..
Pekka Kallioniemi pic.twitter.com/WJkoKVodYP
— simonthong aka kitty poo (@KittyPo80176717) December 5, 2023
..
Pekka Kallioniemi https://t.co/ML0DgnVvot pic.twitter.com/hrYouzIAFz
— simonthong aka kitty poo (@KittyPo80176717) December 5, 2023
..
In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce an American political scientist, John Mearsheimer. He's best-known for his theory of offensive realism, for his pandering to authoritarian regimes, and for ignoring sovereignty of independent countries.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
1/22 pic.twitter.com/8NgAiNiFPT
His lecture "Why is Ukraine the West's Fault? Featuring John Mearsheimer" has been viewed over 29 million times on YouTube, and its often the cornerstone of any anti-US and anti-NATO argument in the context of Ukraine, including those originating from the Kremlin.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
3/22 pic.twitter.com/Bm4w2vtDHk
"Realpolitik" is a system where politics is stripped off from any moral or ideological considerations and which focuses more on the practical side of things. "Great power politics" means that the big players like the US, and the CCP decide what happens to smaller…
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
5/22 pic.twitter.com/ZLQaMZSsYz
According to Mearsheimer, the US should actually stop any aid to Ukraine and form an alliance with Putin, so that they together can beat another great power, the CCP. So, if it were up to John, the US really shouldn't interfere with Putin's genocidal war in Ukraine.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
7/22 pic.twitter.com/gmqVWapQU2
Of course we now know that this was exactly what Putin planned to do, and this plan had been started already back in early 2010s. Putin's plans were laid out clearly in his 2021 essay "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians".
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
9/22 pic.twitter.com/kelmzxqviz
He also absurdly claimed that Putin's "response to events there [in Ukraine] has been defensive, not offensive." Soon after this, Putin gave a speech in which he compared himself to conqueror Peter the Great and did not say one word about NATO or its expansion.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
11/22 pic.twitter.com/bUBQhisQqx
Mearsheimer's view of "realism" is also inherently unrealistic – it completely disregards internal politics and leaves no room for decision-makers. In his world, it doesn't matter if Russia is run by Stalin, Gorbachev or Putin, or Germany is run by Merkel or Hitler.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
13/22 pic.twitter.com/7OLhMHoEs7
…"The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy", Mearsheimer refers to a "moral dimension" in the US's enabling of Israeli "crimes perpetrated against the Palestinians." So, according to him, it's okay for Russia to be genocidal, but not for the US.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
15/22 pic.twitter.com/iPjn018qNZ
In addition, he has no clue about Ukraine – a sovereign country that had suffered greatly under the Soviet Union, its people only wanted to become closer to Western democracies and distance themselves from the corruption and oligarchy brought in by the Soviet leadership.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
17/22 pic.twitter.com/3G0Q1BejEt
In Jun 2022, Mearsheimer gave a lecture in which he stated that "Putin does not have a history of lying to other leaders," neatly forgetting Putin's lies that Russia will not invade Ukraine, that Russia had no role in the downshooting of MH17, that the Kremlin had…
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
19/22 pic.twitter.com/6VCUMLiSye
Due to his stance on Ukraine, Mearsheimer has been invited to many influential gatherings. He's part of Moscow-based Valdai Club which incidentally also funded his work. He's also met with Hungary's Orbán, but really, REALLY doesn't want to talk about this meeting at all.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
21/22 pic.twitter.com/kzp8mVy8ZC
During a Valdai event, Mearsheimer stated that "I'm much more comfortable in Moscow than Washington!"
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) December 5, 2023
I wonder if it's all the money he's getting from there?
22/22 pic.twitter.com/gWWfm86k9Q
..
weehingthong 