Thugs and Bullies

They are always with us. Thugs and Bullies. They are the people who just do not feel good about themselves unless they are making others uncomfortable. Glowering. Sneering. Pressing close to you, invading your space. Threatening physical harm. Suggesting retaliation for any grievance they perceive you may do to them.

This is personal. Surely you have felt the stress of this in your lifetime. If not, you are lucky. Most of us have had such experience. Even anxiety and fear. We tend to avoid such people and the places associated with them.

Then there are nations who act this way. China does in some manner, mostly military or diplomatic actions. But Russia? As a nation Russia has been bellicose much of their history. Bellicose – warlike. Overbearing and threatening in their posture. Moving troops on the border of a nation they want to intimidate, like Ukraine. Or any of its past USSR partner nations. Of course, flying warplanes low and menacing over Scandinavian countries is provocative. So too their incursions in Syria, flyovers throughout the Middle East, and especially, buzzing American military planes and ships at sea. They send their signal of disrespect. They bully their way on the global stage.

Now they hack our computers and national defense systems, banking systems, whatever. We know these happened. The investigations are certain. Russia denies it. They tell us we had better not impose sanctions on them, yet they deny all of this to our face.

Of course, we will impose sanctions. And there is really nothing they can do about that. Well, yes there is something they can do about it: apologize for their actions and cease and desist. But they will not. They will insist on bullying their way. Just another excuse to act like a thug.

Most of our diplomatic work with Russia has failed over the centuries. They do not seem to understand that. Nothing good comes from nasty relationships. Why not attempt another approach?

Problem is we do not trust them. They have spoiled the atmosphere surrounding all of our relationships, past and present. How to build something better?

Seems obvious to me. But will Putin and his cohorts truly shift focus and behavior long and well enough to convince the world that they have changed? Probably not. That is the problem with bullies. They do not understand the consequences until their nose is bloodied.

Is that what you want Putin? Are you prepared to contend with the global community’s response to your threat of war? Hmmmmm?

Childish behavior begets childish behavior. Until it doesn’t.

April 19, 2021