There has been a great deal of speculation as to why Putin has chosen now to invade Ukraine. Many experts have pointed to maps of the current Russian and eastern European national borders, where NATO aligned nations abut Ukraine. Others have nodded toward the Putin essay, which stated that Ukraine was really a part of Mother Russia. There is validity in all of these possible points of interest, as reason why has Putin invaded Ukraine. Indeed, many Ukrainians may somewhere deep down see themselves as ethnically part of a shared racial identity. However, they, most definitely, do not want to be part of a totalitarian regime under Vlad ‘the invader’ Putin.
Putin’s Ukrainian Invasion Fears
The egotism of despots, like Putin, is the most dangerous element in this whole can of worms. The longer dictators rule over populations the less attuned to humanity they become. Killing large numbers of people gets easier, as they are statistical figures on a screen to leaders insulated from the realities of individual human lives. Putin has ben at the helm of Russia for more than 20 years. The west has a real fear of this man and of what he might do in a conflict with NATO forces.
Putin, Ukraine, & Nuclear Weapons
European leaders and US leaders are fearful of the nuclear weapons in the Russian arsenal. Ukraine had nuclear weapons from the Soviet era, but these were destroyed in return for guarantees in the Budapest Memorandum of their territorial independence from Russia, Britain, and the US. How is that going for them now? Russia is invading, and Britain and the US will not go to war to defend Ukraine’s territorial rights. It seems that you cannot trust what is said or agreed to in a memorandum on the international stage. Charity begins at home and NATO is staying close to home.
Putin & The Cornered Rat
Putin tells a story about cornering a large rat when he was a youngster and the rat leaping into his face and biting him in its bid to escape. Those who retell the story mention that it might be apocryphal and a warning to others. Of course, Putin looks a bit rat like and has come up through the gutter, according to some reports. Vladimir Putin had been a fixer for Boris Yeltsin, and the governor of St Petersburg prior to that. He has worked with the security forces and the Russian underworld to make things happen. There is a great deal of suspicion that he orchestrated the bombings in Moscow back in the 1990s, which were blamed on Chechen terrorists. Hundreds of residents were killed in these bombings of apartment blocks. Putin became a Russian strongman hero following these ‘so-called’ terrorist events and won the presidential election in their wake.
We all know the value to political leaders of threats to national security. Remember 9/11. Scott Morrison’s China beat-up and attempt to attack the opposition over phantom threats to Australian national security is on display for all to see right now. Beating the drums of war is a tried-and-true electioneering strategy. They distract the voters from a candidate’s failings and focus on the insecurities of the voters by dog whistling up fears of war and terrorist attacks in their own backyard. Putin is a master of the dark arts when it comes to manipulating the Russian people and consolidating his power. Silencing the voice of the media and controlling propaganda.
©House Therapy