I Am Still Shocked

Protests like this one are happening are happening all over the world (Guardian)

Every night since Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, I remain incredulous that this is actually happening. I must have said ‘I can’t believe it!’ hundreds of times since then. Several times each night.as I watch the news reports on the broadcast media.

It is still hard to believe even as I watch it happening. How - in 2022 - can a sovereign nation be attacked by a superpower without provocation? This is why I never thought Putin would do it. And thought his buildup of the military on the borders of the Ukraine was jus one big bluff. But as I subsequently admitted, I was very wrong.

This was my thinking. Until this event, Putin’s Russia was doing relatively well. The cold war was over. True his leadership has not been a model of democratic principles. (To say the least having been accused of poisoning his political rivals. But he denied it and there was never any hard conclusive proof that he was directly responsible. And the world did not do much to follow up on those accusations.) Yes, Putin had surely done some horrible things to hold onto power. But on the whole his behavior was relatively mild compared to his predecessors. 

The people of Russia seemed to be happy with their lot under Him. Putin was relatively popular among the masses. Jews had been freed up to practice their faith without fear of persecution. Or to emigrate out of the country to Israel, the US, or any country that would have them. Relations with Europe and the US were pretty good (until relatively recently after all those cyber attacks). And relations between Israel and Russia were steadily improving. 

I therefore concluded that we were dealing with a rational person that wanted the best for his people while enriching himself in the process. Life for Putin was good.

 And yet Putin decided to restore the FSU to its former glory. Why rock that boat? With a few tweaks here and there, Russia was on the verge of gaining some respectability among the nations. Why risk losing any chance of that? Especially knowing the draconian consequences to Russia if he executed his plan. Not the least of which is all the bloodshed that a war entails - even to his own troops.

Those consequences are happening fast and furious. Consequences in which the entire civilized world is participating. (See here.) There has never been more unity among European nations and the US than there is right now. Those sanctions are ruining his country. And more may be coming!

 If restoring the FSU means so much to him, why did it take him so long to try it? Did Putin think the world would just look the other way as he attacked and took over a sovereign democratic European nation? If he did, that may have been the biggest miscalculation of his life. An insanely stupid mistake! I really didn’t think he was that stupid. The pain so obviously outweighs the gain that no sane person would risk ruining his country over it. And why now? Why did it take Putin so many years to do this?

All this is water under the bridge. The deed is done. and the consequences to Russia are devastating. 

Putin’s insane attempt to somehow restore the glory of the FSU means that he will not stop no matter how had his country suffers. He has lost his senses. He is  determined to get what he wants and probably won’t stop with the Ukraine.

The question is what can we and the rest of the civilized world do about it? Putin has already placed his military on high nuclear alert. President Biden thinks this is a bluff because everyone understands that nuclear war means the end of civilization as we know it. But if Putin is backed into a corner with nothing to lose, who is to say that he won’t do it? 

I see no good outcomes here. God help us all.