We do not wish for the proxy battle between superpowers in one country or society. Russia wants to lure China to support its War in Ukraine by asking for Aid. Russia, unlike China, adopted the worst form of capitalism for the few. On the other hand, the United States derogatorily called its welfare safety net socialism. But David Lewis labeled them Corporate bums since many of the hypocrites depend on Government contracts, a bigger ripoff than welfare.
The dangers or excesses of both capitalism and socialism can make or break any country. Even rich European countries and Canada with mixed capitalist economies have generous welfare for the working class and poor. They encourage the incentives to be rich in moderation and balance it with fairness and justice for those left behind. Socialism in Scandinavia has survived because of mixed capitalism with socialism. It has worked well and people love their countries’ system.
By asking China for Aid, Russia wants to turn its War of choice in Ukraine to West versus East. Before Karl Max/Heagel socialism versus Adam Smith capitalism philosophy, serfs were at the mercy of their masters in Europe and Asia, just as the proletariats. Slavery was legal within African, European, American and Asian societies worldwide. Socialism opened many eyes to the injustice of Master/Servant disadvantageous relationships.
Attract, do not force political ideologies or wage war to expand capitalist or communist Empire. Communism was made popular by Karl Marx and embraced by Youths and societies looking for fair distribution of wealth and equal opportunities. Greed and selfishness got in the way. They replaced the bourgeois and the upper class. Just like those they replaced, they became bloated with wealth they acquired while distributing poverty to the oppressed. Oh, charity too.
We witnessed how Political Economy defeated Ethnicity in the separation and reunification of East and West Germany or the amalgamation and partition of Africa. People of the same origin like the Somali are not different from the Rus origin of Kyiv and Moscow. You cannot force a husband and wife into a relationship; parents and children for better or worse, anymore than you can force people with the same origin that chose different political economic views to determine their survival. No be by force naoh!
Today, the fight for captives has been replaced by propagating ideologies, politics and economics with honey rather than vinegar. Both Kyiv and Moscow were the same descendants of Rus that call themselves Ukraine and Russia. The instinct of the people that fought for ideological or religious converts looking for captives have not changed. These ideologies are branded and propagated based on benefits they bestow on earth and not in heaven.
A perpetual leader that seeks a mandate by force for more than ten years is a suspect. Russia, which attracted the world by turning against oppressors and turning many countries in the Soviet Union into independent countries, has deviated from the teachings of Karl Marx and slipped into the same greed preached against capitalism. The United States that was predicted to fall on its face because of the extreme form of capitalism, actually heeded the call of Karl Marx by putting Welfare in place to care for some of the victims of its system.
Powerful men have insatiable need from the days of legal slavery competition for captives to serve their needs and die in opulence. Even when slavery was abolished, slave masters fought one another for and against Abolition on the coast of West Africa to Civil War in America. As covid-19 was ranging, some employers became desperate for workers to produce goods and services. They did not care about the lives of “heroes” paid minimum wage, since they could be replaced.
Western democracy has won the economic culture war made popular by trends of diversity that are attractive internationally. Entertainment, sports, fashion and economics go hand in hand with invention and discovery by immigrants in Europe and America with different talents while descendants of Rus remain mostly white Europeans. This robs their communities of diversified variety: brilliant and skilful people that enhance development through first generation hard work, discovery and betterment.
Activists of all colors fought against the unfair and unequal system that creates and exploited the working class. The Asian caste system delineates and grades members of the society according to who they are born into, not what they can achieve with their brain and brow. It is the worst form of capitalism. The fact is that the capitalism of Western democracy has been able to attract more colorful communities and countries than communism by tulasi.
It is a competition between Authoritarian strongmen that can be elected but cannot be voted out compared to a strongman that can be voted out during elections in the Western democracy. The attractive American mixed culture and dollar are versatile, accessible for goods, materials and labor in a diverse market. The same cannot be relied on when it comes to China yuan, goods and services. Once the world acquired western tastes reflecting some of their culture, it becomes addictive and hard to wean off.
How did Russia become a strong military power house but has the economy of a developing country? The same way socialist Scandinavian countries became rich economies while deferring strong military or nuclear power. What they have in Russia was the oppression of the old wealth by the victorious proletariats that know how to enforce power but do not know how to create equal incentives to wealth, except for themselves by indulging in the oppressive hedonism they overthrew.
The communist/capitalist Authoritarians always hang on to power by all means for too long. China like Russia was also ready to sacrifice everything for Atomic Power. China was driven to attain world respect after the humiliation of Japan’s invasion. Chairman Mao deferred famine with draculian population control in pursuit of power. China is a capitalist country outside but practices socialism at home.
Chairman Mao: “If Japan didn’t invade China, we could have never achieved the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.” Likewise, Russia has united most of the countries around them and their adversaries. China a communist nation, has used the best part of the capitalist system to its advantage outside. While China practices socialism at home.
The war chest developed by Russia and reliance on China may not be easily accessible or solid. Billions in bank reserves have been frozen. A bigger problem may be how to pay for imports without the US dollars until alternative payment methods are put in place and how many countries would accept such payment. Even China is heavily invested in the US Treasury bonds and still depends on dollars for its acquired trading practices in the world markets.