The man who stood up against Putin more than anyone else, was a man who was living inside Russia (Alexei Navalny). He was going directly at him by exposing his greed, corruption, and psychopathy. He held a political position in which all of his predecessors (actual leaders who could have threatened Putin’s power) had either been shot or poisoned to death.
Why was this lone Russian citizen (lawyer by trade), with no financial or military backing, the person who was brave enough to stand up to Putin? I cannot imagine what is going through his head right now, as he sits and rots inside some 19th century Russian prison.
The other big name to take a swing at Putin was Garry Kasparov. Another Russian citizen. Arguably the greatest grandmaster chess player ever, who then turned himself into a political activist and author. He has been warning the West of Putin’s grand plan for over a decade now. He even wrote an entire book detailing this (Winter Is Coming).
Putin’s biggest opposition so far has been from other Russian citizens. Why is this the case? When NATO posts a warm hearted video stating that their biggest strength is their diversity….. this is when it becomes crystal clear that the adults have left the room. NATO is supposed to be a political and military organisation designed to guarantee the freedom and security of its members.
What must have Putin thought when he watched that video? When he saw the fake benevolence oozing out of their perfectly diverse skin. They have let ideology get in the way of doing their actual job – which is to protect and secure the countries involved (by political and military means).
I don’t have a problem with diversity, but it shouldn’t be promoted as NATO’s biggest strength, when their primary job is to secure freedom and security by military force. This is not the place for PC culture. This should be a place of business, strategy, and defence. Where brilliant minds come together and help keep the peace. Their skin colour should be as irrelevant as their hair colour.
Now I know Ukraine isn’t apart of NATO, but that is in large part due to Putin’s threats, interference, and corruption. I don’t know what we do from here. I don’t know anywhere near enough about the situation or about all of the moving parts involved.
What I do know is that this is just the beginning from Vladimir’s vantage point. The first domino was the Crimean Peninsula (2014), now he is going for Ukraine itself. Who is next? Poland? The Baltic states?
The adults need to take back control and get to work. Life has been shockingly easy for us in the 21st century (which is amazing). However it has made everyone from average citizens, all the way up to world leaders, unbelievably complacent and wilfully blind to the horrors that can be mustered up by brutal dictators.
Oh and I don’t mean to make this super depressing. I really do hope one of you got some value out of reading this, but it’s also extremely important to realise that whatever Russia can do – China can do as well. Only China can do 100x more damage than what Russia can…. and you bet your arse that China is watching closely at how the West responds to this invasion.
Russia is COVID, China is the Black Death. Russia is a dress rehearsal, China is the main act.
