Thomas Riggins
OK, before we go nuts over US government allegations ("Russia" has been accused of trying to subvert the U.S. ever since 1918) lets just ponder some implications from the NYT story.
1. "The indictment does not explicitly say the Russian government sponsored the effort, but American intelligence officials have publicly said that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia directed and oversaw it. " Russia is a capitalist country its capitalists want to get rid of sanctions on their businesses and have normal capitalist relations and competition in Europe and the US. The INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY despite its name is a private business not an Agency of the Russian government. Wikipedia describes it thusly: "The Internet Research Agency (IRA) (Агентство Интернет Исследований), also known as Glavset and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino or kremlebots, is a Russian company, based in Saint Petersburg, that engages in online influence operations on behalf of Russian business interests." This has been known for years -- it didn't take the FBI and the CIA to figure this out.
"Russia" this and "Russians" that in news reports lumps together groups and organizations that are private with those of the Russian government. The Russians do that with us as well. "American spies" include reporters from CBS and NPR or the the New York Times as well as CIA agents -- all lumped together -- the "Americans" are trying to subvert us. Marxists shouldn't fall for these capitalist Spy vs Spy games.
2. IRA instructions: "Their tasks included undermining Mrs. Clinton by supporting her Democratic primary campaign rival, Bernie Sanders, prosecutors said. Those instructions were detailed in internal documents: “Use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump — we support them).” The goal was to undermine HRC -- either Bernie or Trump would do. Why? Because she was the most openly hostile and anti-Russian candidate advocating a no-fly zone over Syria which threatened a Cuban Missile Crisis type confrontation with the Russian military aiding Syria's legally UN recognized government. She also supported more sanctions against Russian business interests. Since capitalist governments are simply fronts for their 1%er ruling classes this whole "Russiagate" brouhaha has nothing to do with "American democracy and our way of life" with regard to ordinary Americans but is a typical battle between two capitalist ruling classes over the availability of future markets and economic opportunities in the so-called Third World. It's also a justification to increase military spending and profits that brings in. Russian business interests thought either Bernie OR Trump would be better for them than HRC. Therefore:
3. “The indictment alleges that the Russian conspirators want to promote discord in the United States and undermine public confidence in democracy,” Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the inquiry, said in a brief news conference." The Russian capitalists could care even less about "discord in the United States" and "public confidence in democracy" than our home grown American capitalists care about democracy in the U.S., Russia or anywhere else. Both sets of capitalists are interested in profits and future economic opportunities. The difference is that the American ruling class is the most powerful and dominant ruling class in history and the Russian ruling class is a neophyte from an economically weaker country. It goes without saying that Marxists, supporting the international working class movement, support anything which weakens the grip of US Imperialism and its ruling class. This is a precondition of strengthening the working class movement in our own country as well as the rest of the world.
The defeat of HRC has thrown the US ruling class off balance and it is now divided by infighting and its international position is weakening despite its saber rattling and war mongering talk at home. It is attempting to turn our attention to Russia, we must not let it set our agenda -- we must focus on getting rid of Trump and this struggle is only weakened by our being pulled into exaggerated anti-Russian discourse fabricated by the ruling class.
1. "The indictment does not explicitly say the Russian government sponsored the effort, but American intelligence officials have publicly said that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia directed and oversaw it. " Russia is a capitalist country its capitalists want to get rid of sanctions on their businesses and have normal capitalist relations and competition in Europe and the US. The INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY despite its name is a private business not an Agency of the Russian government. Wikipedia describes it thusly: "The Internet Research Agency (IRA) (Агентство Интернет Исследований), also known as Glavset and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino or kremlebots, is a Russian company, based in Saint Petersburg, that engages in online influence operations on behalf of Russian business interests." This has been known for years -- it didn't take the FBI and the CIA to figure this out.
"Russia" this and "Russians" that in news reports lumps together groups and organizations that are private with those of the Russian government. The Russians do that with us as well. "American spies" include reporters from CBS and NPR or the the New York Times as well as CIA agents -- all lumped together -- the "Americans" are trying to subvert us. Marxists shouldn't fall for these capitalist Spy vs Spy games.
2. IRA instructions: "Their tasks included undermining Mrs. Clinton by supporting her Democratic primary campaign rival, Bernie Sanders, prosecutors said. Those instructions were detailed in internal documents: “Use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump — we support them).” The goal was to undermine HRC -- either Bernie or Trump would do. Why? Because she was the most openly hostile and anti-Russian candidate advocating a no-fly zone over Syria which threatened a Cuban Missile Crisis type confrontation with the Russian military aiding Syria's legally UN recognized government. She also supported more sanctions against Russian business interests. Since capitalist governments are simply fronts for their 1%er ruling classes this whole "Russiagate" brouhaha has nothing to do with "American democracy and our way of life" with regard to ordinary Americans but is a typical battle between two capitalist ruling classes over the availability of future markets and economic opportunities in the so-called Third World. It's also a justification to increase military spending and profits that brings in. Russian business interests thought either Bernie OR Trump would be better for them than HRC. Therefore:
3. “The indictment alleges that the Russian conspirators want to promote discord in the United States and undermine public confidence in democracy,” Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the inquiry, said in a brief news conference." The Russian capitalists could care even less about "discord in the United States" and "public confidence in democracy" than our home grown American capitalists care about democracy in the U.S., Russia or anywhere else. Both sets of capitalists are interested in profits and future economic opportunities. The difference is that the American ruling class is the most powerful and dominant ruling class in history and the Russian ruling class is a neophyte from an economically weaker country. It goes without saying that Marxists, supporting the international working class movement, support anything which weakens the grip of US Imperialism and its ruling class. This is a precondition of strengthening the working class movement in our own country as well as the rest of the world.
The defeat of HRC has thrown the US ruling class off balance and it is now divided by infighting and its international position is weakening despite its saber rattling and war mongering talk at home. It is attempting to turn our attention to Russia, we must not let it set our agenda -- we must focus on getting rid of Trump and this struggle is only weakened by our being pulled into exaggerated anti-Russian discourse fabricated by the ruling class.
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