Your source [Grover Furr] is an evident apologist for the Soviet Union? You want to read a real source, read *Bloodlands *
instead.
Yeah, I am obviously an “apologist” for the Soviet Union. I have to be an apologist since I believe the world would be better off if it continued to exist, and that its actions during the Cold War were benign and fairly defensive of its sphere of influence. It may be considered “imperialist” but it is no more imperialist than the US. I am not ashamed of whatever admiration for the Soviet Union and Stalin that I have, and such sentiments is justified by the sentiments of those who actually lived in the Soviet Union and East Germany and an understanding of history.
Why do people who are defenders of US foreign policy aren’t automatically discredited too?
Of course, my initial position was that the Soviet Union’s presence was beneficial for the world since it provided some competition with capitalism. Whatever oppression and atrocities that the Soviet Union committed should be regarded as “sunk costs” that are irretrievable, and one should just acknowledge those atrocities (that did happen) for the sake of objectivity, but also acknowledge its benignant influence in geopolitics. My point is to highlight that whatever alleged atrocities that CCCP committed, it does not detracted from its progressive influence. Similarly, one could discredit the accomplishments of Roosevelt and Reagan by pointing out the mistreatment of indigenous population and slavery.
[Similarly, the US supported Suharto who killed millions, Tell me what good has come from his influence. If you deny or are ignorant of the events in Indonesia in 1965. you would be given a free pass; if you doubt the sacrosanct tens of millions of victims of Stalin and do not regard the famine of a 1932-33 as a “Holodomor”, you get compared to David Irving.
Madeline Albright said the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis due to US-imposed sanctions was “worth it”.]