Not only is he unreasonably angry at other leftists for actually understanding what imperialism is, but he has yet to make a video on Pelosi’s attack on Chinese sovereignty whilst implying China is imperialist (see the below clip; he seems to be directly referencing the Taiwan issue considering the timing) https://youtu.be/VScL9efeKxs - 23:25 onward is just a gold mine
I’m glad you bring this up. I’ve been thinking about S4A. I’m all mixed up about how to feel about S4A. I can’t tell if he has a point. The biggest red flag is the lack of support for China that I see from them… At the same time, I think he has a legitimate concern with Russian state support of Dugin or whatever. I don’t think he has an honest opinion ab imperialism.
Also, is whether or not to support Russia’s Special Military Op really THAT important as to how to move forward as communists? Personally, I’m starting to think it doesn’t really matter as a source of division. It’s a battle that needn’t be fought between communists(is it worth a global, opportunist/ultra split?). I’d say no.
I’d say this war doesn’t concern communists. I’d be happy to hear another take.
I’d say the danger here is chasing a red-herring, wasting time and energy in a nation that doesn’t share our values or outlook, regardless of their importance as a sovereign nation.
The main reason I support this war is the opportunity it opens for communists abroad, mainly by weakening America. I think China and Russia have been shoved together and have realized they benefit a lot more from their friendship than “the west.” If the western powers weren’t run by buffoons, Russia might’ve pivoted west.
I don’t see how anybody could think Russia was not backed into a corner by NATO and US, however, I think we should be cautious with full support for Russia. They could behave in a way we don’t expect, since they are not guided by our ideology. Therefore, we have a blurry understanding of how they might behave. I think there is a risk that Russia could take things too far with Ukraine. I couldn’t define too far. But, they might pivot to more bourgeois nationalist tendencies. It’s possible, maybe unlikely, but that’s kind of my point. I don’t think we can really know, so we should hold a tentative outlook on Russia.
I have my private reasons for supporting Russia beyond what I laid out, but it’s not more than indirectly related to a communist revolution.
I think the value of the opportunist/ultra split is not that we need to critically support Russia, it’s to take the mask off of national socialists who use idealistic moral framing to demonize Russia and rationalize support for NATO and Western hegemony.
All those people who claim to be leftists or socialists who then turn around and argue that Russia is evil and their defeat would be a net positive for the world are now clearly identified as reactionary and it allows us to filter them out.