I think a quote that perfectly sums up the derision that Russia has with its current state and where it wants to go is that Russia “looks both east and west,” and also that “Russia could be a democracy or an empire but it could not be both,”. Russia deludes itself by thinking that if has inherent claims to independent nations. They spout these beliefs of wrong doing and the justice they have in “freeing” them while also perpetuating harm on citizens within these countries. A horrific example of this is them establishing a zone for evacuation and then shooting civilians who try to leave. Russia wants to assert itself as a global power and dominant figure. I think it is very unlikely that one could ever be both a democracy and an empire but I think Russia fails to be either. It tries to coerce neighboring countries into its sphere of influence but faces repeated backlash for this.
The state of the countries that fight to remain independent of Russia and even just the state of war in Ukraine point to what my English professor cited as modernism. We are reading Modern fiction and she described modern as the end of something. The break from traditional and the values being broken and reformed. This was most evident at the turn of the 20th century and through the Second World War. Much in the way former colonies pushed away from colonial powers we saw this similar shift with the fall of the Berlin Wall. As they have gained independence and they desire them back I think we are on this same fault line that precipitated modern fiction and shifts in the geopolitics at the start of the last century. The first article clearly demonstrated that Western powers and Eastern powers are struggling to find their balance on the world stage. I think this changing landscape is influenced by changing relationships and citizens and countries willingness to fight for justice and freedom
I think the last point I want to hone in on is the International tribunals and courts. I think It is a real struggle to hold leaders accountable for acts of violence and aggression on the world stage. It is alarming to hear how rape is an actual military strategy or also seen is as a valid way to seek revenge on nations. Rape is already often an underreported and often not believed crime that many get away with. For it to be so common and for so many to go unpunished is truly sad. I think also on the grounds of crimes of aggression and also the difficulty in prosecuting the actual officials who sent down the orders I find it interesting to cite Nuremberg. Because yes it was prosecuted but often many years later. And also to think about how in WWII the crimes were very explicit and hard displays of aggression and violence. It was very clear to many that actions and justice needed to be served. But when its like many other wars and not as clearly laid out as concentration camps and rounding up of certain persons I feel like people are much more willing to ignore and prolong the justice served. While they both should demand the same convictions to justice it is very hard in reality for this to come to fruition.
