I think Ukraine is going to be a lot harder to hold onto than Iraq was. The Americans and Brits failed, but they had buckets and buckets of money to throw at the problem. Not convinced the Ruble is going to make it to next week, let alone fund an occupying force. The Ukrainians have also been supplied with shiny new boom boxes and firesticks for the last eight years or so.

I think you're right, and I wrote about the tendency of liberals to presume liberalism is what everyone wants in a previous article. it's a dangerous supposition that underpins much of Western thought and it needs to change. In many ways the benevolent dictatorships are doing much better - their populations aren't descending into civil war at a moment's notice about pronouns.

And bugger on Gerasimov, he's dead. The allies would've been pissed if someone had killed Goering during the Battle of Britain. He caused far more damage than most of the Nazi entire leadership combined. :o/