Essays in Idleness

Having made myself sufficiently unpopular within my (tiny) circle of Canadian readers, let me get back to the subject of Ukrainians and Russians. I see a possibility for becoming unpopular with both, which should not be neglected.

I am against nations butchering each other, generally, but more particularly against this when two Christian nations are fighting as if to the last man. This defeats the demographic interests of Christendom.

Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin continues to be immovable as Russian president, despite his armies making a hash of his invasion of Ukraine; and Mr Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky continues to be immovable as Ukrainian president, because his armies have achieved a stalemate over the last three years. Zelensky is a hero in Western Europe, which has been starving for such characters, but has worn out his welcome with the American public, sick of financing him. Putin is actually becoming more popular, over here.

Zelensky and Putin both, however, are corrupt psychopaths, as should be clear to the armchair generals by now. Putin has been consistently the less trustworthy, but that is the prerogative of the bigger power: to be, unchallengeably, the bigger liar.

Neither Putin nor Zelensky thinks that he can personally benefit from peace, although the people in both countries would gain by it. For one thing, the men, and a selection of the women and children, would cease to be maimed and killed — always an advantage, at least to them.

Nationalism has been blamed by most disinterested observers, but I think unfairly. The problem is that the nations (“sovereignties”) are too big. The Crimea, and also the Donbas region, should never have been added to Ukraine; both are naturally independent, and mostly Russian-speaking. And as for Russia itself, it should be forthwith dissolved into at least eight dozen independent micro-states, who could fight among themselves if they insisted.

For to paraphrase Churchill (who was speaking of Germany), “We love Russias so much, we would like to have as many of them as possible.”