occasional reflections on culture & politics
Quite regularly, we can hear explanations about both foreign and domestic policy that rely on concepts about “the West.” It is rather commonplace to assume that the world is divided into different political camps that are influenced by different cultures. No other division is more popular than the distinction between those countries who are part… Continue reading #188: What Is “The West” Today? From “Civilization” to Cooperation
President Putin is working hard to weaken Russia. During the last decades, he has almost completely destroyed the last remnants of Russian democracy. Instead, he has built a system built on lies, repression and violence. Proudly, he announces that Russia is returning to old strength, that the Russian people are experts at suffering, and that… Continue reading #178: Russia Deserves Better
With Boris Johnson finally understanding the power of reality, there may be a real chance now to reevaluate what his policies have brought. Chiefly among them, of course, is Brexit. It is clear, of course, that Brexit has had many fathers and mothers. The UK has always promoted an understanding of itself as somehow both… Continue reading #176: Get Brexit Undone
It seems that virtually everybody agrees that sanctions are not working, and that we should reconsider as they obviously have not yet stopped the war against Ukraine. And it certainly is true that right now, Russia seems undeterred. But we need to look a little deeper and listen to what Russia is actually saying. Before… Continue reading #170: Sanctions Against Russia Are Working – And Need to Be Even Stronger
You may say that the United States has enough problems of its own. In recent decades, we have intervened in a variety of conflicts around the world, not all of them successfully resolved, not all of them widely deemed legitimate causes. We are facing plenty of challenges at home and on the global scale. Why… Continue reading #147: Why Should We Care About Ukraine? A Pragmatic Answer
President Putin has famously said that the “breakup of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century.” Only a former KGB agent could come up with this idiotic statement. Such an ignorant analysis can only come from a position that is deeply imperialistic, totalitarian and ignorant of history. Lenin was right… Continue reading #146: The Fall of the Soviet Union Was the Greatest Event of the Late 20th Century
Now we know Putin was lying all along. I must admit, I am surprised, I would not have thought this was coming, not like that. The pattern is clear now: Putin has for planned this for many years. He has rebuilt Russia into a fascist state – centered on military, mafia, state-controlled business, using the… Continue reading #144: Putin’s War Against Ukraine Is a War Against All of Us
Putin my think that the West lost in Afghanistan in 2021, similar to the Soviet Union in 1989. But he is mistaken, and this mistake probably provoked his current behavior. The truth is, strictly militarily speaking, the West could have easily won in Afghanistan, it could have militarily dominated it, subdued it, ended the Taliban… Continue reading #138: The West Is not Weak, But It Has Lacked Commitment
Is Putin the Aggressor? Yes. He has already stolen Crimea, and forces probably aligned with him have occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, and Transnistria. It does not take the additional troops surrounding Ukraine to understand that there is already a war going on. Any action by Ukraine to retake its territory would be justified – though at… Continue reading #136: Is Putin the Aggressor?
Living in the United States, it amuses and befuddles me how much Germany seems as a shining beacon in the world to many Americans. Now, while I do have affection for my home country, and take my civic duties seriously, a more realistic and necessarily critical attitude would be helpful. So here goes. You may… Continue reading #130: German Hypocrisy: How to Claim to be a Moral Leader While Acting like an International Free-Loader. A Polemic
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