I am losing interest in geopolitics, probably because the daily news consists of nothing more than commentary on whatever stupid flip-flop Trump committed with his motor-mouth, today. The daily fighting in Ukraine is still too incremental to be interesting. And the daily slaughter in Gaza is too depressing to think about.
In a sense, Trump can't be blamed for deserting his own voters and making his pitch to the 'other side.' Most politicians do the same thing once the election is over because they think their own voters are safely 'in their pocket.' As a result, Biden's unnecessary war and Defeat in Ukraine has become Trump's Defeat in Ukraine.
The other day I was praising historical novelists for allowing the readers to share the thoughts and feelings of historical periods better than the dull facts of professional historians. But sometimes real events in the world help you put yourselves into the shoes of others. In thinking of Trump getting into the Ukraine trap, it became more interesting to reread Adam Zamoyski's "1812: Napoleon’s Fatal March on Moscow" (p. 410):
"With every day Napoleon spent in Moscow, the harder it was to leave without loss of face, and the usually decisive Emperor became immobilised by the need to choose between an unappealing range of options on the one hand, and stubborn belief in his lucky star on the other. He fell into the trap of thinking that by delaying a decision he was leaving his options open. In fact, he only really had one option, and he was reducing the chances of its success with every day he delayed."
Earlier in the book Zamoyski discussed the change of public opinion that occurred in Germany thanks to the humiliations they suffered at the hands of the French Occupation.
"But that moment, just after the victories of Jena and Auerstädt, in which Napoleon destroyed the Prussian army and shook the Prussian state to its core, was to be something of a turning point.In effect, Napoleon’s treatment of Prussia is paradigmatic of his whole mishandling of the German issue, for which his successors were still paying in 1940.
It was not long before these feelings began to have practical consequences."
It is easy for an American today to feel humiliation and strong resentment every time Netanyahu opens his mouth and pours out his lies. It has radicalized me: I hope Iran's next round with Israel seriously defangs that vile little country. I have started seeing pro-Israel Americans as traitors.
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