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always has been the empire (lemmy.ml)
submitted 5 days ago by culprit@lemmy.ml to c/memes@lemmy.ml
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[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

And what exactly is the difference between Western imperialism and other kinds of imperialism?

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 28 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I know your question is rhetorical, because you always, always cape for the imperial core, but: Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism

“Western” is inaccurate. The fascist Japanese empire was a monopoly-stage capitalist empire much like the others, and Japan is still a junior partner today’s neocolonialism, but it’s never been “Western.”

This isn’t about cultures or genetics or location on the map, but about ownership of the means of production, international power dynamics, and sovereignty. It’s about imperialism vs anti-imperialism.

Star Wars Was A Vietnam War Allegory

[-] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago

“Western” is inaccurate. The fascist Japanese empire was a monopoly-stage capitalist empire much like the others, and Japan is still a junior partner today’s neocolonialism, but it’s never been “Western.”

So similiarly to Russia today? Is Russia also part of "western imperialism"?

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 11 points 5 days ago

Previously:

Over 20 years go Russia—at the time lead by Putin—wanted to join the imperialism club, but the US rejected them: Ex-Nato head says Putin wanted to join alliance early on in his rule. Now Russia, rejected by the Global North, has no choice but to join with the Global South as allies instead of neocolonizers. Hence BRICS+ and the larger developing multipolar bloc that’s going its own way, ignoring the US’ “rules-based international order” sanctions, developing its own international balance of payments outside of US dollar hegemony, and working to get out from under the boot of the IMF’s & World Bank’s debt traps.

Previously:

Honest question from a non-communist, based on your reply here. Does one need to support Putin to be a Marxist?

In a word, no. In a few more words, support for Russia (not Putin, as historical materialists don’t subscribe to great man theory) is only a partial, temporary, tactical one, in the context of imperialist liberation. Russia is still a capitalist state, though, so it’s a two stage strategy: first liberate colonized bourgeois states from colonizer states, and second revolution within those liberated bourgeois states.

Russia is an interesting case: it has already liberated itself from the post-Soviet “shock therapy” neocolonizers. This occurred during Putin’s administration, which is why he is especially hated by the US. So now the support for Russia is in the context of keeping the colonizers from recolonizing it, and supporting Russia to the extent that it helps other states liberate themselves. But Russia isn’t trying to “liberate” Ukraine, at least not all of Ukraine. It’s trying to resolve the genocidal attacks on the people of the Donbas, and it’s trying to resolve the imperialist military expansion at its border.

[-] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago

t’s trying to resolve the genocidal attacks on the people of the Donbas

Oh, Kyiv part of Donbas?

and it’s trying to resolve the imperialist military expansion at its border.

By imperialist military expansion accross that border into a sovereign neighbor's territory. Genius.

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 12 points 5 days ago

You’re still pretending this war started in February 2022, despite knowing better.

Previously:

Previously:

NATO expansion:

 
NATO in general:

[-] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago

You’re still pretending this war started in February 2022, despite knowing better.

Yeah it started in 2014 when Russia attacked Crimea.

[-] culprit@lemmy.ml 10 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

https://en.prolewiki.org/wiki/2014_Ukrainian_coup_d%27etat

The coup happened first in Feb 2014. Crimea succeeded and was annexed in March 2014. Crimea in 2014 was 68% ethnic Russians, with only 16% Ukrainian language speakers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Crimea#Ethnicities_and_languages

Crimean leadership attempted to create an independent republic, but Crimea instead became an autonomous region in Ukraine in 1992. Ukraine abolished the constitution of Crimea in 1995 and allowed the Ukrainian central government to veto the Crimean parliament's chosen prime minister.

https://en.prolewiki.org/wiki/Crimea

So the far right uprising and coup is where this started. Then the occupation and civil war on Donbas started shortly after this in April 2014. The majority ethnic Russian oblasts did not wish to be persecuted by the western Ukrainian banderites.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Donbas

[-] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago

So the war started when Russia attacked Ukraine? Why are you repeating what I am saying?

[-] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 8 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

How's pretending to be too stupid to read working out for you?

Lol this made you mad enough to go back and downvote every old comment of mine

[-] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 3 points 5 days ago

Living in reality is really nice actually, I don't have to simp for regimes, you should try it sometimes 🥰

[-] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

-The not regime you're not simping for

[-] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago

Ah yes, clear evidence Russia didn't play World Police and invaded Ukraine lmao

[-] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

"Those evil ~~allies~~ Russians are playing world police by invading innocent little ~~Germany~~ Ukraine, a peaceful country where absolutely nothing was happening."

[-] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 12 points 5 days ago

One is an actual problem for the world and the other exists as a hypothetical?

[-] stark@sopuli.xyz 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

So Chinese military presence in Africa is not imperialism?

[-] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 11 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Is that what imperialism means to you? Can you show me this Chinese military presence? Because it doesn't fill me with confidence that you can't get any more specific than the name of the continent.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

what do you think etcetera at lemmy dot ml might think about the subject?

[-] AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 days ago

Why would you think .ml users would be uncritical to China? We just like our western imperialism balanced by eastern imperialism, thank you.

Perfectly balanced. As all things should be. To much to one side... or the other...

[-] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 days ago

I remember the time before I learned much 20th century history, I was saying dumb shit like this all the time

[-] AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago

Like how, unironically? Wow :D

[-] AnyOldName3@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago

Depending on the context, it could just be who's doing it. Star Wars was originally specifically an allegory for the Vietnam War, which was a war of Western imperialism because the two countries making it a war rather than a country gaining its independence were France (who'd conquered Vietnam as part of their empire and weren't happy that the Vietnamese didn't want to be in their empire) and the US (who wanted to stop communists gaining power anywhere), both of which are Western countries. It was about that war in particular rather than imperialism in general because that war in particular was the one that was a big deal for the target audience at the time - if Lucas had been Japanese and making the film decades earlier, maybe he'd have made it an allegory for something else, but he wasn't, so he made the film he made.

this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2026
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