Russia is part of the axis of resistance -

Russia is part of the axis of resistance

2026-11-05 14:47:50

Spectre via Memes

Confidant6198@lemmy.ml

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/54954438

memes

2026-11-05 16:18:13

readmotherfucker

readmotherfucker@lemmygrad.ml

Yes, they are still capitalist however.

Once the US/NATO falls inshallah and the balance of power shifts globally we will need to refocus our efforts on these capitalist states (Iran/Russia) that fought US/NATO imperialism.

2026-11-05 17:12:25

Trioxin

Trioxin@lemmygrad.ml

Russia is not fascist

Tell that to the LGBT people there…

2026-11-05 20:04:57

pineapple_

pineapple_@lemmygrad.ml

How can they be considered capitalist without s dictatorship of the bourgeoisie?

2026-11-06 01:27:16

Commiejones

Commiejones@lemmygrad.ml

eh… I wouldn’t call russia “not an oligarchy.” I definitely wouldn’t call them part of the Axis of Resistance. They are fighting on the same side as the Axis of resistance but not because they had a choice.

2026-11-06 06:21:40

Red_Scare [he/him]

Red_Scare@lemmygrad.ml

2026-11-06 21:09:48

Ferret

ferret@hub.workersofthe.world

@Spectre eh. Still capitalist. They still definitely have a lot of corporate power, whatever Putin says. In fact, if you still empower your corporations but just bring them under control of the government, that's exactly what fascist economics is. Their lawmaking definitely fits with the fascist style, too, so I'm going to say that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it is one.

Remember that imperialism, per Lenin's definition, is very much not about a single axis. There being a single axis for so long is actually sort of weird, so it's quite sensible to view Russia as an imperial power from a Marxist perspective. It is an advanced capitalist power, and therefore it would be, from a dialectical point of view, very unlikely for it to not be imperialist.

If you look at Russia's socialist allies and what they say, they are alliances of convenience. They respect Russia's power and its alignment against the USA. But they do not aspire to their politics, their economic model. They don't see them as some beacon of working class power. And if you look at Russia's influence in places like Burkina Faso, it's sometimes downright Hitlerian, to the tune of "If you want to work with us, you have to criminalize your gays."

edit: And I see the yankees who can't think outside Disney levels of good versus evil are already downvoting me. Good ol' Lemmy.

2026-11-06 21:51:56

amemorablename

amemorablename@lemmygrad.ml

The “marxist perspective” is definitely not something that would conclude Russia is imperialist. Imperialism is, for lack of a better way to put it offhand, capitalism externalized.

Some things imperialism isn’t:

Capital being strong locally (if this were the case, most capitalist states would qualify as imperialist)
Having geopolitical power/influence (if this were the case, China would be considered imperialist and they are instead doing win-win infrastructure deals and trade with the global south)
Exploitation of other countries as the only factor required to meet the definition (though imperialism definitely involves exploitation of other countries, other kinds of exploitation can exist - otherwise, there would be no meaningful distinction between colonialism and imperialism, for example)

There are others who I’m sure can explain the geopolitical economy aspects of it better than I can and hopefully will step in to do so. But I would be looking for things like coercive relationships where the capital of Nation A is growing as a result of exploiting the land/labor/resources of Nation B. From what I can tell, capitalist Russia’s actions are more just realpolitik dealing with the corner they’ve been backed into. Trying to be an imperialist country would put them in conflict with anti-imperialist forces in the world, which would make them even more alone; despised by the western empire that wants to subjugate them and despised by anti-imperialist forces. Easily isolated and picked off.

Do you really think the DPRK, as principled as it has tended to be on the global stage, would ally with Russia if they believed Russia was imperialist?

Strange dynamics call for more nuance in definitions. There is no need to shoehorn them into a definition that was made to describe something else. I would easily believe the Russian leadership/capitalists are opportunists who will follow whatever way the wind blows. But even that doesn’t in itself mean it is easy for them to change allegiances/goals at this point. Leaders are always part intention and part the limitations of the surrounding system and conditions.

2026-11-07 01:49:39

Ferret

ferret@hub.workersofthe.world

@amemorablename Imperialism is the division of the world between larger powers, which is exactly what Russia is doing. And yes, nations do ally with imperialist nations because that's what they are, not in spite of it. If the developing world didn't ally with an imperialist country, it would be a pretty poor imperialist country.

You can mince words about what imperialism is and say that definitions need to change, and really it hardly matters. The main thing here is that Russia is absolutely not some principled beacon of anti-imperialism. Celebrating it as such is not principled, either.