4 ms·
Trump called Zelensky a dictator in public, did he not? Zelensky, democratically elected, president of a democratic country, invaded by a tyran, a non-democrati
by CraftingLinks 2y ago
Trump called Zelensky a dictator in public, did he not? Zelensky, democratically elected, president of a democratic country, invaded by a tyran, a non-democratic and extreme anti-western attitude, was called a dictator. That is hard to understand, until you realise Trump tries to man-handle an extortion deal out of Ukrain...and now because the man doesn't bend over backwards he's disrespectful? That man showed a lot of courage in my book.
- TrapLord_Rhodo 2y ago[flagged]
- bjoli 2y agoPostponing elections during a war is nothing new, even in liberal democracies.
- TrapLord_Rhodo 2y agoi'm not saying it's anything new... i'm pointing out that if we view Zelenskyy’s role through a Roman lens, where the term dictator originates, his broad wartime powers—granted under martial law, with elections and normal governance suspended—mirror the temporary, crisis-driven authority of a Roman dictator.
- bjoli 2y agoWhy would we view him through a Roman lens with regards to a word used today in a modern context?
- TrapLord_Rhodo 2y agoBecause that's when the word was created and is the most applicable description of what zelensky is... What else would you call him?
- bjoli 2y agoA war-time president? The UK and Canada postponed elections during WW2, but no one is calling Churchill a dictator. Using millennia-old definitions does nothing to further discussions.
- fennecbutt 2y ago[flagged]
- hnfong 2y agoThat's sort of what Trump was subtly trying to get at -- Zelenskyy's political power continues as long as the war continues. If we take the worst interpretation of his character that he is willing to do whatever it takes to hold onto power for as long as possible ... then he has an incentive to sabotage any peace deals. I personally don't think that's likely, but it is a valid argument depending on how skeptical you are about Zelenskyy's motives.
- dang 2y agoPlease don't break the site guidelines like this, regardless of how wrong someone else is or you feel they are. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.
- fennecbutt 2y agoSorry Dang <3 Thanks for your hard work!
- DirkH 2y agoWasn't the word still nonetheless unjustifiably weaponized? Would it not be extremely reasonable to be upset if a sitting US president prior to the US getting involved in WW2 criticized Churchhill and strategically called him a dictator to delegitimize him?
- TrapLord_Rhodo 2y agoUK’s parliamentary model spread power via coalition; Ukraine’s semi-presidential setup concentrates it in Zelensky, though Parliament retains legislative monopoly.
- bdelmas 2y agoCan people just think instead of regurgitating what they hear? To your definition Churchill was a dictator too, right? Or somehow he wasn't? A war is happening, and how can people think they can just hold a nicely done election... Ukrainians don't even care about that, that rhetoric (propaganda) comes from a foreign nation.