Ah, sir, this conversation is getting tiring and I have a lot of things to do. Again, the usual one-sided moral argument about Western freedom values and Russophobia. Let me dispell some of your illusions.
We also have the classic case of wikileaks and thousands of classified documents leaked exposing details of operations of US and NATO bases, US espionage of governments around the world, but after all sentimental blabber in the press, the conclusion was to simply imprison the whistleblowers and collaborators:
So, the conclusion we take is that Freedom of speech is really beautiful as an idea and as a metaphysical principle, but states are ultimately defined by the interests of their ruling class, not on abstract principles. Even in your fabulous Western empire where freedom of speech is held as a value, you can speak freely as long as you don’t threat the system. If you do, you may be declared a terrorist, a national security threat, or any law or precedent that is applicable to you will fit in your case and all your guaranteed rights become void in the moment after. I fear for the tortured people in the CIA blacksites in EU because in many cases not even their names might have been known, and the person simply disappeared, with no trial, no hearing, nothing.
And I don’t want to say Russia is a grandiose haven, it is not. It is a bourgeois state with their own class interests nonetheless, and have the same flaws, and it is many times more extreme because it is under pressure. The US right now is also under pressure, therefore we have Trump’s gestapo on the streets capturing people left and right. Don’t be surprised if crisis hit Europe hard and your constitutional guarantees slip down to the toilet.
Peace is also like a long stick that don’t strike. But if that is the case, I need to add that EU’s stick hits, hits hard, and hits frequently. You need to study the history of colonialism in Africa, in Asia, in the Americas, the Vietnam’s war, all the national liberation struggles in Africa and Asia post-WW2, such as the Algerian liberation struggle, the assassination of Patrick Lumumba, the assassination of Thomas Sankara, the multiple recent assassination attempts against Traore’s life, the Afghanistan war, the invasion of Libya, the Iraq war, the Syrian war, the war against Ansar Allah, the war against Iran, and the war against Ukraine. You also need to study about Operation Condor and its effects on Latin American countries including thousands of people who were detained and tortured, all this in collaboration with the US and the EU. EU’s and NATO’s tentacles are simply everywhere. If we delve deeper into European colonialism and imperialism, including colonialism from liberal countries, what Nazis did to Jews and other minorities in Europe will look like child’s play. Alas, Western colonialism was the great inspiration for Nazi’s Holocaust.
But let’s return for the crux of the argument. What material evidence do you have that Russia is advancing towards EU and not the other way around? I’m still waiting for your response. Let’s try to answer this time without diverting to moral relativism?
Ah, sir, this conversation is getting tiring and I have a lot of things to do. Again, the usual one-sided moral argument about Western freedom values and Russophobia. Let me dispell some of your illusions.
First of all, about your freedom of speech:
This is a web page from human rights watch (a western NGO), where activists were declared as national security threats and counter-terrorist tactics were used against them. Note that two of these documented cases happened in the US, France and in Poland.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/11/29/targeting-environmental-activists-counterterrorism-measures-abuse-law
Also the case of CIA blacksites in EU countries, which detain people without a trial or any public accusation, if they are declared national security threats: https://www.dw.com/en/lithuania-romania-aided-cia-torture-by-hosting-secret-detention-sites-court-rules/a-44020215
We also have the classic case of wikileaks and thousands of classified documents leaked exposing details of operations of US and NATO bases, US espionage of governments around the world, but after all sentimental blabber in the press, the conclusion was to simply imprison the whistleblowers and collaborators:
https://apnews.com/article/julian-assange-wikileaks-extradition-timeline-cc6519ac54d85e6d22aa1f6774b2428f
Snowden also had to take refuge in Russia, because no Western country was safe for him.
We also have the recent case of Palestine Action classified as a terrorist organization:
https://theconversation.com/palestine-action-arrests-what-happens-next-and-what-it-tells-us-about-the-breadth-of-britains-counter-terrorism-laws-263080
So, the conclusion we take is that Freedom of speech is really beautiful as an idea and as a metaphysical principle, but states are ultimately defined by the interests of their ruling class, not on abstract principles. Even in your fabulous Western empire where freedom of speech is held as a value, you can speak freely as long as you don’t threat the system. If you do, you may be declared a terrorist, a national security threat, or any law or precedent that is applicable to you will fit in your case and all your guaranteed rights become void in the moment after. I fear for the tortured people in the CIA blacksites in EU because in many cases not even their names might have been known, and the person simply disappeared, with no trial, no hearing, nothing.
And I don’t want to say Russia is a grandiose haven, it is not. It is a bourgeois state with their own class interests nonetheless, and have the same flaws, and it is many times more extreme because it is under pressure. The US right now is also under pressure, therefore we have Trump’s gestapo on the streets capturing people left and right. Don’t be surprised if crisis hit Europe hard and your constitutional guarantees slip down to the toilet.
Peace is also like a long stick that don’t strike. But if that is the case, I need to add that EU’s stick hits, hits hard, and hits frequently. You need to study the history of colonialism in Africa, in Asia, in the Americas, the Vietnam’s war, all the national liberation struggles in Africa and Asia post-WW2, such as the Algerian liberation struggle, the assassination of Patrick Lumumba, the assassination of Thomas Sankara, the multiple recent assassination attempts against Traore’s life, the Afghanistan war, the invasion of Libya, the Iraq war, the Syrian war, the war against Ansar Allah, the war against Iran, and the war against Ukraine. You also need to study about Operation Condor and its effects on Latin American countries including thousands of people who were detained and tortured, all this in collaboration with the US and the EU. EU’s and NATO’s tentacles are simply everywhere. If we delve deeper into European colonialism and imperialism, including colonialism from liberal countries, what Nazis did to Jews and other minorities in Europe will look like child’s play. Alas, Western colonialism was the great inspiration for Nazi’s Holocaust.
But let’s return for the crux of the argument. What material evidence do you have that Russia is advancing towards EU and not the other way around? I’m still waiting for your response. Let’s try to answer this time without diverting to moral relativism?