The annexation of the Crimea was extremely successful for Russia. There were no negative consequences, nobody opposed it with anything except words. So why exactly would anybody want to be different?
It’s like people have been in a coma since 2013. Europe doesn’t live in a rule-based order anymore. Anybody grabs the lands they want and others sit vapidly by. Denmark, for example, eagerly bought Russian oil since 2014. Utterly unfazed by the annexation of the Crimea. Established a “productive dialogue on Arctic cooperation” with Russia after the annexation. The Danish Foreign Minister followed Lavrov around like a lovesick puppy for years. It’s important not to be like Russia, though. Very important.
“How would it be different? Do you understand that you will lose your moral advantage? Isn’t that like the absolute worstest?”
Go ask Ukrainians who believed in this crap about the moral advantage, refused to strike civilians in Russia, and are now freezing to death. They will die proud of never stooping to their opponent’s level.
No, I don’t think we should invade Greenland. Obviously not. My post is not about Greenland. It’s about, let’s quit it with “how is this different from Russia.” Use absolutely any other example to make your point. Russia was not punished in any way for its aggressive behavior since the beginning of the twentieth century. The West paid it tribute for the Cold War. Bush Junior waxed poetic about Putin’s soul. Obama helped him disarm Ukraine. Trump rolled out the red carpet. Denmark pranced around buying oil and looking rapt with pleasure.
This is what not being like Russia looks like, and who in hell wants to be this?
Clarissa's Blog 
The West has lost. The West IS lost.
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“Ukrainians who believed in this crap about the moral advantage”
Question…. what are the bases of morality in Ukraine and russia?
In Poland, it’s obviously Christianity (esp Roman Catholicism) and certain more secular western ideas about things like ‘rule of law’ and ‘individual rights’ and ‘human dignity’.
Ukraine seems broadly similar… even Ukrainian corruption seems basically like corruption in western countries (already rich people plundering public monies to make themselves even richer) .
russia… I got nothin’…. I’m very weak about knowing how Orthodox morality is even framed and the russian orthodox church is an arm of the government’s security services. Corruption in russia, again nothing I can really relate to…. it seems to be about asserting dominance for the sake of asserting dominance with deadly power games in the shadows…. at times it seems like a burlesque of western morality, framing apathy and cynicism and petty theft (all that most can indulge in) as the really smart moves.
What does it mean in russia to be a ‘good person’? What do concepts like ‘ethics’ refer to (or do they exist)?
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In Russia it’s all about hunting Nazis. They find it very acceptable to do the most atrocious things to Ukrainians because they’ve convinced themselves that these are Nazis. And Nazis are so absolutely evil that you are justified in doing anything to them. When you remove any limitations of sexual morality, any religious limitations, and go on for generations about the only existing morality being that of killing Nazis, this is the result. This is why N’s mother marches around in a Red Army uniform at the age of 76 and feels great about herself in spite of never having seen her only grandchild. She’s fighting Nazis! That’s more important than anything.
This all sounds completely crazy and I know people will think I’m inventing this but my own cousins whose village was razed to the ground by Russians in 2014 and who have been living in Russia since then go to these anti-Nazi marches like complete zombies.
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LOL, is it just me or does this guy remind you of “the church lady” at snl ;-D
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