AD1184
Celestial
What are the western powers attempting to achieve with their interventions in this conflict? We seem to have launched another emotive campaign without firm objectives, just as we could never crystallize what firm goals there were for Covid interventions, or for interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Libya. I would have hoped that the avoidance of war with Russia would have reigned supreme above every single other consideration. Not for the Russians' sake, but for our own, given the threat of mutually assured destruction. The NATO secretary general and various national leaders of NATO countries have ruled out direct military intervention in the conflict, which is a good thing. However, we are quite happy to intervene military in a less direct fashion by handing arms to Ukraine in a boastful way with expressions of hope that they may be used to kill Russian soldiers. What's more many western officials have made undisciplined remarks, such as France's finance minister declaring yesterday that they were 'waging all-out financial war' on Russia with sanctions and other financial measures, and Spain's prime minister announcing earlier today that his country would deliver 'offensive' military weapons to Ukraine, and that 'the only language Putin understands is war', implying that Spain is waging war on Putin.
Russia is condemned for violating Ukraine's territorial sovereignty, for launching a war on a bogus pretext, and for bombing civilians. However, the United States and allies did all of these things in Iraq, for example, less than twenty years ago, thus we have very little credibility in taking a stand. What we are saying is that it is only wrong when the Russians do it.
I have noticed for some time now that western media and governments have been attempting to condition us to accept the Ukrainian nationalist cause as our own. This is justified in various places as being out of a principle of fighting for freedom, democracy and national self-determination. But we frequently look the other way when these things are violated elsewhere, if not seek friendly relations with many of the violators (China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia to name a few). It is also at a time when western states are becoming increasingly authoritarian by clamping down upon freedom of speech, thought, and assembly, and, with extensive Covid lockdowns, even preventing people from leaving their homes and visiting friends and family, and from travelling between states. The European Union can only palate democracy when a vote goes the way that it wants it to go. The EU policy on democracy may as well be "you will keep voting until you give the correct result, then you must stop voting." The EU may welcome a desire from the Ukrainian people to join the bloc now, but it could never welcome a desire for those same people to leave later down the line, should they ever decide that membership is not for them.
We are now seemingly doing everything short of declaring out-right war on Russia, so what further room does that leave for escalation? We are eager to punish, but what are we offering Russia if it acquiesces and does what we want it to do? Are the sanctions going to be lifted immediately if Putin calls an end to his invasion? No doubt there will be many who will call for them to remain as an enduring punishment, and it is possible that this is what the Russians will now expect. And if that is the case, then what would be the point for Putin to comply with western demands, from his perspective? Boris Johnson has seemingly called for Putin to be jailed for war crimes, but how then can we expect him to ever relinquish power? There must be an avenue given for Putin to climb down diplomatically, or western efforts are likely to fail.
Russia is condemned for violating Ukraine's territorial sovereignty, for launching a war on a bogus pretext, and for bombing civilians. However, the United States and allies did all of these things in Iraq, for example, less than twenty years ago, thus we have very little credibility in taking a stand. What we are saying is that it is only wrong when the Russians do it.
I have noticed for some time now that western media and governments have been attempting to condition us to accept the Ukrainian nationalist cause as our own. This is justified in various places as being out of a principle of fighting for freedom, democracy and national self-determination. But we frequently look the other way when these things are violated elsewhere, if not seek friendly relations with many of the violators (China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia to name a few). It is also at a time when western states are becoming increasingly authoritarian by clamping down upon freedom of speech, thought, and assembly, and, with extensive Covid lockdowns, even preventing people from leaving their homes and visiting friends and family, and from travelling between states. The European Union can only palate democracy when a vote goes the way that it wants it to go. The EU policy on democracy may as well be "you will keep voting until you give the correct result, then you must stop voting." The EU may welcome a desire from the Ukrainian people to join the bloc now, but it could never welcome a desire for those same people to leave later down the line, should they ever decide that membership is not for them.
We are now seemingly doing everything short of declaring out-right war on Russia, so what further room does that leave for escalation? We are eager to punish, but what are we offering Russia if it acquiesces and does what we want it to do? Are the sanctions going to be lifted immediately if Putin calls an end to his invasion? No doubt there will be many who will call for them to remain as an enduring punishment, and it is possible that this is what the Russians will now expect. And if that is the case, then what would be the point for Putin to comply with western demands, from his perspective? Boris Johnson has seemingly called for Putin to be jailed for war crimes, but how then can we expect him to ever relinquish power? There must be an avenue given for Putin to climb down diplomatically, or western efforts are likely to fail.
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