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Clarity About Russian Brutality

February 26, 2022

 


  Ukrainian apartments destroyed by Russian missiles


Article by Rod Dreher in The American Conservative


Clarity About Russian Brutality

To recap, here’s what I think about this Russia-Ukraine war:

  1. Russia should not have invaded Ukraine.
  2. The West played a big role in bringing this about, first by ignoring Russia’s legitimate security concerns, and second by allowing the Ukrainian government to think that NATO accession might be possible.
  3. The West should not engage militarily, at all. It’s too risky.
  4. Facing the long-term revived Cold War between the US and a Russia-China axis, the US ruling class had better get it straight in its head that its culture war on both conservatives and on American history and tradition is a massive national security concern. Who is going to fight for a country that they have been taught is worthless? Who is going to fight for a government and a social order that despises them and treats them like they’re deplorable?

I still firmly believe all that. But waking up this morning to the news that Russia has widened and intensified its military assault on Ukraine, I want to say — to yell, really — that the Russian government of Vladimir Putin is an utter disgrace for launching this assault on its weaker neighbor. By this act, Putin has brought disgrace and suffering onto his nation and its people, and I hope that it will prove to be his downfall, and that poor Russia can get a better class of leadership. I have defended Russia for many years to my friends, because it is one of the world’s great cultures and civilizations. It still is, and I will still praise what it praiseworthy in all things Russian, despite the fact that Putin has made it far more difficult for people like me, who are admirers of Russian religion and culture, to defend these worthy things to Americans. Please do not associate Russia and the Russian people entirely with the Russian government! Nevertheless, all the virtues of Russia cannot erase the foulness of this imperialistic invasion.

The fact that a number of American talking heads are saying idiotic things about how we need to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, and similar belligerencies, requires people like me to keep our focus on not escalating the war. I feel so strongly about this because I’m seeing a lot of the same thoughtless rage driving public discussion that I saw in 2002, in the march-up to the disastrous Iraq War. War with Russia could be incomparably more destructive to the world, and to US interests. But in no case should anything I say here be interpreted as excusing Putin’s aggression. 

Europe a more dangerous place. Aside from brutalizing Ukraine, Putin has forced the countries of Central Europe, as well as Finland and Sweden, to face the necessity of intensified militarization, for the sake of self-defense. Russia has threatened Sweden and Finland with unspecified consequences if they join NATO. This is why NATO must bring both of those countries in as soon as possible.

As I have said all along, for historical and geographical reasons, Russia had, and has, a legitimate reason to demand Ukraine does not join NATO. But dictating terms about Sweden and Finland? Oh, hell no.

I hope the Ukrainians give the invaders hell. It seems to me that whatever the geopolitics of a given situation, when any patriot finds enemy soldiers on his home territory, he is justified in doing whatever it takes to get them off of it.

UPDATE: Just to remind you, the Russians have been sons of bitches to Ukrainians for a long time:

 

 

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/clarity-about-russian-brutality-ukraine/ 

 






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