this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2024
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Can't do local organizing wins for opsec reasons but they do exist!
There's good news internationally despite the ethnic cleansing. We are seeing the birthing pains of the downfall of empire. Countries increasingly feel comfortable rejecting the US' projects, SocDems are doing okay in LatAm again, Burkina Faso and its neighbors are giving France the boot, China is pushing ahead relentlessly, Russia is not just surviving, but is actually doing better under a sanctions regime...
Despite the fact that we are still a small minority, there are more cool lefties in the US than there have been in 50 years. More cool ancoms, more cool communists, even the occasional cool DemSoc. Previously this space was dominated by NATO leftists that told you the best way to be communist was too shout, "neither Washington nor Moscow", hand out incomprehensible zines, and be extremely condescending while also wrong about most things. We have a real foundation to build from now and a population of younger people that we can radicalize when we put in the effort and let them call us libs so they can do their own cool projects.
Hey, genuine question here. Why include Russia in this? They are, to my understanding, a capitalist oligarch hellscape. Where queer folk are criminalized and hunted from public life. A different imperial power currently engaged in killing folk. Why is Russia doing good a good thing at all? Just in the fact its showing a country can exist outside the NATO sphere at all? Is it in any way support of Russian policies?
Once again, none of the above is intended to be read as aggressive or trick questions. They are just what's on my mind.
The main point is that it's an example of the US and international capital losing power. Russia's ruling class wanted to be part of the international capitalist ruling class but were excluded, with that exclusion turned up to 11 after the invasion of Ukraine.
Almost by accident, Russia is now forced to adapt through domestic industry and alternative trading partnerships (and skirt sanctions because Europe isn't really going without their fossil fuels). And it's working. This demonstrates the extent to which multipolarity is emerging and viable, though it is still the early stages.
Re: Russia being capitalist and reactionary: of course that is the reality. What do you then do with that information? It describes nearly every country in different forms and degrees. The downfall of empire will happen through capitalist states and states in a transition that still, of course, have significant problems. If it weren't for Russian influence in the ME it would be 100% Saudi Arabias by now, for example, and Palestinians would only be a diaspora. Oppressed peoples do not have the luxury of perfect allies or even "good" allies, they will take whatever they can get and the more they can get the better.
Thank you for the thought out reply. Very good at explaining the point. Especially compared to reddit. I'm new and still sussing out the culture here. I was worried i could possibly catch a ban for asking as well lol.
Of course! Always happy to have a chat, ask and answer questions, agree and disagree, and so on. Please feel free to share any thoughts you have even if they're critical.
You won't have to worry about bans so long as you're here in good faith and don't make the space itself unsafe with things like racism or homophobia or transphobia. The main site has a rule thing somewhere and each comm has some rules posted if you want to feel extra confident.