irishmarxism seems to be another “Marxist” that distorts imperialism into merely another insult…

They are killing and being killed on behalf of the Ukrainian and Russian states, which are the real parties to the conflict. In neither case is the working class independently organised and fighting in its own interest and for its own objectives.

The Russian state didn’t ask for the United States and its ally Ukraine to be right next to Russia’s borders.

The Russian war is routinely damned and its purported atrocities highlighted but its true horrors, which might include graphic pictures of the dead and dying, are hidden.

Oh god… here we go…

One recent article has claimed that China embraces ‘forever Covid’ when what is really happening is that Covid is embracing China as it was always going to do, with the only appropriate response being to prepare for it in the correct way.

and what is this “appropriate response”? I think immediately isolating everyone; ramping up sanitation; and giving the people state-sponsored vaccinations is an appropriate response.

Russia is acting in an imperialist way in this case and no excuse about a ‘defensive’ war by Russia will wash given that it believes it has the right to invade its ‘near abroad’. That this invasion was provoked by Ukraine and the west is equally no justification and nor is playing with the definition of what is meant by imperialism, since armed invasion is a pretty imperialistic thing to do, and Russia is a relatively large and very well armed capitalist state.

Ukraine is a border state to Russia; and the U.S seeks to turn Russia back into a colony (due to imperialism). Of course Russia is going to intervene in Ukraine to defend itself!

Also, how on earth is Russia imperialist? Where is the proof?

The definition of Imperialism according to Lenin is:^[1]

1. the concentration of production and capital has developed to such a high stage that it has created monopolies which play a decisive role in economic life.
2. the merging of bank capital with industrial capital, and the creation, on the basis of this “finance capital,” of a financial oligarchy;
3. the export of capital as distinguished from the export of commodities acquires exceptional importance;
4. the formation of international monopolist capitalist associations which share the world among themselves and
5. the territorial division of the whole world among the biggest capitalist powers is completed. Imperialism is capitalism at that stage of development at which the dominance of monopolies and finance capital is established; in which the export of capital has acquired pronounced importance; in which the division of the world among the international trusts has begun, in which the division of all territories of the globe among the biggest capitalist powers has been completed.

• [ ] Is industrial capital merging with financial capital in Russia? I don’t know. I’d have to analyze the Russian economy.
• [ ] Are developing Russian monopolies playing an extensive role in an economic life? Again, I don’t know.
• [ ] Is Russia exporting physical capital? So far, I see no examples.
• [ ] Is the Russia dividing parts of the world? Fuck no! On the contrary, Russia is being divided by the U.S.
  • Look at how Armenia has sided with the United States
  • Ukraine was couped by the United States into a pro-U.S fascist state.^[2]
  • Regime coups in belarus.
• [ ] Are Russian monopolies dividng the world for themselves? again, no.

Given that the last 3 criteriums have no evidence; Russia can’t realistically be called imperialist.

Please, answer these questions and give proof for all of them before you call a nation state imperialist.

and what is this “imperialist way”? This act of calling anything that participates in military conflict “imperialism” is not only recuperating imperialism into just another insult (and hence anti-imperialism into merely another “act” to look cool); it is straight up revisionism of a core Leninist principle.

Your concern for the strength of the Russian state is doubly misplaced since just as Ukraine is caught between western imperialism and Russia, which is acting in an imperialist fashion that no definitional distinction will erase, Russia is caught between western imperialism and the much larger Chinese capitalist state. Win or lose Russia will become more dependent on an alliance with China and China, just like the US, is interested in furthering its own interests. It is still more misplaced because the war will leave Ukraine a semi-colony of either western imperialism or Russia, or more likely a victim of both. I don’t see any expression of concern for this outcome.^[3]

1. What is this “imperialist fashion”? Once again, don’t just use the term imperialism as an insult.
2. How is China bourgeois capitalist?

Your arguments on behalf of Russia are simply the mirror of the arguments on behalf of Ukraine. The original reply:

As you say who fired the first shot is not the basis of a socialist analysis. The back ground to the war is the US move for regime change in Moscow and the drive to turn Russia into a semi colony. That should be obvious to all… Trotsky thought that would be the result of the overturn by the Stalinists of the workers state- Russia as a colony of imperialism. Russia invaded in February because the Ukrainian far right was massing on the borders of Donbas and openly stating they were launching an offensive to retake the donbas…That plus a big increase in shelling of civilian areas by the fascists. The Russian intervention on behalf of the Donesk and luhansk republics and their Russian population was a defensive move. The working class in Russia has an objective and immediate interest in defeating the imperialist onslaught on Russia but that implies no political support for the russian capitalist class but rather a communist revolution to confront and defeat imperialism and rewin a socialist democratic soviet union. Putin wants a deal with imperialism. Communists want to end it

Trotsky is a piece of shit. What “overturn by the Stalinists” is Sandy talking about?

Anyway, this argument cannot be mirrored to Ukraine; Ukraine is fascist; Donbass, Luhansk, and Russia did not want to invade; Russia doesn’t have fascists shooting their civilians.

In conclusion, I’m dodging this blog.