One hopes that Putin will ultimately be forced to concede that he cannot conquer the Ukraine in any final sense, although given how much of his ego and his control over the Russian state is at stake, I don't see that happening without some measure of military holocaust. However, even assuming that he is successful militarily, he will find, like Hitler and Stalin and many 'conquerers' before him, that all he has done is added a large territory which he and his henchmen will have to control; a territory full of people who hate him and many of whom will continue to contest his power in any way they can. Like southern slaveholders in the US, he will learn to sleep very very lightly. And in the end, this Russian hegemony will not last any more than did its predecessor.
They never learn, and in that failure all they ever really accomplish to make a cemetery and call it victory.
This is WWIII. It's war of information, and we are getting our asses kicked. It's no wonder most of the country is clueless. Shame on all of us for letting this happen.
Yes, but don’t call it what it is (information warfare) or the Koch machine will cut your throat. https://archive.ph/SJod9
The above article mocks my former organization for calling a spade a spade. The article was first published in the pro-COVID infection think tank called The Brownstone Institute and was syndicated by The Epoch Time, Zerohedge and about 10 other far right websites I’ve never heard of.
Enjoy your time with your mother! And thanks so much for your astute observations and understanding of the underlying issues that help me to better appreciate the bigger picture. If I were King…
How is it that there are entities in NATO countries are doing business in Russia? This has to stop YESTERDAY!! That's blood money, and it's the Ukrainians blood! And if you don't stop Putin in Ukraine, his next move will be Moldova. Then Poland. That means American blood gets spilled. Give Ukraine what it needs to kick those bastards out of their country.
I cry for the Ukrainians. Their country has been overrun time and time again. The grasslands were fought over for thousands of years, and since then the vast gain fields have been fought over by empire builders for hundreds of years. The Ukrainian literature, from the horrors and suffering presented in Kuznetsov's Babi Yar, to the sadness and determination dramatized in Kurkov's Grey Bees, has shown me the strength of their convictions and their need to be their own people, in charge of their own destiny.
Thank you Ruth, while I do sympathize with the Gazan Palestinians I sympathize and admire the Ukainians. This is a black and white war. No shadows. Putin is 100% rotten to the core, solidly wrong with no saving graces. The Ukrainians on the other hand are 100% victims. They did nothing to evoke this invasion besides being alive.
I am American by choice, I wasn't born here I chose to become a citizen because I admired our Constitution. Because I saw Americans who stood up for the down trodden, for those innocents in need. Something I didn't see in Canada at that time. But since 1967 there has been growing a disastrous worm in my country; a toxic worm called greed. It has infected such a large percentage of us that we are now teetering on the blade of disaster.
Can we kill that worm? Can we survive as a democratically formed representative republic? Can we finally rise against totally bad people like the Ayatollah Khomenei, Benjamin Netanyahu. Vladamir Putin and others? Or will we slip into a fascist dictatorship?
I thought we had won the right to send ammunition and weapons to Zelenski, when the National Security Bill was passed. Why has that not happened? or was it too little, too late?
“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. ... Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.” -Hanna Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism (1951)
It is crucial that we do not allow others to pretend that our current situation and the potential future under a fascist, totalitarian Christian nationalist regime were unforeseeable.
This is a powerful analysis of the current state of affairs. Seems to me that much of our middlin' support of Ukraine is part of our fascination with the power differential that is based on greed. I have long maintained that there are four major religions on this planet: Judeo-Christian, Muslim, all those Eastern religions, and greed. Unfortunately, all three of the former have been consumed in one way or another, with the latter. It is just not a problem with banking and the body politic.
🙏 Thank you so much for this essay. How many Americans realize that NATO fully utilized could defeat ALL Russian forces in Ukraine in about 20 minutes. Cruise missiles and ATACMS, F22’s on top of F35’s on top of F15 and F 16s on top of A 10’s. 20 minutes is all it would take. This would eliminate the Russian threat for at least a decade, probably more. That peace time economic gain would pencil out. 🙏
It sounds like we should be asking our politicians to legislate sanctions on banks that do business with Russia? What about all of the other businesses? Is this a case of the Biden administration having to wait until after the election to provide meaningful assistance. The USA is currently a country that is on the brink of being taken over by a dictatorship itself. That has distracted from support of Ukraine, as well as the Gaza and Israel war. I see Russian bots all over this, as well as on what is going on in European countries where right wing parties are winning majorities. Right now the AfD in Germany, which I call the New German Nazi Party, has risen to second place behind the Christian Democrats. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1257178/voting-intention-in-germany/
The fact that the German courts say that they are a party against the Democracy and therefore can be investigated does not seem to affect the party's growth although there was a little dip from all of the anti-Fascism protesting.
Professor Timothy Snyder of Yale would completely agree. Reminds one of 30's Germany when Jewish emigration from Nazi Germany was restricted leading to massive death in the 40's of millions of Jews. Need only look at the plight of ship St Louis going from Port to Port in attempt to find safe haven for Jews. Little has changed past 80 to 90 years. The unnecessary seems to always be necessary but for different reasons.
Dear Dr. Ben-Ghiat. Brilliant analysis. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment that the invasion of Ukraine demonstrates an act of weakness, perhaps desperation. Russia is wrought with corruption that hopefully will be the downfall of Putin. Time will tell. The strength of the Putin system is the ability to spread lies, disinformation, and influencing the unlearned to the benefit of Putin and his cronies benefit. During 2014, Putin (which I use as emblematic of the Russian system), convinced public opinion the invasion of Crimea wasn't really an invasion. The Russian disinformation campaign in the United States is a brilliant propaganda study if it was not so insidious. Convincing many that Ukraine doesn't exist and has always been part of Russia is a prime example of the exploitation of the ignorant. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and subsequent atrocities are violations of international law - Ukraine is not seeking overt military action but funding to support their efforts, a small investment to end the occupation and prevent further intrusions into other areas.
One hopes that Putin will ultimately be forced to concede that he cannot conquer the Ukraine in any final sense, although given how much of his ego and his control over the Russian state is at stake, I don't see that happening without some measure of military holocaust. However, even assuming that he is successful militarily, he will find, like Hitler and Stalin and many 'conquerers' before him, that all he has done is added a large territory which he and his henchmen will have to control; a territory full of people who hate him and many of whom will continue to contest his power in any way they can. Like southern slaveholders in the US, he will learn to sleep very very lightly. And in the end, this Russian hegemony will not last any more than did its predecessor.
They never learn, and in that failure all they ever really accomplish to make a cemetery and call it victory.
That is a theme throughout Russian history.
yes
May it be so.
This is WWIII. It's war of information, and we are getting our asses kicked. It's no wonder most of the country is clueless. Shame on all of us for letting this happen.
Home and abroad!
That's what I'm talking about; the axis of authoritarianism. It runs through China, Russia, Iran, Hungary, the MAGA party. It's killing us.
Ruth, we’re on the same page!
Yes, but don’t call it what it is (information warfare) or the Koch machine will cut your throat. https://archive.ph/SJod9
The above article mocks my former organization for calling a spade a spade. The article was first published in the pro-COVID infection think tank called The Brownstone Institute and was syndicated by The Epoch Time, Zerohedge and about 10 other far right websites I’ve never heard of.
Agree
What do we do, at this point, to reverse the trend? MSM needs to expose the truth!
thank you, Ruth; i look forward to these mid-week communications - albeit the heartbreak within
Enjoy your time with your mother! And thanks so much for your astute observations and understanding of the underlying issues that help me to better appreciate the bigger picture. If I were King…
The ghost of Madeline Albright is mouthing, "I told you so"
How is it that there are entities in NATO countries are doing business in Russia? This has to stop YESTERDAY!! That's blood money, and it's the Ukrainians blood! And if you don't stop Putin in Ukraine, his next move will be Moldova. Then Poland. That means American blood gets spilled. Give Ukraine what it needs to kick those bastards out of their country.
That's why I wanted to call them out
And thank you for that.
I cry for the Ukrainians. Their country has been overrun time and time again. The grasslands were fought over for thousands of years, and since then the vast gain fields have been fought over by empire builders for hundreds of years. The Ukrainian literature, from the horrors and suffering presented in Kuznetsov's Babi Yar, to the sadness and determination dramatized in Kurkov's Grey Bees, has shown me the strength of their convictions and their need to be their own people, in charge of their own destiny.
Thank you Ruth, while I do sympathize with the Gazan Palestinians I sympathize and admire the Ukainians. This is a black and white war. No shadows. Putin is 100% rotten to the core, solidly wrong with no saving graces. The Ukrainians on the other hand are 100% victims. They did nothing to evoke this invasion besides being alive.
I am American by choice, I wasn't born here I chose to become a citizen because I admired our Constitution. Because I saw Americans who stood up for the down trodden, for those innocents in need. Something I didn't see in Canada at that time. But since 1967 there has been growing a disastrous worm in my country; a toxic worm called greed. It has infected such a large percentage of us that we are now teetering on the blade of disaster.
Can we kill that worm? Can we survive as a democratically formed representative republic? Can we finally rise against totally bad people like the Ayatollah Khomenei, Benjamin Netanyahu. Vladamir Putin and others? Or will we slip into a fascist dictatorship?
I thought we had won the right to send ammunition and weapons to Zelenski, when the National Security Bill was passed. Why has that not happened? or was it too little, too late?
Well said Ruth and what a tragedy !
“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. ... Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.” -Hanna Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism (1951)
It is crucial that we do not allow others to pretend that our current situation and the potential future under a fascist, totalitarian Christian nationalist regime were unforeseeable.
This is a powerful analysis of the current state of affairs. Seems to me that much of our middlin' support of Ukraine is part of our fascination with the power differential that is based on greed. I have long maintained that there are four major religions on this planet: Judeo-Christian, Muslim, all those Eastern religions, and greed. Unfortunately, all three of the former have been consumed in one way or another, with the latter. It is just not a problem with banking and the body politic.
Thank you
🙏 Thank you so much for this essay. How many Americans realize that NATO fully utilized could defeat ALL Russian forces in Ukraine in about 20 minutes. Cruise missiles and ATACMS, F22’s on top of F35’s on top of F15 and F 16s on top of A 10’s. 20 minutes is all it would take. This would eliminate the Russian threat for at least a decade, probably more. That peace time economic gain would pencil out. 🙏
I really appreciate the dots being connected here between Western banks and Putin. Is there a divest from Russia movement? There should be.
It sounds like we should be asking our politicians to legislate sanctions on banks that do business with Russia? What about all of the other businesses? Is this a case of the Biden administration having to wait until after the election to provide meaningful assistance. The USA is currently a country that is on the brink of being taken over by a dictatorship itself. That has distracted from support of Ukraine, as well as the Gaza and Israel war. I see Russian bots all over this, as well as on what is going on in European countries where right wing parties are winning majorities. Right now the AfD in Germany, which I call the New German Nazi Party, has risen to second place behind the Christian Democrats. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1257178/voting-intention-in-germany/
The fact that the German courts say that they are a party against the Democracy and therefore can be investigated does not seem to affect the party's growth although there was a little dip from all of the anti-Fascism protesting.
Professor Timothy Snyder of Yale would completely agree. Reminds one of 30's Germany when Jewish emigration from Nazi Germany was restricted leading to massive death in the 40's of millions of Jews. Need only look at the plight of ship St Louis going from Port to Port in attempt to find safe haven for Jews. Little has changed past 80 to 90 years. The unnecessary seems to always be necessary but for different reasons.
Dear Dr. Ben-Ghiat. Brilliant analysis. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment that the invasion of Ukraine demonstrates an act of weakness, perhaps desperation. Russia is wrought with corruption that hopefully will be the downfall of Putin. Time will tell. The strength of the Putin system is the ability to spread lies, disinformation, and influencing the unlearned to the benefit of Putin and his cronies benefit. During 2014, Putin (which I use as emblematic of the Russian system), convinced public opinion the invasion of Crimea wasn't really an invasion. The Russian disinformation campaign in the United States is a brilliant propaganda study if it was not so insidious. Convincing many that Ukraine doesn't exist and has always been part of Russia is a prime example of the exploitation of the ignorant. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and subsequent atrocities are violations of international law - Ukraine is not seeking overt military action but funding to support their efforts, a small investment to end the occupation and prevent further intrusions into other areas.