Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday he believes Russia acted in “good faith” amid the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, adding the U.S., in fact, bore heavy responsibility for the ongoing war.

  • bob@lemmy.havocperil.uk
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    1 year ago

    adding the U.S., in fact, bore heavy responsibility for the ongoing war.

    What’s his rationale for this BS? How did the US make Russia do anything? How stupid would anyone have to be to be convinced by this sort of nonsense?

    • HiT3k@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      I’m sorry, but the greatest stupidity I’ve seen from the Left during the course of this war is the complete abandonment of the belief in US accountability for foreign conflict and destabilization, which was so common in discussion before the war. Was it just more convenient for us then?

      Putin is a vile human being and Russia is an insecure, inept power. The invasion was a crime, and a horrific one. That does NOT absolve the US from responsibility for the regional instability that led to this war. In fact, we spearheaded and encouraged it. It is clear by our foreign policy that our leaders wanted this war.

      And now we are letting Russian sympathizers use it as a talking point and we have no rebuttal because we refuse to accept it as truth. It’s a massive own goal and reveals so much of liberal discourse in this nation to be ignorant, self serving drivel that can be abandoned as quickly as conservatives can abandon their “values.” It is disgusting.

      No idea what channel this is, but I searched for a summary of the last 30 years of our diplomacy and NATO expansion and found it. I agree with everything said and it is all historical fact.

      • bob@lemmy.havocperil.uk
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        1 year ago

        Could we be refusing to accept it as truth because it isn’t true? In what way has the US destabilised Ukraine? How did the US make Russia invade Ukraine? I can’t find a way to make either of these statements make any sense at all. I’m British FYI and we have our own bone to pick with the Russians.

        It feels strange, this argument that we (the western world) made Russia invade another country and rape children. If only Russia didn’t have to invade another country and rape their women and children! If only! But we made Russia do it by talking to that country about joining a defensive pact against another country invading them and raping their women and children. I mean, Russia had to immediately invade and start raping, right? Because Ukraine were going to join some other countries who would come to their aid if Russia were to invade and start raping. Where would Russia be if they couldn’t just invade countries and start raping women and children, right?

        What the absolute fuck is wrong with people like you? What Russia has done is indefensible, so fucking stop it?

        • HiT3k@beehaw.org
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          1 year ago

          Just breathe. This is such a typical, hyperventilating response. The critique here is not that the West “made” Russia invade Ukraine and only Russian sympathizers are saying that. The critique is of Western diplomacy over the last 30 years that directly contributed to the tensions in the region. The critique is that when the Warsaw Pact dissolved and Russia was at its weakest, the commitment by the West to also disarm and cease expansion militarily into former USSR territory should have been upheld. It’s the idea that unity and peace in the region should have been primary goal, not the liberalization of former USSR territories via NATO membership.

          What exactly are you denying as “true?” You seem to have interpreted my comment as saying “Russia invaded Ukraine because of one singular thing the West did.” Well of course that’s not true, but that’s also not what I said. There isn’t one thing that Russia invaded Ukraine over. It’s a mix of national desperation, a psychotic despot, and regional tensions that made for an easy target. My only contention here is that Western diplomacy failed in Eastern Europe and a different approach would have had a different outcome. Diplomacy is a very long game. This isn’t a “hindsight is 20/20” issue, either. This strategy of military expansion for three decades despite Russia’s protests has been widely criticized.

          You don’t have to agree with Russian interests here (I certainly don’t,) but you seem to be having a hard time grasping the concept and purpose of international diplomacy and separating it from your own political views. The purpose of a diplomatic relationship should be to advance the goals which benefit the citizens of one’s own country, while working within the constraints of a given political landscape, and to advance the good of all nations where possible, not proselytize liberal democracy via military expansion. Why don’t you tell me what you think the benefit of NATO expansion post-Cold War was for the citizens of the West? How did that benefit the citizens of my nation, the USA? From where I’m sitting, it didn’t. It seems more like a needless expansion of military power by the West despite prior commitments and despite the fact that it increased tensions with Russia and jeopardized peace in the region. Don’t forget that this expansion was spearheaded by the USA, not the nations that volunteered to join. Spearheaded by a nation that has maintained its superpower status by being involved in and often instigating every major conflict for the past 80 years. Now Western Leftists are suddenly going to forget that and give them a pass because Russian sympathizers are using it as an inconvenient talking point?

          I am 100% for supporting Ukraine in this war. That should have been clear by my comment, but somehow you decided I was instead promoting the rape of innocent children. However, I also believe that after this is all over, there should be a healthy discussion about how we got here in the first place. The most absurd thing is that everything I am saying would have been widely accepted as fact by Liberals prior to the Ukraine invasion. “Western powers, particularly the USA, love destabilizing and exerting control over other weaker nations, even when they pose no threat.” Now that Russia finally did the horrible thing everyone knew they might do, this is now somehow a “pro-Russia” position to hold. It’s ridiculous.

          • bob@lemmy.havocperil.uk
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            1 year ago

            Nope, sorry, I am still not having it. The Russians are the only ones jeopardising peace in the region. NATO is a defensive pact. If Russia didn’t invade their neighbours, they would have nothing to fear from NATO. You are still apologising for Russian aggression and blaming its cause on the west, even if you’re trying to say it in an intellectual way or “both sides” it.

            • HiT3k@beehaw.org
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              1 year ago

              Jesus, I would love to see the world as simply as you do. You are literally going to avoid engaging with or thinking about every single point and reduce it to “Russia bad, NATO good?” You really see zero nuance in the history of NATO, its conception, its expansion, and the power it has? Does it not give you even a little pause? If not NATO, what about the world leaders who wield it?

              I’m not trying to sound “intellectual,” and if I do it is because I am trying to be very specific and clear in what I say. I understand how closely this aligns with tankie talking points. That said, there is some level of intelligence or curiosity necessary for these conversations. If you reduce conflict around the world to some Marvel-esque “bad guy invades because he’s evil” scenario and never stop to ask why the bad guy exists, you are never going to be able to understand human conflict or contribute to the avoidance of it.

          • The dogspaw @midwest.social
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            1 year ago

            That is insane the west did not force them to join nato they joined to protect themselves from Russia and gain wealth after the Ukraine war that seems to be the smarter choice than stay poor and weak and hope Russia doesn’t decide to invade you this week

            • HiT3k@beehaw.org
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              1 year ago

              You people genuinely have the worst reading comprehension. How could you say I insinuated anything remotely like that? And then I get criticized for trying to sound “intellectual” because I go to such lengths to make it clear that I hold both Russia and Western warmongers accountable, but never the small ex-Soviet nations that are the pawns in their game. Yet you still somehow read that into my statement.

              • The dogspaw @midwest.social
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                1 year ago

                Its all Americas fault if we didn’t bring democracy and better quality of life the poor poor Russia wouldn’t have to occupy Ukraine kill and rape what sound logical thinking you have how could we have not seen it

                • HiT3k@beehaw.org
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                  1 year ago

                  There are commas and periods on your keyboard. Come back and try again once you finish 4th grade, you’re unintelligible and quite possibly illiterate.