Controversial Political Opinions

[Eric the Green]

(05-12-2022, 12:21 AM)JasonBlack Wrote: 1) The concept of "liberal hegemony" needs to die. Geopolitics is, has been, and always will be, anarchistic, and must be looked at, first and foremost, through the lends of realism. The US should not be "promoting Democracy", supporting coups or revolutions or otherwise meddling in the affairs of other countries unless it is for the purpose of fostering trade relations or monitoring/extinguishing a significant threat. 
2) Similarly, putting the interests of another country's people above your own is not just a difference of political opinion, it is treason. In this case, that is how I would describe our current response to the Russia sanctions and further provoking Putin. Just because the Ukrainians are (arguably at least) "the good guys", doesn't mean that we should be making significant sacrifices on their behalf unless the American people have something significant to gain from it. It is not the job of one country's soldiers to make sacrifices solely for the sake of "justice" or helping out the populace of a country in dire need.

1) I understand the concern. Non-intervention can be a good approach. I don't think I agree, though. We are all one people on one planet, and are members of a global society. The destiny of our times, which began at the turn of the 20th century, is how to organize this new global society in a way that meets people's needs and respects their rights. That means law, and not anarchy. The universal declaration of human rights was promulgated by Eleanor Roosevelt and the new United Nations in 1945, I believe. That should be the standard, and ideally this should be enforced by the world power. But this will probably be more-perfected during the 2160s, when the next "world order" conjunction of Uranus and Neptune happens in Aquarius, in situations much like those under the same type of conjunction in circa 1990, 1815 and 1648, or like the situation of 1945. We won't see that time, but our reincarnated selves or our descendants may well see it.

I think the "liberal hegemony" is simply human rights, and are universal, not cultural or relative, and will be increasingly upheld if progress continues. There is no guarantee that such progress will continue; that is true. It just seems to me to be our destiny. People everywhere just want to be free, and will demand it over and over again. Right now, my opinion is that thug military rulers should not have a monopoly on the weapons within a state. They have lost all legitimacy. So if the people rising up ask for help, perhaps we should give it, without the USA itself invading or bombing their lands.

2) So I entirely disagree with your evaluation of the Ukraine situation. They have pointedly asked for help from the USA and NATO and any others willing, and we have responded. The Russian invasion was unprovoked. It is of benefit to us to restrain Putin, because otherwise our allies will be threatened and we will be required to defend them militarily. The USA is not sending its soldiers to defend Ukraine; so I don't know why you mention "one country's soldiers to make sacrifices solely for the sake of "justice" ". Severe sanctions against Russiam fossil fuels are a chance to eliminate this portion of this out-of-date industry, doing which is of immediate necessity everywhere. I agree the USA is doing the right thing by not invading Ukraine or defending it ourselves with our soldiers, and Ukraine has not asked for this.