The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread

[personaldesas]

Did I claim "to be independently minded"? I did claim, at least to a friend of mine, to be "on the side of reality".

Everyone thinks they’re on the side of reality, almost by definition. The real difference is whether one can even consider that their own perception might be wrong. People who can’t do that aren’t usually very insightful, worth debating or listening to.

 

[Hoover]

Would you asses that the economist has it more or less right in calling Ukraine a “Hybrid Regime”?

The Economist Democracy Index - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A country at war is a very special point of view. Most democratic states have laws which restrict the freedom. Ukraine is not an exemplary flawless democracy, it has many problems in terms of corruption, oligarchy etc, but it is the most democratic state of all former Soviet republics behind the Moldavia and the Baltic states.

If the Ukraine is losing the war, it will not becoming a better demoracy.

 

[rsemmes]

rsemmes’s style is clearly provocative and polemical, more commentary than analysis. That’s fair enough. If it’s not your thing, you can always just ignore it. But there is no need to get all so worked up about it.

Or, I cannot obviate hypocrisy.
Every time Ukraine kills women and children is collateral damage, every time Russia kills women and children is a war crime (every time we kill women and children is "human shields used by the terrorists"); I cannot swallow that.

 

[rsemmes]

Everyone thinks they’re on the side of reality, almost by definition. The real difference is whether one can even consider that their own perception might be wrong. People who can’t do that aren’t usually very insightful, worth debating or listening to.

I don't think Zelenski is.
Ukraine (in broad terms) has no money, no weapons and no soldiers. Conditions (terms for a Peace Agreement) were better in Istanbul than now, in three years time they will be worse. There is nothing (to improve the terms) that Ukraine can do about it.
I cannot read any other reality.

 

[rsemmes]

Im not really sure how I can convince Putin to go home. Maybe a sternly worded letter to the UN ?

Unless you start (WW3) escalation. You don't know Russia's reaction, you don't know how we will react.
That would be a closer war.