“Here Be Monsters”

The American Mind ^ | 03/14/21 | Kyle Shideler

[PoliticallyShort]

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the phrase “national interest” has become something of a blasphemy. Certain thinkers in the “realist” school of foreign policy analysis have drawn social media ire for articulating the interests which might motivate Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine or questioning whether the United States has a significant interest in intervening there.

Increasingly in our censorious modern world, any attempt to understand the behavior of an actor (in this case Russia) is treated as a de facto endorsement of that actor’s behavior. This is not a new development. During the Global War on Terror those of us who tried to articulate the ideological framework within which jihadists operated were accused of believing the same things as the terrorists themselves...We now live in a period where some Americans, who would not be caught dead flying Old Glory, are displaying the flags of countries they cannot even find on a map, while accusing fellow citizens who hesitate to take a side in a distant conflict of being agents in the service of a foreign power.

[MNJohnnie]

Fraudulent straw man argument.

There is a difference between “understanding” Putin's actions and actively propagandizing for Putin.

Repeating Putin's claims as fact with no critical thinking and rational analysis is being a Putin propaganda bot.

Refusing to acknowledged the fundamental barbarianism and illegality in Putin's actions is being a propaganda bot.

Refusing to see that in 2022, Putin has basically turned the clock back to the 1930s in his brute force approach to international relations is being a Putin propaganda bot.

Screaming in hysteria, as this author does, when anyone points out that fundamental truth about their actions, is the act of a propaganda bot.

[hardspunned]

Now if the Putin were looking for for phantom yellow cake, the butchery could continue for 20 years while he looked, right? Like 15 days to flatten the curve. Please remind me, other than the yellow cake 6000 miles away, why the15,000 dead American boys and million dead Arabs?

[wildcard_redneck]

We have a ruling oligarchy that more than happy to kill as many of us as they can.

[sauropod]

.

[Thilly Thailor]

I agree. Russia certainly has some equities in the balance. Luhansk and Donetsk are ethnically Russian and were being harassed by Ukrainian nationalists. Russia has legitimate interests in the security arrangements the West makes with Ukraine. The list goes on.

But all of that was under discussion and progress could have been made to resolve those and other issues. But Russia chose not to first exhaust all peaceful options before resorting to kinetic ones as absolutely required by international law and basic rules of morality. Russia violated a whole host of treaty obligations by invading Ukraine, including the UN Charter, and committed a grave crime against basic human morality and decency with its unprovoked and unjustified violence.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is wholly illegal. It's a complete and unforgivable breach of the peace and of the very international order that brought not only Russia, Ukraine and Europe the prosperity that comes with peace but that of the entire world.

Russia is the aggressor. Russia broke the peace and drove millions of innocent civilians from their homes.

If we love the relative peace the entire world has enjoyed the past 77 years, then Russia must be stopped. We must hand Russia a humiliating defeat in Ukraine. I hope we can do that by supplying the Ukrainians with weapons and material, but if not then we will have no choice but to put a stop to Russian aggression using any means necessary.

Many here will say "it's not our business." I say it's long past time we made it our business.