@Cowbee @Hansae Absolutely. I don't use the term lightly. Frankly, even the presumably-Marxist up there trying to make a defence is living in a weird fantasy version of it. If there's a difference between the dignity of workers and the "glory of the state", you're not talking about a worker's democracy, you're talking about a comic-book western interpretation of what socialist nationalism looks and sounds like.I feel pretentious as hell, but it has to be said that all in all this thread is full of disappointment on all ends. And now that I'm back to read it even more...where are the mods to take care of the bozos going on about gulags and icepicks?

@davel Imperialism isn't about the creation of vassals, it's an economic division of the world, which Russia certainly does. International oil is a huge thing for them, just as it is for the US. And one imperial side helping the global south against the other imperial side should not be surprising. As it is, African nations are seeing Russia as a better alternative to the USA and China, which is of course by design, and is nothing new.

@davel Russia is definitely imperialist, they have their fingers in a good chunk of the Middle East and have in-roads into Africa. Are they on the same level as the USA? Not remotely. But all they would need is a power vacuum in order to make it happen.

@protestation shit, there's some absolute anarkiddies in this place that don't have the foggiest clue about what a worker's democracy looks like.