Wayne Parham Messages: 18793 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
I've refrained from comment on this topic for personal reasons, but I will say three things:
1. I wish America and NATO Nations would assist Ukraine exactly as if they were already a NATO member state. The USA and Britain agreed to assist them when - in 1994 - they gave up their nuclear weapons. Ironically, so did Russia.
2. This war is very much like a civil war, not in principles but in the emotions felt by individuals. The peoples of both Russia and Ukraine feel themselves to be like brothers. They speak the same language, watch the same TV, have the same favorite songs and share the same cultural experiences. The vast majority of the citizens of both nations are good people, and they would remind you of Americans in their demeanor. They are patriotic and loyal to their fellow citizens - they often "love their country and hate their government." They've had this mentality instilled in them for generations. So the Russians - the actual soldiers - on Ukrainian soil have very low motivation to fight. They don't want to be there at all.
3. The real problem is localized to one man - Putin. He is like Stalin. There are very few that are truly loyal to him, and those few aren't loyal because of ideology but more because of shared interests, shared concerns or both. They are pretty much the definition of organized criminals.
The solution is definitely to cut off the head of the snake.