Deep into the third year of war, Red Spaniards like the Ukrainians today knew they would lose, and the only question was how many more people would have to die
One minor quibble: I think, for the vast majority of Ukraine sympathisers, it was not “perceived political allegiance” but rather a simple preference for the defender over the aggressor (plus admiration for the extraordinary courage of those defenders) that was the decisive factor. Certainly true in my case.
"One minor quibble: I think, for the vast majority of Ukraine sympathisers, it was not “perceived political allegiance” but rather a simple preference for the defender over the aggressor (plus admiration for the extraordinary courage of those defenders) that was the decisive factor."
But Ukraine was not the defender; they were the aggressor, along with the United States.
Obviously, you have no understanding of the term REALISTIC. The United States overthrew the democratically elected president of Ukraine in 2014 in an effort to weaken and break up Russia.
I assume that your handle is a nod to “realism” in the foreign policy/international relations sense. I do understand that term, and the corresponding adjective is “realist”, not “realistic.” I used the latter advisedly, because I think your commitment to a realist stance à la Mearscheimer has led you to an unrealistic view of what has been happening in the world. Even granting the idea that the Orange Revolution was a CIA op (which I don’t, but hey…), there’s a clear sense in which the country that sends in the armoured divisions and starts the war that kills the millions of people is the *aggressor*. Just as the USA was the aggressor at the Bay of Pigs. You can make a realist argument to try and account for or even, I suppose, justify that aggression. Denying it just sounds silly.
" Even granting the idea that the Orange Revolution was a CIA op (which I don’t, but hey…), there’s a clear sense in which the country that sends in the armoured divisions and starts the war that kills the millions of people is the *aggressor*."
After the 2014 coup, Ukraine started shelling the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine which is mostly Russian speaking people. The truth is the 2014 coup was CIA contrived and conducted.
You are either ignorant or stupid...your choice. At some point ignorance becomes stupidity.
Let us hope that the complete parallelism will not be fulfilled, and once the war in Ukraine is stopped, then the third world war will begin with an invasion, for example, of Taiwan/Poland.
Nwvert imagine, yours grandparents fight side by side with my own granparends.
Felix Mouchet fight on Madrid from, to allmost the end. And see when italians come at the port were ho and thousands more are try to flee, many cases of people take his own lives.
At the other part of my family, the brother of my grandfather Clemente López was and oficer of and destroyer, the Jose Luis Diez.
Over at my Substack I have a depository of sorts for the Spanish Civil War. Would you mind if I linked to your post? The personal recollections of yours are great.
The part of the Spanish Civil War that continues to speak to some of us on the Left was the way a somewhat viable anarchist movement was allowed to flourish briefly.
Stalin and his thugs wouldnt let it last much longer and were somewhat responsible for having the war end the way it did.
Needless to say nothing like that kind of Anarchism in today's rather repressive Ukraine.
One minor quibble: I think, for the vast majority of Ukraine sympathisers, it was not “perceived political allegiance” but rather a simple preference for the defender over the aggressor (plus admiration for the extraordinary courage of those defenders) that was the decisive factor. Certainly true in my case.
Fair, good point.
"One minor quibble: I think, for the vast majority of Ukraine sympathisers, it was not “perceived political allegiance” but rather a simple preference for the defender over the aggressor (plus admiration for the extraordinary courage of those defenders) that was the decisive factor."
But Ukraine was not the defender; they were the aggressor, along with the United States.
How… realistic.
"How… realistic."
Obviously, you have no understanding of the term REALISTIC. The United States overthrew the democratically elected president of Ukraine in 2014 in an effort to weaken and break up Russia.
I assume that your handle is a nod to “realism” in the foreign policy/international relations sense. I do understand that term, and the corresponding adjective is “realist”, not “realistic.” I used the latter advisedly, because I think your commitment to a realist stance à la Mearscheimer has led you to an unrealistic view of what has been happening in the world. Even granting the idea that the Orange Revolution was a CIA op (which I don’t, but hey…), there’s a clear sense in which the country that sends in the armoured divisions and starts the war that kills the millions of people is the *aggressor*. Just as the USA was the aggressor at the Bay of Pigs. You can make a realist argument to try and account for or even, I suppose, justify that aggression. Denying it just sounds silly.
" Even granting the idea that the Orange Revolution was a CIA op (which I don’t, but hey…), there’s a clear sense in which the country that sends in the armoured divisions and starts the war that kills the millions of people is the *aggressor*."
After the 2014 coup, Ukraine started shelling the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine which is mostly Russian speaking people. The truth is the 2014 coup was CIA contrived and conducted.
You are either ignorant or stupid...your choice. At some point ignorance becomes stupidity.
Okay. Bye mate.
Let us hope that the complete parallelism will not be fulfilled, and once the war in Ukraine is stopped, then the third world war will begin with an invasion, for example, of Taiwan/Poland.
Do not live in fear.
Do not be seen to be fearful.
The future is unpredictable
therefore speculation is of
extremely limited utility.
Keep your principles and endeavor to prevail.
It’s the Substack way!
"From 2022, the war became something very unlike the Spanish Civil War in that it became an invasion"
Franco's army had to be flown in from North Africa to fight, so I guess it was also an "invasion" of a kind.
Hmm.
This is a very different conflict from Ukraine.
The Spanish are very different people than the Ukrainians.
The Russians in no way are comparable to what invaded Poland.
We agree on this; the fighting should stop today.
(I have a non-standard take on Ukraine, BTW.)
Nwvert imagine, yours grandparents fight side by side with my own granparends.
Felix Mouchet fight on Madrid from, to allmost the end. And see when italians come at the port were ho and thousands more are try to flee, many cases of people take his own lives.
At the other part of my family, the brother of my grandfather Clemente López was and oficer of and destroyer, the Jose Luis Diez.
Powerful and true.
Love this!
Over at my Substack I have a depository of sorts for the Spanish Civil War. Would you mind if I linked to your post? The personal recollections of yours are great.
Plus that picture with Franco! Wow!
Sure thing, go for it!
Interesting background.
The part of the Spanish Civil War that continues to speak to some of us on the Left was the way a somewhat viable anarchist movement was allowed to flourish briefly.
Stalin and his thugs wouldnt let it last much longer and were somewhat responsible for having the war end the way it did.
Needless to say nothing like that kind of Anarchism in today's rather repressive Ukraine.
A really good and informative read.
Anecdotal evidence, self-reports, first hand accounts and the calm eyewitness are the finest sources by far.
You did some clever little literary things - I love it. Thank you…