Here, let’s do a litmus test. Who is to blame for the Ukraine War? Would you decry the US if they falsely claimed to own most of the Gulf of Mexico and threatened civilian ships? If so, would you also decry China for claiming most of the South China Sea, including waters which are literally closer to other countries than to them?

I get that it’s a convenient rhetorical technique to try to turn the conversation onto the views common among communists that you find objectionable. I don’t agree that it’s relevant to the conversation at hand, though.

Every communist is not a tankie.

The thread of “authoritarian” communism that’s typically branded as “tankie” runs directly to Marx. I’m interested to know if you’re able to find any non-marxist communist tendencies to hold up as an example.

Where are your model communists? Or are you just anti-communist?