Why Europe Is Unprepared to Defend Itself
bloomberg.com
bloomberg.com
WTF is wrong with the Russian people?
One nut-ball gains power and the whole country falls down prostrate in obedience. Perhaps Lenin, Stalin, et al killed off all the independent thinkers and ended their bloodlines. Perhaps the Russian people are incapable of rising from serfdom.
What's the average IQ of Russians today? Are they smarter for going thru the war and communism or dumber? Does crisis (war, turmoil) kill off the dumb ones faster than idiotic ideologies (e.g., anti-semitism) kill off the smart ones?
When you actually see this brainwashed rhetoric in the wild, it sticks out like a sore thumb. They will always blame NATO for things they aren't involved in or situations where consequences are justified. They reach for nonsense strawmen like Jewish conspirators, underground CIA bunkers or homosexual subliminal messaging. Anything can be responsible for Russia's collapse, as long as it's not the Russians.
If every Russian person and every Russian culture is intrinsically evil, why would the world help defend Ukraine? Because the people aren't the problem, doofus. Either get off your high horse or tell us which country you come from so we can proportionally criticize your own "responsibility".
If we discuss German society role in enabling the Third Reich, it is not racism against Germans. If we analyze Japanese society's role in WWII atrocities and unit 731, it is not racist against Japanese people.
These discussions led to positive cultural changes precisely because they focused on changeable behaviors, not ethnicity.
Your Syria comparison actually proves my point. Syrians demonstrated massive resistance to their government - millions chose exile, fought back, or actively protested. In contrast, we see 80%+ support for the war in Russia, limited internal resistance relative to population size, and widespread diaspora support.
The "racist" counterargument appears to be a rhetorical device on your part to shut down legitimate discussion of societal responsibility. It's particularly telling that instead of addressing the evidence (documented support for rapes, patterns of behavior, cultural acceptance of authoritarianism), you jump to accusations of racism.
Each society must face its choices. Germany did. Japan did. Many others have. This isn't about inherent characteristics - it's about changeable behaviors and cultural patterns that enable specific outcomes.
As a final example: In the USA a majority of the actual voters, just a few week ago, elected as president an individual convicted of rape in civil procedure, convicted of business fraud in a court by a jury of it's peers, that refused to rent to people of color, mocked a disabled reporter, simulated oral sex with a microphone in front of children, and tried 44 times to remove a law that protected health care patients with pre-existing conditions.
Do you say these millions do not have any collective responsibility on their decisions, on what was a free election? :-)
A man finds an old oil lamp, rubs it, and out pops a genie. The genie offers to grant him one wish, with the caveat: whatever he wishes for, his neighbor will get double.
The man thinks for a moment, then says: "Take out one of my eyes."
As a Russian citizen, I'd like to mention two things. First, the Communist revolution disrupted the continuity of tradition in Russia. The knowledge, heritage and legacy that many people cherished was wiped out through killings and forced exile. Second, there is an esoteric aspect rooted deeply in Eastern Orthodoxy that cannot be easily explained.
Currently, many of the most intelligent Russian citizens are attempting to relinquish their Russian citizenship, seeing it as the best path forward for themselves as individuals. The opportunity to fight for a better collective future faded away long ago.