Ukraine, you see, is just "a former Soviet republic" and a catalyst for feelings between Russia and the West. It’s a thing that can be “smuggled into NATO” because its desire or non-desire to be in NATO is automatically less important than how that “smuggling” would make Russia feel. It doesn’t seem to matter that NATO accession was not really on the table for Ukraine (just look at its military performance in recent weeks) and neither was EU accession because—warning: another meaningless detail!—Ukraine is a financial basket case, even worse than the basket cases the EU is already dealing with. It doesn’t matter to Cohen that both issues were matters of great debate inside that insignificant detail named Ukraine, and that the fact of their potential smuggling into this or that union might be something to be decided inside Ukraine, a sovereign and independent country trying in vain to regain its own territory captured by masked Russian gunmen. (How, I wonder, does Cohen feel about invasions if they involve certain North American powers and certain Middle Eastern countries?)
I've never actually heard of him (not that my awareness is the Gold standard of validation). But why I'd read The Nation when I can just directly read Russia's propaganda outlets online is a good excuse, no?
Yes. Ukraine's hopes don't matter. Russia's actions and objectives don't matter. All that matters is that America has done something (or failed to do something) that can be blamed on America. Only Russia's paranoia is valid. There is no reason to examine whether Russia is justified in feeling America is out to "get" Great Holy Russia. But why should Cohen ask that? Only America has agency. Everyone else merely reacts (justifiably) to our decisions or is a mere prop with no rights let alone agency.
So our leading light of Leftism embraces a right-wing autocrat who would be savaged in their pages if he was actually an ally of ours successfully wooed by "reset." But since Putin has that magical quality that outweighs everything else--being opposed to America--The Nation will stand by their man even though he has violated both the UN charter and a signed agreement that defend Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Katrina will be baking cookies next, no doubt.
I continue to be amazed that some Westerners can watch Russian aggression against Ukraine and still be confused about who the good guys are and who the bad guys are.
