I just love the team-sport moralizing that’s apparently the norm in this community. Y’all seem to think that being critical of ‘the west’ is somehow the same as cheerleading Russia. As if Russia’s awfulness has any bearing at all on the US’s awfulness.
As if “the West” is one and the same with the US. It is like judging the entire south east pacific by the action of China.
Germany is western, and distrust the US nearly as much as Russia. 73% of French do not see the US as an ally. What is the criticism of “the West”? An entity that is only united by a shared cultural historical root, and a geographical affinity?
What the German or French people believe is largely irrelevant to the force those nations wield. Most Americans distrust the US also. Doesn’t stop any of these partners from their shared project of hegemonic dominance and economic subjugation over vast parts of the world. I suspect that the shared cultural and historical root that you’re referring to is the belief that we somehow deserve to exploit, without consequence, people and resources everywhere.
No, that is not a western characteristic, but a human one. Given the condition for exploitation each system of government will do that. China does it, India does it, Saudi does it. If you consider also Russia “not western” then also Russia does it. The fact that some western countries were better at hegemonic dominance is the result of historical military prowess, more than cultural alignment. Finland, Austria, Ireland are not particularly different in cultural makeup from Sweden, Germany and Britain, but their role in historical colonialism and exploitation differs a lot.
The point I was trying to make originally was that bad is bad, and the badness of your opponent doesn’t make you less bad. I will add that claiming that everyone is bad doesn’t excuse badness.
I just love the team-sport moralizing that’s apparently the norm in this community. Y’all seem to think that being critical of ‘the west’ is somehow the same as cheerleading Russia. As if Russia’s awfulness has any bearing at all on the US’s awfulness.
Are we talking about “the West” or “the US”? Pick one and stick by it.
In the context I am discussing (economic servitude, human and natural exploitation, and outrageous militarism), they are one and the same.
They’re both godawful
Add China l, north Korea, and Israel and Iran to that list too. All those countries should have their entire government arrested and jailed
As if “the West” is one and the same with the US. It is like judging the entire south east pacific by the action of China.
Germany is western, and distrust the US nearly as much as Russia. 73% of French do not see the US as an ally. What is the criticism of “the West”? An entity that is only united by a shared cultural historical root, and a geographical affinity?
So are Africa and South America.
What the German or French people believe is largely irrelevant to the force those nations wield. Most Americans distrust the US also. Doesn’t stop any of these partners from their shared project of hegemonic dominance and economic subjugation over vast parts of the world. I suspect that the shared cultural and historical root that you’re referring to is the belief that we somehow deserve to exploit, without consequence, people and resources everywhere.
No, that is not a western characteristic, but a human one. Given the condition for exploitation each system of government will do that. China does it, India does it, Saudi does it. If you consider also Russia “not western” then also Russia does it. The fact that some western countries were better at hegemonic dominance is the result of historical military prowess, more than cultural alignment. Finland, Austria, Ireland are not particularly different in cultural makeup from Sweden, Germany and Britain, but their role in historical colonialism and exploitation differs a lot.
The point I was trying to make originally was that bad is bad, and the badness of your opponent doesn’t make you less bad. I will add that claiming that everyone is bad doesn’t excuse badness.
NATO is trash.
France and Germany still have functioning democracy, however imperfect. What people think has a lot of bearing, it’s just it’s not immediate.
There’s some that ignore the horrors or Russia or excuse it because other imperialism bad, ours good.