Jordan, which defended Israel last night by neutralizing much of the Iranian attack on its airspace, has still not been officially thanked by Israel.

[u/UXUI75]

Source : The Spectators

[u/Enposadism]

If you want an example of a place treated as a colony, look no further than Puerto Rico which didn't even have a 90% literacy rate until the USSR collapsed.

There's no colonist in history that instead of exploiting resources: rapidly industrialised its colonies, raising their living standards to a comparable level with the coloniser.

Lithuania was a backwards agricultural state under the Tsar. Its industrial output increased 54 times between 1940 and 1978, compared with a 20 times average among other Soviet republic states.

By 1970 the average wage level in the Asian Republics was 7% below the all-Soviet average while the highest earner, Estonia, was only 11% higher than the average in income. In comparison the income gap between America and Puerto Rico only continued to increased throughout the 70s. The US has an 189% lead in median household income. The poverty rate of Puerto Ricans was 43% as of 2023.

Soviet "colonies" were also provided with the exact same social welfare policies as the Soviet Russian state. The United States refuses to provide free healthcare and education to its own populace, much less its neocolonies.

When has a coloniser closed the income and living standard gap between the coloniser and the colonised? The United States hasn't even closed the income gap between white families and black families.

[u/The_BestUsername → u/Enposadism]

So gulags just didn't exist, then, or what?

[u/Enposadism → u/The_BestUsername]

Prisons existed in the USSR. I think your question is about 1937-1939 repression in the USSR because people love to talk about it, but that has nothing to do with the topic.

[u/The_BestUsername → u/Enposadism]

No, don't be deliberately obtuse. My point is that you're being really weird about Russia by being all "Well akchewully they DIDN'T do imperialism if you think about it, and here's why! America bad by the way! If a country is anti-America, that automatically makes them the good guy! America and the U.S.S.R. can't possibly BOTH be bad, right?

Like, buddy, what're ya doin'? Have you ever asked a resident of a former satellite state if they miss being a satellite state? I'm sure they have SOME mixed feelings because the USSR did SOME good things, but, overall, no, they don't.

[u/Enposadism → u/The_BestUsername]

No, don't be deliberately obtuse. My point is that you're being really weird about Russia by being all "Well akchewully they DIDN'T do imperialism if you think about it, and here's why!

Imperialism is when prison.

Your comment to me was stupid, what was I supposed to say?

30% (45% in 2010) of Ukrainians missed being in the USSR as of 2018, citing social safety nets such as free education and zero unemployment. It is now 2024, people that grew up and lived during the peak of the USSR are not here anymore. But we can look at the decisions made during the March 17 1991 referendum. Barring the Baltics, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova, 76.4% of Soviets approved the preservation of the Union. 70.3% of Ukrainians, 82.7% of Belarusians, 90% in Azerbaijan and in the Central Asian Republics. Despite this overwhelming democratic victory, Yeltsin began to break up the USSR into independent nations.

https://www.deseret.com/1991/3/21/18911334/76-in-soviet-referendum-voted-to-preserve-country/

Soviets initially wanted reform, not destruction of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

"Satellite states". I'm glad you at least concede the relationship between Soviet Russia and the rest of the Republics was not in fact colonialist.

Why exactly shouldn't I compare the USSR and America when talking about colonialism, on an American website?

[u/Glass-Way9013 → u/The_BestUsername]

Way to appreciate the nuance and context in his comment 👏

[u/Dr_M_TBGN → u/Enposadism]

This is such Russian troll propaganda I’m almost impressed. I thank my creator I don’t see eye to eye with people like you