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ktchong t1_ja0r9p5 wrote

What has Germany (or France) done for India in the past?

India has had close and strong diplomatic, economic, military and political ties with Russia (and its predecessor the Soviet Union) for EIGHTY YEARS. They are like old buddies.

Germany and France or just most any European country, which have never really had any sort of close relations with India, now wants India to turns its back on an old buddy for something that happens between Russia and Europe, i.e., none of India's business.

Another sign of the lack of self-awareness of the West: America and Europe - which have themselves committed illegal invasions, occupations and war crimes, and committed them far more frequently and far longer - are not exactly in the moral position to lecture to others about illegal invasions and war crimes. Yet America and Europe love to lecture to India (or China) about Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine but refuse to talk about their own illegal invasions and wars. That just reeks of self-serving hypocrisy.

Anyway, back to the to point:

What exactly has Germany done for India that warrants India throwing away eight years of close and warm buddy relations with Russia? France, which also has never had a close relations with India, is also asking India for the same favor. Germany or France is not exactly on that level of relations with India. Is it the lack of self-awareness or just the stereotypical European arrogance and habit of ordering other (brown and color) people to do this and do that?

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VeryQuokka t1_ja10q6w wrote

France and India are so often described as being close that even the Wikipedia entry for France-India relations has mentions of them as having a "special relationship". France worked with India to de-colonize its assets in modern-day India without the violence that was associated with the UK or Portugal, so it has a different path for a Western European country.

France is basically taking over some of Russia's role with India after the 2014 annexation of Crimea led to Russia accepting China's rapprochement. An example is France's recent support for India in the UN, which has historically been Russia's role.

Germany is close with China and has been balancing both Russia and China as geopolitical counterweights to the US (at least before it lost control with the recent invasion), so I imagine they haven't done much but I will let others contribute there.

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ktchong t1_ja13e5g wrote

Not as close as India and Russia.

Germany actually occupied and colonized part of China, and that is not yet forgotten nor completely forgiven.

Obviously Russia had also invaded China and stolen large swathes of lands from China in the 1800s, (stolen lands that Russia still keeps, like Siberia.) so China actually does not and would NEVER think of Russia as a "real friend". When it comes to White people in general, pretty much they all have invaded, looted, pillaged and occupied China at one time or another. So China has no friends among White people, and China would NEVER trust any White people including Russians. When dealing with White people, China would do whatever that serve China's own interests for the time being.

FYI:

China agreed to entered World War I and joined the Allies on the condition that, if the Allies won the war, the German-held colony in China (Qingdao) would be returned to China. The United States, which brokered that agreement with China, actually made a double deal behind China's back: the US also convinced Japan to join the Allies and enter the war... and one of the condition offered to Japan: when the Allies won the war, Japan would given control of the same German colony in China. (Today Qingdao is an interesting place in China: it has both German and Japanese influences.)

Also FYI:

Ryukyu used to be a Chinese tributary territories, but the US deceived China and stole it from China and gave it to Japan. You know Ryukyu as Okinawa.

How it happened: in the 1800s Japan invaded Ryukyu, which was a tributary state under the protection of China. China was about go to war with Japan, but the US (which was still mostly a new and unknown entity to China at the time) stepped in and volunteered to mediate between China and Japan. Unbeknown to China, the US also secretly cut a deal with Japan: Japan would open some ports to trade with the US if the US would give Ryukyu to Japan in the mediation. And that was how China lost Ryukyu to Japan.

Do you see a pattern here?

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HappyStunfisk t1_ja13qhk wrote

I could be wrong but I'd say there are many more Indians living in the West/NATO countries than living in Russia so there should be some significant ties.

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ktchong t1_ja14lyz wrote

That is not how international relations work.

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HappyStunfisk t1_ja18hys wrote

More Indians are safe if Europe is safe than if Russia is safe. A large amount of Indian people live well and hold well established positions of power in Politics and Business in the West. There are strong ties that matter.

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ktchong t1_ja194s9 wrote

That's not how it works.

British, French, Dutch and Portuguese - all of them European - have invaded and occupied India.

On the other hand, Russians have never invaded India.

History matters. The history of what Europeans did to India, it still matters to India, and it influences how India behaves and reacts to Europeans today.

I'm not sure why White people think the history of them invading, occupying, colonizing, looting, pillaging, plundering other countries no longer matters in current international politics. It's like Americans and Europeans keep telling Africans to not make deals with China. They keep saying how China is bad and dangerous, how Chinese want to colonize Africa. Yet they keep ignoring the important history (or just pretend it did not happen or it does not matter): why are Americans and Europeans ignoring what they have done in Africa and to Africans for centuries? Do white people think Blacks are just gonna listen to them on anything about "colonization" and "dangerous foreigners", after everything that they have done in Africa and to Africans for centuries??

It just boggles my mind that white people think that the history (of what they have done to India, Africa and other people) does not factor into the current international politics. White people do not even preface their demands with the historical context of they did in India or Africa, or even try to offer an apology/excuse/explanation/recognition for the history before making all kinds of demands from the people they have victimized. They just get right into making more new demands, as if other people have completely forgotten (and forgiven) what they did.

There is a huge disconnect here between white people and other people on international politics. The history between whites and non-whites continues - and will continue - to play huge parts on what and how India, China, Africa, and other non-white people would work or not work with white people on all kinds of issues. That is just the reality that white people do not seem to get. Unless you guys take that reality into consideration, you ain't getting what you want from India, China, Africa, etc., just by making demands and telling them what to do.

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HappyStunfisk t1_ja1c0jz wrote

White people this, white people that. What's up with the racism? I'm not even white and that has nothing to do with this invasion of Ukraine.

If you disapprove of old western imperialism like freaking everyone does, it should be because it was imperialism, not because it was western. Right now Russia is doing the imperialism, by invading a sovereign country to annex territories and population to restablish borders from an old empire. If that doesn't sound wrong to you I don't know what to tell you. You seem more focused on personal issues you have against white people.

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Additional-Resort-28 t1_ja246vt wrote

Not an expert but isn’t there a NATO expansion angle to that argument? Provoking Russia wasn’t a good move. I don’t know why we can’t look at all sides of this issue.

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[deleted] t1_ja27mi2 wrote

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bfnrowifn t1_ja2gjtm wrote

> Ukraine won’t join NATO

So the appropriate response to a neighbouring sovereign country wanting to make its own decisions for its own benefit is to attempt to murder the whole population and claim the country for your own?

If Pakistan invaded Kashmir and lays waste to Punjab you’d be ok with that so long as it’s in response to BRICS expansionism?

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[deleted] t1_ja2hhew wrote

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bfnrowifn t1_ja2i0vh wrote

So…. You demonise imperialism against India but then use imperialist mentality to justify Russian invasion…..

India got colonised by Europe because India couldn’t safeguard its people against Europe. Sorry my guy, that’s the facts. Would you want foreign aid helping you defend your country? Or would you accept being colonised again by a stronger force?

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[deleted] t1_ja2iepc wrote

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bfnrowifn t1_ja2l9vb wrote

> it’s about power

And Ukraine has a lot of power, it doesn’t matter where that power comes from. Russia should concede.

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Mk018 t1_ja6z94x wrote

No there isn't. A sovereign nation can decide to enter any military alliance it wants. Especially if it feels threatened by its neighbour. That is no justification for an invasion. Stop that propaganda.

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Additional-Resort-28 t1_jabe4ws wrote

At this point anything that doesn’t agree with a certain point of view is propaganda. Stop looking at it through a one dimensional filter!!!

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Mk018 t1_jabvejd wrote

Let me repeat it slowly for you. Ukraine is doing nothing else than defending itself from Russian aggression. There is no "both sides" argument here. If you get robbed on the street, it isn't your fault just because you had a wallet with you. That kind of thinking is completely insane. And yes, it is textbook propaganda. The same kind nazi germany used to justify its attack on czecho-slovakia back then, for example.

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Additional-Resort-28 t1_jabwmnj wrote

Thank you for repeating slowly. I read your comment very slowly. There are always 2 sides to an argument. Just saying it loudly and in unison doesn’t make it different. When governments communicate we get to hear 1% of the real communication. Can any rational being base their opinions on that little information? No. That’s why we can draw no solid conclusions unless we know both sides of the story. Denial doesn’t make it go away. What you are saying can also be classified as propaganda.

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Mk018 t1_jac04p4 wrote

Stop beating around the bush and say it clearly: in your opinion, what justification does russia have? Because ukraine isn't invading russia. In fact, ukraine has been doing nothing but defending itself for 9 years now. Ever since the invasion of crimea in 2014. Meanwhile, russia has been waging war on its neighbours for the past 30 years. Georgia, Moldova, Chechnya, Dagestan, Ukraine etc. It has been nothing but the aggressor.

So tell me, what righteous reason does russia have? What has ukraine done that justifies this invasion?

Btw, russia just renounced china's peace proposal, claiming there will be no peace talks unless russia is controlling the ukrainian territories. So like we all knew already, this is just another land grab by putin and all his excuses were nothing but lies.

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Additional-Resort-28 t1_jac27jf wrote

Supplying more ammunition and weapons isn’t making the situation better for anyone except those who benefit from the money. Ultimately wars are not good for anyone else. People with fixed mindset are scary and incorrigible. I rest my case.

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Mk018 t1_jac3k0k wrote

Ah so you don't just have no justification for russias warmongering, you actively support it. After all supplying weapons and ammunition does make the situation better by allowing ukraine to defend itself. Taking that away from them means helping russia. Not intervening means supporting russia. It's that simple.

But what did I expect from a 1 month old account with like 8 comments or whatever.

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