The Inevitable Fall of Putin’s New Russian Empire
The Inevitable Fall of Putin’s New Russian Empire

foreignpolicy.com
The Inevitable Fall of Putin’s New Russian Empire

Archive.org fails to bypass firewall, ghostarchive fails altogether, archive.today is not happy with my work IP today. Would appreciate anyone posting an archive link of sorts for everyone as I've found the write up very interesting.
The assertion that the British Empire withdrew from its colonies "more or less voluntarily and without firing too many shots" wilfully glosses over the numerous instances of violence, resistance, and conflict that characterised the end of British colonial rule in far too many regions.
Lest we forget:
In each of these cases, the process of decolonisation involved significant armed conflict, contrary to the article’s claim of a mostly peaceful withdrawal. While it is true that some territories achieved independence with less violence and through political negotiation, such as Ghana and some Caribbean islands, the overall picture of British decolonisation is one of a complex and often bloody struggle.
This is a non sequitur. Significant armed conflict doesn't contradict a claim of mostly peaceful withdrawal.
There would only be a contradiction if the armed conflicts were in the majority. You've haven't shown that. Or even claimed it. I don't know why you're saying the armed conflicts were contrary to the article's claims.
A peaceful withdrawal implies a process largely devoid of violence, where decolonisation is negotiated and implemented without significant armed resistance or warfare.
However, the historical record demonstrates that armed conflicts during the British decolonisation were not merely sporadic or minor skirmishes, but rather substantial engagements with lasting consequences, such as those in Kenya, Malaya, Cyprus, and the violent partition of India and Palestine. These were not peripheral events but central episodes in the history of British decolonisation.
The scale and intensity of conflicts in these key regions mean that the term ‘mostly peaceful’ is at best an oversimplification, if not a misrepresentation.
I invite you to challenge the narrative of a predominantly peaceful withdrawal by highlighting that violence was a defining feature of the period, not a mere footnote. It is not just the number of conflicts but their intensity and impact that weigh against the claim of a ‘mostly peaceful’ process.
Decolonisation was a complex tapestry of events, and its violent threads are too significant to be dismissed or understated.