Paul Goble
Staunton, Aug. 11 – Ekaterina Margolis has issued what has already become known as the Venetian Manifesto which calls for the defeat and demilitarization of the Russian Federation, the elimination of its imperial ideology and terrorist practice, and decolonization of that country. It is now open for signatures of those who share these goals (stop-ruscism.com/).
The text of the manifesto is as follows:
STOP Ruscism -- The Venetian Manifesto
1. We desire not simply the termination of this war, but the complete victory of Ukraine
and the total defeat of the Russian Federation. We desire the the restoration of Ukraine's
sovereignty over its entire territory, and the provision of international guarantees for its
security. We desire an international trial for for Russian military criminals and the
payment of reparations. Any peace must be made on Ukraine's terms and with the
consent of the Ukrainian people. Only a peace brought about on those terms can be
strong and just.
2. This may be an absolutely necessary condition for today, but it is not a
sufficient one for tomorrow. We desire a real future, not a fake one. We believe that
only cessation of the existence of Russia (the Russian Federation) as an empire and its
demilitarization, including the removal of all nuclear weapons and other weapons of
mass destruction, could be a real step to a safe future that would prevent similar acts of
further aggression
3. We want analysis, deconstruction and eradication of Ruscism in all its forms.
We understand Ruscism as a distinct ideology and practices, established in the 21st
century by the regime of the Russian Federation – a regime that is cynical, aggressive,
misanthropic, and dangerous to the planet.
4. We see Ruscism as being deeply rooted in historical Russian imperialism, which has
persisted and has even intensified in the expansionist policies of the USSR and the Russian
Federation. It has become a fundamental and constitutive element of the official ideology and
the basis of the unofficial consensus within Russia. Today's Ruscism relies on the
traditional political practices of the Russian Empire / USSR, including the policy of
exercising absolute control of special services in all spheres of Russian society,
inherited from communist totalitarianism, as well as systematic organization of
subversions and terrorism abroad.
5. We are convinced that though there are certain similarities, Ruscism differs
from fascism. Fascism is amoral, while Ruscism is immoral: it is built on fundamental
nihilism. Fascism relies on inhumane ideological convictions, while Ruscism is
ideologically cynical: its officially declared ideological foundations are nothing more
than formal declarations, whereas in truth it feeds on the absence of any internal values
and thrives on civic passivity. Ruscism parasitizes on achievements of world civilization,
including the most advanced technologies. It has no historical precedents, so that radically
new methods are needed to combat it. Despite its aggressive archaism, Ruscism is a
contemporary phenomenon.
• 6. We consider it necessary to actively resist Ruscism today and work towards its
total dismantling in the future. We intend to work on a system of identification and
analysis of Ruscist narratives and their dissemination via global media, on Ruscist
manipulations of cultural narratives, global intellectual and political resources, as well
as on decolonization of Russian studies.
7. RUscism brings death and suffering to the people of Ukraine. It threatens the very
existence of the Ukrainian nation and state. It creates an immediate threat to the territorial
integrity and sovereignty of countries neighbouring Russia. Ruscism destabilises the global
situation too, igniting internal conflicts in European, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern
countries. It exacerbates migration issues, interferes in elections, and stops at nothing in its
attempts to influence world politics. It seeks to corrupt politicians and political parties in
throughout Europe and North America – and it persistently seeks to undermine the European
Union from within.
8. Ruscism is also dangerous to Russians themselves. It systematically neglects
human rights, represses dissidents, destroys civil activism and participation in political
life, deeply corrupts the population of Russia. Ruscism has infiltrated the consciousness
of Russians of various social statuses and political preferences, including those living
outside the Russian Federation. It infects many representatives of the so-called "titular
nation" with Russian ideological and day-to-day chauvinism, normalises discrimination
against ethnic minorities, homophobia and misogyny, makes Russians participants in
the criminal war. We call on Russians to acknowledge their responsibility for this war
and its consequences and do everything in their power to combat Ruscism and Russian
imperialism.
9. We see our task not only as influencing political decisions related to the
development of a new architecture of international security. We also seek to work at
the everyday level, using existing and developing new instruments of information
technologies, journalism and social media, as well as various educational programs in
order to demonstrate the complete unacceptability of Ruscism in all its manifestations:
from culture to ideology, from justification to normalization, from behavioral patterns
to speech clichés.
10. Who are we? We are a free horizontal international community committed to
resisting Ruscism today, working to prevent its repetition, revival and diffusion in the
future. We invite everyone who supports Ukraine today to join us now and participate
in our work. We welcome everyone who understands that today is the proper time to
create the guaranties of responsibility and non-repetition of all numerous historical
precedents of Russian aggression and threat to the world at large.
We have a simple and very difficult goal: to make this future present.
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