Re: <nettime> Further on Greg Yugin and Russian facism

[Ted Byfield <tedbyfield@gmail.com>]

Happy (and not not) to say I agree with all of this — really well put, Brian. Two thoughts:

(1) As you probably know, "lustration" also refers to a more or less formal process of governmental and social transformation — basically, an alternative to more rigorous truth-and-reconciliation processes. There are many people on this list who know much more than I do, but it's my understanding that lustration was the generic term for describing "decommunization" processes in many Eastern Bloc countries after the fall of the wall. Its use now, in addition to the religious connotations you note, is also just trollish revanchism.

(2) Much more US-centric: Mark Milley, the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a few days ago: "It's a bit early, still, even though we're a month plus into the war. There is much of the ground war left in Ukraine, but I do think this is a very protracted conflict. And I think it's at least measured in years." I haven't seen the larger context of his comments, so it could be that he clarified exactly what he meant; but it's hard to imagine that high-ups, particularly in the US, see a viable path toward peace and normal relations anytime soon. And the neocons, always thirsty for war, are no doubt back in force telling everyone who'll listen "I told you so."

It's hard to speculate further without bumping into the 800-pound gorilla of Russian interventions in US elections. Sanctions will make them more difficult, and being associated with Russians and their wealth will be déclassé for all but the most rightists. But the US has a habit of making things about itself, and this is an especially inappropriate time for that. Having said that, a great deal will hinge on which party wins in the Congressional elections this year and, yes, the presidential ones two years from now.

Not all: Putin is older and (I think) much frailer than he looks, so the question of who'll succeed him is surely in the air. The shortest path to peace would be for Putin to be ousted and whatever regime follows to trade on that transition to restore relations. Putin knows that, and will escalate and exacerbate everything he can to make that impossible.

Cheers,
Ted

On 6 Apr 2022, at 13:01, Brian Holmes wrote:

> On Mon, Apr 4, 2022, 12:53 Michael Benson wrote:
>
>>
>> Anyone doubting the truth of Yugin's allegation that Putinism is directly
>> comparable to the German Nazism or Spanish and Italian fascisms of the
>> 1930's ...
>>
>
> Thank you Michael, I don't doubt it but the editorial from RIA Novosti is
> particularly brutal and reveals yet another element that has been thrown in
> the historical cement mixer, namely decolonization. Thus the great
> struggles of the twentieth century are stripped of their meaning and
> enrolled in the ideological message machine.
>
> The use of the religious term lustration (ritual cleansing and
> purification) apparently refers to what they have done in Bucha, etc. But
> it also points to the centrality of the Orthodox Church, which may be a far
> more effective pillar of population management than the mythical constructs
> of the Nazis.
>
> Currently all this horror is funded by global energy consumerism. And the
> lack of action to stop such funding makes it appear that European
> governments do not see or cannot act on the totalitarian nature of the
> threat, which demands some sacrifice from citizens. This fear of economic
> disruption is absurd. If the war continues unopposed, the global facts on
> the ground will include an unprecedented refugee crisis, significant
> starvation among people in poor countries and a gradual hollowing-out and
> replacement of the current monetary order, or in other words, disruption of
> a degree surpassing anything since WWII. Given the preview, do we really
> want to see a world system centered on and governed by Russia and China?
>
> The serious question is how far can an active totalitarianism go before
> world war begins in earnest. I don't think much further. The Russians have
> engaged a whole-of-society strategy. To avoid both defeat, and a nuclear
> war that would be worse than defeat, democracies would need to mobilize
> their citizens in a deliberate project including direct military moves
> alongside effective economic ones, definitely involving sacrifice
> from individuals and corporations. This is as yet unimaginable, but unless
> the Russian offensive halts and a retreat to the Donbas is confirmed, I
> think we will begin to see efforts toward such a mobilization very soon.
> How it plays out among civil societies will then become a central issue.
>
> Thoughtfully yours, Brian
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