I've long been a reader of The Economist. So, as you may expect, I enjoy their content -- but that is not why I make this post here today.

This series of posts form a truly comprehensive (as could be done given the format) view of the situation in Ukraine and how it involves the West. From the underlying pretext, to recent history, policy, diplomacy, military, and what should be done. They've encapsulated and contextualized a sentiment I've often heard expressed here, and elsewhere, about the dangerous present we find ourselves in.

It is something I believe everyone ought to read; something our leaders ought to at least heed.

The view from the Kremlin | Putin’s war on the West

• As Ukraine suffers, it is time to recognise the gravity of the Russian threat—and to counter it

  • What the Kremlin wants
  • What is to be done?

What Russia wants | From cold war to hot war

• Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is part of a broader, and more dangerous, confrontation with the West

  • Summation of Russia's View and Context
    • (in relation to Minsk and confrontation).
  • Mistaken hopes
    • (about Russia and pluralism, communism, and state control).
  • Hard power and soft
    • (Russia's military expansion and testing of bonds).
  • Boots on the ground
    • (NATO, Baltics and Ukraine).
  • Meddling and perverting
    • (Putin's goal to destabilize the EU and NATO).
  • Disruptive politics
    • (funding of far-right and far-left groups).

NOTE: Above two articles are the most important; they also changed my mind about the efficacy of arming Ukraine in the broader conflict.

Russia’s European supporters | In the Kremlin’s pocket

• Who backs Putin, and why

  • Putin's use and abuse of naive hopefuls
  • Funding parties and groups to defend his businesses.

Sanctions against Russia | Fancy footwork

• How businesses linked to blacklisted oligarchs avoid Western sanctions

  • You belong to yourself
  • Feeling the pain

Russian cinema | Russia's Book of Job

• The domestic response to Andrei Zvyagintsev’s award-winning film, “Leviathan”, says a lot about today’s Russia, and especially about the church

Notable Quotes:

• "Mr Putin wants Ukraine to be a lesson in the perils of leaning West. It should instead be an exemplar of the rewards."

• "*If the case for sending arms to the Donbas is doubtful, that for basing NATO troops in the Baltics is overwhelming, however loudly Mr Putin squeals. *"

  • "It isn’t only its allies who appreciate the West’s virtues. So do many Russians, including shameless Putinists who denounce the West’s decadence but exploit its schools and stockmarkets"

• "Anti-Americanism is not only the reason for war and the main pillar of state power, but also an ideology that Russia is trying to export to Europe, as it once exported communism."

Please take the time, out of your busy days, to read at least the first two articles. I'm not asking you to take them as fact, merely to consider them. I would not have gone through the effort that is this post had I not thought it was of considerable value. Thank you.