"Putin has later exacerbated this nationalist or perhaps imperialist tendency."
I would like to see any evidence of imperialism in Putin and Russian actions in the past and present. Mr. Milanovic better come with some hard evidence. The only imperialism visible is that of the US, who wants to impose its "rules based international order", which condemns Russia for invading Ukraine, but approve of the 8 plus years long occupation of 1/3 of Sirya by the US...
What is imperialist in Russian actions in Ukraine? Ethnic Russians, from historically Russian territories being brought back to Russia? You definitely have no idea what is the meaning of the idea of empire!
No, it doesn't mean that. Maybe you are used with the recent decades where all the wars we have seen where launched by the imperialistic US/NATO.
You obviously have not followed the minutia on how this war started, eh?
1. Coup d'etat in 2014 in Ukraine led by Ukrainian rusophobe ultranationalists backed by the US.
2. Uprising of Rusian ethnic minority in various areas: Donbas, Odesa, Crimea, contesting the illigal government proped by the US and EU.
3. Crimea returned to Russia and parts of Donbas in limbo.
4. The Minsk accords, which were supposed to give Donbas some authonomy, administrative and political.
5. The Minsk accords were not respected by Ukraine and the west and were intended only as a respite to allow Ukraine to build up strength and retake them militarily, never mind the wishes of ethnic Russians.
6. Slowly Ukraine turns the screw against minorities and especially Russian minority in Ukraine: The Vennice Commission Report (dealing with minority rights) on Ukraine from 2019 is a case in point.
7. In 2021, March, Ukrainian Government and legislature pass law/ex orders requesting gov action in recovering ALL Ukrainian teritories not under its control by any means, including military.
8. Ukrainian mobilization starts and troops move to the east.
9. Russia responds and brings 100,000 troops to the border in 2 weeks. Ukraine and the West panics.
10. June 2021 meeting btw US-Russia in Geneve difuse somewhat the situation.
11. Troops don't in fact move back.
12. Ukraine starts shelling Donbas in early February 2022, as per the OECD reports.
13. Donbas republics ask for Russia's help because the expectation was that Ukraine will roll in in this time the force ballance was overwhelmingly on Ukraine's favor.
14. Russia recognizes the independence of the two Russian majority republics in south-east Ukraine.
15. The West introduce cripling sanctions on Russia.
16. Russia attacks.
I don't see any evidence of imperialism here mister.
Observe that I acknowledge reasons for imperialistic attacks on other countries. All imperialists have always had reasons, even good-sounding reasons, for their attacks. But they nevertheless remain aggressive.
Russia has been seriously mobbed for a generation (and of course more), but war is permitted by internationally acknowledged rules only if a country has been attacked by war. Preemptive attacks, like the Nato attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan or the Russian attack on Ukraine are not.
Perhaps the American mentality permits people to kill the neighbour because he looks threatening, but that is not civilized behaviour.
The French police has been brutal for a long time - on average 16 killed young persons a year since the 70s. But it is only after the huge attention given internationally to the Floyd riots that people have begun to feel that this is a major political issue.
"It would make more sense to me if countries were to tax the rich, take that money and decide how to give it to Africa, rather than letting the rich tell the states how it should be done. I don't dispute their good intentions, but they're certainly not the ones who should have the power to decide whether one should, build stadiums, do vaccination or bring drinkable water. I simply don't think they are the ones who should be making those decisions."
"Putin has later exacerbated this nationalist or perhaps imperialist tendency."
I would like to see any evidence of imperialism in Putin and Russian actions in the past and present. Mr. Milanovic better come with some hard evidence. The only imperialism visible is that of the US, who wants to impose its "rules based international order", which condemns Russia for invading Ukraine, but approve of the 8 plus years long occupation of 1/3 of Sirya by the US...
Well, the attack on Ukraine IS a kind of imperialist adventure, isn't it?
Of course it has reasons, but so have all imperialist attacks.
What is imperialist in Russian actions in Ukraine? Ethnic Russians, from historically Russian territories being brought back to Russia? You definitely have no idea what is the meaning of the idea of empire!
Attacking another country with military means must be a kind of imperialism. No matter if it is justifiable or not, by some standards.
No, it doesn't mean that. Maybe you are used with the recent decades where all the wars we have seen where launched by the imperialistic US/NATO.
You obviously have not followed the minutia on how this war started, eh?
1. Coup d'etat in 2014 in Ukraine led by Ukrainian rusophobe ultranationalists backed by the US.
2. Uprising of Rusian ethnic minority in various areas: Donbas, Odesa, Crimea, contesting the illigal government proped by the US and EU.
3. Crimea returned to Russia and parts of Donbas in limbo.
4. The Minsk accords, which were supposed to give Donbas some authonomy, administrative and political.
5. The Minsk accords were not respected by Ukraine and the west and were intended only as a respite to allow Ukraine to build up strength and retake them militarily, never mind the wishes of ethnic Russians.
6. Slowly Ukraine turns the screw against minorities and especially Russian minority in Ukraine: The Vennice Commission Report (dealing with minority rights) on Ukraine from 2019 is a case in point.
7. In 2021, March, Ukrainian Government and legislature pass law/ex orders requesting gov action in recovering ALL Ukrainian teritories not under its control by any means, including military.
8. Ukrainian mobilization starts and troops move to the east.
9. Russia responds and brings 100,000 troops to the border in 2 weeks. Ukraine and the West panics.
10. June 2021 meeting btw US-Russia in Geneve difuse somewhat the situation.
11. Troops don't in fact move back.
12. Ukraine starts shelling Donbas in early February 2022, as per the OECD reports.
13. Donbas republics ask for Russia's help because the expectation was that Ukraine will roll in in this time the force ballance was overwhelmingly on Ukraine's favor.
14. Russia recognizes the independence of the two Russian majority republics in south-east Ukraine.
15. The West introduce cripling sanctions on Russia.
16. Russia attacks.
I don't see any evidence of imperialism here mister.
China is actually more unequal (in terms of income distribution) than the United States?
The World Bank puts the US Gini coefficient at 41.8 and rising and China's at 38.1 and falling. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI
China, incidentally, has a narrower range of GDP per person than Europe.
The richest European country, Luxembourg is over 50 times richer than the poorest, Moldava, on a per person basis.
China's richest province is about 5-6 times richer than its poorest.
China’s poorest province, Gansu, is richer than Armenia, Ukraine and Moldova.
I am fully aware of the history.
Observe that I acknowledge reasons for imperialistic attacks on other countries. All imperialists have always had reasons, even good-sounding reasons, for their attacks. But they nevertheless remain aggressive.
Russia has been seriously mobbed for a generation (and of course more), but war is permitted by internationally acknowledged rules only if a country has been attacked by war. Preemptive attacks, like the Nato attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan or the Russian attack on Ukraine are not.
Perhaps the American mentality permits people to kill the neighbour because he looks threatening, but that is not civilized behaviour.
Le Monde Diplomatique suggests that the main reason of the riots may be traditional police brutality, see https://mondediplo.com/2023/08/01edito
The French police has been brutal for a long time - on average 16 killed young persons a year since the 70s. But it is only after the huge attention given internationally to the Floyd riots that people have begun to feel that this is a major political issue.
"It would make more sense to me if countries were to tax the rich, take that money and decide how to give it to Africa, rather than letting the rich tell the states how it should be done. I don't dispute their good intentions, but they're certainly not the ones who should have the power to decide whether one should, build stadiums, do vaccination or bring drinkable water. I simply don't think they are the ones who should be making those decisions."
Total agreement ✊🏽
Thank you, this is very thought provoking.