March 9, 2022

German Naval Commander Kay-Achim Schoenbach

Respect is not a trivial thing in international relations. 

Nations have core interests, but they also have egos, and sometimes they will sacrifice the former to defend the latter. 

But there are examples when a nation's interests and ego coincide.

In Ukraine, Russia is protecting what it views as its core national interests in the Black Sea region as well as its national ego which has been under attack since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Washington's leaders have not taken into consideration the fact that other countries have large egos too. Russia is not Libya, Somalia, or Afghanistan. It is not a small nation that can be kicked around and toyed with. It is not a conquered foe. It has to be given respect. 

Washington’s dangerous escapade into Russia's traditional geopolitical orbit was bound to end disastrously for those countries. 

That doesn't make Putin's invasion of Ukraine right. But since when did right and wrong have anything to do with how countries decide to protect their interests? 

Was it right for Turkey, Azerbaijan, Israel, Iran, NATO, EU, basically the whole world to gang up on little Armenia and carve it up?

Was it right for the U.S., NATO and Pakistan to give the Taliban butchers the nation of Afghanistan on a silver platter? Was it right for Washington to then steal billions from the poor Afghans and leave them to starve?

Was it right for the U.S., U.K. and the Saudis to bomb Yemen back to the stone age?

Russia has more justification to invade Ukraine than all of those listed examples of recent international transgressions. And Russia has acted the most humanely and cautiously. It views Ukrainians as essentially Russians and does not want to attack them indiscriminately. It has been the adult in this conflict, not the U.S., Ukraine, NATO, or the EU.

Video Title: 'Putin deserves respect': German Navy Chief resigns after backlash over remarks on Russia, Ukraine. Source: Hindustan Times. Date Published: January 22, 2022.