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Putin's Long Game

we didn't win the Cold War

By DuointherainPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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I have been trying to make sense of what’s been going on in the US and in the Ukraine. There seem to be so many disconnected parts. Let me see if I can put this in a reasonable order.

Climate change is a real and existential threat to the plant and all life on it.

Vladimir Putin wants to be like Peter the Great

Peter the Great built Petrograd on the conscripted labor of peasants.

He also tortured his own son to death on suspicion of rebellion.

Disinformation has disrupted American society to the extent that we are literally ready to fight each other rather than an external attacker. This disinformation maybe have started in the Cold War and just continued. Disinformation also supports electing ‘strong men’, authoritarians, and demoguages in countries around the world. It’s fairly easy to arouse popular sentiment against minorities.

President Trump is an authoritarian and an ally of President Putin. His attacks against minorities and claims of voter fraud fit perfectly with Putin’s aims.

Western democracies are a bit like a bag of cats and have a lot of trouble all going in the same direction at the same time. This makes it very hard to solve climate change without a powerful once in a century leader.

There is a limited time available to solve climate change.

Putin’s claim of Ukraine being led by ‘drug addicts and NAZIs’ isn’t aimed at the Ukraine. It’s aimed at the US.

Putin invades Ukraine.

Putin threatens horrible reprisals for interference.

Putin threatens Finland and Sweden if they join NATO, ie if they disobey him.

Putin takes Ukraine with little interference from the Western democracies

Putin then pursues ‘war criminals’ into Poland, triggering Article Five and war with NATO.

Putin uses high casualty weapons in opposing nations, subdues the world, divides control with China.

Putin fails to take Ukraine or NATO/the West gets involved.

Putin then pursues ‘war criminals’ into Poland, triggering Article Five and war with NATO.

Putin uses high casualty weapons in opposing nations, subdues the world, divides control with China.

Putin ‘liberates’ the US from ‘drug addicts and NAZIs, restores Trump to power.

Sen. Lauren Boebert says the US and Canada ‘need to be liberated’ like Ukraine.

Trump praises Putin, calling him ‘smart’.

Americans are so divided, they would not unify to fight the Russians should an invasion actually happen. Many would support having Trump installed back in office.

Honestly, seeing this written out using climate change as a motivation for Putin is probably too kind. When has anyone with the power needed a motivation for taking over the world? If this hypothesis is correct, we didn’t win the Cold War, Russia just bluffed us. We must remember that we are Americans and that we share common values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We can not afford to be divided and hateful to each other, or we won’t be a thing.

In the Cold War, those fighting the Cold War thought the enemy was communism, but it never has been. Because they didn’t see the enemy clearly, they set our national motto to ‘In God we Trust’.

The motto, though unofficial, before that was - E pluribus unum. Out of Many, ONE. We will either stand together or we will fall apart. Russia is delighted to give us a president of their choice, just as they intend to do in Ukraine.

Putin wants to be Imperial, the grand and glorious leader of the world.

We were Americans before there were political parties and we must remain Americans before any political party!

E pluribus unum!

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About the Creator

Duointherain

I write a lot of lgbt+ stuff, lots of sci fi. My big story right now is The Moon's Permission.

I've been writing all my life. Every time I think I should do something else, I come back to words.

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Comments (1)

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  • JustJoyeabout a year ago

    You’ve given me a lot to think about. I’ve felt that I’ve been missing something for awhile. Thanks for the insight

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