Discussion - A View to Ending the War Diplomatically & Why the West Must Accept Some Responsibility
Disclaimer: I understand I'm stepping into the lions den with this one. Though I have read the rules of the forum, and believe that a good faith discussion about exploring the avenues to end the conflict through diplomacy are not outside the boundaries of the rules of the sub. To make it abundantly clear from the outset - I'm not "Pro- Putin", I'm not "Pro-Russia". As I'll get into, I believe the war waged by Russia on the Ukrainian people is unjustified and has resulted into one of the most horrific string of events not seen in Europe since world war two, with a death toll difficult to comprehend. Nonetheless, if the goal is to end the conflict and achieve peace, and I believe that is the goal of most ordinary people, there must be room for a nuanced discussion where ad-hominem attacks are left at the door.
After hours upon hours of extensive research, I believe I've got a fairly good grasp on the conflict and an (admittedly somewhat looser) grasp on the impossibly complex history behind it, though one can always learn more.
I've come to the opinion that though the invasion of Ukraine was an unjustified assault by Russia on the people of Ukraine, the West and more specifically the USA, has as they have done some many times throughout history, actively and aggressively contributed to the destabilization of the region, making a violent conflict at the very least expected, if not inevitable. I believe I can back this claim up with substantial evidence, all of which is public record.
If the goal is to end the death and destruction caused by the conflict, the west cannot view the war through the lens of rules-based internationalism, (a purely moralistic lens, which conveniently erases all of the provocations they enacted) and must instead view it through the lens of geopolitical realism (a less palatable, realistic lens which forces us to reckon with the mistakes, and in some cases the deliberate acts of aggression carried out by both Democrat and Republican presidents with the assistance of the security state and media apparatus).
To frame this conflict as an act of Russian imperialism that began in February 2022 represents in my opinion a fundamentally flawed understanding of history and how geopolitical policies and strategies of large powers have operated throughout history. I believe in order to characterize the conflict purely through a moral lens, necessarily requires one to reject the idea of a security dilemma or the legitimate security concerns a state may have. The rejection of these ideas flies in the face of the bulk of observable history across the world. None of this is or should be considered a justification of the actions great powers take when they pursue the strategic goals within their spheres of influence, but simply an acknowledgement of reality.
With all that out of the way, and my position clearly outlined, I'm wondering if anyone wants to have a discussion, either on how the West could go about helping to end it, or if anyone thinks what I've said above is inaccurate, I'd be happy to have a good faith discussion on any part of it.