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"The pity is that emerging countries are making a grave error. As sovereign powers, they too have a stake in the war. All the West’s faults do not outweigh the

by kome 5y ago

"The pity is that emerging countries are making a grave error. As sovereign powers, they too have a stake in the war. All the West’s faults do not outweigh the fact that, in the system Mr Putin is offering, their people would suffer terribly." this works if you presume "sovereignty" is an objectively existing fact for more than like 10 countries in the world, which it isn't... Perhaps 10 is too generous. And the US contributed to weakening sovereignty all over the world. US is not the sole culprit, of course, but a big one.

fvdessen 5y ago
If by sovereign you mean 'I can do whatever I want within my own borders', then of course, very few countries can claim to it. On the other hand, a lot of countries are sovereign in the sense that the people generally are in general agreement with what's going on in their country and have a place in a negotiation room to decide their future. The reason the USA works as an empire is because it usually allows at least that much for their subjects. Russia's problem is that if their neighbours have an ounce of sovereignty they will want to distance themselves from Russia as much as possible due to their terrible behaviour, so they are forced to rule their neighbours by fear & force.
- kome 5y ago
  > Russia's problem is that if their neighbours have an ounce of sovereignty they will want to distance themselves from Russia as much as possible due to their terrible behaviour, so they are forced to rule their neighbours by fear & force. I fear the US is doing the same, but perhaps with more decorum. (edit: thinking twice, not much more decorum if we think about south america)
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    Yes, like that time when the USA invaded Mexico. /s The only country that the USA invaded in Latin America was Panama and that was mostly because of the strategic interest in the Panama Canal, and they eventually pulled out when the country was on a more stable course. (That said, I don't doubt for a minute that they'd do it again if the Panama transit became threatened somehow.) The other influence the USA has had in Latin America has been either much further in the past (which doesn't excuse it) or through the support or denial of support to various governments (which also doesn't excuse it), but it is absolutely nothing compared to what the neighbors of Russia have had to endure over the last 60 years or so.

by kome 5y ago

fvdessen 5y ago

If by sovereign you mean 'I can do whatever I want within my own borders', then of course, very few countries can claim to it. On the other hand, a lot of countries are sovereign in the sense that the people generally are in general agreement with what's going on in their country and have a place in a negotiation room to decide their future. The reason the USA works as an empire is because it usually allows at least that much for their subjects. Russia's problem is that if their neighbours have an ounce of sovereignty they will want to distance themselves from Russia as much as possible due to their terrible behaviour, so they are forced to rule their neighbours by fear & force.

kome 5y ago
> Russia's problem is that if their neighbours have an ounce of sovereignty they will want to distance themselves from Russia as much as possible due to their terrible behaviour, so they are forced to rule their neighbours by fear & force. I fear the US is doing the same, but perhaps with more decorum. (edit: thinking twice, not much more decorum if we think about south america)
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Yes, like that time when the USA invaded Mexico. /s The only country that the USA invaded in Latin America was Panama and that was mostly because of the strategic interest in the Panama Canal, and they eventually pulled out when the country was on a more stable course. (That said, I don't doubt for a minute that they'd do it again if the Panama transit became threatened somehow.) The other influence the USA has had in Latin America has been either much further in the past (which doesn't excuse it) or through the support or denial of support to various governments (which also doesn't excuse it), but it is absolutely nothing compared to what the neighbors of Russia have had to endure over the last 60 years or so.