this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2024
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If that is an option for a western liberal state but it isnt an option for an authoritarian state, guess which state will win. And then it wont be an option anywhere.
You have to fight for your rights. And authoritarian states know that your attitude is prevalent and they intend to exploit it.
Now you might say "but of course i will defend against an invasion". Well, what about an invasion next door? What about a tiny landgrab of let's say 50sqkm. Would you willing to die for such a small piece of land? This kind of "small" infractions and hybrid warfare is how Ukraine almost lost its entire country.
And this isnt a "Russia" thing, it is an "everywhere thing".
Hitler did the same, he didnt go from the start "you know, everything is ours". No, they just went to help some ethnic germans in Czechia, then took a break(Munich Agreement). Then went to help some germans in Poland and took a break(Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact). And since they were winning and those damn russians might attack them, they might as well attack first. But such a campaign would require a lot of resources and to secure their flank, so i guess the germans needed to grab a few more countries too.
Strongmen and authoritarians only respect and understand power. Anything else appears as weakness to them. If you are not willing to use violence and they are, then you will lose. Even if you dont lose now, you will lose in the future.
PS And no, people wont "rise up" against an authoritarian government. Thats not how things work.
Agreed, which is why we need to turn the guns on our own ruling classes.
We're already not fighting Russia so nothing changes there.
But hey if you want to start WW3 go for it.
Not really, I saw this as "You can start shit but fair warning, we won't be turning up."
Clearly.
It's definitely an option in an authoritarian state. Thousands of men left Russia once the draft started. At one point 10,000 people a day were crossing into Georgia.
Most people dont have the option to leave their country. In fact, it is infinitely harder to leave your country under an authoritarian government for precisely this reason. And one of the main reasons some people managed to leave Russia is simply because Russia wasnt as authoritarian as it could be.
Restricting movement, even within the country is a typical authoritarian policy.
This is particularly true if you're poor. "Why do they always send the poor?" Because they either can't leave or fighting is the best financial opportunity. The latter is true in the US as well.
Papers, please!