Cowbee

It isn't groundbreaking to say that people can be corrupt to different degrees. What you failed to do is provide any meaningful explanation for why you believe Maduro to be corrupt, authoritarian, a dictator, etc. We gave ample evidence pointing to his popular support, the robust system of democracy in Venezuela, the rising commune movement and participatory economy, etc, while you called us bad-faith.

To me, it looks like you think yourself above having to back up your claims and as outside of the conversation looking in, rather than actually communicating with us. This is compounded by your commenting both here and on the MWoG threads, a known cryptofash gathering spot. Is this behavior of yours "good faith" in your eyes?

Of course, they have people dedicated to finding evidence and distorting it to present pro-imperial narratives, and fund them well.

The problem with the liberal definition is that it's meant to erase capitalism from its natural, systemic compulsion towards imperialism, making it more of a policy choice. The Marxist understanding of imperialism is deeper and more accurate. You can think of the liberal definition as overly simplistic, broad, vague, and with no analysis of why countries become empires, while the Marxist understanding is deeper, more complex, more observable, and explains why some countries become empires (and thus gain massive amounts of wealth from their neocolonies), and their neocolonies remain underdeveloped.

You gave no examples of Maduro "being an authoritarian," and then cited more western NGOs. Of course the empire trying to manufacture consent to coup Venezuela would do that, they did it to Allende too. Repeating "Maduro is a dictator" like a mantra isn't a substitute for explaining how and why that's true, and citing western NGOs is just parroting what the empire wants you to.

Crimea and the people of the Donbass region both voted to join Russia. In fact, thr Donetsk and Luhanks People's Republics, the ones being ethnically cleansed by the far-right Banderites in Kiev that have been in power since the 2014 western-backed Euromaidan coup, specifically requested assistance from Russia in 2022. Belarus and Georgia having close economic ties is not the same as imperialism. You also have no evidence of neocolonialism, trade with Russia is closer to south-south trade as it doesn't have a monopoly on the goods it exports like gas and nuclear power plants, and as such African countries are developing more via trade with Russia and China while being underdeveloped by the west.

China is a socialist country. They have markets, but that doesn't mean they have a "mix" of capitalism and socialism. Public ownership is the principle aspect of their economy, and the state is under the control of the working classes. There is no "real estate crisis," housing prices were kept low and no longer able to be used as an investment vehicle. The "ghost cities" are smart urban development, and most are habited after being developed. This kind of thinking ahead is possible because of socialism.

You also have no evidence of "debt-trap diplomacy, undermining local sovereignty," or "undermining labor movements." China regularly forgives loans, doesn't requore privatization of publicly owned industry or force austerity like the IMF does, and has been doing huge work in developing and building up the global south with more south-south trade.

What's going on here is it's absolutely unacceptable for you to admit that the west is the worst, by far, out of that trio. China is genuinely a progressive state with mass popular support internally and internationally, governed by a communist party. Russia is seeing rising support for socialism internally, and is higher up on the list of candidates for new socialist countried because of it. The west is the indisuputed world empire, helmed by the US, and this empire is projecting hard onto other countries as it exports genocide and plunders the world on its way out.

Absolutely. Venezuela is genuinely what self-described demsocs want, the Empire just doesn't care and will kill you regardless of how procedural and by international law your socialism is.

Ah, gotcha. Yea, you made it seem like OP was so far left/right it wrapped around, which isn't what's going on (or something that happens).

Yep, it's kinda funny when they get upset at getting called out for it too.

I was absolutely good-faith. I don't agree with describing Maduro as a dictator, and I gave my reasoning. Are you referring to the bit at the end, where GrammarPolice made a couple of posts on MWoG that you commented on? I think it's fair to call that out.

As Weng Weiguang says, The Evaluation of Stalin is Essentially an Ideological Struggle. Marxist-Leninists don't idolize Stalin. At the same time, Stalin synthesized Marxism-Leninism, and oversaw the world's first socialist state during its most turbulent period. The CPC rates him as 70% good, 30% bad, and this rating is roughly orbited by most communist orgs. Those who denounce Stalin entirely, also denounce the USSR, and existing socialism.

Edie is being sarcastic, btw.

What makes Maduro an dictator? He's popularly supported, was democratically elected, and is setting up participatory systems in the economy. I can agree that he's "authoritarian" against capitalists and fascists, but that's absolutely a good use of authority.