Big power rivalry is driven, in great part, by domestic economic and political factors. The US, Russia, Europe, and China all have internally driven tendencies towards external expansion. The same logic also illuminates another key feature of imperialism. That conflict and war, whether hot or cold, is always an integral feature of capitalism under imperialism. The role and influence of the US military-industrial complex is well documented. In Russia too, military industries play a major role in the economy, employing 2.7% of the country’s labour force. For Boris Kagarlitsky, the invasion of Ukraine is the product of the deep crisis facing the Russian economy and society with the “complete failure” of the neoliberal model of capitalism in the country.
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