Motus Mentis

5 Comments

1. Kevin Kim says

   BUCHANAN: “When Putin defended the seizure of Crimea by saying he did not want to visit Russia’s two-century-old naval base at Sevastopol, and be greeted by NATO sailors, did he not have a point?”

   I’m not sure I understood Buchanan’s ultimate point. Is it that we should let Russia just do its thing in the Ukraine? That our response to Russia’s incursion should be tempered by empathy? (If so, what concrete form should such “tempering” take?)

   I mean, I’m prepared to write off Crimea/eastern Ukraine as a loss simply because of the overwhelmingly Russian demographics of that region. But that’s not the same as empathizing with Russia’s supposedly wounded self-esteem as a formerly great power. Calls for empathy always leave me confused as to what I’m supposed to do, specifically.

   If anything, the very end of Buchanan’s piece seems to imply that Putin’s current move has had the effect of solidifying his popularity among the people, legitimizing his authority over them, and perhaps even guaranteeing him another term in office.

   Ah–maybe that’s Buchanan’s subtle, cynical, sarcastic point: Sympathize with Putin, O Americans, because he’s doing what he’s doing to perpetuate his own power. How terrible it is to be Vladimir Putin!

   Posted March 29, 2014 at 4:37 am | Permalink
2. Joseph Moroco says

   I have a few quibbles with the PB article, but the basic thrust is okay. Suffice it to say, we should have accepted our victory in the Cold War, brought all the troops home from everywhere. World War I should have been declared over and we should have vowed to never start it again.

   Like that was going to happen.

   Posted March 29, 2014 at 8:33 am | Permalink
3. Malcolm says

   I think it’s a response to all that “wrong side of history”, “not how we do things in the 21st century”, “Putin is a madman” sort of nonsense: that what Putin has done is perfectly understandable, if you actually understand history and human nature, and is no different from what we would have done in his position.

   Posted March 29, 2014 at 1:07 pm | Permalink
4. JK says

   Couple of posts you might not have noticed Malcolm.

   http://annaraccoon.com/2014/03/26/the-kiev-chickens-coming-home-to-roost/

   http://annaraccoon.com/2014/03/28/the-ukraine-the-pain-and-the-gain/

   Posted March 30, 2014 at 10:47 am | Permalink
5. JK says

   And do not miss this, nice lady that she is;

   http://annaraccoon.com/2014/03/06/uk-raine-terrain/

   Posted March 30, 2014 at 11:05 am | Permalink