Your division between intent and capability is meaningless here. As is your quibbling over the specifics of imperialism. While there is, potentially, some room for argument over Iran, Russia fits your definition of Imperialism perfectly. Russia is a strong advocate for exactly the world of imperial spheres of influence that you describe, and it’s absolutely wild that you can’t see that. As for the question of intent vs capability, this is an irrelevant distinction because they are actively working towards the creation and reinforcement of imperialist power structures. As the strength of competing imperial powers in their respective sphere wane they will expand - or at least attempt to expand - to fill the gaps. That is imperialism.
The outcome of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is misery and oppression. They are not aiding the oppressed, they are oppressors. The Iranian regime engage in the oppression of their own people and if given the opportunity they would engage in the oppression of other people as well.
It’s frankly ludicrous that I even have to explain any of this. You - and just about everyone else here - are operating on a childish morality. You haven’t actually unpacked the propaganda you grew up with, you’ve just swapped out the heroes and villains in a global meta-narrative that still demands the existence of heroes and villains.
I’m aware that I’m trying to offer reason to a cult by even trying to convey any of this. I probably won’t bother replying further, there’s little value in trying to convince a wall not to be a wall.
Ignoring the distinction between possible ambition and material reality is intellectually bankrupt to put it lightly. You label Russia and Iran imperialist seemingly solely because they are capitalist. By that metric every African nation is imperialist. That is pure unadulterated idiocy. Imperialism requires the capacity to enforce unequal exchange globally. These states lack it and thus at current cannot be labeled imperialist as they are not.
Your second paragraph reeks of Western chauvinism. Russia halted the ethnic cleansing and a decade-long shelling campaign in the Donbass. That is liberatory for the people there regardless of Moscow’s motives or it being a side effect of the struggle against Washington as I already pointed out. Iran has tens of thousands in the streets supporting its stance against the genocidal Israeli regime and US empire. This contradicts your caricature. Yes Iran is capitalist with internal exploitation. But compare it to Libya after Western intervention. The alternative to these regimes is not liberal democracy. It is neocolonial destruction. Iran also funds Hamas Hezbollah PFLP and AnsarAllah among others which directly aids the oppressed against their oppressors. You dismiss this because it inconveniences your moral narrative.
Your third paragraph is hysterical projection. I discuss structural positions and class relations. Not heroes or villains. Not altruism. You cannot grasp dialectics so you reduce everything to childish morality tales. Again I very clearly stated multiple times that the good is mostly side effects of their material positions and struggles quite literally the opposite of your moral hysterics seeking to condemn condemn condemn with no analysis.
You close by calling dissenters a cult while dodging all of the substance to continue to push your doctrine. You refuse to engage because you have no counter-argument. Only insults. Your “reason” is just ideological compliance with the imperial core. The irony is palpable.
Your division between intent and capability is meaningless here. As is your quibbling over the specifics of imperialism. While there is, potentially, some room for argument over Iran, Russia fits your definition of Imperialism perfectly. Russia is a strong advocate for exactly the world of imperial spheres of influence that you describe, and it’s absolutely wild that you can’t see that. As for the question of intent vs capability, this is an irrelevant distinction because they are actively working towards the creation and reinforcement of imperialist power structures. As the strength of competing imperial powers in their respective sphere wane they will expand - or at least attempt to expand - to fill the gaps. That is imperialism.
The outcome of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is misery and oppression. They are not aiding the oppressed, they are oppressors. The Iranian regime engage in the oppression of their own people and if given the opportunity they would engage in the oppression of other people as well.
It’s frankly ludicrous that I even have to explain any of this. You - and just about everyone else here - are operating on a childish morality. You haven’t actually unpacked the propaganda you grew up with, you’ve just swapped out the heroes and villains in a global meta-narrative that still demands the existence of heroes and villains.
I’m aware that I’m trying to offer reason to a cult by even trying to convey any of this. I probably won’t bother replying further, there’s little value in trying to convince a wall not to be a wall.
Ignoring the distinction between possible ambition and material reality is intellectually bankrupt to put it lightly. You label Russia and Iran imperialist seemingly solely because they are capitalist. By that metric every African nation is imperialist. That is pure unadulterated idiocy. Imperialism requires the capacity to enforce unequal exchange globally. These states lack it and thus at current cannot be labeled imperialist as they are not.
Your second paragraph reeks of Western chauvinism. Russia halted the ethnic cleansing and a decade-long shelling campaign in the Donbass. That is liberatory for the people there regardless of Moscow’s motives or it being a side effect of the struggle against Washington as I already pointed out. Iran has tens of thousands in the streets supporting its stance against the genocidal Israeli regime and US empire. This contradicts your caricature. Yes Iran is capitalist with internal exploitation. But compare it to Libya after Western intervention. The alternative to these regimes is not liberal democracy. It is neocolonial destruction. Iran also funds Hamas Hezbollah PFLP and AnsarAllah among others which directly aids the oppressed against their oppressors. You dismiss this because it inconveniences your moral narrative.
Your third paragraph is hysterical projection. I discuss structural positions and class relations. Not heroes or villains. Not altruism. You cannot grasp dialectics so you reduce everything to childish morality tales. Again I very clearly stated multiple times that the good is mostly side effects of their material positions and struggles quite literally the opposite of your moral hysterics seeking to condemn condemn condemn with no analysis.
You close by calling dissenters a cult while dodging all of the substance to continue to push your doctrine. You refuse to engage because you have no counter-argument. Only insults. Your “reason” is just ideological compliance with the imperial core. The irony is palpable.