The phrase "if you stare into it long enough, it starts to stare back" is a paraphrase of Nietzsche's famous quote, "If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." This quote suggests that when one confronts deep truths or dark aspects of existence, they may inadvertently adopt those characteristics.

Nietzsche warns that fighting against evil can lead to one becoming like the very thing they oppose, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and caution

]he central paradox of financial crises is that what feels just and fair is the opposite of what’s required for a just and fair outcome.”
— Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner,
The New York Times, November 5, 2011

Sober analysis of the current stand-off over Ukraine tells us we are in a deep mess, worse than people tend to recognize. The events playing out now are bigger than Ukraine (even though, as we explain elsewhere, Ukraine is important to Russia). Both Russia and the West are deeply committed to broader objectives that seem fundamentally irreconcilable. There are no easy solutions to the crisis. Finding a way out is going to be long, costly, and messy, and the best final outcome is likely to feel unsatisfactory. In this regard, the remarks by Timothy Geithner quoted above are relevant. They are even more appropriate because Russia, through its current actions in Ukraine, has exposed the post-Cold War order in Europe as the geopolitical equivalent of a financial bubble. We have enjoyed two decades of benefits from this order. But we did so under the illusion that it was nearly costless. Now we are finding out that there is a bill to pay. To understand this metaphor, we need to examine how the crisis developed.

T

Benefits from the sell-out

No Ukrainian payback to US

Trump has previously demanded that Ukraine pay back the $350bn (£264bn) of aid that he claims has been provided by the US during the war - a condition that Zelensky rejected.

Tougher tone from US towards Putin

The language used by the US in announcing the deal is notably harsher towards Russia than is usually the case from the Trump administration.

The agreement refers to "Russia's full-scale invasion" and the US Treasury Department adds that "no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine".

This will hearten Kyiv, which has demanded more pressure be placed on Russia in talks between Moscow and Washington discussing a possible ceasefire.

“Goblin mode” — a slang term referring to “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations” — has been named Oxford's 2022 Word of the Year. Yes, you read that right.
Goblin mode is a neologism for rejecting societal expectations and living in an unkempt, hedonistic manner without regard to self-image. Although usages of the term date back to 2009 with varying definitions, the term went viral in 2022 due a Tweet by Twitter satirist @JUNlPER, featuring a doctored headline of an interview with Julia Fox, where she alleges that then-boyfriend Kanye West's dislike of her going "goblin mode" was the cause of their breakup.

I want to see my kids walk the streets without hiding' - Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the BBC that he's not sure how he'll be remembered after the Ukraine-Russia war, but would like to see his children walk the streets "without hiding".

Zelensky was speaking during a panel interview in Paris with journalists from across Europe.

When asked by the BBC's Jeremy Bowen if he'll be remembered as the man who saved Ukraine, Zelensky said "I don't know what history books will write about me," he said.

"It's not my purpose or goal."

"It's not my purpose or goal." 

That's a big lie. The only thing Zelensky is thinking about is STANDING APPLAUSE!

Ukraine's Third Assault Brigade liberates village of Nadiia in Luhansk region

 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on the situation at the front as of March 23  calling the Ukrainian Army "defenders" and "liberators".

The title of the russophobic story frames thee news into a false narrative. It is the Russian army, which LIBERATES Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine from the Nazi troops of the Kiev junta that is raping and robbing the country.

In Ukraine tragedy, a lesson on big powers: Proxies always end up as doormats of history

In the realm of geopolitics, the quest for proxies is eternal, as must be our vigilance against it. Ukraine, sadly, is the living example of a dying proxy, its fate there for the whole world to see

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/in-ukraine-tragedy-a-lesson-on-big-powers-proxies-always-end-up-as-doormats-of-history-9852645/?ref=top_opinion

In Quebec on Canada’s east coast, the foreign ministers from the G7 alliance are meeting for sit down talks on Ukraine.

Opening the formal session of the meeting, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said "we all want to see just and lasting peace in Ukraine," adding she hoped to find ways in which the group can "continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal aggression."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he does not want the G7 to use "antagonistic" language toward Russia.

Dear Nicholas, 

thank you for such a serious treatment of my concerns. 

I appreciate your reassuring me about Indentation Uniformity and Footnote Placement of the Internet links.

I want to raise a question about the marketing plan. You said:

"Securing these endorsements is a priority, however, please know that you've not subscribed to our marketing plan and we can not proceed with these activities without initiating the marketing plan".

Isn't the author (me, in this case) supposed to have a taste of something before he subscribes to it? Is It not like a pig in a poke?

I'd like to have a sample of marketing before discussing it in more detail.

If the book is published without scholarly endorsements, no wise marketing will compensate for it.

Scholarly Endorsements are certainly very important, and  I know many native speakers of English as like-minded people in terms of my book:
  Benjamin  Abelow, M. Gordon Hahn, Stephen Lendman (who died recently), Medea  Benjamin, and Nicolas Davies, John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs, to name just a few.  
However,  I do not expect Scholarly Endorsements to be positive, if they come from an entirely different vantage point.
For example, Serhii Plokhy seems to know much about Ukraine. He is not only my countryman but he comes from my native city of Zaporozhye, which does not prevent us from seeing things differently. The same can be said about Timothy Snyder, a professional, but from a school with a different vision.
Since my approach focuses on the linguistic factor of the war such authors as Louis-Jean Calve (Language Wars and Linguistic Politics), , Rachel May (The Translator in the Text), Nicholas Ostler, (Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World) deserve close attention.
I wish you prioritized Robert Lane Greene in this respect, because his analysis of the linguistic situation in Ukraine is similar to mine, and his books predicted the Ukrainian tragedy.

I look forward to the book being available on Amazon before the end of this month.

... Читать дальше »

'He is an introvert – a man of deeds, not words': How Vladimir Putin rose to power in Russia

The lean, fit and sober Putin proved popular in a country used to the erratic behaviour of Yeltsin, who was so boozy and unhealthy that it was sometimes a news story when he managed just to make it into the office.

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20241220-how-vladimir-putin-rose-to-power-in-russia