tangs, I know its difficult for you to differentiate between what is real (Real Politic) and what is morally right. (Ideology).
That is evident from your binary position on this Ukrainian war.
Just imagine Gallieo's predicament when he was convinced that the Sun was at the centre of our solar system (Eccentric) vs the Roman Church, the then regional Hedgemon, who thought that the Earth was at the centre. He was lambasted for being a "realist"
And so it is with this war.
While there is an Ideological argument as to why Russia did wrong in invading the Ukraine, there is also a counter argument that NATO's expansion further around the Black Sea threatened Russia's access to the Crimea (one of its important Russian ports) and as such critically threatened Russia's national security just as a Chinese armed military/naval base in Southern PNG would be a serious threat to our national security . #
But of course Ideologues only see such aspects of Geopolitics from an arbitrary moral point of view (in this case the absolute right of a country to decide for itself) rather than from a power point of view ie: that which is possible and not possible.
We have a rule of law within countries whith the domestic means of enforcing it but that stops at the State because there is no higher authority than the State (that is unless you believe in God and all that jazz)
In the older days in Europe there was a to bridge that phantom gap by declaring the Devine Right of Kings.
I realise that we have a UN and an ICC etc but these are voluntary organisations (IE ;The USA and others do not recognise the ICC) and of course the UN is a toothless tiger unable to act unless supported by a member(s) country volunteering armed forces.
So to harp on about the "moral right" of a country, while comforting to some, does not adequately explain Geopolitics.
Just ask the people of say Ireland who have been under British rule from 1169 until 1921 and of which 6 Counties are still under British rule was it a moral imperative or a military one that gained them the 26 Counties and the Good Friday Agreement (the pathway to reclaiming the remaining six)
# IMO if PNG agreed to a Chinese Port/Military Base in southern PNG we would either: -Engineer a coup to replace that government & replace it with an Aus . friendly regime and if that were not possible by peaceful means we'd do a East Timor ..that is we'd send in the troops and rubbish PNG's right to democratically decide for itself.
So in summary we have this Ukrainian war because of 2 conflicting principles: (a) a country's perceived right to decide for itself (b) that (a) threatens the perceived National Security of a more powerful neighbour
By not recognising both (a) & (b) , IMO that's bigotry which leads to conflict and war.
War is the problem...not the solution and IMO sooner or later a peaceful solution will be found based on Political Realism...not Ideology .
