The WSWS, in arguing that Russia has a new type of capitalist state above the economic laws described by Marxists, has not argued in a new way but follows in the tradition of Stalinism. When Germany, economically backwards and lacking colonies, turned to arm itself again after the First World War, Trotsky warned that the Soviet Union had begun to arm the Weimar Republic. He opposed this move, despite the significant disadvantages faced by the German state. Later, when Hitler took the power, he continued to build up his military, evading the terms of the Versailles treaty by doing it within the borders of the Soviet Union. Trotsky also warned about this, but Stalin had a different view, much like the WSWS. Stalin argued that only the US and the UK and their allies were the imperialist powers. Germany, lacking colonies, according to the WSWS and Stalin, could not be considered an imperialist country.

This shows a deliberate ignorance about the writings of Lenin and Trotsky, as well as Marx and Engels. Allowing Russia and China to build up their militaries, renouncing the need to build an anti-war and anti-militarist movement in these countries, creates a future threat to any revolution in the US and UK. Socialists and the revolutionary army must consider every capitalist military as a threat to revolution in former colonies and in historically rich and powerful countries. Armies under Putin and Xi Jinping will only serve the counter-revolution in the event of a revolution in the Western World, just as the US army and intelligence services will always fight the people first before they confront the tyrants. That way, they can hand select any successor, circumventing democracy and all popular political movements.