Why We Are Here: The Past and Its Link to the Present
I admit I should have paid more attention to Eastern Europe before Ukraine was invaded on February 22, 2022. Excuses, excuses, and I hate to say it, we all missed why this happened. It was not about Ukraine in 2014. No, it’s not that. This goes much earlier, and it’s part of the long trends in Russia.
Don’t look at Ukraine, or at least not 2014. Look much further into the Russian past. I spoke the other day about the long trends of Russian history. We all need to look at two things in Russian history.
The first is the gathering of lands. Vladimir Putin has referred to this because he points at the imperial project under the Tsars. He sees himself as one, with Boyars obeying him.
While it started earlier than the Romanovs, the actual start of the modern Russian empire was both Peter and Catherine Romanov. It was not just Ukraine but also the Caucasus that resisted until the end of the 19th century. You may say they never stopped fighting.
It was also the east. Russia expanded, using its military or treaties. It reached the Pacific in the 19th century, with agreements with imperial China. The treaty of Aigun allowed Russia to get to the Pacific.
Incidentally, there have been clashes on the border from time to time, and it is set along the Amur River. It…