FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The fact that authoritarianism and imperialism still face obstacles does not mean that there is no reason to worry...
There is a terrible argument that often comes up in discussions about the war in Ukraine, used by Putin's camp, which goes something like this: How can you say that Vladimir Putin is losing badly and at the same time claim that he represents a terrible threat to Europe?
It's an argument that parallels one increasingly used of Donald Trump by a long line of detractors, who claim that every blow he takes in response to his efforts to bend every rule and overcome every constitutional obstacle to his power, most recently with the Supreme Court's decision on tariffs, would show that there is nothing to worry about and that American democracy is stronger than ever.
At the heart of both arguments is a clear logical fallacy, which we can summarize as follows: there is no reason to worry, at least until it is too late to worry. As long as Ukraine can stop Putin, it is clear that Putin cannot attack Europe; as long as judges can still rule against Trump's wishes, it is clear that there is no regime.
But, as often happens in these cases, beyond the logical contradiction, both arguments contain an element of truth, which serves to cover up a larger lie. The element of truth, as far as Putin is concerned, lies in the complete military, political and economic failure of his “special operation”. An even more spectacular and undeniable failure now that the conflict in Ukraine has lasted longer than Russia’s involvement in World War II and has lasted four years, the last three of which Moscow spent struggling and tiring to advance a few kilometers, without even managing to conquer all of Donbas.
The big lie lies in the idea that if Putin were to finally subdue Ukraine, as would happen if Europe, as well as Trump’s United States, turned its back on him, the Russian regime would stop there, completely satisfied, immediately converting its war economy, reversing the militarization of its entire society and its long-standing commitment to countless forms of provocation and hybrid warfare against Europe, to become a kind of endless Switzerland of the East. The weakness demonstrated by the regime and the extraordinary strength demonstrated by the Ukrainian resistance, if anything, should encourage Europeans to seize the opportunity to stop Putin now, in the Donbas, so that they are not forced to do so later, at much higher costs, to us, of course, and not just economic.
The same goes for Trump and the advocates of appeasement towards the US president, a stance that is certainly not surprising among Putin supporters, but which also, surprisingly, affects many sincere opponents of the Russian regime. It is an attitude best embodied by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and his inexhaustible capacity for flattery towards the US president. In this regard, I personally find Edward Luce’s analysis in the Financial Times convincing: “Assuming that Rutte does not believe his flattery, the aim would be to feed Trump’s ego in order to guide his actions. The danger is that such sweet words will only push him further into fantasy. ”
A dangerous game, because "the road to Trumpian recklessness is paved with flattery." This is what has already happened with the tariffs, where the weakness of Europe's response only encouraged Trump's aggression, even to the point of making illusory threats to annex Greenland. Exactly as it happened in these twenty years with Putin's expansionism./ Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Linkiesta"
Lini një Përgjigje