As we watch events unfold in the Ukraine, it is important that we don’t forget what has happened throughout the millennia. Whenever despots push, they push against weakness. In every case, whether it was the Greeks, Romans, Mongols, the Muslims, the warring factions in 18th century Europe, the Germans, the Russians, they all pushed out against weakness. Or at least what they thought was weakness.
When Ben Laden attacked the US though hijacking the planes that destroyed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, he was attacking what he felt was the ‘weak horse.’ The Japanese, attacking the US at Pearl Harbor believed the same. The Germans couldn’t understand why the British didn’t give up after a year’s bombardment in the blitz.
Now we see Putin thinking he can waltz into the Ukraine and take over. He is gambling that the rest of the world is coming from a position of weakness, and that the Ukraine is not really a separate country, but simply an undefined group of people who will roll over at the first provocation. We are now five days into the invasion, and it seems that Mr. Putin may have misjudged the situation. Major European countries are falling in line behind the Ukraine. So called sanctions are being put in place and beginning to squeeze the Russian economy.
More importantly, the Ukrainian people are not rolling over but are raising all sorts of havoc with the Russian troops. Putin may find himself in a situation where he will win every battle but lose the war.
Its important now to consider just how we got here. Classicist and military historian Victor Davis Hansen has written a long review of the history of this invasion, and the mistakes the west has made in keeping Putin in his box. You can read it here.
VDH has spent a lifetime studying the history of aggression and warfare. His conclusions might not parallel your thinking, but as we are on the brink of war, it might be a good idea to at least consider his point of view.
The tragedy that is taking place in the Ukraine is heartbreaking. People are dying, homes are being destroyed, a city that was a metropolis when Moscow was a small village is surrounded by tanks. While we grasp our pearls and fall on the fainting couch a culture is being destroyed. You don’t have to walk too far down streets in most US cities to find people who have friends of family in the Ukraine. You will also meet Poles, and also those from other Eastern European countries that border the Ukraine and Russia who see this as Putin’s first step in domination. They fear for their lives.
As much as I hate to say it, this is happening in our back yard. Stalin murdered five million Ukrainians in the run up to World War II. Who knows what the next weeks will bring? We ignore what is happening now at our peril.
JVH
2 Responses
Frankly, I do not share your views at all. The Ukraine is wrought with criminal elements and I believe Putin is protecting his borders. A lot of the destruction in Ukraine has been geared towards Bioweapon labs and what confirms this for me is that main stream media is pushing now that “Snopes” has confirmed this is disinformation. The same players that are calling this an invasion and a travesty are the same players that instigated and created the Covid-19 pandemic. Tell me how Moderna could have patented their Covid-19 vaccine over three years ago? The “World” has been targeted by globalists and corrupt politicians. Who paid off Hunter Biden in the laptop scandal – Ukraine. Who has sons or daughters on energy companies in Ukraine; Pelosi, Kerry, Biden and a half dozen other politicians. Democrats and Republicans must find common ground or the country we have fought bravely for will disappear forever. Under what premise can any true American accept and agree to the censorship being forced on the American public? I’ve been kicked off Linked In for stating information that is fact but contrary to the narrative. If main stream media or big tech is pushing it, do the opposite. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and do not do it just on the main stream media sources as it’s a narrative that is meant to control you and take away your freedoms!
Barry: I have no illusions about the criminals in the Ukraine, nor about the gazillionaire warlords in Russia, and those in China. The world is a dangerous place but where does it end. Does Putin continue to “protect his borders” by taking Poland, or Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and the rest. Reminds me of another leader who protected his borders in the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Poland. He went on to protect himself from France, England, and…
All politicians are questionable. Most are on one take or another. But that doesn’t mean we sit by and let thugs roll over us.
JVH