Putin's Mad War
It looks like Russian President Vladimir Putin has started a war inside Ukraine as of this writing.
Already, hundreds of innocent Ukrainians have been murdered by Putin.
For this piece, I consider the Soviet Union a continuation of the old Russian Empire—just under new management. It had the same territory, and the Communists used the same levels of violence to maintain control.
Make no mistake, Putin is an unstable mob boss masquerading as the president of Russia. This is a leader who is comfortable with mass murder, as shown by the fact he helped war criminal Assad win the Syrian civil war. Even by the standards of world leaders, Putin has a frightening disregard for human life, even the lives of his own soldiers.
Nevertheless, it is useless to underestimate the enemy. Putin is a capable strategist who is quite skilled at asymmetrical warfare via ruthlessly attacking the weak points of his much stronger enemies.
For example, the Russians were able to exploit the deep history of racism in the United States to help propel Trump to the White House, they helped spread fake news in the United Kingdom to spur on Brexit, and there is evidence that the Russians are aiding the terrorists on the Canadian border conducting the illegal blockade.
In addition, the Ukrainian military is hopelessly outclassed by the Russian military. I am guessing it will only take a matter of days for the Russian military to overrun Ukraine.
However, I am predicting that the people of Ukraine will not take the occupation lying down. Russia is going to relearn that conquest is the easy part. Actually controlling this new territory will be much more difficult.
But the human cost will be enormous—at least tens of thousands dead and millions of refugees.
For this piece, I consider the Soviet Union a continuation of the old Russian Empire—just under new management. It had the same territory, and the Communists used the same levels of violence to maintain control.
Make no mistake, Putin is an unstable mob boss masquerading as the president of Russia. This is a leader who is comfortable with mass murder, as shown by the fact he helped war criminal Assad win the Syrian civil war. Even by the standards of world leaders, Putin has a frightening disregard for human life, even the lives of his own soldiers.
Nevertheless, it is useless to underestimate the enemy. Putin is a capable strategist who is quite skilled at asymmetrical warfare via ruthlessly attacking the weak points of his much stronger enemies.
For example, the Russians were able to exploit the deep history of racism in the United States to help propel Trump to the White House, they helped spread fake news in the United Kingdom to spur on Brexit, and there is evidence that the Russians are aiding the terrorists on the Canadian border conducting the illegal blockade.
In addition, the Ukrainian military is hopelessly outclassed by the Russian military. I am guessing it will only take a matter of days for the Russian military to overrun Ukraine.
However, I am predicting that the people of Ukraine will not take the occupation lying down. Russia is going to relearn that conquest is the easy part. Actually controlling this new territory will be much more difficult.
But the human cost will be enormous—at least tens of thousands dead and millions of refugees.
What Must Be Done
At the very least, Russia must be sanctioned back into the Stone Age. It will be much harder for Putin to rebuild the old Russian Empire if Russia has no functioning economy.If that does not work, I would support military intervention. I know how dangerous that proposition is, so the fact that I am seriously suggesting it should tell you how bad the situation has gotten.
Putin has shown how little he values the lives of his people. They are damned at this point.
Military and humanitarian assistance must be sent not just to the people of Ukraine, but to all of Eastern Europe.
Putin has shown how little he values the lives of his people. They are damned at this point.
Military and humanitarian assistance must be sent not just to the people of Ukraine, but to all of Eastern Europe.
Putin will not just stop at Ukraine, and he clearly does not care how many people he will kill in the process. Putin will not stop his acts of aggression unless stopped somehow.
To quote a highly problematic but farsighted British prime minister, “If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”
In this spirit, I would support sending weapons and other supplies to Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. I know how bad some of their governments are, but if Putin invaded hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in Congress.
To quote a highly problematic but farsighted British prime minister, “If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”
In this spirit, I would support sending weapons and other supplies to Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. I know how bad some of their governments are, but if Putin invaded hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in Congress.