Russia is ruled by a small elite as we are.
Russia has a constitution that is about as real as ours is.
We kidnap, extra territorial rendition.
We torture, enhanced interrogations.
We lie, we cheat, we steal, and we assassinate.
We have secret courts, FISA.
We violate the citizens constitutional rights left and right (privacy, search and seizure, right for a jury trial)...
We censor (block communications, use the shroud secrecy to hide illegal acts...).
We back despotic leaders and even support the overthrow of democratically elected ones we don’t like, and some of our best friends and biggest trade partners have names like Saudi Arabia: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45812399
And China who we give most favored trade status the same year tanks drove over pro democracy students on Tienamin square: https://apnews.com/article/china-japan-crime-geneva-72426c36d1a4c0ae83d9520d2f19d840. We pushed to have them admitted to the WTO...
Please... Tell me how we are so different?
Folks on our payroll: https://www.salon.com/2014/03/08/35_countries_the_u_s_has_backed_international_crime_partner/
How about US troops guarding poppy fields? https://www.google.com/search?q=troops+guarding+poppy+fields&client=ms-android-xiaomi-rvo3&prmd=inv&sxsrf=ALiCzsZQw8PzY9b_tyTLUXPFxXmLKE5bOg:1664928457664&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPmq7q5cf6AhXDMEQIHQgiBTAQ_AUoAXoECAMQAQ&biw=393&bih=733&dpr=2.75
My bread is buttered on this side, but I don’t try to pretend we’re any different.
For money we’ll smile and roll out the red carpet for a despot, even crawl into his ass:
https://www.npr.org/2022/07/18/1112036563/the-outcomes-of-president-bidens-trip-to-saudi-arabia
Let me know when we invade to annex territories.