“anti-imperialism” of idiots

“ This ‘anti-imperialism’ of idiots is one which equates imperialism with the actions of the US alone.

— Leila Al-Shami, “The ‘anti-imperialism’ of idiots”

“ It’s really to the point now that if someone has anti-imperialist in their bio I assume they support the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

— Kareem Rifai

“ Some of these American left orgs that call themselves “anti-war” and “anti-imperialist” seem to mean anti-ONLY-US-imperialist and pro genocide as long as it’s by anyone the US government might consider “bad.” It’s disgusting to watch.

What I see is: The only thing bad is the US, everything else is totally fine. Who cares what people harmed “over there” say? We know better because we’re American.

Zero nuance. Zero contextual analysis.

— Timnit Gebru

“ It is amazing how 99% of the people who claim to be anti imperialists, always end up defending the most insane and stupid bullshit. Despite the fact anti imperialism is obviously correct, there is something about it, that only attracts unhinged lunatics.

— Left Hayekean

“ Anti-imperialism: Russia initiating a violent imperialist invasion isn't a problem, but the US sending aid is somehow the reason why there's no peace

— Kareem Rifai

“ Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed the incompetence of the Russian military and the hubris of President Putin. It has also revealed the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people, who, contrary to Ron Paul’s ambulatory talking point, had no need of any American to prod or gull them into defending their homeland. Here in the U.S., the war has also exposed the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of an ideologically diverse set of foreign-policy commentators: the “anti-imperialists” who routinely justify blatant acts of imperial conquest, and the “realists” who make arguments unmoored from reality.

— James Kirchick, How the Anti-war Camp Went Intellectually Bankrupt: Critics of U.S. foreign policy from both ends of the ideological spectrum have found common cause in supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“ The Stability-Fetishist

Both left-wing ‘anti-imperialism’ and traditional realism can be filed under this category. Each represents a different face of an attitude which views people as mere chess pieces in the great game of international statecraft.

— Six types of ‘useful idiot’

“ The left sees Putin’s Russia as an alternative to NATO, as a rival to NATO. In a sense, they are right: Russia is indeed opposed to NATO. But they do not see, and do not want to see, that the Russian alternative means only a desire to pursue its own, independent but equally (if not worse) imperialist policy.

Russia’s geopolitical goal is not at all to stop Western imperialism, but to make Russia an empire again, more powerful, aggressive and inhuman than the conventional “West”. The Russian state, having suppressed freedom and independence at home, cannot bring any freedom and independence to other countries.

The pro-Russian “Left” does not see this. To use the analogy of George Orwell’s novel 1984, such “leftists” side with the Big Brother of Eurasia against the Big Brother of Oceania.

Such “leftists” are idiots.

— “Leftists” outside Ukraine are used to listening only to people from Moscow: Interview with anarcho-syndicalists in Eastern Ukraine

Examples

• US libertarians in general: Kremlintarianism

• An anti-fascist message from the shadows of Central and Eastern Europe

• “Stop the War”: “Marching forth with Stop the War: Britain’s left must reject the anti-West reactionaries at the heart of its movement” (archive)

• Syria: “Erasing People through Disinformation: Syria and the ‘Anti-Imperialism’ of Fools”

• Ukraine: Taras Bilous, “A letter to the Western Left from Kyiv”, February 25, 2022 [1]

• Ukraine: Oksana Dutchak, “10 Terrible Leftist Arguments against Ukrainian Resistance”

• Israel: Alan Johnson, “The Anti-Imperialism of Idiots”, “Linfield’s book shows how the ground was laid for the Old Left’s socialism of fools to morph into the New Left’s anti-imperialism of idiots.” (the book: Susie Linfield, The Lions’ Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky)

• Caitlin Johnstone

• The Ukraine War: Misperceptions on the Left

• Review of Rohini Hensman’s Indefensible: A Challenge to Pseudo-Anti-Imperialism

• Linda Mann, Their Anti-Imperialism and Ours A Review of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies

• “Glad such a vile display of Putin apologism was cancelled. We are proud that the Labour Party supports NATO, and stands in solidarity with Ukraine in their courageous fight against Russian aggression.”

• The People’s Forum, and Code Pink try to brand themselves as “leftists,” yet they parrot Putin’s talking point about NATO in a stylish graphic stating “Honor the Anti-War legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” (thread) (pdf)

• “Leftists should be careful not to talk to Libyans about Libya, or if they do, to hold their hands over their ears. Because Libyans keep giving the wrong answers concerning Qaddafi’s glorious anti-imperialist dictatorship.” (thread) (pdf)

See also

• Westsplaining
• Campism
• Useful idiots
• Tankies
• Kremlinism
• Kremlinophilia
• Putinism
• Kremlintarianism