About a year ago, I wrote a few posts about the still ongoing war in Ukraine (link 1, link 2, link 3) about why western “experts” and most of the mindless public in those countries were so delusional about the obvious eventual outcome of that conflict. In this one, I will ask a different question. Have you ever wondered why people in some east-European countries such as Ukraine, Poland and the miniature Baltic states are so prone to a child-like belief in the competence of the rapidly declining West. Let us begin by talking about Ukraine. While about 8-10 million people have already left that country since the war started, either through emigration to other countries or living in territories conquered by Russia, those (25-30 million) still living in the territory of that embattled country provide enough military recruits, increasingly forced, to be sent on an endless series of futile attacks against an opponent with many times more artillery, aircraft and other military resources than them.
It goes without saying that this “strategy” by the greedy morons running that country has caused a massive number of casualties- both dead and permanently crippled. Any semi-realistic estimate of Ukrainian casualties to date would put the total number of dead and permanently crippled over 250k each. In other words, they have about half a million casualties, serious destruction of infrastructure in many parts of the country and mass loss of population in the 18-45 age range from emigration. As things stand right now, Ukraine is a basket case and totally dependent on continued and increasing economic as well as military assistance from the West to survive. Russia, by contrast, is doing just fine. In addition to now having a population 5x larger than Ukraine, they have no shortage of weapons of any type and soldiers. They have also suffered only 1/7th to 1/10th the total casualties of Ukraine. The economic war against them by the West has failed miserably and everything inside that country is pretty close to normal. And this brings us to to an unpleasant but inevitable question.
Why are so many people in Ukraine, especially in the western parts of that country, still delusional enough to believe they have a snowflakes chance in hell of pushing Russia out of the occupied regions- let alone out of Crimea. Based on everything which has occurred thus far, how can any person with a half-working brain in that country still believe they have any realistic chance against Russia? How many more young Ukrainian men will die in futile attacks on Russian positions before the delusional morons in that country realize that this war was always a losing proposition. Do they seriously believe that the empty shell of their economy left after this conflict is over can provide enough employment to those still living in that country. Are they dumb enough to not realize that whatever is left of their country after this conflict is over has zero future as an independent nation state.
All of this brings us to the next inevitable question- why were so many in Ukraine, at all levels, so willing to believe the obviously empty promises made by West. Why were they willing to believe that Western weapons were somehow superior to their Russian counterparts? Why were they willing to believe that West had the industrial capability to match Russian production of weapons, ammunition, vehicles, missiles and aircraft? Why did they keep deluding themselves that every “WunderWaffe” weapon system from the West (M777, Himars, German tanks etc) would have any worthwhile effect on the course of this war? Why did they believe that all those the empty and meaningless assurances of support from West since the 2014 coup would matter to anything? Had they not read enough history about how the USA has repeatedly abandoned over its supposed allies- from erstwhile South Vietnam to Kurds in Iraq and their supposed friends and allies in Afghanistan.
Now let us move on to Poland and the miniature Baltic states. How can the supposed “leaders” of that country be dumb enough to believe that Article 5 of NATO treaty would protect them from Russian attack (including nukes) when push came to shove. Are they retarded enough to believe that USA would risk a single village in mainland USA to defend those countries against a nuclear attack by Russia? Don’t they realize that USA and rest of western Europe see them as nothing more than cannon fodder and cheap labor. How can the majority of people in those countries be dumb enough to believe any promises made by USA or western Europe- given their extremely poor record of fulfilling them. Why is the Polish “leadership” dumb enough to believe that they can purchase enough weapon systems and maintain an army large enough to actually matter in a conflict against Russia? Can they not perform basic arithmetic?
In summary, why do the populations of these East-European countries have such a strong child-like belief in the empty promises made by a visibly declining West. Do they still live in the 1990s? Are they that dumb and consumed by hated for Russia?
What do you think? Comments?
I saved an image off Twitter that showed how the USA has treated some of its former allies from Colonel Gaddafi to Saddam Hussein. Quite a few met not-so-peaceful ends. If the current president of Ukraine Zelenskyy had any sense and/or sense of self-preservation he would resign from his post and let someone else live under the Sword of Damocles.
I do think there a combination of reasons for why Eastern-European countries have a such a strong child-like belief in empty Western promises.
1) They fell for the image shown in the brochure of what life in the West is like. Ya know the shinning city on the hill, streets paved with gold, and so on.
2) There is propaganda. Then again, propaganda works in part to feeding into whatever beliefs people have already or want to believe. Propaganda can be one helluva a drug eh?
3) They are engaging in a form of magical thinking.
I am sure there are other reasons and likely they are interrelated. Hell, the few I listed are related or connected in some way. Just a few quick things off the top.
I can't stress enough the Ukrainians should ignore some of its Western "allies" and influencers and do what its in its own best interest. Setting oneself on fire to supposedly keep the West warm (or anyone else warm) is pretty dumb to me. Makes one a sucker. They should sue for peace or find some working arrangement with Russia.
Extra note. I won't be surprised if some Western companies get contracts to help rebuild Ukraine after all this.
They may be delusional but that might work to their advantage in the long term against the largely unmotivated military personnel of Russia. If the mujahidin/taliban could drive the two largest powers of the planet out of their country, the Soviet Union and the USA respectively, while being outnumbered, outgunned and wearing flip flops, then the ukranians can do it too.