Reality is more nuanced than the way you are presenting it. Yes, NATO expansion is the existential threat that justifies Russia’s mobilization, both in 2014 and in 2022.
However, the state sanctioned neo-nazi mass murder of ethnic Russians in the Donbass and the subsequent calls for help and referendums are critical components because of the UN charter. There is legal cover for the invasion due to that situation and it’s is a very important part of the complex of actions.
It’s also critical to fight against empire on multiple fronts, and one of those is on the propaganda front. Maintaining the constant reminder of the violence of the state sanctioned neo-Nazis is a critical component in countering imperial propaganda.
Don’t try to reduce things down to a single cause. That’s not dialectical. It’s what we call “vulgar materialism”.
Yes I know its more complex I just didn’t have the desire to elaborate on that point, I was drunk and more focused on what I saw as terrible agitprop. I saw NATO expansion as a primary cause. The existence of Nazis and the crimes they commit are reprehensible but I don’t think Russia actually cares about the victims. It is primarily a useful tool of legal and public legitimacy.
Why is it your belief that Russia doesn’t care about the victims? Do you believe Russia is driven without any sense of humanity and empathy?
Besides, as far as we know, nation-states don’t have the mechanisms for emotions. It’s the people in the nation-states that have them. I assure you that many people in Russia have empathy for the victims of the neo-nazis in Ukraine.
No, Russia’s state actions are not primarily driven by empathy but not a single nation-state has ever met that standard, so why is that the lens you are using here?
The fact that the neo-nazi angle is useful in the legal and legitimacy spaces is sufficient for it to be a valid position.
Reality is more nuanced than the way you are presenting it. Yes, NATO expansion is the existential threat that justifies Russia’s mobilization, both in 2014 and in 2022.
However, the state sanctioned neo-nazi mass murder of ethnic Russians in the Donbass and the subsequent calls for help and referendums are critical components because of the UN charter. There is legal cover for the invasion due to that situation and it’s is a very important part of the complex of actions.
It’s also critical to fight against empire on multiple fronts, and one of those is on the propaganda front. Maintaining the constant reminder of the violence of the state sanctioned neo-Nazis is a critical component in countering imperial propaganda.
Don’t try to reduce things down to a single cause. That’s not dialectical. It’s what we call “vulgar materialism”.
Yes I know its more complex I just didn’t have the desire to elaborate on that point, I was drunk and more focused on what I saw as terrible agitprop. I saw NATO expansion as a primary cause. The existence of Nazis and the crimes they commit are reprehensible but I don’t think Russia actually cares about the victims. It is primarily a useful tool of legal and public legitimacy.
Why is it your belief that Russia doesn’t care about the victims? Do you believe Russia is driven without any sense of humanity and empathy?
Besides, as far as we know, nation-states don’t have the mechanisms for emotions. It’s the people in the nation-states that have them. I assure you that many people in Russia have empathy for the victims of the neo-nazis in Ukraine.
No, Russia’s state actions are not primarily driven by empathy but not a single nation-state has ever met that standard, so why is that the lens you are using here?
The fact that the neo-nazi angle is useful in the legal and legitimacy spaces is sufficient for it to be a valid position.