Saakashvili was jailed because he abused his power under the US’ orders, lost the proxy war with Russia that he initiated at his patrons’ bidding, and then returned to Georgia after a comparatively more sovereign government came to office and made good on its pledge to bring him to justice. Zelensky has also done the exact same and might thus befall a similar fate if he stays in Ukraine or returns there later.
It baffles me how the “North Atlantic” keeps growing in its geographic extent. I suppose Italy, Greece and Turkey are connected to the North Atlantic via the Mediterranean Sea. And I suppose Georgia and Ukraine would have been indirectly connected via the Black Sea and Turkish straits into the Mediterranean. But Japan and Mongolia (I think the US once was thinking of including even this landlocked nation) have no physical connection to the North Atlantic. Of course the real object is not merely a “mutual defensive alliance,” a concept belied by the wars of aggression against Serbia, but rather the encirclement Russia. But frankly calling it a “Circum-Russia Treaty Organization” would have been too straightforward.
Curiously the “rules based order” rationalization for the wars of aggression against Serbia of a “humanitarian duty to intervene” to protect non-Serbian minority groups ironically could also be rightfully claimed by Russia as a legal precedent for the SMO . But this goes to show that the “rules” are meant to be privileged to the West and not meant as universal principles applicable and accessible to all nations equally.
No matter how it started, some things are clear now. In February 2022, the world, Russia, Ukraine, and Almighty God would have been better off if Zelensky had accepted the helicopter ride out of Ukraine to safety that was (perhaps apocryphally) offered by the West. 2.In February 2022 some Catholic conservatives felt that Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty met “just war” criteria as promulgated by St. Thomas Aquinas, but those same Catholic conservatives, in the April issue of First Things, indicated that the Ukraine- Russia war no longer meets these just war criteria, and that an armistice should take place now, followed by peace negotiations. The latter could stretch on for years like those of the two Koreas, but meanwhile economic development and anti-corruption efforts could proceed, including progress toward EU membership by Ukraine and work toward a new security framework for Europe and Eurasia that could encompass the Russian Federation as well.
Andrew, excellent points and I will have to re-read this article to fully grasp the implications. The message that Ukraine was used to further NATO and the US's agenda is well articulated. Becareful of who you accept money, and why does Zelensky have a multi-million dollar house in Flordia? Just asking.
It baffles me how the “North Atlantic” keeps growing in its geographic extent. I suppose Italy, Greece and Turkey are connected to the North Atlantic via the Mediterranean Sea. And I suppose Georgia and Ukraine would have been indirectly connected via the Black Sea and Turkish straits into the Mediterranean. But Japan and Mongolia (I think the US once was thinking of including even this landlocked nation) have no physical connection to the North Atlantic. Of course the real object is not merely a “mutual defensive alliance,” a concept belied by the wars of aggression against Serbia, but rather the encirclement Russia. But frankly calling it a “Circum-Russia Treaty Organization” would have been too straightforward.
Curiously the “rules based order” rationalization for the wars of aggression against Serbia of a “humanitarian duty to intervene” to protect non-Serbian minority groups ironically could also be rightfully claimed by Russia as a legal precedent for the SMO . But this goes to show that the “rules” are meant to be privileged to the West and not meant as universal principles applicable and accessible to all nations equally.
No matter how it started, some things are clear now. In February 2022, the world, Russia, Ukraine, and Almighty God would have been better off if Zelensky had accepted the helicopter ride out of Ukraine to safety that was (perhaps apocryphally) offered by the West. 2.In February 2022 some Catholic conservatives felt that Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty met “just war” criteria as promulgated by St. Thomas Aquinas, but those same Catholic conservatives, in the April issue of First Things, indicated that the Ukraine- Russia war no longer meets these just war criteria, and that an armistice should take place now, followed by peace negotiations. The latter could stretch on for years like those of the two Koreas, but meanwhile economic development and anti-corruption efforts could proceed, including progress toward EU membership by Ukraine and work toward a new security framework for Europe and Eurasia that could encompass the Russian Federation as well.
Andrew, excellent points and I will have to re-read this article to fully grasp the implications. The message that Ukraine was used to further NATO and the US's agenda is well articulated. Becareful of who you accept money, and why does Zelensky have a multi-million dollar house in Flordia? Just asking.