• terranoid@lemmy.cafe
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    4 days ago

    I think by definition it’s not a proxy war if you consider Russia to be the main aggressor in the conflict.

    However it is clear there are two global sides here, and lots of other countries have financial stakes in it:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_aid_to_Ukraine_during_the_Russo-Ukrainian_war

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Support_for_Russia_in_the_Russo-Ukrainian_war

    But this is less of a proxy war than we’re used to in the Middle East with the US fucking with Russian allies or Russia fucking with Western, with neither the US nor Russia ever trying to kill one another. This is just Russia straight up attacking a neighbor trying to annex more land.

    Annexing land isnt very proxy war. It’d be more, “hey you guys sell oil for US$ now and forever but we’re leaving”

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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      3 days ago

      I wouldn’t call the US attacking random countries in the Middle East proxy wars either, those are just wars, at least on the US’s part

      Could call the current war in Iran a proxy war though, in that the US is a proxy for Israel this time. But then who is Iran a proxy for? Russia? I don’t think Russia is strong enough to wage a proxy war in addition to their war war right now.

      • terranoid@lemmy.cafe
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        3 days ago

        I don’t think Iran is a proxy for Russia as much as Russia and China have interests in Iran remaining sovereign and trading oil in currencies other than the US$. It is more a proxy war with China than anything, considering they sell a ton of oil for Chinese yuan, but it’s more about long term strategic interests, everyone moving chess pieces to the middle for the “inevitable conflict” that no one really wants to fight.

        I think it’s just the natural progression of what has been a very cold war between US and China.