the chauvinism¶

So this is actually the chauvinism I was talking about. When presented with the reality of a huge mass of oppressed people choosing to align themselves with the enemies of their oppressors, your first thought probably shouldn't be "Wow, they must so gullible!" https://t.co/h2KrX0jAcU Start with the understanding that:

1) oppressed people actively seek their own liberation,

2) given the chance, they will choose the option they believe materially improves their circumstances,

3) they are not any more gullible or less capable of critical analysis than you. Given these three (hopefully uncontroversial) concepts, we can then rephrase the question "Why are they so gullible?" as two questions:

"Why do they see Russia (or China, or Iran, or Hamas, etc.) as a way to improve their circumstances?"

and

"Why do I disagree with them?" These can be difficult questions to answer, and I'm happy to go into more detail if you want. But maintaining the stance of "oppressed people are not stupid, cowardly, or inept" can certainly guide you in analyzing the situation for yourself. One thing to think about is the way the west approaches "aid," which comes with explicit prescriptions of how these colonized nations must run their governments and their economic policies: no nationalizing resources, no welfare programs, no getting in the way of western capital. Contrast this approach with China's philosophy of "south-south cooperation." They attach no explicit policy to their aid -- just the general goodwill between mutually respectful nations that they see as forming an economic bloc that is increasingly free of western hegemony. You can be skeptical of this goodwill if you want. Just remember that it's easy to be skeptical when it's not your roads, hospitals, and people on the line. These nations are making the calculated choice to enter into this arrangement over the extortion offered by the west. (Until I see evidence to the contrary, I am choosing to assume this person is legitimately seeking answers, and is not trying to be chauvinist. I'm far more interested in trying to answer as best I can than in cheap dunks, and I'd ask anyone else who sees this not to dogpile.)