Putin's
manipulation of other nations, especially with the Unite States'
elections, made the attack on Ukraine enviable and necessary for him
to retain power within Russia. His overreach and trump's loss proved
to his citizens and the world that his control over others was not
absolute. The blow to Putin's ego has blinded him. He is refusing to
see and accept that the world has changed. Instead, he is trying to
bring back the USSR's glory days through bullying and brute force. In
the past, these tactics were successful. However, the world has
radically changed. New technologies and economic interdependence has
ended the days of being able to have total control over what others
see, hear, and informational exposure. It's the primary reason that
the other dictators remain silent, neither supporting nor condemning
Putin's actions; they simply refuse to participate in his ego-driven
power grab because they see no profit in sharing the negative
spotlight with him.
Although it doesn't
seem like it, the world has and continues to change. If it wasn't,
the toxic elements of patriarchy would be desperately fighting to
keep and restore their ability to control others. It's unnecessary to
fight for those things you confidently own. Putin's attack on Ukraine
represents an extreme example of the battles between the past and the
present that has been happening around the world. White supremacists,
no matter how they label themselves, have been using the old tactics
of harassment, violence, and misinformation to retain power over
others. They see their way of life rapidly vanishing as women and
people of color work together to attain equality in their homes, the
marketplace, politics, and on the world stage. In the past, this has
been primarily the white males' purview. The balance of power had
been changing for decades to become more diverse and inclusive.
Racism, misogyny, and bigotry have been brought out of the shadows
and those, who practice them, are being held accountable for what
they say, do and cause to happen. All three are the keystone
behaviors that are the basis of the white supremacists' belief that
they are superior to others and therefore have the right to dominate
them. Being held morally, legally, and financially accountable for
their actions has sparked the rage, which has caused the upsurge of
violence around the world. Putin's attack on Ukraine is only the most
extreme and public example of what has been happening in towns and
cities around the world Putin and others' attacks are designed to
restore the white supremacists' standing in individual countries and
the world.
The global
social-economic interdependence has become the axis on which the
world now spins. Yet at the same time as most of the world has been
developing ways to find common ground to expand their markets to sell
their products and services, white supremacists and dictators, like
Putin, have been diligently trying to restore feudalism with
themselves as the would-be kings or emperors. Putin still believes
that boots on the ground, tanks on the field, and planes in the air
are the only pathways to power and national pride. However,
economics, technology, science, and social equality have become the
new battlegrounds. New technologies have removed the barriers that
limited international commerce to governments and large corporations.
Small companies and cottage industries now actively participate in
the global marketplace. But this interdependence is a double-edged
sword, as the success or failure of every nation's economy
reverberates throughout the world.
More than just
products and services, a nation's financial success also relies
heavily on innovation, exploration, and expansion in the areas of
technology, science, and medicine. Finding new uses for the old while
creating new products, methods, and procedures, keeps societies
strong and healthy. When innovation and creativity are discouraged,
as it is in oppressive societies, individuals can't live up to their
full potential. It causes the individuals and the societies they live
in to begin to stagnate and die. April 12, 1967, Russia sent
cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, into space, which won them the initial leg
of the space race. However, that was one of their final achievements.
The United States won the race to the moon. In 2021 three
billionaires, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk took the
space race to a new level with their private companies taking flight,
creating the age of space tourism. Whereas Russia began as a leader
in the race, they were passed by three billionaires, none of whom are
Russia. It must have been a bitter pill for Putin to swallow when
Bezos hosted, William Shatner, the star of Star Trek, and others for
on a ride alongs. To add insult to injury, Elon Musk realigned his
satellites to give Ukraine free internet access, thereby keeping them
connected to the rest of the world.
Putin's attempt
to seize Ukraine has backfired. Instead, of reestablishing his and
Russia's reputations as respected world leaders, they have become
social and economic pariahs. The only thing they have won is broad
sanctions. Counties, including Switzerland, have frozen the
financial, real estate, and corporate assets of Putin, Russian banks,
Russian corporations, and Russian billionaires. Corporations have
begun to pull their resources from Russia and cancel their contracts
to purchase its raw materials. The value of the Rubal has and
continues to fall. People have and will continue to die because of
Putin's ego. His inability to learn from history will hurt the people
of Russia. He might have been wise to read up on what Russians did to
the Romanovs in 1917 before starting an unnecessary war.
