I'm mostly asking on behalf of a comrade who is somewhat new to leftism. My own knowledge is only surface level, which is why I’m turning to Hexbear.
Could I get a rundown of the reasons for the conflict, for someone who only knows the basic Western position of "Russia bad" ? I’m not trying to say modern Russia is good, but there are reasons for this conflict, and it's much more nuanced than how it's presented in Western media, correct?
Any input from fellow Hexbears, sources, etc., is welcome. I truly appreciate the help.
When the USSR fell, Reagan promised Gorbechev that NATO would not expand. What's the point of NATO when there was no more USSR/Warsaw pact, it was "The End of History" after all.... Well NATO kept expanding East, closer and closer to Russian borders. Western propaganda will tell you NATO is a defensive alliance, but it's totally an offensive alliance to project US-Western power, just look at how they destroyed Libya.
With the NED/CIA maidan coup in Ukraine, Ukraine turned into a hotbed for Russophobia. The Ukraine military was getting trained by NATO, and there were talk of Ukraine joining NATO. That was the red line for Russia.
nato even predates the pact. it is and always has been the "fuck russia club"