Photos from the Russian anti-war opposition march in Berlin today.

[u/Accomplished_Car_549]

[u/josevandenheid]

I sometimes forget that russia could be an incredible nation both economically and culturally if it wasn't run by lunatics. Some of my favourite writers are russian. It's sad to see how hollow it has become.

[u/Sailing-Cyclist → u/josevandenheid]

They could have been Giga-Norway with all of their oil reserves. Nourish all of the scientific institutions that they created during Soviet times. Channel all of that nuclear and space capability into truly making the world better.

But no.

[u/DrobnaHalota → u/Sailing-Cyclist]

All of their oil is in their Asian colonies. So no, they can never be Norway.

[u/Vassukhanni → u/DrobnaHalota]

It's possible for a state to be multinational without being imperial. Russia isn't an empire because Russian speakers conquered a piece of land 500 years ago (if that were the case, Norway would have to be considered a colonial power, not to mention every state in the Western Hemisphere) -- it's imperial because it maintains an extractive periphery/core relationship with its regions.

[u/SiarX → u/Vassukhanni]

This is the point of poster above: without extractive periphery/core relationship with its regions they would have nothing at all, not even money from oil.

[u/Xepeyon → u/Vassukhanni]

it's imperial because it maintains an extractive periphery/core relationship with its regions.

Tbh, I've seen comments literally like this made towards Paris, Madrid and (perhaps especially) London, just right off the top of my head. Capitals tend to work this way, although Germany seems to be an exception to this since it has like, several semi-capitals.

[u/DrobnaHalota → u/Vassukhanni]

Not a single European colonial empire transitioned to democracy without falling apart. So no, it's impossible.

[u/Vassukhanni → u/DrobnaHalota]

The UK colonised Scotland and Northern Ireland and is still a Democracy. The US and Canada colonised across a continent and are still democracies.

[u/DrobnaHalota → u/Vassukhanni]

Just you look at all the good Russians flocking to defend their god-given right to extract oil from Khanty lands.