“WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.” ― USMC Major General Smedley Butler,
The only victor is the banking cartel and military industrial complex! But this time it is different. War in Ukraine is escalating! Nuclear WW3 is closer than psychopaths without conscience think!!!
No most of thouse people are armed combatants of Russia and Ukraine fighting in the illegal invasion that Russia conducted in 2014. Their were also of many deaths of non-combatants mostly by shelling at the hands of both sides but Russia has consistently tried to falsly claim the deaths IT CAUSED as they were an ethnic clensing conducted against Russian speakers alone at the hands of Ukraine.
My heart also goes out to the Palestinians, where slow genocide is taking place. Also to the native Americans whose lands are being fracked against their will. So many injustices around the world caused by the US - they have long forgone the right to judge anyone or any country. As Kissinger (a warmonger himself) said, to be an enemy of the US can be dangerous, but to to be a friend is fatal!
Knowledge and sensitivity...listening to you is like to open a window. Fresh air on your face! To understand there is no choice to take in the words of any of these "leaders " wake us up into action .
While I ordinarily very much am in favor of diplomatic solutions, I'm not sure there's a lot of diplomacy to do in the current situation. Putin is trying to rebuild the territory once held by the USSR, he's obsessed with it, and he's old and won't probably live too much longer to see it. This is his legacy he's working on, which is why they haven't cut their losses. Diplomacy would only be a way that Russia distracts us or extracts concessions only to continue to push afterward in this scenario. Diplomacy can only work if Putin is ousted and this old-fashioned dream of war-based imperialist conquest dies with his reign. I say this objectively with what I know of the situation.. I support Ukraine fighting them off at the moment, defensively. It's painful and costs lives but it would probably cost more lives and do more long-term damage to people to let them trample through the country. That said, this is far from an ideal scenario to have in the first place. I'm no fan of the US, of NATO, of Zelensky, of liberalism or conservatism. I mention that because often when I say anything about this conflict I somehow get called a Russian bot or a CIA shill or etc. for not being extreme enough in one direction or the other, so I figured I'd just head it off. If I had my way there'd be no US, no Russia, no Ukraine, no NATO, just people deciding what to do to better their lives in this world as equals sharing their resources and skills.
@@UdderlyEvelyn "Putin is trying to rebuild territory once held by USSR" I mean it's the same song sung by the MSM 24/7 without any logic behind it. If that's the case, Russia won't pursue the Minsk agreement for 8 years which would end the war that started in 2014 and turn Ukraine into a buffer state. And Russia wouldn't have sat by for 8 years while the Ukrainian government shelled thousands of Russian ethnics in Donbas. They would instead interfere with the local election like what Victoria Nuland did in 2014. Or bomb Kyiv to smithereens like what NATO did in Syria. But Russia didn't do all of that. They preserved the railroads, bridges, and power plants when they came in with a small force. It's the same "Sadam has WMD" all over again before it's been revealed as fake propaganda resulting in a million Iraqis dead. And MSM saying Putin has cancer this and that is childish and has no basis. He looked perky and energetic during their V-day celebration. If that's the case, NATO expanding 5 times (not the opposite) since the fall of the soviet union and off-loading massive weapons there could be interpreted as trying to encircle and eliminate Russia, no? After all NATO's boogieman is Russia and NATO did bomb Syria and Libya to ashes. What would the US do if Russia has a presence in Mexico? The best way to end this conflict is not to continue sending arms so that the west can fight to the last Ukrainians. The best way is for NATO to come into a peaceful agreement with Russia.
No thank you to Marxist appeasers. Wolff talking about Eugene Debs shows how out of touch he is. He is a child of communists with a soft spot for Moscow. Glory to Ukraine! Death to Moscow!
My heart goes out to the endless suffering of Yemeni and Afghanistan children, hopefully one day America will pay back all it has stolen and the suffering it has inflected. If I train a dog to kill and it kills a child is it not my fault? If my name was America apparently it isn't.
Lets not forget the 3-5 million killed in South east Asia, and the 3+ million killed in Korea. How much does that still effect people to this day? Most Americans don't even know that people are still dying every month from American dropped bombs in south east Asia. Children, farmers, ordinary folks, or the children still to this day born with horrible birth defects from the enormous amounts of agent orange sprayed over Vietnam. Or the extermination of 500,000 to 1 million people in east Timor, and let us not forget the millions more effected in smaller massacres, coups, staged by the United States throughout central and South America and Africa. The hypocrisy of the United States to talk about human rights is almost incomprehensible.
@@tradeprosper5002 Really shows where your morals (lack of)and mindset is, you focus on the GDP instead of the tens of thousands dead in a military invasion. Human lives are more important than the all mighty dollar you worship.
Ok, so the US is hypocritical. Wolff recommends not favoring any of the three main players, meaning that he recommends favoring Russia. Ours is a real world, not a moralist fantasy.
The military-industrial complex led by American companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics are having a good time (as reflected by their stock prices) due to this war while the average citizens around the globe are paying the price of inflation and shortages of food and energy. As Prof. Wolff rightly points out, supporting the Ukrainian version of democracy, which does not have a good track record to begin with, by committing injustice, i.e., transferring wealth from average citizens to the capitalist military-industrial complex, raises more questions that need to be addressed.
This is a perfect example of saying a lot while also saying little. Dr Wolff has no problems denouncing US and Western society, even for what I will agree are legitimate issues with modern capitalism. Yet he can only offer up the most timid and meek of responses to Russian aggression when its leader openly declares his want to bring back a former empire. Wolff goes into detail over Ukrainian politics while only agreeing that Russia may have the same problems; areas which 100% undermine the entire "rationale" for the invasion. He speaks of peace, value, and self-determination and the US is rightfully in a difficult historical position. But, TODAY it is RUSSIA that has forced this conflict. He simply won’t acknowledge it bluntly but instead uses vague, overarching descriptions of Russia’s INVASION against a border country to gain territory, resulting in the bloody and heavy loss of life.
I couldn’t agree more. America invades Iraq and it is seen as unqualified capitalist evil. Russia invades Ukrainian and “mistakes were made on both sides”.
I agree. Putin is clearly the aggressor in this war. Oh, sorry - I meant to say “special operation” to rescue the Ukrainians from the Nazis. I love Professor Wolff. He is smart, thinks clearly, speaks concisely, but right now he’s sounding like an apologist for Putin.
@@rjh7728remind me again iraq, vietnam, libya, syria, korea which one is on american border and actively killing their pro american population and forcing america to take influx of refugees? Dumb yanks
The U.S. manufactured crisis in Ukraine cannot be separated from the drive for full spectrum dominance all over the world. Today the empire uses Ukraine for its purposes, other nations will be next unless there are organized mass movements against US/NATO aggressions.
That makes Russia right in a way, because they were cornered and not left with any other option, which nobody wants to admit...doesn't sound politically correct, I guess.
They definitely did some stuff that they knew would piss Russia off, but that doesn't justify Russia killing civilians and trampling Ukraine. If you look at Ukraine as part of Russia's slice of the world being made neoliberal and aligned with NATO then you're looking through an imperialist lens in one direction. If you look at Ukraine as a part of Europe under threat from Russia to become part of an enemy, you're looking at it from a US/European imperialist lens in the other direction. It's important to remember that these are human beings just trying to live their lives who are suffering here, and in that I include the Russian troops being sent to do things that most of them probably wouldn't agree with as well as the Ukrainian troops (except Azov..), not just the civilians. Imperialism is what happens when capitalism hits a wall and needs more resources to fuel itself, it's when a nation reaches out to grasp at something nearby to pull itself up rather than let the way things run change. Soft imperialism from the west might not be as deadly but it's also wrong. That doesn't justify hard imperialism from Russia, though. Both sides can be in the wrong at the same time, there's no good guys here, just marginally less bad ones.
@@felixrabe Yeah I know. Fucked up unofficial war for 8 years after an election didn't go their way and they annexed Crimea to keep offshore oil away from Ukraine while they try to take control again, only to mask off invade..
The response to what has happened in eastern Europe and Ukraine since 1991, the collapse of the USSR, that war is bad, as Prof Wolff does, is no response at all.
As a financial economist, born to two socialist (and ex politically active) parents, I'm very grateful for your content and your work. It's very important for us economist to know that there is a broad body of literature on the socialist side, something I never learned in uni except the standard neoclassical efficient markets rhetoric. Which, when working in finance, I became more and more aware of the great injustices that exist in the economy, not simply "market solves it all".
@@rafaelkesic I really don't get it why you people have such a limited and tunneled vision of this conflict, that you can't understand how it developed to this point. All you have is this reductionist point that Russia is shelling civilians and the moral high ground, when this isn't even the information I'm trying to convey. Are you deeply aware how this conflict started, or you got the TLDR versions and took them as gospel? Because I'm getting pretty tired of having to sail through a sea of conflicting biases in order to find some semblance of actual info, in order to EXPLAIN (not pass judgment) of what position to take in this conflict. This is a response to a 3 month old comment, and I still have the same position. Support the workers, not their government. The US has pitted Ukraine against Russia in a proxy war, and Russia saw the civil war that the US started there as an opportunity to expand. The only people suffering right now due to the consequences of the war are the people and the workers, and this consequences are a destroyed economy, a highly corrupt government, and the weakening of labor protections due to the privatization of several areas.
@@Lucas-sc6lr My man, I spent eight years straight following the whole crisis from several standpoints. It's the most one-sided conflict since WW2. A corrupt country with democratic aspirations, willing to change on one side, and a brutal imperialistic remnant of a dead empire on the other. But of course, you're sitting comfortably one whole ocean away. Russian drones aren't crashing down on your capital and there's no columns of war refugees flowing over the border. Your entire country isn't recognizing itself in this war. We went throught the same exact thing 30 years ago. Everything is there: - false accusations of nazism and ethnic cleansing (ustaše - ukronazis) - ethnonationalist puppet states installed by the enemy (DPR/LPR - Krajina) - technically superior but incompetent enemy (Russian army - JNA) - an enemy who claims we're the same people (Catholic Serbs - Little Russians) - accusations of western aggression when there was none You won't understand until it happens to you. And I hope it never does.
I want the people of the Donbass to have their freedom, after 8 years of attacks, and repression with no end in sight. I hate war but nobody else was ever going to stand up for those people. If the Ukrainian government was in any way reasonable they would have let those people have their freedom, they should have stuck to the Minsk accords instead of breaking them. Seeing this amount of Russophobia going on is crazy to me too, calling Russian subhuman and orcs to dehumanize them as a people.
@@absoluteset not all of us in the US have lost our minds, I did my own research. Articles, documentaries, videos, a bunch of war crimes reports over the last 8 years, the roses have Thorns series on TH-cam is a 25 hour long series just by itself. I didn't buy what our media was saying. No need to thank me for doing what everyone should have done.
What this conflict demonstrated is the number of shameless Euro leaders so willing to bend over for their overseas overlord, and ignore what the majority of their own people think.
I had professor wolf for macro econ almost 20 years ago. What he said about Russian geopolitics then stuck with me. What he’s saying now is excellent, if a bit underwhelming (at least in this video… he’s spoken more forcefully elsewhere). The US baited Russia into this war. There’s policy papers that recognize this… it’s hardly a secret. We supported (although perhaps did not plan) a violent coup in 2014, with opposition being brutally suppressed. Peaceful Russian-speaking protestors were burned alive in Odessa. The Donbas breakaway region was shelled for 8 years. Thousands died, while children went to school in basements. Zelensky rejected the Minsk Accord (after being elected on a peace platform). What happened? Ukrainian ultra-nationalists (some literal Nazi’s) continued violence, with the support of the US. The US went so far as to install missile systems, which we knew would make Russia feel threatened (especially after the US had backed-out of past missile treaties). If the US were in Russia’s position, we would have invaded YEARS ago (can you imagine, a foreign-backed coup of Canada or Mexico?!). We bet that Russia wouldn’t dare invade. Now that they have, we’re betting that they won’t use nuclear weapons (while openly discussing regime change, which we KNOW a will spark nuclear war). Our leaders are playing with our lives, all for the opportunity to “degrade” Russian military capabilities by “bleeding” Russian forces. Saying all of this only guarantees that Russia will keep fighting. It’s looking like they will probably annex the parts of Ukraine that were formerly part of the Russian Empire. That looks an awful lot like Russian victory, which makes me fearful of what NATO will try to do to stop it. Ukraine can’t fight without the US… we can end this conflict any time we would like. But we won’t, because the Neocons have triumphed over the Obama Realists.
Everything you say here is true, but that also doesn't make what Russia is doing good or right, it's important to point out. The west is pushing Russia's buttons, and playing with Ukraine as a toy, but that doesn't make it good to steamroll it from the other side. Nationalism and imperialism are shit no matter which side they're on and whether it's hard or soft imperialism. So many people fall for the trap of thinking one of the sides has to be the "good guy", when the truth is that they're both bad - the west was just using less overt violence than Russia is now. The real problem here is two capitalist nations trying to make Ukraine a pawn in a chess game, and no matter who wins the tug of war, it's going to be hard on the rope.
@@UdderlyEvelyn I'll take the Russian version of capitalism, thank you. I've had enough of neoliberal, corporatist, free market devil-take-the-hindmost, militarist capitalism. At least Russia has the sense to keep finance and oil in the public sector. They have a form of universal healthcare, too. Russia is fighting for it's life--literally (the neocons already had plands on how to carve it up). What is good. What is right. Depends on which side you're on.
I just became a member I completely agree and I’ve loved you a long time Richard. I first heard you and Kay PFA and I have stayed in touch since then following you. I even got to say thank you for everything you do one time and you think me back anyway thank you for another very insightful video and please do more of them if you can. Do you have no idea how many people are let me put it this way you have no idea how your followers love you unless you may be read that comment about you are the same as fresh air well that’s the truth
Russia has invaded a sovereign nation and committed atrocities there. They still occupy 3 oblasts of Ukraine (4 + 1 if including Crimea and Sevastopol). Should Russia be rewarded for imperialism?
We can talk all we want about how wrong its. But we would do the same, if we was in russias position. Not to mention that the us has invaded counties with far less convincing reasons
Two thoughts: 1) America's imperial misdeeds do not excuse Russia's. 2) You would be amazed at the choices you can be forced into when you, unarmed, have people against you who are armed with guns, and are just unwilling to compromise or relent.
Is it a misdeed to intercede to prevent what would have been mass slaughter? It was well known that Ukrainian forces lead by Azov were preparing for a massive attack on Donbas & Luhansk. The sensible option via representation at the UN had been ignored for the past 8 years. Don't forget this happened on a smaller scale when the Zelenski Ukrainians trapped & burned Ukrainians of Russian ethnicity in a building.
@@spidermann1256 So naturally Russia attacked Kiev, flattened Mariupol, severely damaged Kharkiv, wiped hundreds of villages and dozens of smaller cities across Ukraine off the map, committed multiple war crimes to include the invasion itself, killed tens of thousands of civilians and displaced millions, just happened to secure all of the Crimean gas fields, is now trying to split the country and land-lock it, Moldova is next, and Finland had better watch out? But - but in a nation of 44 million people, there may be at most 50,000 Nazis total (0.001%) and guys - they're everywhere and doing everything!?! Bad maps? Trying to prove the Russian army can do it far bigger and far worse? Spare me your tears. Save it for The Hague.
@@carycunningham9510 I think you're being selective on the events leading up to Russia recognising Donesk & Lughansk. Main issues - Zelensky was elected on a 'peace & reconciliation' platform embracing all ethnicities than comprise the present Ukraine*. However, this overnight billionaire was totally sidelined by the Azovs, Banderites, etc which was the main reason why the Minsk agreements were ignored & those of Russian ethnicity & other slavs were slowly being genocided [Azov's words, not mine]. You are also mistaken if you think the 'tiny' minority of nazis in their various guises cannot be THAT influential over the populace. Their proportions are similar to the original Nazis in WW2 - it's not their proportionate size that counts, it's their POSITIONING where they lead most of the initiatives. There's footage of Zelenski 'ordering' the Azovs to lay down their arms [following the 2014 attack on Russian ethnics], only to be laughed out of town. As for the strategy & tactical movements of the Russian army - it was simply that. In any conflict on this scale, you need to deny the opposite side the means of re-supplying the essentials like fuel, munitions, etc. They did NOT target civilians, unlike the Azovs who deliberately attacked non-military areas. Not forgetting that Ukraine was de facto part of NATO in many ways. *The present Ukraine was expanded by previous USSR leaders like Lenin & Krushchev to incorporate regions not originally part of the more 'western' Ukraine. Eg: Crimea was originally part of Russia & it has gone full circle when the majority of Ukrainians of Russian origin decided to vote to be returned back to the motherland.
@@spidermann1256 Actually, I think you are the one being selective. This mess all started when oil and gas reserves were discovered in 2010, NOT 2014. Squeaky clean and free of outside influence Yanukovych (NOT), who is presently hiding out in Russia (because he's so popular) was the leader then. The Ukrainian Army, with the broad support of the people, are SUPPORTING the fruits of the CIA coup?!? And I'll grant you the coup; CIA - always up to something. But why the support? Again, I know, the Nazis. They are the "special sauce" that is poured on the whole discussion. You are bolt wrong about how many Nazis it took to control Germany. Hitler, in peacetime, required well in excess of 2 million men to secure the country. Ever heard of the SA? Prewar Germany had a population about 50% larger than present day Ukraine. Based on that math it would take well over a million men today to achieve the same results in Ukraine. I generously turned the Azov battalion (which is about 400 guys) into FIVE DIVISIONS or 50,000 men. I'm not saying they have that many but I just don't want to argue it so lets round way up. Now I'm supposed to believe that these super-commando, ultra-ninja Nazis (they do have smartphones) are: Controlling the government, controlling the army now in excess of 300,000 and compelling them to fight like mad, controlling the general population to the point that they broadly support the government, the army, and the war even to the point of keeping silent about all the butchery the Nazis are doing against them by provoking the poor Russian Army into massive artillery barrages and airstrikes and false-flagging slaughter after slaughter? All this during wartime where the invading Russian Army (they don't like Nazis) would shoot them on sight? All this while the Azov Regiment (at this point probably back down to a battalion) is engaged in savage combat in Mariupol against the Chechens and the Russian Marines? They aren't getting any relief down there are they? Hmm.... Look, if they are that good, just give up, you can't possibly win. Hitler could only dream of having Nazis that are this effective. I'll grant you that the Ukraine is corrupt. Kindly show me the major country that is not? Russia is not? Why is the former chief of Russian intelligence now sitting in the worst gulag Russia has to offer? Bad dancing? When Russia sent airborne troops to their slaughter around Kiev they thought they would be greeted as liberators, or that at least they would be greeted by sympathetic militia - didn't happen. Why? Now I just know it wouldn't be because all the money in years prior that was supposed to "cultivate" these hoped-for movements was instead pocketed by corrupt intelligence officials who nevertheless assured Putin that the plan for a swift decapitation of the government would work. Similar to the MO Russia did in Georgia when they "liberated" the mineral rights there. See a pattern? Ah, the Minsk agreements. Rather than argue that one and whether Lincoln got the Civil War wrong, I'll just give you that one. And raise you the Budapest Memorandum, a non-aggression pact (Russia was a signatory) whereby the Ukraine would give up it's nukes in exchange for security. How did that one work out? Why in the world would a bunch of corrupt Nazis give up their nukes?!? Hitler would never have approved of this. And to wrap up: Hard to say you are not targeting civilians when you flatten entire villages, towns and cities. You don't assault the capital at great cost as either a feint or to cut off supplies. Nope, that's just BS. You can rewrite the map of Europe just about any way you want if you go back far enough - should Italy get it all? I mean the Roman Empire, right? I tend to look at the living and where they are presently. Keeps it simple.
@@carycunningham9510 My recollection of the Budapest Memo is that it had a proviso for self-defence. Putin had warned in countless speeches that Russia will not tolerate any further expansion of NATO (also an anachronism) towards its borders. He stated time & again that this represents an existential threat. Pretty much all the video of the Ukraine troops feature nazi symbols, including those supping with Nuland & the Vietnam hero McCain when the "Yats is our man" strategy was being played out. The nukes for security exchange was a red herring - Russia controlled the launch codes. I repeat, Zelensky was elected on a peace & reconciliation platform, which he was powerless to implement. The Russian strategy was NOT shock & awe, which is the province of the brave US & NATO forces. This means you flatten everything, as in Iraq. Not so in the current conflict. Glasses houses & the hunt for natural resources - it's the rapacious US & cohorts that are blacker than black on this. This is all shenanigans of the floundering hegemon. I repeat, the original 'Ukraine', meaning the West leaning region, was expanded significantly to incorporate others in the days of the USSR. It's the extremists leading the charge that has brought this about. Post mortem - the Ukraine before Feb 2022 is no more. If they'd kept to the Minsk agreements & desisted in hosting NATO (plans to develop naval facilities with the Brits, bio-chem labs, amalgamation of NATO weaponry, etc), we'd still have a healthy multi-cultural nation blessed with wonderful natural resources, etc benefiting from relationships with both sides. Instead of which we are mired in this dreadful inextricable mess. This was not started by Putin but I think he'll finish it. On his terms.
The two parties here in the U.S. demonstrate quite clearly, that picking sides is all too often a method to disable critical thinking about both sides. It's amazing how often people don't consider the possibility that both sides are in fact awful.
I am a simple working man, a miner from Russia. I know that an American worker (German, Arabic, etc.) is the same as me. We are brothers! I dream of living to the moment when Americans and Russians, ordinary people, will embrace and rejoice that they no longer have a capitalist government and its oppression. A socialist revolution is inevitable. Just as the bourgeois (capitalist) revolution was inevitable at one time: the Dutch bourgeois Revolution of the XVI century, the English bourgeois Revolution of the XVII century, the War for the Independence of the American Colonies and, of course, the Great French Revolution of the XVIII century. The World Socialist Revolution - the start of 1917. Now all hope is in you, fellow Americans. It's your turn to do it on a new technological, economic and social level. I'm rooting for you. There is no hope for Russia, here the capitalist reaction is strong both in the government and in the minds. All the good things that we had under socialism, now our government carefully hides or mixes with bull shit. Everyone has fewer problems and strong health! (Yandex.Translate)
Isn't Russia still socialist? I think I would rather live in the USA still, where such worker is treated better than in Russia and has more freedoms there regardless of the political climate.
when kruschev worried about having usa nukes next door in turkey, he did something about it. after a chat with castro, he put some nukes on a ship, destination cuba. right away, kennedy got the message, he was sane and smart and protective of usa lives, and he did a deal. the ships turned around, and 6 months later, the missiles left turkey. kruschev took jfk's word, and was rewarded. the current government of usa is neither sane, nor smart, nor honorable. so vlad went to war in ukraine, but against usa. ukrainians do the dying, but plans and material are from usa. you can see why usans like this kind of war. how is the war going? not wonderfully well, from vlad's point of view. but he is a realist and unsurprised. ukraine doesn't like russia, they preferred palling up with the nazis, but hitler disappointed them, he was gonna own the place, and make it empty first. and yet they have a vigorous nazi party in ukraine, slow learners. dunno how this is gonna turn out, but you can count on many dead and mangled ukrainians. i thought initially vlad had to win, but there are rumors of recurring and serious ill-health. perhaps he'll retire to china, or maybe he'll burn down ukraine, first.
I don't get the impression that he was insinuating it was, or that he was being "nice" to them in any way. Why do you say this? I'm not being incredulous, I mean it, I don't see what you do.
@@UdderlyEvelyn There's an overwhelming trend among Socialists to defend Russia at the most, and downplay Russian fascism and imperialism at least. Often with whataboutism. Wolff has been doing that with regard to this war
"I'm taking your house" "Help, I'm being kicked out of my house!" Officers Wolff and Chomsky arrive at the scene: Richard Wolff: "We need to find a third sollution to this problem. What would Lenin do?" Noam Chomsky: "We should push for peace between these two sides of this unfortunate conflict. Give the robber half of the house and be done with it. Also US is at fault for this"
I think we all know which nation could solely end war with a national strike, to pretend the weight or responsibility is somehow evenly distributed and/or global is holding water for Putin.
What bothers me is that the leaders can make decisions whatever they want without people's referendum or similar process. Yes, they are elected,but they don't really represent people other than party.
As you may recall, Russia tried diplomatic resolution vis-a-vis the US, and got nothing but mockery with regard to the problem of Nato and the US and the UK building bases on Ukraine's eastern side. Russia was given no choice but to go into Ukraine, to push the US, Nato, and UK out. That end does entirely justify the means taken. Russia has taken pains not to target civilians. Ukraine has killed thousands of civilians and blamed them upon Russia. This is typical of the US and CIA practice. And then they infected children with tuberculosis of a deadly strain, and injected pathogens into mental health patients in Karkov. Russia was the Warsaw ghetto, and the US the new Nazis. Russian action was totally justified. Who but the US has kept the war machine going since 1947 institution of the National Security state?
One more thing. That you people aren't honest (or smart) enough to acknowledge that almost any aggression can be justified as "self defence" depending on when you choose to begin your historical timeline. This is why you can't be taken seriously.
@@space.youtube And you are intellectually dishonest. No doubt you would pose a faux justification for aggression since you believe in it. A faux justification and an authentic genuine and sincere justification are not the same thing. It's you in fact who could not be taken seriously as you are not serious nor sincere. Aggressions can indeed be falsely 'justified' as self defense, and has been by the US in every war it has ever been involved in. All of which began as false flags. But not all people or statesmen are as duplicitous as you would be. The ends had better justify the means, and Russian national security is justified because life is the fundamental reality. You fall prey to your own intellectual dishonesty, and you are what you describe, capable of means not justified by an ends.
What America has forgotten in Ukraine. Listen. These are our relatives. We are Slavs, we Russians originated from Ukraine. What do you Americans want from us?
I would not agree more with this analysis especially considering what some other bright and free minds have been saying 'Ukraine is the turning point of neoliberal system into neoliberal faschism while drawing attention from rising inflation, growing income inequality and horrendous wealth transfer of $68 trillion.'
You’re wrong. Putin is not corrupt. Yes enlenzki and his uncle Mercia definitely yes. Plus the war is not necessary about failure of capitalism but mainly Mercia hegemony.
Power is always corrupted by every transformation of power into force. USA is the worst of all, and I think Russia's decision was to end the war in Ukraine once and for all before the USA dialed up the provocation further. It still sucks, and capitalism feeds off this race to the bottom and constant competition. Justifying violence ruins one's aim; never do it. Death needs time for what it kills to grow in, and capitalism is death.
Prof Wolff, 1st thank you for your podcast. My question: “ Can the American stock market performance of Walmart and Home Depot tell consumers how the US Fed intervenes?” Thank you Grandmama Gigi, retired teacher
To understand the answer to your question I would suggest you read Lenin's "Imperialism...The Highest Stage of Capitalism" and then follow up with an understanding of Mackinder's "Heartland Theory" component of his larger "World Island Theory"...
Regardless of Zelenskyy before or during Russian invasion, Russia declared their intention to ethnically cleanse and culturally genocide Ukraine. there is little to negotiation over.
Thanks for the likes....all forward to Dr. Wolff....N. Chomsky...Ch.Hedges. ...I'm sincerely honored. Only to say the words of Pablo Neruda to them: "Era Hermoso vivir cuando tu vivias"
What a disingenuous speech.....upholding peace is on this case empty words so that the inaction allows the russian forces to gain more traction.....the effort this guy makes to support russia without clearly saying is astounding
Let me tell YOU, Professor Wolff, about another very similar situation, this one called World War II. In this war, we saw some of the most horrific acts of bloodshed and destruction acted out by both sides. But in this war, there were two clear sides: those who wanted to rule the world through force and military might, and those who did not. In this war, though America was not involved directly at first, it still sent aid to its foreign allies defending against fascism through the Lend-Lease Act - much like we are today. In this war, America was still recovering from a financial catastrophe, one of the worst disasters in its history - as we are today. And just like today, there were a number of people who protested our involvement. These people shouted slogans of "America First!" and "This is Europe's war!" Much like today, many were well-meaning leftists, concerned about America involving itself in another foreign war and abandoning the needs of its own citizens, much like yourself, and also very concerned with America's imperialist history - this was not too far removed from the Maine, the Panama Canal, and Teddy Roosevelt's Big Stick policy. But many, as today, are right-wingers, hopped up on nationalism and secretly - even openly - admiring the fascist dictator who seeks to dominate the Earth. And even with all that, it was still right to support our allies in Europe. Why? Because without a strong, unified front against fascism, it destroys us one by one, until there is nothing left to defend, no one left to help us, and they control everything. If we don't help Ukraine stop them here, they'll only keep going, like a monster that grows as it consumes, until war is unavoidable.
How do you explain that same USA rescuing and preserving Notzees for later use, such as in the Ukraine today? By the way, the Fascists and Notzees were left wingers. Mussolini even claimed to be a Marxist. H*tler was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party. Leftists love to blame right-wingers for their own evil.
Ukraine, which was part of the USSR, had many lands inhabited by Russians, Jews, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Moldovans. These territories were not annexed by Ukraine itself, these territories were annexed by the leadership of the USSR based on conjunctural considerations. In the USSR, Ukraine was considered the pearl of the socialist system! And the borders between the republics were transparent, no one cared about the nationality of the new population. After the separation from the USSR, the Russian and Russian-speaking population of Ukraine found themselves in isolation from Russia. Supporters of the Western Ukrainian anti-Soviet movement, known during World War II as the UPA and UNSO, were brought to power. Until the mid-1950s, Western Ukrainian terrorists waged an active underground war against the civilian population. Russian Russian language is being infringed upon in the 2010s, the Western Ukrainian ideology (not without the help of Western influence) seizes power, the Russian language is being infringed on, Russian residents of Ukraine are being put on the level of second-class citizens. Have you not heard the songs "Our Father Bandera"? Find the translation. And finally find out who Bandera is and why he became a father to many in Ukraine. Russian residents of Ukraine did not fight for Putin in 2014. The Russians wanted to live! And only in 2022 Russia came to the rescue.
and if a foreign country conducts a coup to remove my countries democratically elected government I will fight to regain my countries democracy and independence.
Highly disappointed on this take. "Zelensky is harsh on his political opponents" meanwhile the likes of Medvechuk are the reason that the invasion was possible.
'As is being imposed by the participants on the people of Ukraine' If i didn't know that Russia's military crossed international border into Ukraine, i most certainly wouldn't learn it from you. Is that by design?
for an astounding first time, there are sections in this video that I will have to disagree with you Mr Wolff... it saddens me... most I do agree with but... Some people makes beds they must lay in after. Such as it is with Ukraine. Yes the poor suffer the most as usual, but let it be a lesson to all, do not allow evil tyrant's to take power... If Mr Wolff replies, I'll explain in more detail.
So the person confronted by a gun and a knife should refuse to make the choice and what then do you suppose would happen? The aggressor says "Ok, sorry I bothered you." Or does the person then get shot and stabbed. And as a observer who favors peace what do you do?
As an observer who favors peace you hold the aggressor up and force them to let their prey go, then disarm them. The problem is if we extend the metaphor to match the real world the aggressor also has a suicide vest rigged to go off if their heart rate goes too high, which is a bit of an issue.
About Ukraine: nation created in Lenin's time (not to be confused with the history of the city of Kiev and/or with Kievan Rus & its Rurik dynasty started by Prince Rurik of Novgorod; Novgorod is an ancient Russian city), but only theoretical/administrative terms, since it remained under Russian control in the Soviet era, the conformation of its territory today consists mainly of territories that have historically belonged to the Russians (from the center to the eastern and southern side) and the western side has historically belonged to Poland. Important issue about Poland: the h4tred of the Poles towards the Russians is immense and it is they who have partly influenced the western part of Ukraine, this h4tred is historical, since Poland and Russia have had multiple w4rs for several centuries, even the Poles invaded Moscow at some point and were driven out by the Russians (look for the monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow's Red Square). Now if you add this historical h4tred towards Russia with Neo-Naz1 elements (in western Ukraine) that by default relate Russia to the greatest enemy of the Naz1s, that is, the Soviets, who ended up destroying their beloved H1tler, you will have a gigantic anti-Russian national1sm, which the United States has been able to use as a geopolit1cal tool against the Russ1ans. On the current crisis: The people of Donbass are ethnic Russians and they did not support the 2014 coup, as those who took control of Kiev (with US backing) are openly xenophob1c against the Russians, they even banned the Russian language in Ukraine, which is the native language of the people living in Donbass. Ethnic Russians have lived in Donbass for several centuries, so at the moment they are defending their families and the lands where they have lived for many generations. People living in Donbass voted in a referendum to gain more autonomy and stay *inside* Ukraine, the latter being important as it shows that the Western narrative that the Donbass conflict was started by "pro-Russian separat1sts" is not is so true and this was part of the typical western pr0paganda to confuse the world about reality and adapt everything to the western narrative of "it's Russia's fault", I repeat "the people of Donbass did not vote for independence from Ukraine and/or to join Russia, they voted to have more autonomy within Ukraine", in fact this is the basis of the famous Minsk agreements that Kiev and the West refuse to implement (accusing Russia of not complying with them, when Russia does not has obligations in the agreement), and it has to be repeated that the people of Donbass wanted this because they simply never accepted the 2014 coup, which brought to power people who h4te ethnic Russians. The Ukrainian army launched an 4ttack on these regions in 2014, moving its entire 4rsenal against the civilians of Donbass, this topic is important since the w4r takes place in the lands of Donbass, therefore civilian v1ctims are always the civilians who live in the Donbass (usually the Western media always interviews Ukrainian civilians living in regions that do not suff3r the real consequences of these w4rs), the people of Donbass won practically all the b4ttles, there were a lot of material on youtube about these b4ttles, where they showed civilians f1ghting aga1nst the Ukrainian army, but youtube has cens0red almost everything. These victories should not really surprise us too much, since the people of Donbass were defend1ng their homes against people who h4te Russians (their ethn1city), any of us would fight with full force if you see that your family is thre4tened by crazy rac1sts that h4te your friends and family, today after all the 4ttacks they have received by Kiev, if they hold a new referendum it is very sure that they will vote to join Russia, they have already seen the true face of the Westerners and of those they control Kiev today. It is interesting that the West always supports autonomies when they are initiated within en3my nations: H0ng K0ng in Ch1na, the K*rds in Syr1a, K0s0vo in Serb1a, Ch3chny4 in Russ1a and a long list. It is true that Russ1a supports those Russ1ans who live in Donbass, in fact it has more right to do so than the illegal military presence of the Y4nkees in northern Syr1a ("support1ng" the K*rds and steal1ng Syrian oil along the way), the inhabitants from Donbass are ethn1c Russ1ans, they are in lands close to the Russ1an border (secur1ty issue), they have an obvious connection with Russ1an culture and above all they share many family members with Russ1ans, for this reason after 2014 many residents of Donbass have obtained a Russian p4ssport (Russian citizensh1p). Possible w4r: If a w4r breaks out between Russ1a and Ukra1ne, it will be when K1ev attacks the Russ1ans living in D0nbass, because Russ1a has said for years that it will intervene with the Russian 4rmy to protect its citizens in any part of the world, including the D0nbass region, some believe that Russia will r0ot out the pr0blem, even reaching K1ev to cle4n up the g0vernment house that is under US c0ntrol. The US n4rrative about a possible Russian 1nvas1on of Ukra1ne is based on this last point, because the Y4nkees know very well that a provocation from K1ev is enough for Russ1a to 1ntervene and the Western med1a will have "pr0of" of the alleged 4ggress1on against the "peaceful" K1ev. The western n4rr4t1ve has always been based on l1es, they are heirs to the Br1t1sh emp1re, experts in this type of str4tegy: ly1ng, caus1ng d1vis1on and succeed1ng. The objectives of the Un1ted States: Everything written above explains some symptoms, but not the real cause of the confl1ct and the main objective. As everyone knows, the United States became the hegemon1c world power when Europe was totally destroyed in the Sec0nd W0rld W4r, destruct1on that also extended in Asia, China was the second nation to suffer more hum4n l0sses after the Sov1et Un1on. Therefore today, in a world where Ch1na has managed to 0vertake the United States in terms of GDP-PPP, becoming the first und1sputed w0rld p0wer in economic terms, the United States has no other alternative than to resort to w4r in order to ret4ke the hegem0ny that has been l0sing, a new c0ld w4r is necessary to d3str0y Russia economically and gain full c0ntrol of Western Europe (in ec0nomic and p0litical terms), this will help to c0nfr0nt Ch1na (the Western med1a is already mention1ng Ch1na in this European confl1ct). You have doubts? Just look at what N$TO's first secretary general, Lord Ismay, said, explaining NATO's goal: "to keep the USA in, the Russ1ans out, and the Germ4ns d0wn." The US is the one who needs this w4r, that's why the western med1a controlled by the western el1te push this w4r, the Ukrain1ans are just a che4p t0ol for the westerners. Now we must write using numbers to avoid western c3ns0rsh1p, long live fr33 w3stern express1on haha.
thanks for the additional intel , but ... i understand you would substitute numbers for letters to confuse the censoring algorithms - when you use the words that are likely to be censored . but I'd say you're going a bit overboard with the number thing .
@@jonas7510 nope, every channel is different and I am not going to make a different text for every channel, so this standard is working on most of the channels, just on few western news channels is not working, those are very powerful with the cens0rship.
Your comment has truly opened my eyes to a new prescription of the current crisis , unfortunately I know nothing about the history of that region, all the information I have are westernized and full of bias towards the USA narrative that America's good Russia's bad
You completely ignored the 8 year slaughter in Donbass by Ukraine. That slaughter was caused by ideology. The response by Russia is not ideological. Russia's concern for their own security is not ideological.
That you people aren't honest (or smart) enough to acknowledge that almost any aggression can be justified as "self defence" depending on when you choose to begin your historical timeline. This is why you can't be taken seriously.
@@misanthropyunhinged "2014 overthrow of ukraine's government with u.s help and the shelling of donbas for 8 years is a pretty good justification cro-mag." And just like that, as if to prove my point, it bleats. "cro-mag" lol It's like you have no sense of irony.
You forgot to mention that Donbas is Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia. Same with Crimea. The war started in 2014. You seriously blame them for shooting at the russian agressor ?
@@bcvy there is zero evidence there have been any Russian troops in the Donbass before the start of the special operation. The Ukrainian government was genociding Donbass residents who rejected their governance.
I'm a Russian citizen on vacation in Ukraine (camping in Red Forest) and I genuinely had no idea this was occurring. Thankfully I drove here in a T-72 with an AK and a few extra pairs of green fatigues.
I'm an abruptly retired nâtø general on holiday in mârîûpøl (sightseeing near a steel plant) in a helicopter, when it got diverted. I genuinely have no idea why. Thankfully I'm now extending my vacay in Russia, please ask mom to come get me soon.
The world needs people like yourself or Dr. John Mearsheimer to explain how we got to this catastrophic situation with a lot of suffering to the Ukrainian people.
exactly, they're both corrupt and both wealthy oligarchs. One big difference though is Putin in clearly in charge of Russia while Zelensky is not fully in charge of Ukraine. Zelensky has a foreign master pulling his strings and powerful neo-Nazis to placate.
Jesus, did you still believe there is a big difference between state leaders? They are all corrupt and worthless, more or less. OK, perhaps New Zealand is lucky, but not the rest.
Fisrt time in long time history of refugees, segregation has been heard between Ukrainians and the host countries which is European countries. Nobody would tell how much countries benefit by hosting refugees? But also how much hate and potential violence could countries create for refusing refugees for any factors? Call it religion or race or political affiliate, no country should be in position to refuse refugees entrees for any reason as long as they are not armed. But ever I heard such contradictory stories, is now and in the thirties and fouties. Times this, it will fire back some where at global borders.
In Serbia , Socialist Dimitrije Tucovic also refused to support war credits. He was branded as a traitor .And to prove that he was not, he volunteered and got killed in first clashes of Serbia and Austro -Hungarian Empire .Coincidence???????
@♜. pinnedby Richærd D WoIf Please. Why don't you analyze EU (BND) destruction of Yugoslavia the only country where Socialism worked and where Tito introduced ''self-management'' eerily closed to the third way or your co-op....How ''democrats'' use force (overt and clandestine) and not only market forces to make the world after their own image. To me this is pretty essential. Best Regards
i think richard wolff tried approaching this from a centrist point of view (to not scare off or divide his fanbase). however, there are two essential things to note. the conflict started eight years ago and russia isn't a major imperialist power like america (as its still a periphery state in the leninist sense).
"No to war" is not a centrist point of view; here in the US, the centrists are eagerly flinging weapons at Ukraine. I certainly agree that the conflict started in 2014, and that there is a huge power imbalance between the US and the Russian Federation in all ways other than their nuclear arsenals. Whether they count as imperialist in the Leninist sense is a matter of some debate, and I won't claim to have an answer here. None of that changes the argument, from Wolff and others, that this is a war between corrupt parties for inhumane reasons and the humane position is to be against the fighting, all the fighting, including the fighting that was taking place before the Russians crossed the border.
@@jarakoul4956 It looks like there are more of us by the day. Regimes change. Dead loved ones and friends cannot be bought back from the grave. Lives (should) matter first and foremost. But they don't...
The idea that Russia is not imperialist is laughable, it has been imperialist to it's CORE for a thousand years and conducts BRUTAL and GENOCIDAL ethnic clensing as part of that Imperialism and has never stopped or repented it in the least. Russia is nolonger a global Superpower after the Soviet Union collapse but this in no way equates to not being Imperialist, like Serbia's terrible actions in the Balkins are in no way excused simply because the nation is not a superpower.
@@kennethferland5579 expansionism isn't necessarily imperialism if we're going simply by lenin's definition of imperialism, but yes russia and china engaged in land expansionism.
A bit simplistic, Richard! The Ukrainian Nazis 8-year long attack on those who would give up their cultural background is definitely a factor that should weigh heavily. And the US/UK blind support of the Nazis to inflict damage to the Russians is definitely a defence for Russia's intervention. Cleansing Ukraine of Nazis is also a good way to create a better life for all in Ukraine. That this doesn't fit in with US plans to weaken Russia in all respects should be obvious to all following the conflict. USA is, as it is always in modern conflicts, on the wrong side of decency and integrity with its Mafia modus operandi!!
“WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”
― USMC Major General Smedley Butler,
Hahaha Smedley.
The only victor is the banking cartel and military industrial complex! But this time it is different. War in Ukraine is escalating! Nuclear WW3 is closer than psychopaths without conscience think!!!
can't be anti-war if you're pro-war for _Ru_ssia
the only place its a "RACKET" is the US and UK.......you know the ones fostering wars globally 24/7....GTFO with that US garbage.
It usually is a racket . But sometimes even against all odds people MUST fight for their homes and their right to choose their own form of government.
*NEVER FORGET THE 14000 WHO WERE MURDERED IN THE DONBAS SINCE 2014*
AND 48 PEOPLE BURNED ALIVE IN ODESSA .
Unfortunately MSM spews their Blood thirsty, warmongering, one sided propaganda.
@@ananke2104 48 is just the official figure, the real number was more than 100.
And the people massacred in Maidan
No most of thouse people are armed combatants of Russia and Ukraine fighting in the illegal invasion that Russia conducted in 2014. Their were also of many deaths of non-combatants mostly by shelling at the hands of both sides but Russia has consistently tried to falsly claim the deaths IT CAUSED as they were an ethnic clensing conducted against Russian speakers alone at the hands of Ukraine.
My heart also goes out to the Palestinians, where slow genocide is taking place. Also to the native Americans whose lands are being fracked against their will. So many injustices around the world caused by the US - they have long forgone the right to judge anyone or any country. As Kissinger (a warmonger himself) said, to be an enemy of the US can be dangerous, but to to be a friend is fatal!
'slow genocide' - an oxymoron. Either it's a genocide or it isn't.
@@manco828 of course a genocide can be slow tf are you saying.
Palestinians continue to self-destruct. The answer is the same as it has been since 1948. Repudiate Hamas and the policy of destruction of Israel.
@@robokugel3383 If you takke many years to kill everybody, it isn't genocide?
Knowledge and sensitivity...listening to you is like to open a window. Fresh air on your face!
To understand there is no choice to take in the words of any of these "leaders " wake us up into action .
Well said! It is sad that many of us are so blinded by emotions stirred by war propaganda that we willfully refuse to give deplomancy a chance.
While I ordinarily very much am in favor of diplomatic solutions, I'm not sure there's a lot of diplomacy to do in the current situation. Putin is trying to rebuild the territory once held by the USSR, he's obsessed with it, and he's old and won't probably live too much longer to see it. This is his legacy he's working on, which is why they haven't cut their losses. Diplomacy would only be a way that Russia distracts us or extracts concessions only to continue to push afterward in this scenario. Diplomacy can only work if Putin is ousted and this old-fashioned dream of war-based imperialist conquest dies with his reign. I say this objectively with what I know of the situation.. I support Ukraine fighting them off at the moment, defensively. It's painful and costs lives but it would probably cost more lives and do more long-term damage to people to let them trample through the country. That said, this is far from an ideal scenario to have in the first place. I'm no fan of the US, of NATO, of Zelensky, of liberalism or conservatism. I mention that because often when I say anything about this conflict I somehow get called a Russian bot or a CIA shill or etc. for not being extreme enough in one direction or the other, so I figured I'd just head it off. If I had my way there'd be no US, no Russia, no Ukraine, no NATO, just people deciding what to do to better their lives in this world as equals sharing their resources and skills.
@@UdderlyEvelyn Very well said!
Great comment and so true. No talk of peace
@@UdderlyEvelyn "Putin is trying to rebuild territory once held by USSR" I mean it's the same song sung by the MSM 24/7 without any logic behind it.
If that's the case, Russia won't pursue the Minsk agreement for 8 years which would end the war that started in 2014 and turn Ukraine into a buffer state. And
Russia wouldn't have sat by for 8 years while the Ukrainian government shelled thousands of Russian ethnics in Donbas. They would instead
interfere with the local election like what Victoria Nuland did in 2014. Or bomb Kyiv to smithereens like what NATO did in Syria.
But Russia didn't do all of that. They preserved the railroads, bridges, and power plants when they came in with a small force.
It's the same "Sadam has WMD" all over again before it's been revealed as fake propaganda resulting in a million Iraqis dead. And MSM saying
Putin has cancer this and that is childish and has no basis. He looked perky and energetic during their V-day celebration.
If that's the case, NATO expanding 5 times (not the opposite) since the fall of the soviet union and off-loading massive weapons there could be interpreted as
trying to encircle and eliminate Russia, no? After all NATO's boogieman is Russia and NATO did bomb Syria and Libya to ashes.
What would the US do if Russia has a presence in Mexico? The best way to end this conflict is not to continue sending arms so that the west can fight to the last Ukrainians. The best way is for NATO to come into a peaceful agreement with Russia.
Diplomacy was be conducted on a basis of unconditional recognition of and respect for international law. Potsdam declaration 2.0
" It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."~ Voltaire (1694-1778)
In this frightening day of hate and fear, this is the most welcome possible message. Thank you to R D Wolff.
It is not surprising that hate speeches have become so common recently including the paper politicians and heads of states.
No thank you to Marxist appeasers. Wolff talking about Eugene Debs shows how out of touch he is. He is a child of communists with a soft spot for Moscow. Glory to Ukraine! Death to Moscow!
This is timely advice for ASEAN leaders, who are now having a summit meeting with the USA, thank you Richard.
Prof. Wolff is a legend, been looking forward to this video. This man has such a way with words. Power to the people!
My heart goes out to the endless suffering of Yemeni and Afghanistan children, hopefully one day America will pay back all it has stolen and the suffering it has inflected.
If I train a dog to kill and it kills a child is it not my fault? If my name was America apparently it isn't.
Lets not forget the 3-5 million killed in South east Asia, and the 3+ million killed in Korea. How much does that still effect people to this day? Most Americans don't even know that people are still dying every month from American dropped bombs in south east Asia. Children, farmers, ordinary folks, or the children still to this day born with horrible birth defects from the enormous amounts of agent orange sprayed over Vietnam. Or the extermination of 500,000 to 1 million people in east Timor, and let us not forget the millions more effected in smaller massacres, coups, staged by the United States throughout central and South America and Africa. The hypocrisy of the United States to talk about human rights is almost incomprehensible.
Blame Yemeni on the Saudis. Afghanistan had a GDP of only $1 billion before USA went in, so it was broken long before America got involved.
@@tradeprosper5002 Really shows where your morals (lack of)and mindset is, you focus on the GDP instead of the tens of thousands dead in a military invasion. Human lives are more important than the all mighty dollar you worship.
👍👏
Ok, so the US is hypocritical. Wolff recommends not favoring any of the three main players, meaning that he recommends favoring Russia. Ours is a real world, not a moralist fantasy.
Each leaders are trying so hard to divert the internal failure to outside. And the entire world along with them
Thank you. Common sense presented in the best possible way.
The military-industrial complex led by American companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics are having a good time (as reflected by their stock prices) due to this war while the average citizens around the globe are paying the price of inflation and shortages of food and energy. As Prof. Wolff rightly points out, supporting the Ukrainian version of democracy, which does not have a good track record to begin with, by committing injustice, i.e., transferring wealth from average citizens to the capitalist military-industrial complex, raises more questions that need to be addressed.
Ukraine is a case of a broken clock being right twice a day
More specifically the US
This is a perfect example of saying a lot while also saying little. Dr Wolff has no problems denouncing US and Western society, even for what I will agree are legitimate issues with modern capitalism. Yet he can only offer up the most timid and meek of responses to Russian aggression when its leader openly declares his want to bring back a former empire. Wolff goes into detail over Ukrainian politics while only agreeing that Russia may have the same problems; areas which 100% undermine the entire "rationale" for the invasion. He speaks of peace, value, and self-determination and the US is rightfully in a difficult historical position. But, TODAY it is RUSSIA that has forced this conflict. He simply won’t acknowledge it bluntly but instead uses vague, overarching descriptions of Russia’s INVASION against a border country to gain territory, resulting in the bloody and heavy loss of life.
I couldn’t agree more. America invades Iraq and it is seen as unqualified capitalist evil. Russia invades Ukrainian and “mistakes were made on both sides”.
Andy remember Cuban crisis in 1962.Read up on it.This is the same only the shoe is on the other foot.
I agree. Putin is clearly the aggressor in this war. Oh, sorry - I meant to say “special operation” to rescue the Ukrainians from the Nazis. I love Professor Wolff. He is smart, thinks clearly, speaks concisely, but right now he’s sounding like an apologist for Putin.
Russia is based
@@rjh7728remind me again iraq, vietnam, libya, syria, korea which one is on american border and actively killing their pro american population and forcing america to take influx of refugees? Dumb yanks
The U.S. manufactured crisis in Ukraine cannot be separated from the drive for full spectrum dominance all over the world. Today the empire uses Ukraine for its purposes, other nations will be next unless there are organized mass movements against US/NATO aggressions.
another _Ru_ssia denier
Agression by the United States? Agression by NATO? That is an oxymoron.
Russia tried numerous times over many years to talk about the situation and was rebuffed every time. you should mention that.
That makes Russia right in a way, because they were cornered and not left with any other option, which nobody wants to admit...doesn't sound politically correct, I guess.
@@rashmigupta9 Oh that's been plainly clear to anyone with an open mind, no prejudice and a look at history. You are quite right Rashmi.
No, Russia conducted an invasion and anexation of it's neibhor and Ukraine along with the rest of the world refused to accept this illegal act.
@@kennethferland5579 Nope. Not true at all. It's been well documented even in the MSM.
Money for infrastructure. Not for proxy wars
you will never hear that in the MSM it'll be called communism
America ignored. Russia's complaints for me 30 years now they still will not make peace
I understand what you mean, but next time better take gloves off before writing 😉
They definitely did some stuff that they knew would piss Russia off, but that doesn't justify Russia killing civilians and trampling Ukraine. If you look at Ukraine as part of Russia's slice of the world being made neoliberal and aligned with NATO then you're looking through an imperialist lens in one direction. If you look at Ukraine as a part of Europe under threat from Russia to become part of an enemy, you're looking at it from a US/European imperialist lens in the other direction. It's important to remember that these are human beings just trying to live their lives who are suffering here, and in that I include the Russian troops being sent to do things that most of them probably wouldn't agree with as well as the Ukrainian troops (except Azov..), not just the civilians. Imperialism is what happens when capitalism hits a wall and needs more resources to fuel itself, it's when a nation reaches out to grasp at something nearby to pull itself up rather than let the way things run change. Soft imperialism from the west might not be as deadly but it's also wrong. That doesn't justify hard imperialism from Russia, though. Both sides can be in the wrong at the same time, there's no good guys here, just marginally less bad ones.
@Udderly Evelyn 14'000, mostly civilians, mostly killed by Ukraine before Feb 24. fyi
@@felixrabe Yeah I know. Fucked up unofficial war for 8 years after an election didn't go their way and they annexed Crimea to keep offshore oil away from Ukraine while they try to take control again, only to mask off invade..
Thank you, Prof. Wolff.
The response to what has happened in eastern Europe and Ukraine since 1991, the collapse of the USSR, that war is bad, as Prof Wolff does, is no response at all.
As a financial economist, born to two socialist (and ex politically active) parents, I'm very grateful for your content and your work. It's very important for us economist to know that there is a broad body of literature on the socialist side, something I never learned in uni except the standard neoclassical efficient markets rhetoric. Which, when working in finance, I became more and more aware of the great injustices that exist in the economy, not simply "market solves it all".
War is the continuation of politics by other means.
- Carl von Clausewitz
We should always give diplomacy a chance. WW2 could have been avoided if the soviets gave in to German demands.
Refusing to pick a side is not righteous.
Take the side of working people. All of these governments were and are corrupt
@@Lucas-sc6lr Sorry, but Ukrainian workers are getting shelled by Russia, not vice versa.
@@rafaelkesic I really don't get it why you people have such a limited and tunneled vision of this conflict, that you can't understand how it developed to this point.
All you have is this reductionist point that Russia is shelling civilians and the moral high ground, when this isn't even the information I'm trying to convey.
Are you deeply aware how this conflict started, or you got the TLDR versions and took them as gospel? Because I'm getting pretty tired of having to sail through a sea of conflicting biases in order to find some semblance of actual info, in order to EXPLAIN (not pass judgment) of what position to take in this conflict.
This is a response to a 3 month old comment, and I still have the same position. Support the workers, not their government. The US has pitted Ukraine against Russia in a proxy war, and Russia saw the civil war that the US started there as an opportunity to expand. The only people suffering right now due to the consequences of the war are the people and the workers, and this consequences are a destroyed economy, a highly corrupt government, and the weakening of labor protections due to the privatization of several areas.
@@Lucas-sc6lr My man, I spent eight years straight following the whole crisis from several standpoints. It's the most one-sided conflict since WW2. A corrupt country with democratic aspirations, willing to change on one side, and a brutal imperialistic remnant of a dead empire on the other.
But of course, you're sitting comfortably one whole ocean away. Russian drones aren't crashing down on your capital and there's no columns of war refugees flowing over the border. Your entire country isn't recognizing itself in this war.
We went throught the same exact thing 30 years ago. Everything is there:
- false accusations of nazism and ethnic cleansing (ustaše - ukronazis)
- ethnonationalist puppet states installed by the enemy (DPR/LPR - Krajina)
- technically superior but incompetent enemy (Russian army - JNA)
- an enemy who claims we're the same people (Catholic Serbs - Little Russians)
- accusations of western aggression when there was none
You won't understand until it happens to you. And I hope it never does.
I want the people of the Donbass to have their freedom, after 8 years of attacks, and repression with no end in sight. I hate war but nobody else was ever going to stand up for those people. If the Ukrainian government was in any way reasonable they would have let those people have their freedom, they should have stuck to the Minsk accords instead of breaking them. Seeing this amount of Russophobia going on is crazy to me too, calling Russian subhuman and orcs to dehumanize them as a people.
Thank you
@@absoluteset not all of us in the US have lost our minds, I did my own research. Articles, documentaries, videos, a bunch of war crimes reports over the last 8 years, the roses have Thorns series on TH-cam is a 25 hour long series just by itself. I didn't buy what our media was saying. No need to thank me for doing what everyone should have done.
Thank you for that. No one else was protecting the Donbas region while thousands died. Asking politely wasn’t going to do it.
Amen.
Very well said . My exact sentiments .
Respect and admiration professor Wolff
What this conflict demonstrated is the number of shameless Euro leaders so willing to bend over for their overseas overlord, and ignore what the majority of their own people think.
Hi Professor.....we adore you...love your honesty and authenticity...
We need your brilliance...ty
From an old Scottish coal miner, long live the coming workers revolution.✊
What about the sacrifice of the Russians in Ukraine who only wished to live together in Ukraine
Eight years and thirteen thousand dead
So far, China is the only country publicly and openly promoting a peaceful resolution for the Ukraine war.
Dr Wolff would you use the same analogy for the Second World War the so called “good war”?
I had professor wolf for macro econ almost 20 years ago. What he said about Russian geopolitics then stuck with me. What he’s saying now is excellent, if a bit underwhelming (at least in this video… he’s spoken more forcefully elsewhere). The US baited Russia into this war. There’s policy papers that recognize this… it’s hardly a secret. We supported (although perhaps did not plan) a violent coup in 2014, with opposition being brutally suppressed. Peaceful Russian-speaking protestors were burned alive in Odessa. The Donbas breakaway region was shelled for 8 years. Thousands died, while children went to school in basements.
Zelensky rejected the Minsk Accord (after being elected on a peace platform). What happened? Ukrainian ultra-nationalists (some literal Nazi’s) continued violence, with the support of the US. The US went so far as to install missile systems, which we knew would make Russia feel threatened (especially after the US had backed-out of past missile treaties). If the US were in Russia’s position, we would have invaded YEARS ago (can you imagine, a foreign-backed coup of Canada or Mexico?!).
We bet that Russia wouldn’t dare invade. Now that they have, we’re betting that they won’t use nuclear weapons (while openly discussing regime change, which we KNOW a will spark nuclear war). Our leaders are playing with our lives, all for the opportunity to “degrade” Russian military capabilities by “bleeding” Russian forces. Saying all of this only guarantees that Russia will keep fighting. It’s looking like they will probably annex the parts of Ukraine that were formerly part of the Russian Empire. That looks an awful lot like Russian victory, which makes me fearful of what NATO will try to do to stop it. Ukraine can’t fight without the US… we can end this conflict any time we would like. But we won’t, because the Neocons have triumphed over the Obama Realists.
Your reply is the best and most succinct breakdown I have seen.
Finally someone summed it up and wrote meaningful comment . Excellent writing . Thank you !
Everything you say here is true, but that also doesn't make what Russia is doing good or right, it's important to point out. The west is pushing Russia's buttons, and playing with Ukraine as a toy, but that doesn't make it good to steamroll it from the other side. Nationalism and imperialism are shit no matter which side they're on and whether it's hard or soft imperialism. So many people fall for the trap of thinking one of the sides has to be the "good guy", when the truth is that they're both bad - the west was just using less overt violence than Russia is now. The real problem here is two capitalist nations trying to make Ukraine a pawn in a chess game, and no matter who wins the tug of war, it's going to be hard on the rope.
@@UdderlyEvelyn I'll take the Russian version of capitalism, thank you. I've had enough of neoliberal, corporatist, free market devil-take-the-hindmost, militarist capitalism. At least Russia has the sense to keep finance and oil in the public sector. They have a form of universal healthcare, too. Russia is fighting for it's life--literally (the neocons already had plands on how to carve it up). What is good. What is right. Depends on which side you're on.
@@oswarz I'll take neither, not a fan of capitalism.
I just became a member I completely agree and I’ve loved you a long time Richard. I first heard you and Kay PFA and I have stayed in touch since then following you. I even got to say thank you for everything you do one time and you think me back anyway thank you for another very insightful video and please do more of them if you can. Do you have no idea how many people are let me put it this way you have no idea how your followers love you unless you may be read that comment about you are the same as fresh air well that’s the truth
Great thinking and reasoning as always, Prof Wolff!
I think chomsky said it best about Ukraine"I hear all this talk about pushing for war but I have not hear any talk about pushing for peace"
Russia has invaded a sovereign nation and committed atrocities there. They still occupy 3 oblasts of Ukraine (4 + 1 if including Crimea and Sevastopol). Should Russia be rewarded for imperialism?
@@bladedevaporite8969 USA was rewarded for invading Iraq and Afghanistan.
We can talk all we want about how wrong its. But we would do the same, if we was in russias position. Not to mention that the us has invaded counties with far less convincing reasons
@@NarutoSSj6 there where far less americans in Mexico when US invaded.
@@NarutoSSj6 There is no convincing reasons for Russia to invade Ukraine
Two thoughts: 1) America's imperial misdeeds do not excuse Russia's. 2) You would be amazed at the choices you can be forced into when you, unarmed, have people against you who are armed with guns, and are just unwilling to compromise or relent.
Is it a misdeed to intercede to prevent what would have been mass slaughter? It was well known that Ukrainian forces lead by Azov were preparing for a massive attack on Donbas & Luhansk. The sensible option via representation at the UN had been ignored for the past 8 years.
Don't forget this happened on a smaller scale when the Zelenski Ukrainians trapped & burned Ukrainians of Russian ethnicity in a building.
@@spidermann1256 So naturally Russia attacked Kiev, flattened Mariupol, severely damaged Kharkiv, wiped hundreds of villages and dozens of smaller cities across Ukraine off the map, committed multiple war crimes to include the invasion itself, killed tens of thousands of civilians and displaced millions, just happened to secure all of the Crimean gas fields, is now trying to split the country and land-lock it, Moldova is next, and Finland had better watch out? But - but in a nation of 44 million people, there may be at most 50,000 Nazis total (0.001%) and guys - they're everywhere and doing everything!?! Bad maps? Trying to prove the Russian army can do it far bigger and far worse? Spare me your tears. Save it for The Hague.
@@carycunningham9510 I think you're being selective on the events leading up to Russia recognising Donesk & Lughansk. Main issues - Zelensky was elected on a 'peace & reconciliation' platform embracing all ethnicities than comprise the present Ukraine*. However, this overnight billionaire was totally sidelined by the Azovs, Banderites, etc which was the main reason why the Minsk agreements were ignored & those of Russian ethnicity & other slavs were slowly being genocided [Azov's words, not mine].
You are also mistaken if you think the 'tiny' minority of nazis in their various guises cannot be THAT influential over the populace. Their proportions are similar to the original Nazis in WW2 - it's not their proportionate size that counts, it's their POSITIONING where they lead most of the initiatives. There's footage of Zelenski 'ordering' the Azovs to lay down their arms [following the 2014 attack on Russian ethnics], only to be laughed out of town.
As for the strategy & tactical movements of the Russian army - it was simply that. In any conflict on this scale, you need to deny the opposite side the means of re-supplying the essentials like fuel, munitions, etc. They did NOT target civilians, unlike the Azovs who deliberately attacked non-military areas.
Not forgetting that Ukraine was de facto part of NATO in many ways.
*The present Ukraine was expanded by previous USSR leaders like Lenin & Krushchev to incorporate regions not originally part of the more 'western' Ukraine. Eg: Crimea was originally part of Russia & it has gone full circle when the majority of Ukrainians of Russian origin decided to vote to be returned back to the motherland.
@@spidermann1256 Actually, I think you are the one being selective. This mess all started when oil and gas reserves were discovered in 2010, NOT 2014. Squeaky clean and free of outside influence Yanukovych (NOT), who is presently hiding out in Russia (because he's so popular) was the leader then. The Ukrainian Army, with the broad support of the people, are SUPPORTING the fruits of the CIA coup?!? And I'll grant you the coup; CIA - always up to something. But why the support? Again, I know, the Nazis. They are the "special sauce" that is poured on the whole discussion.
You are bolt wrong about how many Nazis it took to control Germany. Hitler, in peacetime, required well in excess of 2 million men to secure the country. Ever heard of the SA? Prewar Germany had a population about 50% larger than present day Ukraine. Based on that math it would take well over a million men today to achieve the same results in Ukraine. I generously turned the Azov battalion (which is about 400 guys) into FIVE DIVISIONS or 50,000 men. I'm not saying they have that many but I just don't want to argue it so lets round way up.
Now I'm supposed to believe that these super-commando, ultra-ninja Nazis (they do have smartphones) are: Controlling the government, controlling the army now in excess of 300,000 and compelling them to fight like mad, controlling the general population to the point that they broadly support the government, the army, and the war even to the point of keeping silent about all the butchery the Nazis are doing against them by provoking the poor Russian Army into massive artillery barrages and airstrikes and false-flagging slaughter after slaughter? All this during wartime where the invading Russian Army (they don't like Nazis) would shoot them on sight? All this while the Azov Regiment (at this point probably back down to a battalion) is engaged in savage combat in Mariupol against the Chechens and the Russian Marines? They aren't getting any relief down there are they? Hmm.... Look, if they are that good, just give up, you can't possibly win. Hitler could only dream of having Nazis that are this effective.
I'll grant you that the Ukraine is corrupt. Kindly show me the major country that is not? Russia is not? Why is the former chief of Russian intelligence now sitting in the worst gulag Russia has to offer? Bad dancing? When Russia sent airborne troops to their slaughter around Kiev they thought they would be greeted as liberators, or that at least they would be greeted by sympathetic militia - didn't happen. Why? Now I just know it wouldn't be because all the money in years prior that was supposed to "cultivate" these hoped-for movements was instead pocketed by corrupt intelligence officials who nevertheless assured Putin that the plan for a swift decapitation of the government would work. Similar to the MO Russia did in Georgia when they "liberated" the mineral rights there. See a pattern?
Ah, the Minsk agreements. Rather than argue that one and whether Lincoln got the Civil War wrong, I'll just give you that one. And raise you the Budapest Memorandum, a non-aggression pact (Russia was a signatory) whereby the Ukraine would give up it's nukes in exchange for security. How did that one work out? Why in the world would a bunch of corrupt Nazis give up their nukes?!? Hitler would never have approved of this.
And to wrap up: Hard to say you are not targeting civilians when you flatten entire villages, towns and cities. You don't assault the capital at great cost as either a feint or to cut off supplies. Nope, that's just BS. You can rewrite the map of Europe just about any way you want if you go back far enough - should Italy get it all? I mean the Roman Empire, right? I tend to look at the living and where they are presently. Keeps it simple.
@@carycunningham9510 My recollection of the Budapest Memo is that it had a proviso for self-defence. Putin had warned in countless speeches that Russia will not tolerate any further expansion of NATO (also an anachronism) towards its borders. He stated time & again that this represents an existential threat.
Pretty much all the video of the Ukraine troops feature nazi symbols, including those supping with Nuland & the Vietnam hero McCain when the "Yats is our man" strategy was being played out.
The nukes for security exchange was a red herring - Russia controlled the launch codes. I repeat, Zelensky was elected on a peace & reconciliation platform, which he was powerless to implement.
The Russian strategy was NOT shock & awe, which is the province of the brave US & NATO forces. This means you flatten everything, as in Iraq. Not so in the current conflict.
Glasses houses & the hunt for natural resources - it's the rapacious US & cohorts that are blacker than black on this. This is all shenanigans of the floundering hegemon. I repeat, the original 'Ukraine', meaning the West leaning region, was expanded significantly to incorporate others in the days of the USSR. It's the extremists leading the charge that has brought this about.
Post mortem - the Ukraine before Feb 2022 is no more. If they'd kept to the Minsk agreements & desisted in hosting NATO (plans to develop naval facilities with the Brits, bio-chem labs, amalgamation of NATO weaponry, etc), we'd still have a healthy multi-cultural nation blessed with wonderful natural resources, etc benefiting from relationships with both sides. Instead of which we are mired in this dreadful inextricable mess. This was not started by Putin but I think he'll finish it.
On his terms.
The two parties here in the U.S. demonstrate quite clearly, that picking sides is all too often a method to disable critical thinking about both sides. It's amazing how often people don't consider the possibility that both sides are in fact awful.
I am a simple working man, a miner from Russia. I know that an American worker (German, Arabic, etc.) is the same as me. We are brothers! I dream of living to the moment when Americans and Russians, ordinary people, will embrace and rejoice that they no longer have a capitalist government and its oppression.
A socialist revolution is inevitable. Just as the bourgeois (capitalist) revolution was inevitable at one time: the Dutch bourgeois Revolution of the XVI century, the English bourgeois Revolution of the XVII century, the War for the Independence of the American Colonies and, of course, the Great French Revolution of the XVIII century.
The World Socialist Revolution - the start of 1917.
Now all hope is in you, fellow Americans. It's your turn to do it on a new technological, economic and social level. I'm rooting for you. There is no hope for Russia, here the capitalist reaction is strong both in the government and in the minds. All the good things that we had under socialism, now our government carefully hides or mixes with bull shit.
Everyone has fewer problems and strong health!
(Yandex.Translate)
Isn't Russia still socialist? I think I would rather live in the USA still, where such worker is treated better than in Russia and has more freedoms there regardless of the political climate.
when kruschev worried about having usa nukes next door in turkey, he did something about it. after a chat with castro, he put some nukes on a ship, destination cuba. right away, kennedy got the message, he was sane and smart and protective of usa lives, and he did a deal. the ships turned around, and 6 months later, the missiles left turkey. kruschev took jfk's word, and was rewarded.
the current government of usa is neither sane, nor smart, nor honorable. so vlad went to war in ukraine, but against usa. ukrainians do the dying, but plans and material are from usa. you can see why usans like this kind of war.
how is the war going? not wonderfully well, from vlad's point of view. but he is a realist and unsurprised. ukraine doesn't like russia, they preferred palling up with the nazis, but hitler disappointed them, he was gonna own the place, and make it empty first. and yet they have a vigorous nazi party in ukraine, slow learners.
dunno how this is gonna turn out, but you can count on many dead and mangled ukrainians.
i thought initially vlad had to win, but there are rumors of recurring and serious ill-health. perhaps he'll retire to china, or maybe he'll burn down ukraine, first.
Brilliantly stated as always, Richard.
Comparing Biden to Putin is absolutely condemnable.
the problem is with this statement - or any statement in this matter - is that it lacks the actual subject who can make this joice.
Someone should inform Wolff that modern Russia is not the USSR.
I don't get the impression that he was insinuating it was, or that he was being "nice" to them in any way. Why do you say this? I'm not being incredulous, I mean it, I don't see what you do.
@@UdderlyEvelyn There's an overwhelming trend among Socialists to defend Russia at the most, and downplay Russian fascism and imperialism at least. Often with whataboutism. Wolff has been doing that with regard to this war
@@duderdude4831 I am aware of the trend in general, some act like Russia is still the USSR.. but I haven't really seen Wolff do it.
"I'm taking your house"
"Help, I'm being kicked out of my house!"
Officers Wolff and Chomsky arrive at the scene:
Richard Wolff: "We need to find a third sollution to this problem. What would Lenin do?"
Noam Chomsky: "We should push for peace between these two sides of this unfortunate conflict. Give the robber half of the house and be done with it. Also US is at fault for this"
All the people and working class worldwide must push for a global strike to stop the war...
Yes shout the water supply while the house is burning.
I think we all know which nation could solely end war with a national strike, to pretend the weight or responsibility is somehow evenly distributed and/or global is holding water for Putin.
I agree, make capitalism scream and die once and for all.
To stop the war or wars ? There are wars going on in other part of the world , not only in Ukraine .
@@ananke2104 All the wars; USA bombed Somalia the same day Russia invaded Ukraine.
What bothers me is that the leaders can make decisions whatever they want without people's referendum or similar process. Yes, they are elected,but they don't really represent people other than party.
When you're scheduled to hit the links in ten minutes, but you need to do a quick, geopolitical analysis first.
As you may recall, Russia tried diplomatic resolution vis-a-vis the US, and got nothing but mockery
with regard to the problem of Nato and the US and the UK building bases on Ukraine's eastern side.
Russia was given no choice but to go into Ukraine, to push the US, Nato, and UK out. That end does
entirely justify the means taken. Russia has taken pains not to target civilians. Ukraine has killed
thousands of civilians and blamed them upon Russia. This is typical of the US and CIA practice. And
then they infected children with tuberculosis of a deadly strain, and injected pathogens into mental
health patients in Karkov. Russia was the Warsaw ghetto, and the US the new Nazis. Russian action
was totally justified. Who but the US has kept the war machine going since 1947 institution of the
National Security state?
" US the new Nasi..."
If all those acts of US are to be stacked up , that seem to be unavoidable conclusion.
So all you've got is a piss poor justification for a war of aggression based on whataboutisms, "look what you made me dos" and "no, you are"? Pfft : /
One more thing. That you people aren't honest (or smart) enough to acknowledge that almost any aggression can be justified as "self defence" depending on when you choose to begin your historical timeline. This is why you can't be taken seriously.
@@space.youtube And you are intellectually dishonest. No doubt you would pose a faux justification for aggression since you believe in it. A faux justification and an authentic genuine and sincere justification are not the same thing. It's you in fact who could not be taken seriously as you are not serious nor sincere. Aggressions can indeed be falsely 'justified' as self defense, and has been by the US in every war it has ever been involved in. All of which began as false flags. But not all people or statesmen
are as duplicitous as you would be. The ends had better justify the means, and Russian national security is justified because life is the fundamental reality. You
fall prey to your own intellectual dishonesty, and you are what you describe, capable of
means not justified by an ends.
@@space.youtube Lode del asino. Typical uneducable American. Overextending the limits of ignorance sans knowledge.
Hear! Hear! Professor Wolff! Well said!
What America has forgotten in Ukraine. Listen. These are our relatives. We are Slavs, we Russians originated from Ukraine. What do you Americans want from us?
Europeans don't like you.
Another brilliant take...please don't stop.
I would not agree more with this analysis especially considering what some other bright and free minds have been saying 'Ukraine is the turning point of neoliberal system into neoliberal faschism while drawing attention from rising inflation, growing income inequality and horrendous wealth transfer of $68 trillion.'
You’re wrong. Putin is not corrupt. Yes enlenzki and his uncle Mercia definitely yes. Plus the war is not necessary about failure of capitalism but mainly Mercia hegemony.
Power is always corrupted by every transformation of power into force. USA is the worst of all, and I think Russia's decision was to end the war in Ukraine once and for all before the USA dialed up the provocation further. It still sucks, and capitalism feeds off this race to the bottom and constant competition. Justifying violence ruins one's aim; never do it. Death needs time for what it kills to grow in, and capitalism is death.
"Putin is not corrupt."
lol Do you do children's birthday parties? A good 🤡 is hard to find.
@@space.youtube Not when you're in the comments section.
@@robert9ish Yes, I have quite the nose for sniffing them out, in fact you're piquing my olfactory senses as we speak 🤡
@@space.youtube Looks to me that you're often 'piqued'. You have a nose alright. It's a pity that you're cutting it off to spite your face.
Prof Wolff, 1st thank you for your podcast. My question:
“ Can the American stock market performance of Walmart and Home Depot tell consumers how the US Fed intervenes?” Thank you Grandmama Gigi, retired teacher
Sounds more like the AFC in WWII...😬
Why Ukraine is so important but Palestine is not?
Or Yemen
@@RogerCillion agree
To understand the answer to your question I would suggest you read Lenin's "Imperialism...The Highest Stage of Capitalism" and then follow up with an understanding of Mackinder's "Heartland Theory" component of his larger "World Island Theory"...
I have a lot of respect for Prof. Wolff, so I’ll just pass this off as some boomer pacifism.
fr
@@rafaelkesic just to clarify, I’m 100% behind Putin.
@@dorianmonroy3839 "just to clarify, I'm 100% behind a corrupt fascist dictator just because he doesn't like America"
Great job as alway's. Keep the truth alive for humanity and the planet and to wake up humanity. ❤ ❤ ❤ 💚 💚 💚
endorse peace when someone brutally beats you to a pulp. wanna see you do that
among wolves, pacifism is selfdestructive.
Wolff just served humanity a great wise service. Thank you sir.
Thank you for reminding us all of what should be obvious. We can still make a free choice: Push for PEACE and diplomacy.
Tell me Prof Wolff, how did "endorsing the values of peace and self determination" work out for the person faced with the knife or the gun?
Learn about the Minsk agreement first.
@@ПонтелеймонКарфагенянин Eat more vegetables.
@Ludwig Nickles "excellent point"? That completely misses the point of the original comment : /
If out of a bush came Biden, Elensky, and Putin, I would currently go with option Putin.
Not currently, any time.
Regardless of Zelenskyy before or during Russian invasion, Russia declared their intention to ethnically cleanse and culturally genocide Ukraine. there is little to negotiation over.
What are you smoking?
You've got things a little backwards chief
"...where all of the options contradict the values we hold dear" -- clear and direct. Thanks. I hate what they're doing, but I almost always do.
I fully agree to all what Mr. Wolff said ...
Not taking a side in this case is taking the side of Russia.
Thanks for the likes....all forward to Dr. Wolff....N. Chomsky...Ch.Hedges. ...I'm sincerely honored.
Only to say the words of Pablo Neruda to them: "Era Hermoso vivir cuando tu vivias"
What a disingenuous speech.....upholding peace is on this case empty words so that the inaction allows the russian forces to gain more traction.....the effort this guy makes to support russia without clearly saying is astounding
Let me tell YOU, Professor Wolff, about another very similar situation, this one called World War II. In this war, we saw some of the most horrific acts of bloodshed and destruction acted out by both sides. But in this war, there were two clear sides: those who wanted to rule the world through force and military might, and those who did not. In this war, though America was not involved directly at first, it still sent aid to its foreign allies defending against fascism through the Lend-Lease Act - much like we are today. In this war, America was still recovering from a financial catastrophe, one of the worst disasters in its history - as we are today. And just like today, there were a number of people who protested our involvement. These people shouted slogans of "America First!" and "This is Europe's war!" Much like today, many were well-meaning leftists, concerned about America involving itself in another foreign war and abandoning the needs of its own citizens, much like yourself, and also very concerned with America's imperialist history - this was not too far removed from the Maine, the Panama Canal, and Teddy Roosevelt's Big Stick policy. But many, as today, are right-wingers, hopped up on nationalism and secretly - even openly - admiring the fascist dictator who seeks to dominate the Earth. And even with all that, it was still right to support our allies in Europe. Why? Because without a strong, unified front against fascism, it destroys us one by one, until there is nothing left to defend, no one left to help us, and they control everything. If we don't help Ukraine stop them here, they'll only keep going, like a monster that grows as it consumes, until war is unavoidable.
How do you explain that same USA rescuing and preserving Notzees for later use, such as in the Ukraine today? By the way, the Fascists and Notzees were left wingers. Mussolini even claimed to be a Marxist. H*tler was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party. Leftists love to blame right-wingers for their own evil.
Ukraine, which was part of the USSR, had many lands inhabited by Russians, Jews, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Moldovans. These territories were not annexed by Ukraine itself, these territories were annexed by the leadership of the USSR based on conjunctural considerations. In the USSR, Ukraine was considered the pearl of the socialist system! And the borders between the republics were transparent, no one cared about the nationality of the new population.
After the separation from the USSR, the Russian and Russian-speaking population of Ukraine found themselves in isolation from Russia. Supporters of the Western Ukrainian anti-Soviet movement, known during World War II as the UPA and UNSO, were brought to power. Until the mid-1950s, Western Ukrainian terrorists waged an active underground war against the civilian population. Russian Russian language is being infringed upon in the 2010s, the Western Ukrainian ideology (not without the help of Western influence) seizes power, the Russian language is being infringed on, Russian residents of Ukraine are being put on the level of second-class citizens.
Have you not heard the songs "Our Father Bandera"? Find the translation. And finally find out who Bandera is and why he became a father to many in Ukraine.
Russian residents of Ukraine did not fight for Putin in 2014. The Russians wanted to live! And only in 2022 Russia came to the rescue.
If someone is in the process of stealing my house and killing my family I will fight to death.
Blessings from Montreal Canada
Anti-Hungarian actions in Ukraine th-cam.com/video/FfhntsrCr8Q/w-d-xo.html
yes and that happened in the donbass for 8 yrs
and if a foreign country conducts a coup to remove my countries democratically elected government I will fight to regain my countries democracy and independence.
@@richardconnelly7141
... by Ukrainians.
Thats whst Donbas did by fighting 8 years to protect what is theirs
Does this mean that we should try to emulate what Lenin did? Like, should we send Edward Snowden in a sealed tr… plane to dc?
Highly disappointed on this take. "Zelensky is harsh on his political opponents" meanwhile the likes of Medvechuk are the reason that the invasion was possible.
" likes of Medvechuk are the reason that the invasion was possible."
How exactly?
A general audience will never know what the like of Medvechuk are unless you explain the likes! You understand what I am saying there?
@@MarshallJukov You watch Russia 24. Let that sink in.
@@zisiskonstantinou1574
YOU make statements here, so YOU have to explain and not just refer to "watch television, then you know."
@@zisiskonstantinou1574 So you can not explain how exactly Medvendchuk made invasion possible? Just as i expected.
'As is being imposed by the participants on the people of Ukraine'
If i didn't know that Russia's military crossed international border into Ukraine, i most certainly wouldn't learn it from you. Is that by design?
@♜. pinnedby Richærd D WoIf give us a link then. That's what the internet is for. Introduce the whole world to that big thing of yours... 🤣
for an astounding first time, there are sections in this video that I will have to disagree with you Mr Wolff... it saddens me... most I do agree with but... Some people makes beds they must lay in after. Such as it is with Ukraine. Yes the poor suffer the most as usual, but let it be a lesson to all, do not allow evil tyrant's to take power... If Mr Wolff replies, I'll explain in more detail.
So the person confronted by a gun and a knife should refuse to make the choice and what then do you suppose would happen? The aggressor says "Ok, sorry I bothered you." Or does the person then get shot and stabbed. And as a observer who favors peace what do you do?
Don't sell a small person weapons just because you want someone to poke the person next to them for you.
As an observer who favors peace you hold the aggressor up and force them to let their prey go, then disarm them. The problem is if we extend the metaphor to match the real world the aggressor also has a suicide vest rigged to go off if their heart rate goes too high, which is a bit of an issue.
Dont be the patsy who accepts money to take on a guy with a knife and gun... Hope it's not too late to make peace.
I agree with you in what you said I Stan with you well done Mr Wolf God bless you.
No war but class war
No to the War in Ukraine: No to War.
It's a f..ing genocide.
About Ukraine: nation created in Lenin's time (not to be confused with the history of the city of Kiev and/or with Kievan Rus & its Rurik dynasty started by Prince Rurik of Novgorod; Novgorod is an ancient Russian city), but only theoretical/administrative terms, since it remained under Russian control in the Soviet era, the conformation of its territory today consists mainly of territories that have historically belonged to the Russians (from the center to the eastern and southern side) and the western side has historically belonged to Poland.
Important issue about Poland: the h4tred of the Poles towards the Russians is immense and it is they who have partly influenced the western part of Ukraine, this h4tred is historical, since Poland and Russia have had multiple w4rs for several centuries, even the Poles invaded Moscow at some point and were driven out by the Russians (look for the monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow's Red Square). Now if you add this historical h4tred towards Russia with Neo-Naz1 elements (in western Ukraine) that by default relate Russia to the greatest enemy of the Naz1s, that is, the Soviets, who ended up destroying their beloved H1tler, you will have a gigantic anti-Russian national1sm, which the United States has been able to use as a geopolit1cal tool against the Russ1ans.
On the current crisis: The people of Donbass are ethnic Russians and they did not support the 2014 coup, as those who took control of Kiev (with US backing) are openly xenophob1c against the Russians, they even banned the Russian language in Ukraine, which is the native language of the people living in Donbass. Ethnic Russians have lived in Donbass for several centuries, so at the moment they are defending their families and the lands where they have lived for many generations. People living in Donbass voted in a referendum to gain more autonomy and stay *inside* Ukraine, the latter being important as it shows that the Western narrative that the Donbass conflict was started by "pro-Russian separat1sts" is not is so true and this was part of the typical western pr0paganda to confuse the world about reality and adapt everything to the western narrative of "it's Russia's fault", I repeat "the people of Donbass did not vote for independence from Ukraine and/or to join Russia, they voted to have more autonomy within Ukraine", in fact this is the basis of the famous Minsk agreements that Kiev and the West refuse to implement (accusing Russia of not complying with them, when Russia does not has obligations in the agreement), and it has to be repeated that the people of Donbass wanted this because they simply never accepted the 2014 coup, which brought to power people who h4te ethnic Russians.
The Ukrainian army launched an 4ttack on these regions in 2014, moving its entire 4rsenal against the civilians of Donbass, this topic is important since the w4r takes place in the lands of Donbass, therefore civilian v1ctims are always the civilians who live in the Donbass (usually the Western media always interviews Ukrainian civilians living in regions that do not suff3r the real consequences of these w4rs), the people of Donbass won practically all the b4ttles, there were a lot of material on youtube about these b4ttles, where they showed civilians f1ghting aga1nst the Ukrainian army, but youtube has cens0red almost everything. These victories should not really surprise us too much, since the people of Donbass were defend1ng their homes against people who h4te Russians (their ethn1city), any of us would fight with full force if you see that your family is thre4tened by crazy rac1sts that h4te your friends and family, today after all the 4ttacks they have received by Kiev, if they hold a new referendum it is very sure that they will vote to join Russia, they have already seen the true face of the Westerners and of those they control Kiev today.
It is interesting that the West always supports autonomies when they are initiated within en3my nations: H0ng K0ng in Ch1na, the K*rds in Syr1a, K0s0vo in Serb1a, Ch3chny4 in Russ1a and a long list.
It is true that Russ1a supports those Russ1ans who live in Donbass, in fact it has more right to do so than the illegal military presence of the Y4nkees in northern Syr1a ("support1ng" the K*rds and steal1ng Syrian oil along the way), the inhabitants from Donbass are ethn1c Russ1ans, they are in lands close to the Russ1an border (secur1ty issue), they have an obvious connection with Russ1an culture and above all they share many family members with Russ1ans, for this reason after 2014 many residents of Donbass have obtained a Russian p4ssport (Russian citizensh1p).
Possible w4r: If a w4r breaks out between Russ1a and Ukra1ne, it will be when K1ev attacks the Russ1ans living in D0nbass, because Russ1a has said for years that it will intervene with the Russian 4rmy to protect its citizens in any part of the world, including the D0nbass region, some believe that Russia will r0ot out the pr0blem, even reaching K1ev to cle4n up the g0vernment house that is under US c0ntrol. The US n4rrative about a possible Russian 1nvas1on of Ukra1ne is based on this last point, because the Y4nkees know very well that a provocation from K1ev is enough for Russ1a to 1ntervene and the Western med1a will have "pr0of" of the alleged 4ggress1on against the "peaceful" K1ev. The western n4rr4t1ve has always been based on l1es, they are heirs to the Br1t1sh emp1re, experts in this type of str4tegy: ly1ng, caus1ng d1vis1on and succeed1ng.
The objectives of the Un1ted States: Everything written above explains some symptoms, but not the real cause of the confl1ct and the main objective. As everyone knows, the United States became the hegemon1c world power when Europe was totally destroyed in the Sec0nd W0rld W4r, destruct1on that also extended in Asia, China was the second nation to suffer more hum4n l0sses after the Sov1et Un1on. Therefore today, in a world where Ch1na has managed to 0vertake the United States in terms of GDP-PPP, becoming the first und1sputed w0rld p0wer in economic terms, the United States has no other alternative than to resort to w4r in order to ret4ke the hegem0ny that has been l0sing, a new c0ld w4r is necessary to d3str0y Russia economically and gain full c0ntrol of Western Europe (in ec0nomic and p0litical terms), this will help to c0nfr0nt Ch1na (the Western med1a is already mention1ng Ch1na in this European confl1ct). You have doubts? Just look at what N$TO's first secretary general, Lord Ismay, said, explaining NATO's goal: "to keep the USA in, the Russ1ans out, and the Germ4ns d0wn."
The US is the one who needs this w4r, that's why the western med1a controlled by the western el1te push this w4r, the Ukrain1ans are just a che4p t0ol for the westerners.
Now we must write using numbers to avoid western c3ns0rsh1p, long live fr33 w3stern express1on haha.
I wrote and copied these comments on many videos about Ukraine since December 2021, you can see that everything is happening as I described.
thanks for the additional intel , but ... i understand you would substitute numbers for letters to confuse the censoring algorithms - when you use the words that are likely to be censored . but I'd say you're going a bit overboard with the number thing .
@@jonas7510 nope, every channel is different and I am not going to make a different text for every channel, so this standard is working on most of the channels, just on few western news channels is not working, those are very powerful with the cens0rship.
Your comment has truly opened my eyes to a new prescription of the current crisis , unfortunately I know nothing about the history of that region, all the information I have are westernized and full of bias towards the USA narrative that America's good Russia's bad
Whole ton of nonsense russian propaganda.
You completely ignored the 8 year slaughter in Donbass by Ukraine. That slaughter was caused by ideology. The response by Russia is not ideological. Russia's concern for their own security is not ideological.
That you people aren't honest (or smart) enough to acknowledge that almost any aggression can be justified as "self defence" depending on when you choose to begin your historical timeline. This is why you can't be taken seriously.
@@space.youtube 2014 overthrow of ukraine's government with u.s help and the shelling of donbas for 8 years is a pretty good justification cro-mag.
@@misanthropyunhinged "2014 overthrow of ukraine's government with u.s help and the shelling of donbas for 8 years is a pretty good justification cro-mag."
And just like that, as if to prove my point, it bleats.
"cro-mag" lol It's like you have no sense of irony.
You forgot to mention that Donbas is Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia. Same with Crimea. The war started in 2014. You seriously blame them for shooting at the russian agressor ?
@@bcvy there is zero evidence there have been any Russian troops in the Donbass before the start of the special operation. The Ukrainian government was genociding Donbass residents who rejected their governance.
Professor Wolff is such a Good Man. I hope he gets in the craw of Putin and The Maclean, VA Neo-Con's BOTH !
I'm a Russian citizen on vacation in Ukraine (camping in Red Forest) and I genuinely had no idea this was occurring.
Thankfully I drove here in a T-72 with an AK and a few extra pairs of green fatigues.
Oh an overlander.. beats 4wd all to pieces.
I hope you enjoy the serenity of camping in Ukraine!
Deep state cheeply interfering free speech. Thank you, troll, your babbling is counted.
@@NN-ul4oy free speech means free speech. That's not complicated.
I'm an abruptly retired nâtø general on holiday in mârîûpøl (sightseeing near a steel plant) in a helicopter, when it got diverted. I genuinely have no idea why. Thankfully I'm now extending my vacay in Russia, please ask mom to come get me soon.
Так держать, товарищи!
The world needs people like yourself or Dr. John Mearsheimer to explain how we got to this catastrophic situation with a lot of suffering to the Ukrainian people.
Mearsheimer is a proponent of war between China and the west.
Jesus, did you just equate Zelensky and Putin?? WTF??
exactly, they're both corrupt and both wealthy oligarchs. One big difference though is Putin in clearly in charge of Russia while Zelensky is not fully in charge of Ukraine. Zelensky has a foreign master pulling his strings and powerful neo-Nazis to placate.
Jesus, did you still believe there is a big difference between state leaders? They are all corrupt and worthless, more or less. OK, perhaps New Zealand is lucky, but not the rest.
@@beesplaining1882 lay off the pipe
@@duderdude4831 great retort! I've been swayed....
@@beesplaining1882 You're not well
Please keep up the good work thank you very much
Fisrt time in long time history of refugees, segregation has been heard between Ukrainians and the host countries which is European countries. Nobody would tell how much countries benefit by hosting refugees? But also how much hate and potential violence could countries create for refusing refugees for any factors? Call it religion or race or political affiliate, no country should be in position to refuse refugees entrees for any reason as long as they are not armed. But ever I heard such contradictory stories, is now and in the thirties and fouties. Times this, it will fire back some where at global borders.
In Serbia , Socialist Dimitrije Tucovic also refused to support war credits. He was branded as a traitor .And to prove that he was not, he volunteered and got killed in first clashes of Serbia and Austro -Hungarian Empire .Coincidence???????
@♜. pinnedby Richærd D WoIf Please. Why don't you analyze EU (BND) destruction of Yugoslavia the only country where Socialism worked and where Tito introduced ''self-management'' eerily closed to the third way or your co-op....How ''democrats'' use force (overt and clandestine) and not only market forces to make the world after their own image. To me this is pretty essential. Best Regards
i think richard wolff tried approaching this from a centrist point of view (to not scare off or divide his fanbase). however, there are two essential things to note. the conflict started eight years ago and russia isn't a major imperialist power like america (as its still a periphery state in the leninist sense).
Exactly. Any communist should be staunch anti imperialist, so should be pro Russia in this instance
"No to war" is not a centrist point of view; here in the US, the centrists are eagerly flinging weapons at Ukraine. I certainly agree that the conflict started in 2014, and that there is a huge power imbalance between the US and the Russian Federation in all ways other than their nuclear arsenals. Whether they count as imperialist in the Leninist sense is a matter of some debate, and I won't claim to have an answer here.
None of that changes the argument, from Wolff and others, that this is a war between corrupt parties for inhumane reasons and the humane position is to be against the fighting, all the fighting, including the fighting that was taking place before the Russians crossed the border.
@@jarakoul4956 It looks like there are more of us by the day. Regimes change. Dead loved ones and friends cannot be bought back from the grave. Lives (should) matter first and foremost. But they don't...
The idea that Russia is not imperialist is laughable, it has been imperialist to it's CORE for a thousand years and conducts BRUTAL and GENOCIDAL ethnic clensing as part of that Imperialism and has never stopped or repented it in the least. Russia is nolonger a global Superpower after the Soviet Union collapse but this in no way equates to not being Imperialist, like Serbia's terrible actions in the Balkins are in no way excused simply because the nation is not a superpower.
@@kennethferland5579 expansionism isn't necessarily imperialism if we're going simply by lenin's definition of imperialism, but yes russia and china engaged in land expansionism.
Is possible to post transcribe of the speech?
Thankyou for an intelligent, compassionate and balanced presentation.
That was a very in-lighting talk, thank you.
I think you meant "enlightening". I hope you don't mind my correction ; it's meant to be helpful & not rude.
A bit simplistic, Richard! The Ukrainian Nazis 8-year long attack on those who would give up their cultural background is definitely a factor that should weigh heavily. And the US/UK blind support of the Nazis to inflict damage to the Russians is definitely a defence for Russia's intervention. Cleansing Ukraine of Nazis is also a good way to create a better life for all in Ukraine. That this doesn't fit in with US plans to weaken Russia in all respects should be obvious to all following the conflict.
USA is, as it is always in modern conflicts, on the wrong side of decency and integrity with its Mafia modus operandi!!
SPOT ON!
It's Ukraine, not The Ukraine.