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That feels like disempowering Western European environmental movements excessively. They weren't Soviet puppets: they formed their own positions and advocated
by ethbr1 2y ago
That feels like disempowering Western European environmental movements excessively.
They weren't Soviet puppets: they formed their own positions and advocated for them.
(Another reason I missed above: the conflation of nuclear power with nuclear weapons)
- philwelch 2y agoI would say that "useful idiots" is a better term than "puppets".
- ethbr1 2y agoIt's a shortcut to an argument to remove agency and substitute in a foreign hand, but it rarely captures the reality of a situation. There's usually far too much squabbling inside a given volunteer group for any external pressure to be able to redirect their will.
- philwelch 2y agoThe Western antinuclear movement had their own agency and motivations, but because they happened to align with Soviet interests they may have received material support from the Soviets. If they did, that would make them useful idiots rather than puppets. Useful idiots mean well, they have more than enough good intentions to pave a long road with, and they are completely unwitting when it comes to whatever role they had to play in the broader geopolitical conflict.