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> On 2014-03-22, at 12:46 PM, Richard Fidler wrote: > > Reducing Russia's interest in the Crimean and Ukrainian events to its > "imperialist" character and putting it on a parallel with the US, EU and > NATO interests in this instance is a simplistic evasion of engaging in a > serious analysis of the geopolitics involved in this post-Soviet (and yes of > course post-"workers state") world. > > [ ] > > Some list subscribers might be interested in Russia's case, outlined clearly > by Putin: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/03/20/on-crimea-and-sevastopol/. > I think anti-imperialists can find in it powerful arguments to defend > capitalist (and imperialist) Russia against the capitalist West, and in > particular Russia's residual interests as a sovereign power not under the > direct domination of the Western imperialist hegemon. The US, EU, Russia, and Ukraine are all capitalist societies characterized by great disparities of wealth and power. The mass of the population in all of these countries will not materially benefit from the current conflict between them, however these are resolved. This includes the Ukraine, where the new government and the movement which brought it to power are staunchly in favour of capitalism and EU integration. The great mass of humanity has an interest both in securing social justice within states and preventing war between them, especially conflicts which could escalate into a nuclear conflagration. The most aggressive and destabilizing power today and the greatest threat to international security is the United States of America. The actions taken by Russia and China, even though each is no longer an anticapitalist state, remain defensive in nature, aimed against encirclement by the US and its allies. There is no other context in which to view the recent events in the Ukraine and Crimea. The Western governments and media, of course, have their own version of events - that the involvement of the US and EU and the Ukrainian far right in the overthrow of the Yanukovych regime was insignificant, and that Russia was and remains the aggressor. ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
