[pavlov]

Rape can be defensive in the rapist’s mind. “My wife smiled at someone else. I need to defend my property and teach her a lesson.”

And this is the same kind of twisted logic that drives the Russian invasion.

[_dw1a]

That seems more retributive than defensive. It’s only construed as defensive when the attacker is forced to justify themselves, to themselves and others, to avoid shame and guilt. Consider the cliche of “defending one’s honor”. This phrase assumes the rightfulness of the aggressor’s actions. It begs the question.