“anti-imperialism” of idiots
“ This ‘anti-imperialism’ of idiots is one which equates imperialism with the actions of the US alone.
“ 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.
“ 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.
“ 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.
“ 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
“ 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.
“ 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.
“ 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 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.
Among the worst of leftist idiots are those who warn that if there’s any military action to stop Assad killing Syrians, ’Syria will become another Libya’. Syria under Assad is incomparably worse than Libya in post-dictator chaos.
In order to keep their ’proxy war’ and western ’regime change’ stories going, they have to totally erase the agency of many millions of Arabs. This is because they are racists, these people so convinced of their radical progressivism.
Many of them are just as racist to Ukrainians. Ukrainians who are giving tens of thousands of lives and dedicating all their time and energy to fighting off genocidal invasion. Then leftists decide Ukrainians are the passive/stupid victims of a proxy war.
“ Among the worst disseminators of Kremlin propaganda in the UK are people with whom I have, in the past, shared platforms and made alliances. The grim truth is that, for years, a segment of the “anti-imperialist” left has been recycling and amplifying Putin’s falsehoods.
- — George Monbiot, “We must confront Russian propaganda – even when it comes from those we respect”
Examples
- US libertarians in general: Kremlintarianism
- “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)
- Ukraine: Taras Bilous, “A letter to the Western Left from Kyiv”, February 25, 2022 [1]
- 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)
- 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
- 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)
- Robin Yassin-Kassab, “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)
- Marvelous Mischief, “One of the things I despise the most about Ben Norton, Grayzone, and most anglo-based “anti imperialist” reporters is how absolutely useless they are to understand anything that is happening outside the US (yes, I know their role is propaganda. But too many believe they can learn from them). Compare Ben Norton’s analysis of Celac, which is just “anti imperialism, be afraid US, rah, rah rah” with Claudio Katz analysis. Which one do you think is more useful, even if you don’t agree with Katz analysis?”, February 4, 2023
