I guess I don’t understand. I agree that I’m responsible for the bad US policy here, just like all other Americans are.
So are all Russians responsible for the actions of the Russian government?
Sure
We’re Iraqi citizens responsible for Sadaam starting two wars before he was overthrown?
You also contend that we are responsible for Russian actions as well.
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I really don’t think that Americans should be held personally responsible for American foreign wars unless they start providing a big IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH OUR FOREIGN POLICY CHECK HERE TO BE EXEMPT FROM TAXES box on tax returns. The standard that someone is responsible for the act of their government unless they do “everything in their power” to stop them is absurd. No matter what anyone does someone can come along and say “but you didn’t do THAT” and whoopsie sorry citizen, the bad acts of your elected officials that you didn’t elect and don’t agree with are still Your Fault.
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Why not? Per that quote, the American/NATO/EU actions caused Russia to invade suddenly. That’s obviously different than your Versailles example.
Chomsky directly addresses this. He says that someone like himself, an elite in a comfortable and secure position, has more responsibility to speak and act than someone with less privilege.
ah I guess I would mostly agree with that
Precipitated means suddenly caused, and if that’s the position you want to take regarding the treaty of versailles regarding WW2, I’m not going to stop you. It’s absurdly reductionist though.
It seems more like you don’t really know what the word precipitated means. If you had used words like ‘contributed’ or ‘played a factor in’ or whatever, you’d have little disagreement.
Well the Mearsheimer talk that was referencing was from 2015. Seven years from then to the invasion is sudden? Dunno man.
Mearsheimer was referencing the events in 2014 right? You know, when Russia invaded Ukraine for the first time this century? The euromaiden and subsequent events were quite sudden… or did you just forget about all that?
Sure
Also he gave a talk like 8 days before the Russian invasion again blaming the west… didn’t he?
Probably? Mearsheimer thinks that US policy precipitated the Russia-Ukraine crisis. He thinks that if the US had a sensible, hands off policy there wouldn’t have been a war at all.
Screw that. If I have the shot I’m taking it.
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Sure seems like it’s accurate to say that you and he think the USA is responsible for Russias invasion then. Good talk
You’d have to ask him about what he thinks. I think that the Russian decision makers are guilty of the grave war crime of aggressive war.
Right. And American decision makers are guilty when the American military does a bad thing.
I would argue that neither you nor I (nor likely anyone on this forum) would qualify as “decision makers”.