seanessay.com
I have never been to Russia, I can’t directly say whether Russians are ready for the responsibilities of democracy. What I can say is I saw a Youtube video where many people in a nice modern Russian city were interviewed on camera. To the question about Ukraine, “Do you feel guilty?” person after person, after person, said “no.”
I live in a democracy. A few years back, a lawyer I knew, who was a preschooler during the Nazi years, returned to Germany for a visit. Back home, socializing in our club, he said it took days before he was able to tell us about how he still felt guilty.
I have read several comments by westerners who say NATO expansion was the cause of Putin—the fellow who claimed his forces would not not invade, claimed his war was merely a “special military operation”—choosing to invade Ukraine. I would ask such commenters: Who said so? Who’s he? And if the commenter replies “Russian President Putin” I would say, “Stop right there! At the word “Russian!”
The words of a dude on CBC apply: “No rational person believes anything the Russians say.”
I have never been to Middle Earth, but to me the definition of an invading Orc is a creature who can’t feel any responsibility for democracy, truth and the Geneva Convention.
…
…
Sean Crawford
Canada,
where it will be many years before the Russians are trusted,
April
2022
