I thought the original article was awful. As you say, well written in the sense of establishing a line, but in a way that took you to profoundly wrong places. For one thing it was highly one sided in its emphasis on US imperialism over Russian. The US might be 'worse', historically, but fucking hell, the very thing we are talking about here is
Russian imperialism. They are the ones doing the fucking bombing and killing. And amid all the theory and analysis, there was no mention - unless I missed something on my skim read - of the actual effects of the invasion. Bombing, shooting, raping. There's something profoundly wrong if you pitch your analysis at a point which ignores atrocities that are happening in just about real time.
I found the detour around 'allyship' both annoying and pointless and agree with the reply piece. Most of all though the 'solidarity not morality' bit was infuriating. Fwiw, I think we
should be guided by solidarity in response to the war (what that is, what we can actually do, probably not a great deal - all difficult questions). But what followed was a bog standard 'morality = liberal conscience' line. What 'morality' is, what its roots are, whether there are universal principles all real and obvious questions. But I'm happy to go with my visceral disgust at a well armed imperial power bombing maternity hospitals. And bombing those maternity hospitals with a view to extending the power and reach of Putin's regime.
I realise the way I'm coming across is open to all sorts of criticisms, 'yeah, but, Nato... that's anti-theoretical... where's your class analysis...' etc. I sort of feel I've got all that stored up in the Captain Obvious Locker and, fffs, who on the left is
genuinely supporting Nato or the US anyway? Yes, I want Ukraine to get weapons so they can defend themselves and in the contemporary world that has to come via Nato countries and arms manufacturers, but what's the alternative? The alternative is them not getting the weapons and getting killed. Anyway, the single point I really wanted to raise is about having an
instinctive response to the war and invasion. Seeing one state kill and terrorise and bomb neighbouring people is fucking horrendous. My disgust is informed by anarchism (strongly) and knowledge of the 30 year background, but is emphatically an instinctive, even 'moral', response.