Anne ApplebaumNov 14, 2022
A better Russia is possible.
Don't let Putin define who Russians are, or what Russia is, or what Russia will be in the future.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/12/putin-russia-must-lose-ukraine-war-imperial-future/671891/
The Russian Empire Must Die

A better future requires Putin’s defeat—and the end to imperial aspirations.

The Atlantic
Show threadAnne ApplebaumNov 14, 2022
...Because there is nothing inevitable, nothing genetic, nothing predetermined about any nation or its government. Only dictators believe that there are laws of history that have to be obeyed. Democrats, by contrast, know that the state will eventually adjust to society, not vice versa—and society, by definition, is always changing.
Show threadAnne Applebaum

Russia's future will be shaped not by mystical laws of history but by how its leaders and citizens absorb and interpret the tragedy of this shocking, brutal, unnecessary war. The best way that outsiders can help Russia change is to ensure that Ukraine takes back Ukrainian territory and defeats the empire.

full argument, again, is here: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/12/putin-russia-must-lose-ukraine-war-imperial-future/671891/

The Russian Empire Must Die

A better future requires Putin’s defeat—and the end to imperial aspirations.

The Atlantic
Nov 14, 2022 at 1:53pmWeb
Show threadGeorge H. CollierNov 14, 2022
@anneapplebaum To love truth for truth's sake is the principal part of human perfection in this world, and the seed-plot of all other virtues."
John Locke
Show threadPaPacNov 14, 2022
@anneapplebaum Your thoughts about Russia are right on target. That once mighty oak is again infested with a fungus in its’ roots . One strong wind will see it humbled.