RE: Witkoff Interview20 Mar 2025 21:48
12:08, mr_w, i think there will also be a complex, multi-generational *moral* cost to russia from its activities, not just the obvious and terrible cost in lives, economic health or simple cash.
there will be long-standing psychological and social injury to the culture and society in russia imv, a deep stain on the soul people that will be subtle but pervasive, hard to acknowledge and understand or trace, but very corrosive.
that’s not just from putin’s war on ukraine, but more broadly from living in a society where it is forbidden to speak, or even to see, know or bear witness to the truth, where ordinary citizens are compelled on pain of death, exile or destitution to stand by, useless and degraded, as passive bystanders …. seeing and knowing that monstrous crimes are being done to others supposedly in their name, but feeling too scared to protest. (poor, brave, foolish, heroic, moral navalny!) ….. vicarious traumatisation for sure, but also catastrophic moral and cultural injury.
War is peace, ignorance is strength, freedom is slavery. *sigh*, that was meant to be critique, not a prescription, all those years ago.