Russia's Invasion of Ukraine (Official Thread)
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Putin’s Play for the Western Right
The Russian dictator makes his pitch to the world’s reactionaries.
www.theatlantic.com
This year, Putin tailored his message to appeal to right-wing forces in the United States and Europe. The Russian president has been pursuing his own version of “Unite the Right” for some time now, but at Valdai, he didn’t even bother with the pretense of speaking to diplomats and public intellectuals. Instead, he baited Westerners into arguing with one another about the culture wars instead of opposing his criminal war in Ukraine.
It’s not hard to spot the raw meat in his speech. “If the Western elites believe they can have their people and their societies embrace what I believe are strange and trendy ideas, like dozens of genders or gay-pride parades, so be it. Let them do as they please,” he fumed. “But they certainly have no right to tell others to follow in their steps.” Putin has been attacking gay and trans people in speeches for a while, but reprising his homophobic complaints at a place like Valdai is an indication that Putin is aiming for Western televisions, not an audience of international-affairs experts.
There was, of course, the usual Soviet-era hangover in Putin’s discussions with the audience, including how the “so-called West” is seeking global superiority over the rest of the world. (To add “so-called” is a way of indicating that he is really speaking mostly of the decadent United States and its friends.) But Putin returned to the themes he no doubt hopes will show up in the Western media, including “cancel culture”—which is not exactly a source of anxiety in wartime Russia these days, but is of great interest to Western rightists:
The mention of Dostoyevsky might be a reference to one Italian university that canceled and reinstated a course on the Russian author. And it’s true that while Putin’s forces are engaged in mass murder in Ukraine, some American orchestras have become skittish about playing the “1812 Overture,” which is a celebration of a Russian military victory. (The Boston Pops play it every summer at Tanglewood and on the Esplanade; this year, they decided to add the Ukrainian national anthem just before it.) This is not “canceling” Russian culture, and Putin knows it—but the accusation makes great material for Putin’s useful idiots outside of Russia.
A breakdown on the long term population decline of both countries.
Bruh, they are sending these dudes to war with World War 2 era weapons.
Russian military power has been a cap this whole time. Driven by defense contractors convincing the DoD to continue buying more and more complex (aka expensive) weapons
Russian military power has been a cap this whole time. Driven by defense contractors convincing the DoD to continue buying more and more complex (aka expensive) weapons
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