Gratitude for Russia

"The point is that we are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield." - George Orwell, 'In Front Of Your Nose,' 1946.

Russia is one of only two countries with the economic and military might to stand up to the lies and military aggression of the US-led West. If Russia hadn't confronted the U.S. militarily over Ukraine, Western military agression would have gone on unchecked, creating additional catastrophes for human civilization such as we have seen in Vietnam, Indonesia, Iraq, Latin America, Afghanistan, Syria, and now Ukraine.

Humanity faces real problems such as global warming and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. has diverted attention from these problems while fear mongering with regard to countries such as China and Russia, and started a new and potentially fatal arms race.

So I am grateful to Putin and Russia and hope their victory in Ukraine knocks some sense into the West. They put everything on the iine for what they believe to be true and just. Then our number one priority, as passionately advocated by Scott Ritter, should be a return to serious arms control.

My World View

 Again, Jeffrey Sachs has pretty much captured, and made explicit, my worldview: 

Jeffrey D. Sachs – The New Geopolitics

Evil Defined

What is evil?  It can be defined by example.  It is criminal, but possibly understandable, to kill someone (e.g. crime of passion, self defense, revenge, etc.).  But to kill someone and blame someone else who is innocent is evil.  Any possible rationale with regard to ultimate justice is forfeited when the innocent are falsely accused.

And so the West's condemnation of Putin is the world's greatest evil today.  It has resulted in a horrific war in Ukraine and a new arms race that threatens to destroy humanity.  The West abrogrates treaties with Russia and moves weapons close to its borders, interferes violently in its politics and in the politics of neighboring countries, all the while accusing Russia of this behavior. 

This can be seen most clearly in the scapegoating of Russia for the election of Donald Trump in 2016.  Democratic politicians worked with the Ukraine governmet to falsely demonize Russia and Putin.  Working with a foreign government to influence an election is illegal.  Accusing Trump of doing what the Democrats were themselves doing is (and continues to be) evil.

The same can be said for war crimes in Ukraine.  War crimes committed by Ukrainian partisans are blamed on Russia.  These range from the horrific (Bucha) to the absurd (Nord Stream).

Russia is a convenient scapegoat as they are remote and have no voice in the West.  But the evil can be seen in events that have nothing to do with Russia.  For example, the covid crisis resulted in Western leadership blaming Trumpers and independents for covid disinformation, while spreading disinformation about ivermectin, vaccines, lab origins, etc.  Fauci and friends not only made mistakes, but they blamed the mistakes on others who were innocent.

We need truth and reconciliation.  The world needs to come together to fight serious problems such as the arms race, the threat of pandemic, environmental crises, and, yes, disinformation.  The West wasn't wrong to want to fight disinformation, but it was wrong to blame innocent people while the leadership spread disinformation as described above.

The West Faces Greatest Threat Ever

The "West" -- the anglophile countries plus western Europe and Japan -- is now in its worst geopolitical position ever.  This is worse than WWII when Germany and Japan were relatively isolated and bereft of natural resources.  This is worse than the heyday of the Soviet Union in alliance with Communist China in the 1960s.  Now we are in a hot, if proxy, war with Russia, and in a cold war with China.  China and Russia are strongly allied and much more powerful than they were in the 1960s. China is the world's premier manufacturer, and Russia is the leader in natural resources.  

The Worst Human Group Experience

Other than natural disaster, is there anything worse for a society than to be on the losing side in a war?