Hi Helen. I like how you think. I have been following the situation in Ukraine and Russia from the time the Berlin Wall came down. It has been so interesting. Especially during the Maidan. I stayed up all night and day to watch the streams that came out of that country during that time
I must admit it's been rather discombobulating to see the usual libertarian or right-leaning people I follow/talk to suddenly become massive fans of Putin, or decide that because Ukraine has shared history with Russia, was a part of the Soviet Union etc, they cannot be allowed to be an independent country. There just seems to be a lot of tribalism, black and white thinking e.g. If the mainstream media supports Ukraine, I must therefore support Russia. That's not to say there hasn't been propaganda, or that Ukraine is some perfect country with perfect politicians, but I cannot understand the levels of support I'm seeing for an invading force taking a country against the will of its people, no matter what NATO has or hasn't done.
Helen takes Basil Faulty’s advice, slightly paraphrased: don’t mention the Nazis!
Helen is very careful to never mention the role of Nazis in Ukraine’s history, her novel, and the current moment. Understandable enough, on 24 February 2022 the Overton Window snapped closed on that subject.
If one has a voice and wants to keep it, best pretend there is no precedent for Russia defending itself from the relentless advance from the West of an ideology hell bent on world domination. We are just so emmersed in that ideology, like fish in water, we can barely recognise it exists.
No one reading this will think it is
at all appropriate to compare NATO/EU and associated values (or from Russia’s perspective, lack of) to NAZI. If we are going to have a grown up discussion about how this war ends, we must understand the perspective of Russian elites.
I love your writing Helen. I’d love to read you thoughts, from the perspective of a commercial lawyer, as to how this dispute might be resolved.
Hi Helen. I like how you think. I have been following the situation in Ukraine and Russia from the time the Berlin Wall came down. It has been so interesting. Especially during the Maidan. I stayed up all night and day to watch the streams that came out of that country during that time
I must admit it's been rather discombobulating to see the usual libertarian or right-leaning people I follow/talk to suddenly become massive fans of Putin, or decide that because Ukraine has shared history with Russia, was a part of the Soviet Union etc, they cannot be allowed to be an independent country. There just seems to be a lot of tribalism, black and white thinking e.g. If the mainstream media supports Ukraine, I must therefore support Russia. That's not to say there hasn't been propaganda, or that Ukraine is some perfect country with perfect politicians, but I cannot understand the levels of support I'm seeing for an invading force taking a country against the will of its people, no matter what NATO has or hasn't done.
Helen takes Basil Faulty’s advice, slightly paraphrased: don’t mention the Nazis!
Helen is very careful to never mention the role of Nazis in Ukraine’s history, her novel, and the current moment. Understandable enough, on 24 February 2022 the Overton Window snapped closed on that subject.
If one has a voice and wants to keep it, best pretend there is no precedent for Russia defending itself from the relentless advance from the West of an ideology hell bent on world domination. We are just so emmersed in that ideology, like fish in water, we can barely recognise it exists.
No one reading this will think it is
at all appropriate to compare NATO/EU and associated values (or from Russia’s perspective, lack of) to NAZI. If we are going to have a grown up discussion about how this war ends, we must understand the perspective of Russian elites.
I love your writing Helen. I’d love to read you thoughts, from the perspective of a commercial lawyer, as to how this dispute might be resolved.