[goatsneez]

[As usual, N. Chomsky delivers with scholarly precision and intellectual clarity] There are only few serious scholars of diplomacy and foreign relationships, but all of them are saying the same thing:

1) "As to why Putin launched the criminal aggression right now, we can speculate as we like. But the immediate background is not obscure — evaded but not contested.

2) "It’s easy to understand why those suffering from the crime may regard it as an unacceptable indulgence to inquire into why it happened and whether it could have been avoided. Understandable, but mistaken. If we want to respond to the tragedy in ways that will help the victims, and avert still worse catastrophes that loom ahead, it is wise, and necessary, to learn as much as we can about what went wrong and how the course could have been corrected. Heroic gestures may be satisfying. They are not helpful."

3) All people I know across spectrum of opinions and convictions are without a shred of doubt of ambiguity against this war (and many also against other wars that are ongoing in parallel): we, as opponents of the war should stop feeling righteous and honorable in our protest (which fuels the never-ending calls for escalation and pushing for ever deeper military conflict). We should focus on survival in the material as well as transcendental meaning. If our (wester) escalation will lead to annihilation of our species, then hardly anyone wins. The only solution is diplomatic and then there are many levers to pull...

4) ..." The least bad [option to end this war] is support for the diplomatic options"...