1/ I #StandWithUkraine because I strongly believe that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. To truly follow that maxim, we must understand what #evil is. The purpose of this thread is to push our comprehension. Where do we start?
2/ Lets analyze our intuition. Evil has this you-know-when-you-see-it feature. The Russian invasion is a perfect example. People from all around the world (regardless of culture, background, or religion) has identified the Russian aggression as evil and is siding with #Ukraine.
3/ But what is this feature that we so easily recognize? What is the nature of evil? If we could distill evil, what would it look like? These are the kind of questions I have been pondering since the start of the #war. I don't have the answers, but here are some of my thoughts.
4/ Firstly, evil individuals are not easily recognizable (note the irony). Visually-prominent villains are just artifacts of stories/movies where there is no time to properly develop a character. No time to explain that guy is evil? Give him uncanny features and you are all set.
5/ Secondly, a solid definition of evil requires conscious action. By this definition, accidents may be tragic but not evil. Thirdly, the motivation is important. Arson for example, it is not only defined by the action and the effect, but also the intent. Evil requires intent.
6/ There is one more parameter, which I find particularly difficult to analyze. Association. It is not uncommon that malicious deeds are done by individuals acting on behalf of a group or organization. In these cases, the evilness is only possible through said institution.
7/ This begs the question. Who is evil in those cases? The individual, the organization, or both? It is possible to say that the individual is malicious while the organization is amoral? Or maybe is the other way around? I can see interesting conversations exploring these topics.
8/ On this issue, I'll take a strong stance toward individual responsibility. We all are endowed with freedom of association and therefore we bear responsibility (liability if you will) for the actions of the groups we decide to join and collaborate.
9/ This relatively simple model goes a long way in explaining where evil resides in the context of the Russia invasion of Ukraine. Sadly, it also yields an enormous amount of individuals as complicit of the atrocities. We must not sugarcoat or ignore this important conclusion.
10/ As the Russian government is deliberately attacking Ukraine, everyone who is part of said government is complicit. Add all the private companies doing business with the Russian government and your genocide-collaborators head count ascends to millions of individuals.
11/ Such a big aggregate of people live their lives mostly detached from the front lines. They don't feel like "evil". Moreover, their lives are so similar to ours, that we may be tempted to give them a pass. Maybe we should search for the source of evil somewhere else?
12/ However, Hannah Arendt in her book Eichmann in Jerusalem knew better and pushes back against this temptation. Arendt witnessed the trial of Eichmann, the worst of the worst standing trial. She reports that the culprit of horrible atrocities was... boring... even banal.
13/ The banality of evil represents one of the most important lessons of #WorldWarII. It reminds us that evil is not so easy to detect as we would like. Villains are not as flashy as the movies portray them, yet they are out there and their actions cause untold suffering.
14/ All of us must reach out to this group and be clear. They are part of the worst atrocity #Europe has witnessed in decades. To everyone linked to the #Kremlin, this is the moment to save your soul. Distance yourself from the killing machine. Quit. Move out. #StandWithUkraine
15/ I end this thread with an appeal to everyone in #Russia and especially those living in #Moscow to take action. Oppose the government. If you can't or won't. Vote with your feet. Leave Russia. Anyone reading this with acquaintances in Moscow, please, pass them this message.

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More from @DedalusDelegate

Jul 15
1/ #MarkTwain once said "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes". Today, I will talk about a conflict that strongly rhymes to the Russian invasion of #Ukraine. The Sino-Vietnamese War. The amount of similarities between both conflicts deserve our attention.
2/ Understanding the #Sino-#Vietnamese #War will help us understand the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, this may be a key to help us understand the position of the Vietnamese population. Note how the Vietnamese government has been particularly cold on their neutrality.
3/ The Sino-Vietnamese War is part of a complicated mess involving #Vietnam, #China, and #Cambodia. It started in February 1979 and ended 27 days later with a full withdrawal of Chinese forces. It is possible to argue that Vietnam won, even if China argues otherwise.
Read 16 tweets
Jul 9
1/ #SunTzu is credited for the phrase “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak”. This phrase makes sense in warfare. Lets try to analyze the Russian invasion of #Ukraine in this context. Hopefully, this will shed light on the inner workings of the conflict.
2/ At this point, it is no secret that #Russia performance in the #war is mediocre. It failed to conquer Ukraine, a much smaller and less populated country. Moreover, Russia even failed to encircle #Kyiv and #Kharkiv. There is no way to hide this, the Russian armed forces suck.
3/ At the same time, Russian saber rattling is on an all-time high. Russian propagandist threaten to attack #NATO countries. For example, #Lithuania and #Poland in the #Suwalki gap and the #US in #Alaska. “Appear strong when you are weak.” #Putin propagandists know their #SunTzu.
Read 18 tweets
Jul 2
1/ Voltaire has a famous phrase “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities”. Atrocities like #Kremenchuk are happening. Therefore, we need to talk about the absurdities. We do this to understand the Russian invasion of #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine Image
2/ It is important to address and debunk the absurdities that poison the public conversation. For the particular case of the Russian invasion, there is one absurdity that I want to highlight. The idea that Russia is still some kind of superpower. Ridiculous and widespread idea.
3/ There is no way around this. Russia is NOT a superpower. Moreover, let me argue that Russia would have never invaded Ukraine if this “Russia is still a superpower” meme was less prevalent. Lets analyze what makes a superpower and whether Russia classifies as one.
Read 16 tweets
Jun 25
1/ It is said that those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it. If this is true, then we should always remember the Russian atrocities against civilians. Today I’ll focus on one of the most shocking, the March 16, 2022 Russian airstrike against the Mariupol theatre. Image
2/ #Mariupol was one of the first cities attacked by the Russians at the start of their invasion. Since February 24th, Mariupol residents have been under fire. This caused some to leave, some to stay put at their homes and some to find shelter in designated buildings. Image
3/ One of such places designated as shelters for civilians was the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theatre. It was a multi-storied building at a relatively elevated part of the city. No other structures in close proximity. It made sense to shelter civilians there. Image
Read 13 tweets
Jun 18
1/ There is a saying that goes like "All aggressive war is based upon miscalculation". If we accept this, the obligatory question becomes: Who miscalculated and threw us into the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Answering this will help us understand the this war. Image
2/ It will also help us avoid such conflicts in the future. Today, I’ll mention two instances of miscalculation. As with any other major geopolitical event, there are too many moving parts to track. Nonetheless, any serious analysis of the war should consider the following men.
3/ Firstly, PUTIN miscalculated. Duh? No sh*t Sherlock? Bear with me. The important question is: How come? The best explanation I found was given by an article of The Atlantic called Vladimir Putin Has Fallen Into the Dictator Trap. Strongly recommended. Link below. Image
Read 16 tweets
Jun 10
1/ I saw this population-scaled map a couple weeks ago. It did not receive the attention it deserved, therefore I’m posting it here with additional commentary of my own. reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comm… Image
2/ This map is one of the best in my opinion. The population-based region sizing avoids any misrepresentation caused by the expanse of sparsely populated oblasts. Similarly, the logarithmic-color-scaling truly shows the abismal casualty disparity between regions.
3/ This map not only shows the scale of the tragedy that the Putin War has become. It also gives a unique insight into the inner workings of the country and its power structures. The social contract of any country is difficult to asses, let alone such huge behemoth as Russia.
Read 9 tweets

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