Mearsheimer's analysis is sophomoric...
"It's the west's fault"... as he presents it... is BS.
There are plenty of arguments to be made re errors and mistakes made by the west... most by Merkel choosing to be dishonest, etc... noted her winning some "peace" prize recently... which is a gasser.
But, (whether mismanaged or not) that a conflict still exists between Russia and the west following the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet "empire" or "sphere of influence" is not "the west's fault"... rather than an unsurprising fact...
That diplomacy should have enabled avoiding it... not made relevant in the analysis made in casting blame.
How the west manages, or mismanages, their interest or policy in implementation... is fair game for criticism... as it must be in any functional democratic state...
That obviously true in Ukraine too... as you would expect... and as polling he presents shows is exactly true re Ukrainian opinion... That regional differences exist not obviating the legitimacy of Ukrainian sovereignty at all, or the integrity of its borders.
He says "we're all in favor of Democracy" and then re-contextualizes it as "about our imposition" of Democracy ? That's all patently obvious error... including that sleight of hand in which differences in opinion in Ukraine are presented as somehow legitimizing Russian claims of sovereignty... that made absurd, most recently, by Putin's fatuous claims to have carved those "new states" out of Ukraine... which almost no one recognizes as in the least bit legitimate...
It proceeds from that error in assumption re "imposition of democracy"... and the error in ignorance re the meaning and relevance of that intrinsic conflict already existing... to compound its errors by entirely missing the point of most relevance... which is not "democracy" offered up as some political icon, and end state as a goal in its own right... but legitimacy... which, as should be made increasingly clear through this conflict, and other recent history... is an end which is as easily subverted by faux democratic process as it is enabled by legitimate process, only.
Fraudulent elections, for instance, where ever imposed, deliver "a result"... but not "a legitimate result"...
And, while corrupt politics, persons, parties, interests... do exist... they will seek to subvert legitimacy in order to "win" control over things they appear to value far more than that legitimacy they subvert... even while extolling the benefits of "democracy" that enables them in doing that wrong in subversion of legitimacy...
Still, in context, all that misdirection re valuing democracy gets you to... is an equivalence in a conflict over control between parties who are all too willing to ignore that requirement for legitimacy in their efforts.
"The west," of course, has no right at all to surrender Ukrainian's fully legitimate control of Ukraine... or any part or portion of it... to Russian control... in order to avoid conflict.
It's not theirs to give. It's not Russia's to take.
So, it's Churchill and FDR'S fault... for accepting that same error in logic at Yalta in 1945... ironically in Crimea.
Russia's demand that be done, again, now... are subversive of far more than the Ukrainian's legitimacy. And, there, Mearsheimer, who owes us far better, is as guilty as "the west" or Merkel, "Russia" or Putin, for his own part in enabling the conflict... wittingly or not... as an amoral, unprincipled, Russian sycophant... validating that illegitimacy.
His formulation of "error"... is not only purely a sophomoric statement of baseless political posturing... both immoral and unprincipled... its not sophisticated enough to recognize that truth... that its basis is a tacit acceptance of the fundamental illegitimacy of others demands.
He's not wrong that China and Russia both fear what he (wrongly) claims is "democracy"... but, of course, there's plenty enough evidence that they both work as hard as others have to claim that their adopting some of the trappings of democratic process provides that legitimacy...
Russia and China, of course, have no reason to differentiate, much, between "democracy" and its intended meaning and purpose in "actual legitimacy" in their expressions of concern, or in their fears, re the threat it represents to them.
But, those in the west pretending "its all about democracy, and we all agree on that"... while gladly ignoring the requirement in its necessary connection to actual legitimacy... are probably far more of threat to the survival of legitimacy in the west than are China or Russia...
The spectacle of China's recent "voting"... with not a single dissenting vote ? LOL ! Great comic relief... that they would believe that is presenting others with a clear statement of anything... other than a proof of the profound lack of legitimacy inherent in that theater.
Fraud we're seeing practiced in elections in the west, at least... still retains some awareness of the need to try to retain some degree of plausible deniability in the lack of legitimacy being imposed... when the outcomes of elections are "massaged"... or subverted and directed... illegitimate.
Of course, there's not much in there to grasp at as a reason to think conflict might be avoided... when it appears the only reason it has been avoided this long is due to the corruption, dishonesty and lack of leadership by those formulating policy while tolerating the arguments based in demanding an even greater lack of legitimacy ? It's still a close proxy in a repeat performance of the entry to WW II... as "the west" chooses "peace for our time" and appeasement over honestly (legitimately ?) addressing others concerns...
Biden (et al), with his ridiculous "hobby war" approach... to partial appeasement... or, "almost, but maybe not quite yet, to total nuclear annihilation" while hoping to conduct and contain an endless war in Ukraine... while keeping it "below threshold"... about the stupidest thing I've seen yet.
But, Putin and Xi are no less delusional in expectations or approach...
About the best hope there is to offer the world... is that Biden, at 80 and clearly walking dead, and well past his shelf life... Putin, at 69, apparently riddled with cancer, given maybe three years to live... and Xi, at 69... might each find themselves removed from the game, soon...
But, expecting something better might follow them ? That seems less likely, in the short term, in the U.S. and Russian than in China... |
