This comprehensive monologue explores the fundamental questions of modern warfare: the role of individual behavioral models, post-Soviet patterns of suffering, and the interplay between East and West in war discourse.
The author begins on a humorous note, referencing generational shifts and moves to analyze media cases such as a political prisoner’s refusal to emigrate, comparing it to a bear unable to leave its cage when the door is open. The text underscores that true heroism lies in choosing an individual model of action versus a mass victim pattern.
The discussion examines the duration of wars and their capacity to become system-forming phenomena, drawing analogies to World War I and addressing political thinking degradation, global hypocrisy, and why the war in Ukraine is so deeply entrenched.
Special attention is paid to the role of the US, EU, and Donald Trump. The piece analyzes Trump’s calls to boycott Russian oil and levy tariffs on China. Western aid is described as fundamental to Ukraine’s wartime existence, and anti-Western sentiment within Ukraine is labeled as infantile and toxic.
The article unpacks the myth-making around security guarantees for Ukraine, asserting their primarily political nature, not a replacement for NATO. The changing standard of public protest is discussed, using Nepal as an example of increasingly forceful popular uprisings amid strengthening states.
The piece notes a growing divergence between the interests of elites and the public, with a shift from heroism to sober pragmatism and the closing of the “maximalist” mentality of 2022. The conclusion: the modern dilemma is not just why, but for whom and under what terms the world seeks to end wars.
