan ( @AlmightyTritan@beehaw.org ) 4•1 month agoImma be honest with you chief the amount of times I come here for funny leftist memes and then see a bunch of pro imperialistic takes or starting school yard “nuh uh your crimes are worse then my crimes” is so draining.
I get that when you gather a bunch of people under one banner of a nuanced concept you are gonna get a range of people from mild mannered to fanatical about it.
Like this must be why people throw around “othering” loaded terms like tankie and liberal in here.
This is why I wish it was just high level concept lefty memes, cause you’ll never get satisfying low level discussion online, just high level screeching and slap fights. So now I just try to not engage, just look for memes to talk to people IRL about instead.
Fidel_Cashflow ( @Fidel_Cashflow@lemmy.ml ) 55•1 month agohistory truly is a flat circle
This image is almost 3 years old already lmao.
If any libs want to learn how tankies see the future you might want to read about the past for once. Pop history doesn’t count.
Cowbee [he/they] ( @Cowbee@lemmy.ml ) 32•1 month agoThat’s the kicker, Leftists are correct far more often than liberals yet libs never put 2 and 2 together.
comfy ( @comfy@lemmy.ml ) 1•1 month ago
Zerush ( @Zerush@lemmy.ml ) 27•1 month agoUS is fatal even for itself
shawn1122 ( @shawn1122@lemm.ee ) English23•1 month agoUS is in a state of slow implosion. Rest of the world needs to look at collaborating while excluding the US.
My guess is China will fill the void left by the disintegration of USAID in order to boost its global standing.
I strongly encourage all nations to begin violating US intellectual property rights. Nations like India already do so with pharmaceuticals.
Eventually other nations will need to take on the mantle of tech and pharmaceutical research and development and we don’t want to live in a world where all this progress is lost.
Americans have chosen to nuke their own democracy and we need to minimize the damage done to the rest of the world as much as possible.
The Menemen ( @menemen@lemmy.ml ) 11•1 month agoMy guess is China will fill the void left by the disintegration of USAID in order to boost its global standing.
China will take large chunks. But I think we will also see a decentralization as china won’t be able to take it all. Countries like Turkey, Malaysia, Brazil and so on will probably increase their regional soft powers a lot.
This process also already started years ago, but will be catalyzed by this.
humanspiral ( @humanspiral@lemmy.ca ) 7•1 month agoRussophobia has been the big disease, really created by US/USAID/NED/CIA. Europe seems to need a moment to let go, but if US isn’t forcing them into it, the rest of the world has already been open to Russia and China. Trump is literally forcing the world to liberate itself from US. The US is still a nice market, but China is much larger to sell into, and tariff wars are not likely to bring investments into the US.
A multipolar world makes as much obvious sense as democracy. But it is pretty remarkable that US is pushing for it now.
eluvinar ( @eluvinar@szmer.info ) 5•1 month agoEurope seems to need a moment to let go, but if US isn’t forcing them into it, the rest of the world has already been open to Russia and China
I mean, what would Europe need from russia? We’re currently more of a “global power” then they are. Only countries seriously aligning themselves with Russia those days are either extremely weak and near russia and so have 0 choice in the matter or try to play both sides for fun and profit LARPing as Tito.
alcoholicorn ( @alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml ) 9•1 month agoCheap energy, labor, and resources and a slightly greater degree of independence from America.
The Menemen ( @menemen@lemmy.ml ) 4•1 month agoRussia also still holds a lot of their traditional soft power in many countries, including several EU countries. They also greatly increased their softpower by helping to get far right parties into power or at least signinificant influence in several EU countries (like Orban or Germany just 2 days ago).
On the other hand Russia manouvered itself into a very weak geostrategical position lately (Ukraine and Syria). Everyone noticed that and this will likely lead to some restructuring in several regions, unlikely to be in Russias favour.
I currently find it really hard to make assumptions about Russias role in the mid-term future. That is also, why I didn’t mention Russia in my post.
alcoholicorn ( @alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml ) 7•1 month agoI don’t see any country being able to engineer coups by supporting terrorists as effectively as the US, so I don’t see Russia or other local powers replacing the US’s influence in countries where the left presents a meaningful alternative to neoliberalism.
humanspiral ( @humanspiral@lemmy.ca ) 4•1 month agowhat would Europe need from russia?
Resources is big one, including infrastructure already in place for energy. Most of the world sides with Russia through this conflict. Even some US colonies have done well playing both sides. Russia is also an export market. World needs Russia to limit global warming. Futile attempts to destroy it, won’t work.
eluvinar ( @eluvinar@szmer.info ) 1•1 month agoyes, sure, but resources, labour and a market isn’t enough to elevate you to a global superpower. I’m not proposing EU going full Juche, just why would anyone agree to anything better for russia than being equal trade partners. All those things are great and useful, sure, but you’re able to get them elsewhere. If you want special treatment you need to bring something unique to the table. Like the US used to be able to bring.
Futile attempts to destroy it, won’t work
I don’t think anybody except maybe putin is trying to do that. At this point everyone would love russia just fucking off and being normal.
geneva_convenience ( @geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml ) 21•1 month agothanks for the weapons USA!
Wh… What do you mean they were loans instead of gifts?
belastend ( @belastend@slrpnk.net ) 16•1 month agoAlmost as if a preventable policy shift happened.
AES_Enjoyer ( @AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com ) Español0•1 month agoThat would be a compelling argument (unpredictable policy shift) if it hadn’t been predicted by socialists all over the world when the war started
belastend ( @belastend@slrpnk.net ) 1•1 month agoSocialists predicted that the US would cozy up to russia?
AES_Enjoyer ( @AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com ) English2•1 month agoSocialists predicted that Ukraine would be betrayed by the US, there’s literally a 2+ year-old meme in the comment section of this post with the picture of Zelensky being welcomed by Gaddafi, Saddam and Bin Laden
deathbird ( @deathbird@mander.xyz ) 14•1 month agoWith rare exception (Israel) America can seem downright schizo from administration to administration.
alcoholicorn ( @alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml ) 25•1 month agoThis was always Ukraine’s fate.
The OG coup happened under the Obama admin, the far-right were forced into government under Trump pt I, Ukraine was forced to sell off state assets and take billions in loans by the Biden admin, and now the US is preparing to pick the bones clean over the next decades.
It’s nice that yall are recognizing that the US isn’t there to help the Ukrainian people now, but we’re all gonna repeat this next war.
davel [he/him] ( @davel@lemmy.ml ) English10•1 month agoI stopped being Charlie Brown falling for the football 23 years go, when I saw that the consent manufacturing for the second Iraq war rested on no hard evidence.
Edit to add that the bone picking has been going on for two years already. Everything must go, including seaports.
Toasted ( @Toasted@lemm.ee ) English9•1 month agoLibya was what got me, i was a chump cheering while i watched it on CNN but the more I thought about it the less sense it made then i read the shock docturine and some chomsky. Libya went from the highest score for quality of life in africa to literal slave markets. For what? So some slimy fucking americans can take their resources instead of negotiating for them?
Not even just changes in administration. The U.S. will often suddenly move on or just decide you will work better as a villain for internal politics. The US basically told Saddam Hussein that we wouldn’t care if he invaded Kuwait only to then use that invasion as justification to make him a boogeyman for the next decade.
Fair Fairy ( @sommerset@thelemmy.club ) 12•1 month agoGood Nazi is a dead nazi
- androidul ( @androidul@lemmy.ml ) 8•1 month ago
based man, I’m so sad about this… hope EU+UA will forge an even more powerful alliance!
Spacehooks ( @Spacehooks@reddthat.com ) English5•1 month agoThe only thing worst than a strong enemy are weak allies.
humanspiral ( @humanspiral@lemmy.ca ) 4•1 month agoCurrent likelihood is that there’s only a mineral deal if US pays Zelensky/Ukraine to fight more. Security guarantees don’t actually cost anything until you have to do something, and its pretty likely that any weapons would be used to provoke aggression during ceasefire instead of protecting Ukraine’s neutrality.
It’s Europe that wants war more than US, and so it’s far more likely they get the mineral deal to keep going to the last Ukrainian.
SleafordMod ( @SleafordMod@feddit.uk ) English3•1 month agoThis thread is full of tankies justifying Russian imperialism yet again
Anybody who justifies Russian imperialism is not a leftist - in fact, they are actually a fascist
ILikeBoobies ( @ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca ) 2•1 month agoYou’re right and it’s telling that someone gave you a down error for a non-controversial opinion
AES_Enjoyer ( @AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com ) English0•1 month agoWhataboutism? This post is about the US and Ukraine, not about Russia
ILikeBoobies ( @ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca ) 0•1 month agoThen why do people feel the need to defend Russia?
Pointing out the defence of something unrelated isn’t Whataboutism
AES_Enjoyer ( @AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com ) English0•1 month agoYou can’t see a post about the two-sidedness of US policy without invoking the Russians.
ILikeBoobies ( @ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca ) 0•1 month agoThen it’s fine to call them out when they show up
You even have (or had if mods did anything) some loser saying the US overthrew Ukraine with a far-right coup even though everyone knows that’s not true
AES_Enjoyer ( @AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com ) English2•1 month agoeven though everyone knows that’s not true
Source: it is known
There are relatively few comments in the thread talking about Russia at all, and calling the Euromaidan a US coup is not Russia apologism, it’s literally discussion about US+Ukraine.
The RedWheelbarrow ( @Winterfrost@lemm.ee ) 1•1 month agoNemiroff 🇺🇦
Hupf ( @Hupf@feddit.org ) 1•1 month ago gutsnsuch ( @gutsnsuch@lemm.ee ) English0•1 month agoSomeone has to pay for the weapons. Duhh