Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has frequently brought up Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as a reason to continue fueling the proxy war.
“This war is about money. People don’t talk much about it. But you know, the richest country in all of Europe for rare earth minerals is Ukraine. Two to seven trillion dollars’ worth of minerals that are rare earth minerals, very relevant to the 21st century,” Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity in November. “Ukraine’s ready to do a deal with us, not the Russians. So it’s in our interest to make sure that Russia doesn’t take over the place.”
A thriving capitalist country can still be fascist. Fascism isn’t just about economic decay, it’s a way for capitalism to protect itself when it’s threatened. Even in a strong economy, if the ruling class sees socialism or worker power as a danger, they can turn to fascism to crush opposition and keep control.
In Russia’s case, the government serves capitalist oligarchs, suppresses worker movements, and wages war for imperial gain. Fighting between capitalist states, whether Russia or NATO-backed Ukraine, is not a fight for workers. The real struggle is against both systems.