this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2024
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They're asking you to read what actual imperialism is. Lenin discusses this and it still applies to this day. End-stage of capitalism is imperialism and even if you don't want to get "theoretical" or talk about "old dusty books" how is what China and Russia do considered "imperialism" when in both countries; there is over 100 military bases from one country surrounding them?
"Oh, well that wouldn't happen if they weren't so aggressive!" ~ typical response when asked.
Why are they being aggressive? Why is it only so densely clustered around nations with regime differences? A regime-change happens in Ukraine when separatists revolt, gets replaced with a hostile one to spread a military pact that borders the country and somehow Russia is the aggressive one?
What nations is China "subtlety" influencing? Are you pulling out the Tibet argument? The nation of religious slave-owners? Or, perhaps, Taiwan? The remnants of the literal Fascist collaborators exiled to an Island? Or India, whom is making accords and amends with China right now on their border issue?
Or do you actually believe U.S State Department propaganda bullshit on mystical Confucian hackers/spies doing espionage on our failing, aging infrastructure and sabotaging our easily bribed and corrupt corporations who own nearly everything in the country?
would the US be not imperialist if canada and mexico would be against it? doesn't China have a military presence in africa? is that just different somehow?
You ignored the military base part (the fact that one nation over the entire world has that) and the general implication of that. Canada is another Western settler nation with a similar historical background that would have zero reason to have competing interests with the U.S even in the 1900s (unless over minor things, if you really want to get pedantic). Mexico and the rest of Latin America is a GREAT example, actually.
Look at the history of military intervention and how the capitalists of the West completely stripped and destroyed these nations and keep them subservient under IMF debt/leverage. A nation like Venezuela; whom is against it; is mercilessly lambasted, sanctioned and attacked at every opportunity. That's why they AREN'T against it (Mexico and America or any other Latin American nation). This is what that one user meant by a "materialist view". That view Venezuela has is also known as "siege mentality" if you want to look it up in a more formal sense.
You're vaguely gesturing towards Belt and Road initiatives with a doomer mindset that obviously it must be imperialism. Meanwhile, Belt and Road actually provides tangible support and direct aid to Africa unlike the IMF handing a massive bag of cash to local despots and warlords beholden to private and/or Western interests that further indebt the nation.
Do you really want me to sit here and describe the amount of times that happened vs actual railroads/infrastructure built by China? Do you understand how much they're undercutting IMF loans and how little leverage/debt they undergo compared to the IMF, the main financier arm of the global West who pushes these nations into poverty either economically or if not, a regime change??
It helps to think of imperialism and neoimperialism as parasitic relations between privileged states and unprivileged ones. Beijing is almost certainly expecting some mutual benefits in the long term from its investments, but I have not seen anything suggesting that said investments are highly conditional or designed to keep the recipients dependent on them indefinitely.
That is what distinguishes the PRC from neoimperialist régimes like Imperial America, which value immediate returns and bully unprivileged states (e.g. Panama) into submission when they try to grow independently.
There are examples of them writing off unpaid debt in favor of completing the projects to maintain a good relationship with the countries they are working with. They don't seem to do this lightly, and sometimes it's only the interest, not the entire loan, but it does happen. This difference in approach can be easily picked up in western media as well despite them often moving goal posts and not telling the entire story of IMF loan programs compared to BRI programs.
Why are you not answering any of the questions you have been asked and brought up Canada and Mexico instead (Which, by the way, if we had done you would 100% be screeching WhaTaBOuTisM at us)?
The profile picture while doing the "libertarian/anarchist just asking questions" bit has me thinking as well.
also, parenti quote
The quote
-- Michael Parenti, Blackshirts And Reds
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