AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF THE UKRAINE SITUATION.
Russia invaded Ukraine, without any provocation justifying the invasion. Now, historically, empires, kingdoms, nations, people and tribes have expanded their territory and increased their wealth through conquest. Conquest is the subjugation and assumption of control of a place or people by use of military force. We even have a term for the ones engaged in conquest, conquistadors. Of course, one could argue that all war has an element of conquest within it and this is true, but in the strict interpretation, True Conquest does not require necessity or provocation, it requires only greed and desire. You want something so you go and take it. That’s it. Russia is engaged in conquest in the traditional sense. Russia wanted the Ukraine and they are attempting to take it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, the Ukraine was thinking about joining NATO and that’s a threat to Russia so Russia is just being proactive and ensuring their security – because NATO nations are such conquistadors, always expanding their territory through military force, nope, not at all. If anything, NATO is an impotent entity hiding behind rhetoric and faux hutzpah, spouted by woke leaders that probably sate their weakness with thoughts of gender reassignment after a tough telephone call. It certainly was never a threat to anything Russian other than Russia’s longing for a return to the Soviet Union, which based upon NATO’s mediocre response to the current Russian invasion, NATO isn’t quite the deterrent it has claimed to be. So, here’s the first honest assessment: Russia’s invasion is an act of primitive conquest lead by primitive men who embody every one of the seven deadly sins with a lot in common with the Neandertals although that might be an insult to Neandertals.
The second honest assessment: Our leaders, the ones supposedly on our side, are terrible strategists and cowardly when it comes to problem solving. Russia is engaged in Conquest. Innocent people are being murdered, raped, tortured and dispossessed of their property. And our leaders have failed to articulate a solid objective in dealing with Russia’s conquest. Do they want the Ukraine to win or lose? How would one know?
But wait, what if things escalate? Are they not already? Do you think the Ukraine can prevail without things escalating? Do you think that if no further arms are provided to the Ukraine, and the Ukraine continues to push back and prevail, Russia will not escalate? Do you see any conceivable way where Russia, lead by Vladimir Putin, will waive the white flag and retreat to within its pre-invasion boarders? Of course not. Under all paths forward that contemplate the Ukraine prevailing, things will escalate because Russia will escalate them until Russia is either victorious or can no longer escalate because they are defeated. So, here’s the third honest assessment: Things will escalate until the Ukraine either surrenders or prevails.
Let’s circle back to the second honest assessment, the objective. If we want the Ukraine to win, things will absolutely escalate. Aren’t we seeing that right now? We are. If we want the Ukraine to lose, we should tell them. A desire to win or a desire to lose, we should make the call.
Here’s the fourth honest assessment. The world needs an articulate objective, win or lose, either one, but one or the other, not the anemic middle ground of uncertainty and compromise.
But isn’t it safer to hope the Ukraine wins without being supplied offensive weaponry because offensive weaponry as opposed to defensive weaponry is escalatory? No. Here’s the fifth honest truth: When somebody breaks into your home or your business or your nation, all weaponry is defensive. Offense or Defense is not defined by the weaponry, it’s defined by it’s use and when you’re using it to defend your home, business or nation, it’s defensive.
So, world leaders, ditch your Birkenstock’s, pronoun dyslexia, cowardness and snowflakiosis, go to your safety deposit box and see if you can retrieve your testicals, and do the following:
- Prosecute Russians for War Crimes.
- Establish and objective- Ukraine wins, Ukraine Loses, one or the other.
- If you chose win, provide all the weaponry you can.
- If you chose lose, admit it, tell the Ukraine and stop providing any aid other than humanitarian aid for the suffering masses.
I have a saying I remind myself of every so often. It goes like this: If you have to cross a field of shit, do it running or don’t do it at all. So, let’s get this thing done, one way or another. I’ve provided a simple plan.
That’s my Reetzality for the day. Thanks for the read. Brett Reetz