• Nahvi@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Even if we are approaching a point where a tear down would be more cost effective, we are not at a point where we can unite enough to rebuild anything from the rubble.

    Maybe pushing it any farther is risking a collapse, but I rather like being one united nation sitting at the top of lists for economic and military power, rather than 3 or 4 smaller nations barely in the top 10.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      We are way past the point where a tear down is necessary to save millions of lives, never mind “cost effective”.

      sitting at the top of lists for economic and military power

      You KNOW that all that economic power belongs to the rich and the rest are poorer than most western countries, right?

      Also, celebrating military power as a virtue is some North Korea type shit, not something a modern democracy should be doing.

      • Nahvi@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Military power is neither inherently virtue nor vice it is a tool that can be used for good or ill. However, without it the voice of a nation becomes smaller and smaller until it becomes non-existent without the support of others.

        • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Military power is neither inherently virtue nor vice

          False. It’s an evil. Some would say a necessary evil, but that’s debatable.

          without it the voice of a nation becomes smaller and smaller until it becomes non-existent

          Bullshit. Organised murder isn’t free speech, nor does it protect free speech. It’s very often used to SUPPRESS free speech and democracy, though.

          • Nahvi@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            but that’s debatable.

            Do you think Zelensky thinks military power is a useful tool? Do you think he and NATO are doing evil by defending Ukraine?

            Putting my cards on the table; I am not the biggest fan of the US getting involved in another overseas war, even if it is only providing weapons. I am curious though how a defensive war fits into your “military power is evil” mindset.

            Organised murder isn’t free speech

            Having a military does not mean you have to participate in offensive wars.

            • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Do you think Zelensky thinks military power is a useful tool?

              I think the people of Ukraine would have found it useful for Putin to not use that “tool” against them.

              But yeah, while I’m of course on his side with regards to the war itself, I also think that Zelinski is finding emergency war powers a very useful tool to suppress political opposition and otherwise further his own political power.

              Do you think he and NATO are doing evil by defending Ukraine?

              Of course not, but there’d be no invasion to defend against in the first place if not for the military power of genocidal war criminals like Putin

              I am curious though how a defensive war fits into your “military power is evil” mindset.

              As I pointed out above, it fits fine since there would be no necessity to defend yourself against military power if not attacked with military power.

              • Nahvi@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                there’d be no invasion to defend against in the first place if not for the military power of genocidal war criminals like Putin

                I completely agree though with a caveat. I can’t imagine a just way we would completely eliminate people like Putin.

                The only way I could imagine is becoming the most oppressive and dominating force and pointing our weapons at anyone that glances at other territories. Incidentally, I think this pretty much what we did for 40 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, which explains the era of relative peace we are coming out of. Not that there was ever true peace, but mostly the world powers only played their proxy war games in much smaller nations.

                I also think that Zelinski is finding emergency war powers a very useful tool to suppress political opposition and otherwise further his own political power.

                I have been noticing the same.

                • SmoothIsFast@citizensgaming.com
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                  1 year ago

                  I completely agree though with a caveat. I can’t imagine a just way we would completely eliminate people like Putin.

                  You institutionalize them instead of giving them the keys to castels. Vikings turned their psychopaths into their most vicious fighters and isolated them from the rest, we decided to put them into positions of power both goepolitically and economically, then glorified them and it’s now killing us. Before that psychopaths have been described and usually killed off on the spot. If we ever get to be a space fairing civilization it might be smart to utilize them as resource allocators on multi generation ships as their lack of empathy could actually benefit the survival of the whole in those situations but not when we allow them to use accumulation of wealth as their tool as it drains everyone’s resources.

                  • Nahvi@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    That is a lot to unpack, but I think you definitely have a few good ideas.

                    as their lack of empathy could actually benefit the survival of the whole in those situations

                    This in particular is an interesting idea. Would be interesting to see what “good” a “psycopath” could do within certain limits.

                  • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    Before that psychopaths have been described and usually killed off on the spot.

                    What a naive misreading of history. What mythical era do you think this happened in?