Greetings, Comrades! A while ago, as this war had just started, I was invited on Martyrmade podcast, to discuss the Ukraine war – and as you’ll see our opinions differ. That episode went on Darryl’s paid substack feed, but now, when some time has now passed, I’m allowed to bring this interview to my audience as well. It gets heated at times. Contrast and compare with what I’ve said on my show and what has happened since.
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One thing that i think germane to this conversation is The Soviet Unions deal with Hitler and subsequent invasion of Poland at the start of WW2, not to mention Finland, etc. this just shows the true nature of Russia and Putin. They have no problem with anyone as long as they are getting what they want i.e., money, land, resources, etc. i also would point out that the US in spite of all our faults hasn’t taken over and permanently occupied a single country in modern history. Even if uou go back in time and count turn of the 20th century adventures we wound up doing the right thing as our society matured. Cuba has been communist for 60+ years and while we may not want To trade with them (our right) we sure as heck haven’t invaded. Same thing for VZ, Chile, etc. the use of a barely relevant examples doesn’t justify any of Putin’s actions. The fact that we agreed to protect Ukraine in exchange for them giving up their Nukes was also mentioned but MM didn’t make any effort to explain that. Also the fact that we can treat every country (Taiwan) the same way just shows we know we cant control every situation even when we know what the right thing to do is.
“i also would point out that the US in spite of all our faults hasn’t taken over and permanently occupied a single country in modern history”
The USA has, as a result of war, a permanent treaty-based claim on Guantanamo Bay, CUBA.
Hawaii used to be an independent Nation. (Yes, you can play the “Who actually took over Hawaii game, if u want)
The USA has taken over and militarily occupied parts of Europe and Asia continually for over 75 years.
The USA took over and annexed its entire South/West from Mexico.
Hundreds of independent nations throughout North America no longer exist or do not exist on their ancestral homeland.
. . . . . .
The US doesn’t occupy Europe. They are welcome as guests and allies invited by sovereign nations with democratically elected governments. Even if you take a less favourable view of the long-term American military presence, consider the following: western Europe was almost entirely reduced to rubble at the end of the 2nd World War. Partly thanks to American support (such as the Marshall Plan), European countries were able to rebuild and now have prospering economies and vibrant democracies. The same can be said for South Korea and Japan.
A similar transformation is still taking place in eastern Europe, whose economies and people suffered greatly behind the Iron Curtain and are now quickly catching up to western European standards of living. Interestingly, communist North Korea as a Chinese protectorate provides a clear contrast to the “evil American imperialism”.
With the “hundreds of independent nations throughout North America” I assume you are referring to native American tribes. What the USA have done to the native Americans is nothing short of brutal. However: there is no denying that the USA as a country has a learning curve and is capable of self-correcting, mainly due to its democratic nature. The same cannot be said for Russia who, even by the most conservative estimates, are responsible for a vastly greater number of deaths both within and outside their borders (if we want to reduce the issue to a “who is the worse bad guy”, you can definitely do worse than the USA). Add to that the fact that the US’s open society is much more conducive to atrocities actually coming to light and the perpetrators facing justice, whereas Russia’s repressive regime actively works to exponge the records of its numerous and ongoing wrongdoings.
‘modern history’ is the time period referenced.
I think the assumption (which seems to underlie some of the discussion here) that leaders are bestowed or imposed on a nation is erroneous.
Leaders – democratic ones and tyrants – are products of their nations in one way or another. There is no one man without (at least some of) the people.
There is Z E R O moral equivalency between Russian Imperialism and American Imperialism. In this comparison I would point out the the former predates the latter. And by dint of history and circumstance the latter was forced into being by the former. We live in Mackinder’s world. Always and forever. There is no stable, peaceful multipolar alternative.
I said “modern” history and Hawaii voted to join the United States. Regardless if what you think of how we established GITMO, it hardly equates to the invasion of Cuba. You illustrate the whole issue with MMs Putin/Russia analysis – uou cant equates a small barely relavant USA example to what Russia is doing. I notice you didnt touch the whole Poland/Hitler thing.
Amazing,that despite all the discussion, Darryl could not stop looking for reasons to blame NATO for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His mean dog on the chain analogy was priceless. Oh, the dog is mean because NATO/the US made him mean, so the dog should be allowed to bite everyone around him. Dog bites will expiate Darryl’s guilt at the US invading Iraq and Afghanistan, apparently. Darryl’s dog sounds uncomfortably like pro-Putin Republican Senator Rand Paul insisting that Russian should be allowed to invade Ukraine because it used to belong to the Soviet Union. That’s like insisting that Croatia and Romania should be given to Austria because they used to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
I was thinking the exact same thing. I wanted the “mean dog on the chain” to be explored a lot more. I think a more relevant example would be that one neighbor is helping build fences so that the mean dog won’t be able to bite. But now that the mean dog is off his chain and currently mauling one of the neighbors in the front yard, Darryl has the nerve to say “You know, maybe if you didn’t build all these wall to protect people the mean dog wouldn’t try to bite the other people waiting for a fence”.
I just got finished listening to this podcast and some of the things said infuriated me. Calling the Maiden Revolution a putsch is straight propaganda, this “coup” nonsense has been pushed by the Russians as soon as their puppet was removed by the Verkhovna Rada in an overwhelming vote. And pretending the Odessa trade union fire was some kind of unprovoked attack and murder as opposed to a running street battle in which the pro-Russian protesters opened fire and murdered Maiden protesters which led to a battle at the Trade Union is again, something that came word for word out of Russian propaganda. It’s sad that this otherwise seemingly smart person can fall for this nonsense so easily.