As someone who has read a lot on WW2 Europe and particularly the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, it looks familiar in really bad ways.
Things are really kicking off there. Seems to me that Putin wants to essentially hollow Ukraine out and pull the strings on a pro-Kremlin puppet, while driving out would-be resistance and seizing territory and natural resources.
I refrained from any tongue-in-cheek "World War III Vigil" labels here, because it's not funny and, to this historian's eyes, not at all out of the question (not necessarily likely, but also not off the table).
As someone who has read a lot on WW2 Europe and particularly the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, it looks familiar in really bad ways.
Probably an empty gesture for me to say so on a message board, but I pray for the people in harm’s way. War is awful, full stop, and I fear we are about to see some horrifying death and destruction.
WWI as well.
The way that Putin is resting territorial claims on ethno-nationalism bears striking parallels to the Balkans being caught in between Russia and Austria-Hungary in the early 20th century, and to ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland in the 1930s.
Indeed, making it ironic that is Putin is using denazification as one of his pretexts for invasion.
There are so many ways this could go sideways. Very dangerous times. In a best case scenario—with no escalation beyond the borders of Ukraine—there’s substantial global economic risk.
Oh, and just when it looks like we are on the cusp of putting the worst of the pandemic behind us we get this kick in the pants.
I’m hoping we can agree that each of the recent administrations bear some burden here and leave it at that. Otherwise this thread won’t be open long.
(And, if we don’t agree on that, to avoid that part of the issue anyway.)
$0.02
I have read some and the parallels are scary. The end game of the rise of Nazi Germany was WW2. What ia the end game here?
I don't see sanctions on Putin working at all or any other economic measure. According to CNN the Russian stock market has crashed and the ruble is at a record low, which I think he had to know would happen. He has prepared his people that this is something they must do for their future safety. I don't think the West can just let him have Ukraine and also doubt if he will be satisfied with it. Russia moving into a NATO country invites WW3.
Very very scary to me. I wish I could be optimistic but find it hard here.
SoCal
I would argue it's fair game to say that Putin is using this to gain territory, strengthen his hold on Russia, sow Discord and influence politics in the West. That seems like a rational phrasing that doesn't single out individual situations in individual countries in the West.
Vlad is still despondent over the breakup of the Soviet Union...he felt it was an absolute tragedy...so anything he can do to reconstitute the old USSR works for him. Unfortunately, he's a guy with a lot of military power and essentially NO domestic brakes on his behavior, so ti's difficult to tell what comes next. Grabbing Ukraine seems to be a fait accompli...not sure how he will react to heavy sanctions, since he's been hoarding his oil money for just such an occasion.
Don't put it past time to have his minions hack U.S. banks, hospitals (they whacked our hospital last year), even power grids...he's angry and not entirely rational.
Some of the network imbeciles seem to focus on gas prices. This issue is going to impact a whole lot more than gas prices.
It’s a weird situation that could quickly escalate into nukes flying all the place which would essentially set us back hundreds of years. People may think that it’s not possible but it really only takes one country to start it all…..