<< Is it because it was them and not us, or because they don't matter and we do, or is that the same thing? >>
Neither.
It is because, by their cravenly cowardly capitulation before the barbarians' bloody bombings, they showed themselves to be beneath even our contempt!
It is because, by their cravenly cowardly capitulation before the barbarians' bloody bombings, they showed themselves to be beneath even our contempt!"
You're good at alliteration, but I'm not sure you're right. The degree of their capitulation should make us think more on what happened, not less, since the ramifications of it are potentially so serious.