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[-] killallq@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

The lesson to be learned from WWII is that appeasement of land-hungry countries is not a solution for long term world peace. Because of Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler's annexation of the Sudetenland and Austria, Hitler learned that the world would simply let him take whatever he wanted if he bared his teeth.

Putin views the fall of the USSR with bitterness, and wants to bring the USSR back. From his prior incursions into Chechnya and Crimea, he had learned that he could take whatever territory he wanted and the world would turn a blind eye out of fear of starting a larger conflict. He had hoped that Trump would be reelected, reducing the likelihood of a united West against this offensive he had been planning for years.

So, he had plans to take Moldova after Ukraine. He expected Ukraine's inexperienced, ex-actor president to flee like Hamid Karzai when his forces made a beeline for Kyiv. Instead, Zelenskyy stood his ground, lead the defense of Ukraine, and marshalled materiel support from NATO. Ukraine is choosing to fiercely defend itself; even if pacifists who want to minimize total casualties were to get the US and NATO to cease all support for Ukraine, "allowing" it to be overrun, there would be no speedy end to the conflict. And then, even if Russia were to claim all of Ukraine, the bloodshed would not stop there, as he would continue to take former USSR member states.

[-] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

even if pacifists who want to minimize total casualties were to get the US and NATO to cease all support for Ukraine

Don't call people who want to let Putin profit from his warmongering "pacifists".

[-] Cabrio@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Pacifism is the cowardice to defend oneself.

[-] veedant@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That isn't entirely true, imho. I live by the motto "Hope for peace, but prepare for war".

[-] Cabrio@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

The you aren't a pacifist. A pacifist considers violence and war as unjustifiable by definition.

Pacifism is an untenable position because the only way to ensure control of the actions of another is through force and domination due to a pesky thing called free will.

A pacifist is an idealist that has chosen not to contend with the reality that someone else may choose to be violent towards them. They have, through this unjustifiable position, determined that because pain is bad all violence has no justification, even in the defence of oneself. Pacifism is enabled by a core belief that all violence propagates violence.

Pacifism often limits this understanding of violence to the physical, as far as I'm aware no pacifist is against violence such as forced imprisonment of criminals.

[-] veedant@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 year ago

I never did say I was a pacifist.

[-] hark@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, best to appease countries like the US who don't officially take land, but will invade, overthrow, or fund opposition if you do not do what they say. It's funny to be seeing the grandstanding of Americans and the world coming together to moralize about Russia. Where was all this during the 20 years of Iraq? Apparently the biggest bully on the playground gets to dictate what's right.

[-] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

No, you're completely right. Other countries should've denounced the US for Iraq. But the fact that that didn't happen doesn't mean Russia gets a pass here too.

[-] hark@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

Absolutely, Russia is 100% wrong for invading Ukraine and it should be denounced and countered. I just find it interesting how strongly people feel about one invasion over another.

[-] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

And then you have other conflicts and genocides around the world too. From a historic geopolitical perspective, I understand why Ukraine and Russia has way more attention, and it's not like I think we should pay less attention to it. I just hope going forward we do this for other global conflicts.

As a liberal, this war has shown me that the US military and defence budget can be a force for good. It's a tool to be used by the wielder. The left can use it to help the world and maintain peace. I'd personally argue it's our duty, both ideologically and geopolitically. The US has done a lot of unsavory things to get where we are, the West overall even moreso -- it's time we gave back and made up for it.

this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
1289 points (96.9% liked)

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