Autocracy and Orthodox Chauvinism
Posted on 10 August 2008
While it is our express intention not to waste time engaging with the hysterical yapping in the so-called ‘blogosphere’, there are occasions when it is impossible to ignore egregious, ahistorical cant. This is especially the case when considering the so-called ‘Socialist Unity’ website, which can be relied upon to back the great power interests of Russian autocracy and Orthodox chauvinism. It is no surprise then that ‘Socialist Unity’ has unreservedly backed Russia against Georgia in the conflict in South Ossetia.
The degenerate ‘Stalinist Unity’ has suddenly sprouted a crop of military ‘experts’. In defence of Russian imperial power, ‘Louise’ tries to advance the laughable notion that Russian weapons are neither good, nor sophisticated. She writes ‘Russia doesn’t have the military cutting edge’ — a distinction which is surely lost on the surviving residents of Grozny. Even if the statement were true, the Georgian Army is fighting the Russians with the same supposedly rubbish, unsophisticated weapons which lack a ‘military cutting edge’. ‘Thanks Lousie’, replies Archbishop — or is it Metropolitan — Newman, who then claims that the former Soviet republics have better armoured vehicles than Russia. Again, even if it were true, Georgia has about 200 forty year old T-72 tanks — Russia has in excess of 20,000 tanks of all types, including modern T-80s and T-90s but, obviously, lacks that crucial ‘military cutting edge’.
Supporters of Orthodox chauvinism attempt to muddy the waters by attempting an analogy between South Ossetia’s desire to cleave to the Rodina and Kosovan self-determination, casting Georgia in the role of the Serbian aggressor, contending that support for Kosovan independence logically translates to support for South Ossetian separatism from an oppressive Georgian state. Following their logic, this would require a retrospective adoption of the cause of Kosovan independence by supporters of Russian imperialism. Of course that will never happen.
This ahistorical sleight of hand simply ignores the history and role of Russian imperialism in the affairs of the small nations on the borders of the former Russian Empire and Soviet Union. It also conveniently ignores pervasive racism and xenophobia against Georgians and other national minorities. It is the basest sort of hypocrisy — Russia will invade Georgia over Ossetian independence, but has killed countless thousands of Chechens to prevent their independence. If the feeble-minded really must draw facile comparisons, they should look to the example of a powerful well-armed state (Serbia/Russia) threatening a much smaller state (Kosova/Georgia) using the pretext of a very small minority (Kosova 5%, Georgia 2%) and blood-curdling rhetoric emanating from far-right pan-Slavic nationalists.
12 August Addendum: While we are naturally sympathetic to the South Ossetian (and Abkhazian) desire for self-determination, it should be noted that in the years between the breakup of the Soviet Union and the current fighting, substantial ‘ethnic cleansing’ (a revolting euphemism) of Georgians from South Ossetian and Abkhazian territories has taken place, significantly altering the demographics of the two regions. Yet another example of a disturbing trend towards an autonomy or independence which requires ‘ethnic’ homogeneity.
Shameless demagogue and lickspittle to naked power, George Galloway was ejaculating all over his column in the Daily Record yesterday.
The Russian army were an awesome sight on the march into the two breakaway Caucasus enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
To be sure the citizens of Chechnya must also have been awe-struck at the approach of the brave and heroic Russian army. If, by his reckoning, it is Russia’s right to do what it will with the nations surrounding it, then America should look to his support for the annexation of Mexico and reconquest of Cuba — after all, there’s a substantial Cuban constituency for just that course of action.
