Westsplaining

Last updated

Westsplaining (a blend word of west and the informal form -splaining of the gerund explaining) is a pejorative term that represents criticism of Western world sociopolitical views of other parts of the world. It has been used primarily in relation to Western discussions of Central and Eastern Europe and its historical and current relations with the Soviet Union and Russia. [1]

Contents

The word became virally popular during the Russian invasion of Ukraine [2] after Jan Smoleński and Jan Dutkiewicz defined the word to mean "[the] phenomenon of people from the Anglosphere loudly foisting their analytical schema and political prescriptions onto the [Central and Eastern European] region", which "ignore voices from the region". [3] [2]

Pre-2022 usage

The term appeared on the news website Balkan Insight in 2017, where an editor headlined an article 'Westsplaining the Balkans'. In the article, its author Srdjan Garcevic states, "Balkanism gives birth to the worst type of tourist – the kind who after reading one book and spending a few days in the region 'westsplains' history and politics to the locals." [4]

In 2019, journalist Edward Lucas described the term westsplaining as referring to a common event in conferences, diplomatic meetings and online social networks, in which Westerners criticised Eastern Europeans distrust of "dialogue with Russia". Lucas saw westsplainers as including right-wing Westerners who "secretly" admired Russian military interventions; left-wing Westerners who saw NATO, the United States and defence spending as "the real enemy"; and a third group who were "just greedy". Lucas argued that westsplaining led Westerners to misjudge Russian threats and actions against Western and Eastern Europe and failed to learn from Easterners. [1]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

In an essay published in The New Republic on 4 March 2022, University of Warsaw lecturer Jan Smoleński [5] and researcher Jan Dutkiewicz from Concordia University and Harvard University [6] argued that the sociopolitical analysis of the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the core Anglosphere ignored analysis by Eastern European scholars and the experiences of peoples from the region. The latter described the Anglosphere attitude as westsplaining. [3] [7] Smoleński and Dutkiewicz accused Anglosphere scholars and political commentators from across the political spectrum, including John Mearsheimer, [7] Ted Galen Carpenter of the Cato Institute, Wolfgang Streeck, Jeffrey Sachs, Yannis Varoufakis, Tucker Carlson, and Mariana Mazzucato, of focusing on the enlargement of NATO and Russia–United States relations as having primary importance, neglecting Ukraine's international legal right of self-determination. Smoleński and Dutkiewicz state that "[i]n the westsplaining framework, the concerns of Russia are recognized but those of Eastern Europe are not." [3] Legal scholar Patryk Labuda described westsplaining in this context as ignoring Russian imperialism as an explanation of the invasion, in favour of NATO expansion as the main causal factor. Labuda stated that there was "a real risk" of international lawyers westsplaining in the broader contexts of their legal analyses of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. [2]

Smoleński and Dutkiewicz refer to an article by Hanna Hrytsenko, published by Euromaidan Press on 6 June 2022, which claimed that the term had been coined "in the Ukrainian segment of Twitter" following reactions from a number of Western journalists to a thread by Sergei Sumlenny comparing the treatment of Ukrainians under the Russian Empire and during the Soviet Union to "blacks in racist America." [8] [7]

Left-wing Westerners were criticised by Eastern Europeans, including anarchist Zosia Brom and philosopher Tereza Handl, as westsplaining in that they ignored self-determination and the political agency of Eastern Europeans in the context of discussions related to the invasion, and they ignored Russian imperialism. [9] [7]

The editors of International Feminist Journal of Politics argued for a feminist view of westsplaining in relation to the invasion, in which they saw intellectuals and politicians "imagining an apocalyptic encounter between the powers of 'freedom' and 'authoritarian darkness'" and ignoring questions of discrimination for "gender, race, sexuality, or queerness". [10]

Reactions

The departure of the Left Together Polish political party from the Progressive International coalition and from DiEM25 was attributed to westsplaining of the invasion (a failure to unambiguously declare support for Ukrainian sovereignty) by Western members of the coalition. [9] [7]

Yanis Varoufakis, a Greek economist and politician accused of westsplaining by Smoleński and Dutkiewicz, [3] interpreted westsplaining to mean the denial of Eastern Europeans' political agency. Varoufakis responded to the criticism by saying that he was aware of the Easterners' view that non-expansion by NATO would still have led to a Russian invasion of Ukraine, but disagreed with it. He argued that both the Easterners' view and the alternative hypothesis, that NATO non-expansion would have led to no war and "no dangerous tensions in Eastern Europe", were unprovable counterfactuals, and that describing him as a westsplainer was not justified as part of respectful dialogue among leftists. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Ukraine</span>

Ukraine has formal relations with many nations and in recent decades has been establishing diplomatic relations with an expanding circle of nations. The foreign relations of Ukraine are guided by a number of key priorities outlined in the foreign policy of Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council</span> Multilateral forum of NATO states

The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) is a post–Cold War, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) institution. The EAPC is a multilateral forum created to improve relations between NATO and non-NATO countries in Europe and Central Asia. States meet to cooperate and discuss political and security issues. It was formed on 29 May 1997 at a Ministers’ meeting held in Sintra, Portugal, as the successor to the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC), which was created in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanticism</span> Political ideology

Atlanticism, also known as Transatlanticism, is the ideology which advocates a close alliance between nations in Northern America and in Europe on political, economic, and defense issues. The term derives from the North Atlantic Ocean, which is bordered by North America and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NATO Parliamentary Assembly</span> Consultative interparliamentary organisation

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly serves as the consultative interparliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It consists of delegates from the parliaments of the 32 NATO member countries as well as from associate and partner countries. Its current President is Gerry Connolly from the United States, elected as Acting President in 2024 after former president Michał Szczerba was elected to European Parliament. Its current Secretary General is Ruxandra Popa, who has been in this position since January 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greece–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Greco-Russian relations are the bilateral foreign relations between Greece and Russia. The two countries first entered into diplomatic relations in 1828. Both Greece and Russia are members of international organizations and agreements, including the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montenegro–Ukraine relations</span> Bilateral relations

Montenegro–Ukraine relations relate to bilateral relations between Montenegro and Ukraine. Formal relations began on 15 June 2006 when Ukraine recognized Montenegro, less than two weeks after the Parliament of Montenegro declared the independence of Montenegro from Serbia. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 22 August 2006. Montenegro has an embassy in Kyiv. Ukraine has an embassy in Podgorica. Although economic ties are weak, Montenegro is a transit point for human trafficking between Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Montenegro is a member of NATO, which Ukraine applied for in 2022. Ukraine is a member of the BSCE, with Montenegro being a sectoral dialogue partner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enlargement of NATO</span> Collective geopolitical action by NATO states

NATO is a military alliance of thirty-two European and North American countries that constitutes a system of collective defense. The process of joining the alliance is governed by Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which allows for the invitation of "other European States" only and by subsequent agreements. Countries wishing to join must meet certain requirements and complete a multi-step process involving political dialogue and military integration. The accession process is overseen by the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body. NATO was formed in 1949 with twelve founding members and has added new members ten times. The first additions were Greece and Turkey in 1952. In May 1955, West Germany joined NATO, which was one of the conditions agreed to as part of the end of the country's occupation by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, prompting the Soviet Union to form its own collective security alliance later that month. Following the end of the Franco regime, newly democratic Spain chose to join NATO in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finland–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between Finland and Russia have been conducted over many centuries, from wars between Sweden and Russia in the early 18th century, to the planned and realized creation and annexation of the Grand Duchy of Finland during Napoleonic times in the early 19th century, to the dissolution of the personal union between Russia and Finland after the forced abdication of Russia's last czar in 1917, and subsequent birth of modern Finland. Finland had its own civil war with involvement by Soviet Russia, was later invaded by the USSR, and had its internal politics influenced by it. Relations since then have been both warm and cool, fluctuating with time.

The foreign policy of Vladimir Putin concerns the policies of the Russian Federation's president Vladimir Putin with respect to other nations. He has held the office of the President previously from 2000 to 2008, and reassumed power again in 2012 and has been President since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albania–NATO relations</span> Bilateral relations

The accession of Albania to NATO took place in 2009. Albania's relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began in 1992 when it joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. In 1994, it entered NATO's Partnership for Peace, which began Albania's process of accession into the alliance. In 1999, the country received a Membership Action Plan (MAP). The country received an invitation to join at the 2008 Bucharest Summit and became a full member on April 1, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil Position</span> Political party in Ukraine

Civil Position or Civic Position is a political party in Ukraine registered in March 2005. It is led by former Minister of Defence Anatoliy Hrytsenko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yanis Varoufakis</span> Greek economist and politician

Ioannis Georgiou "Yanis" Varoufakis is a Greek economist and politician. Since 2018, he has been Secretary-General of Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), a left-wing pan-European political party he co-founded in 2016. Previously, he was a member of Syriza and was Greece's Minister of Finance between January 2015 and July 2015, negotiating on behalf of the Greek government during the 2009-2018 Greek government-debt crisis.

The Democracy in Europe Movement 2025, or DiEM25, is a left-wing European political alliance founded in 2016. It operates as a pan-European umbrella for subsidiary parties sharing the same name and branding, and runs electoral lists with other affiliated parties. Despite its organisation and sometimes being referred to as a "European party" or "transnational party", DiEM25 does not meet the requirements to register as a European political party.

Euromaidan Press (EP) is an English-language news website launched in 2014 by contributors from Ukraine, sponsored by reader contributions and the International Renaissance Foundation. It shares its name with the Euromaidan movement in Ukraine. Registered as a non-governmental organization, EP's stated goal is to provide English-language material to those interested in Ukrainian topics such as business issues, the economy, military conflict, and tourism.

Progressive International (PI) is an international political organisation that unites and mobilises progressive left-wing activists and groups. The organisation works with over 70 member groups. This comprises trade unions, political parties, peasant organisations, and social movements including CodePink, Debt Collective, Sunrise Movement, and the Peace and Justice Project. PI has been called "a worldwide anti-capitalist organisation."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On conducting a special military operation</span> 2022 speech by Russian president Vladimir Putin

"On conducting a special military operation" was a televised broadcast by Russian president Vladimir Putin on 24 February 2022, announcing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feminist Anti-War Resistance</span> Political party in Russia

Feminist Anti-War Resistance is a group of Russian feminists founded in February 2022 to protest against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In its first month, FAR became "one of Russia’s fastest-growing anti-war campaigns", attracting more than 26,000 followers on Telegram.

"Where have you been for eight years?", "Where have you been for the last eight years?", or "Why have you been silent during the past eight years?" is a rhetorical question widely used by Russian propaganda in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in support of Russia, mainly pointing out what Ukraine has been doing to the Donbas during the war in Donbas (2014–2022), and that the Russo-Ukrainian War has been ongoing since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. It has been described as Russian pro-war propaganda.

In the context of the enlargement of NATO, Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty is the origin for the April 1999 statement of a "NATO open door policy". The open door policy requires a consensus in favour of countries applying to join NATO, as all member states must ratify the protocol enabling a new country to become a member of NATO. The open door policy "is aimed at promoting stability and cooperation".

During the build-up to its invasion of Ukraine, Russia falsely accused Ukraine of genocide against Russian speakers in the Donbas region. Ukraine fought a war against Russian proxy forces in the Donbas War from 2014 to 2022. Russia's president Vladimir Putin used this claim of genocide to justify the invasion of Ukraine. There is no evidence to support the allegation and it has been widely rejected.

References

  1. 1 2 Lucas, Edward (2019-03-25). "Europe's 'frontline' states have a lot to teach the 'old West.' Perhaps we should listen". Center for European Policy Analysis. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  2. 1 2 3 Labuda, Patryk I. (2022-04-12). "On Eastern Europe, 'Whataboutism' and 'West(s)plaining': Some Thoughts on International Lawyers' Responses to Ukraine". European Journal of International Law . Archived from the original on 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Smoleński, Jan; Dutkiewicz, Jan (2022-03-04). "The American Pundits Who Can't Resist 'Westsplaining' Ukraine". The New Republic . Archived from the original on 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  4. ↑ "Westsplaining the Balkans". 15 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Jan Smoleński". The New Republic . Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  6. ↑ "Jan Dutkiewicz". The New Republic . Archived from the original on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 McCallum, Alasdair (2022-04-13). "What we lose by 'Westsplaining' the Russian invasion of Ukraine". Monash University . Archived from the original on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  8. ↑ Hrytsenko, Hanna (2020-06-19). "Westsplaining Ukraine". Euromaidan Press . Archived from the original on 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2022-06-25.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. 1 2 Mannheim, Linda (2022-04-04). "'F*ck Leftist Westsplaining!'". The Nation . Archived from the original on 2022-06-11. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  10. ↑ choi, shine; de Souza, Natália Maria Félix; Lind, Amy; Parashar, Swati; Prügl, Elisabeth; Zalewski, Marysia (2022-04-26). "Questioning war". International Feminist Journal of Politics . 24 (2). Taylor & Francis: 193–197. doi: 10.1080/14616742.2022.2054156 . S2CID   248406419.
  11. ↑ Varoufakis, Yanis (2022-03-23). "My reply to the Charge of Westsplaining Eastern Europeans". YanisVaroufakis.eu. Archived from the original on 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2022-06-25.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.