Congratulations Anne, that is a high honor indeed and from my perspective truly deserving. I believe that long after we are gone, those that follow will recognize the many voices that were raised in opposition to the Fascist plague. There aren't two sides to the conundrum we are facing, not if you want to be able to look in the mirror, to be on the side of truth and justice is the only position that a sane person can embrace. The sad fact is that the Fascist scourge is growing, when they capture the power of the state, the danger for all of us ramps up exponentially. Everything I read suggests that we are slow marching towards another World War, and just like the wars of the twentieth century were a whole other thing compared to the previous centuries, a World War in this century will make those of the past look like child's play. I'm a combat vet and I know about the horrors of the killing fields, we must do everything in our power to prevent them. There are good people everywhere, they need to be given as much voice and support as is humanly possible. Fascism could have been stopped in the 30's, but powerful people thought that they could contain and use it, it devoured them. There are people here in the US that are trying to do that today. I think they must be clueless about the demons they are unleashing. Living as you have been in Eastern Europe where the nightmare of the 30's and 40's is still evident, gives you a perspective that many here in the US lack, so thank you for the clarity you bring, we need to be clear-eyed about the future. 🙏🏻
Clausewitz wrote that “The conqueror is always a lover of peace (as Bonaparte asserted of himself). He would like to make his entry into our state unopposed and in order to avoid that, we must choose war…” Thus he encapsulated the dilemma of pacifism. During the Second World War, Mr. Orwell put it less tactfully, asserting that the pacifist is objectively on the side of the aggressor.
As for those who place undue faith in diplomacy, I would remind them of Frederick the Great’s bon mot: “Diplomacy without armed force is like a musical score with no instruments.” Sweet reason and good intentions are well and good, but by themselves they won’t prevent the catastrophe that looms over the world.
Congratulations, Anne Applebaum. Such an important time to face up to what pacifism is and why autocrats need to be pacified before it is too late. We must be grateful for what you do to further this purpose. Thank you!
May I add this comment, that autocrats were emboldened by the transactional nature of globalized trade. Putin, Xi, etc. did not spend a moment on free exchange of ideas, such as pacifism. They just collected the riches derived from free trade and invested large parts of it in rearmament. Unfortunately, the payload of western culture that came with transactional exchange was returned to sender. They then turned their weapons on us.
this is exactly right: we thought we were mutually disarming, and in fact they were still in competition with us, waiting for the right moment to "attack", not militarily but in many other ways
Congratulations Anne, that is a high honor indeed and from my perspective truly deserving. I believe that long after we are gone, those that follow will recognize the many voices that were raised in opposition to the Fascist plague. There aren't two sides to the conundrum we are facing, not if you want to be able to look in the mirror, to be on the side of truth and justice is the only position that a sane person can embrace. The sad fact is that the Fascist scourge is growing, when they capture the power of the state, the danger for all of us ramps up exponentially. Everything I read suggests that we are slow marching towards another World War, and just like the wars of the twentieth century were a whole other thing compared to the previous centuries, a World War in this century will make those of the past look like child's play. I'm a combat vet and I know about the horrors of the killing fields, we must do everything in our power to prevent them. There are good people everywhere, they need to be given as much voice and support as is humanly possible. Fascism could have been stopped in the 30's, but powerful people thought that they could contain and use it, it devoured them. There are people here in the US that are trying to do that today. I think they must be clueless about the demons they are unleashing. Living as you have been in Eastern Europe where the nightmare of the 30's and 40's is still evident, gives you a perspective that many here in the US lack, so thank you for the clarity you bring, we need to be clear-eyed about the future. 🙏🏻
Thank you Anne.
Anne, you are a light and a beacon.
Clausewitz wrote that “The conqueror is always a lover of peace (as Bonaparte asserted of himself). He would like to make his entry into our state unopposed and in order to avoid that, we must choose war…” Thus he encapsulated the dilemma of pacifism. During the Second World War, Mr. Orwell put it less tactfully, asserting that the pacifist is objectively on the side of the aggressor.
As for those who place undue faith in diplomacy, I would remind them of Frederick the Great’s bon mot: “Diplomacy without armed force is like a musical score with no instruments.” Sweet reason and good intentions are well and good, but by themselves they won’t prevent the catastrophe that looms over the world.
Congratulations, Anne Applebaum. Such an important time to face up to what pacifism is and why autocrats need to be pacified before it is too late. We must be grateful for what you do to further this purpose. Thank you!
May I add this comment, that autocrats were emboldened by the transactional nature of globalized trade. Putin, Xi, etc. did not spend a moment on free exchange of ideas, such as pacifism. They just collected the riches derived from free trade and invested large parts of it in rearmament. Unfortunately, the payload of western culture that came with transactional exchange was returned to sender. They then turned their weapons on us.
this is exactly right: we thought we were mutually disarming, and in fact they were still in competition with us, waiting for the right moment to "attack", not militarily but in many other ways