One thing that’s worth pointing out is that Russia is at a different stage of capitalist development from the west. Russian capitalism is still largely industrial in nature. It’s a very different beast from the western financialized system. Thus, the interests of Russian capitalists should be understood in their own material context and the stage of development of Russia. The system is closer to the way capitalism operated in Europe at the start of the 20th century with domestic capitalism coupled with state power.
I very much agree that the support for Russia has to be critical given that it is ultimately a capitalist state. At the same time, it is important to have a good understanding of how the system in Russia actually works to make predictions regarding of what we can expect to happen. The key point I want to highlight in that regard is that there is much more capacity in Russia for doing long term strategic planning than there is in the west. Ukraine is actually proof of that because Russia started preparing for the war all the way back in 2008, and it’s the ability to carry out sustained policy over decades that allowed Russia to defeat the west in Ukraine. Similarly, I expect that Russia will take a long term strategic view in regards to its relations with the west and China.
One thing that’s worth pointing out is that Russia is at a different stage of capitalist development from the west. Russian capitalism is still largely industrial in nature. It’s a very different beast from the western financialized system. Thus, the interests of Russian capitalists should be understood in their own material context and the stage of development of Russia. The system is closer to the way capitalism operated in Europe at the start of the 20th century with domestic capitalism coupled with state power.
I very much agree that the support for Russia has to be critical given that it is ultimately a capitalist state. At the same time, it is important to have a good understanding of how the system in Russia actually works to make predictions regarding of what we can expect to happen. The key point I want to highlight in that regard is that there is much more capacity in Russia for doing long term strategic planning than there is in the west. Ukraine is actually proof of that because Russia started preparing for the war all the way back in 2008, and it’s the ability to carry out sustained policy over decades that allowed Russia to defeat the west in Ukraine. Similarly, I expect that Russia will take a long term strategic view in regards to its relations with the west and China.