(March 18, 2022 at 11:30 am)HappySkeptic Wrote: I've been reading articles that try to explain the current war, and there are a few cultural and historical things at play.
* An idea that Kyiv is the birthplace of the first Rus empire, and is therefore part of Russia
* The fact that Russian has been an empire, ruled by autocrats for 1000 years.
* While the concept of Empire lost its moral foundation in the West, it is still present in Russia.
* The Soviet military doctrine that Russia must have client states as buffer zones in case the West invades like Hitler or Napoleon did.
* Russians see their culture and religion as superior. The Russian Orthodox Church is part of the state apparatus, declaring Western liberalism as evil.
These ideas will take generations to change. The problem isn't just Putin. It is history, religion, and a belief in Empire.
So, you're saying I should nuke Russia?
Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:
"You did WHAT? With WHO? WHERE???"
