As readers will know, one of the sites I frequent for news on the Russia - Ukraine conflict is https://twitter.com/GeromanAT. This morning I found there this retweet, which GeromanAT characterized as “silly”: I’ll also paste in two tweets in response to this, which reflect different degrees of understanding regarding what’s going on:
Thank you Mark for the invaluable history lesson - it of course helps explain Poland being caught, as it were, between a rock and a hard place, and throws light on what sometimes appears to be its “schizophrenic” behaviors: not exactly head of the class of dingbat Ursula’s LGBTQ++ EU, but at the same time, wedged in between Germany and Russia, it feels none too comfortable with the belligerence UA-Russia war…
It's as though Poland is itching for a fight to regain and restore it's honor and sense that no one should consider it a sidecar any longer. My guess is that they'd feel the same way about Germany if they (again) invaded Austria, Hungary, or the Baltics.
I was blessed in college to have had as a professor, mentor and thesis advisor a legendary Polish Resistance fighter, diplomat and scholar by the name of Jan Karski. With all the atrocities he'd witnessed (as "up close and personal" as anyone on the planet, seeing as he was repeatedly dropped into occupied Poland specifically to try to disrupt or, at least, report them back out to London and the world) from both the Nazi and the Soviet sides, it never ceased to amaze me how impeccably and dispassionately he could present the incredibly-nuanced history of Russia and Eastern Europe. Need more of that both in the academy and society these days....more scholar, less holler.
It’s also worth remembering that, before “liberating” Warsaw, the Red Army stopped at the Vistula to allow the Germans to first put down the Warsaw Uprising, which was timed to take advantage of the Soviet offensive and expected German retreat.
In a comment I made on a previous post I noted that Russia genuinely reached out in friendship to the West in the wake of the Soviet collapse. As evidence of this, Putin’s gesture regarding Katyn and the Smolensk air disaster ranks with his call to W after 9/11 expressing condolences (the first foreign leader to do so) and his help in facilitating the U.S.’s retaliatory moves in Afghanistan. Peter Hitchens recently said that the West’s refusal to reciprocate Russia’s desire for friendship since 1991 will eventually be recognized as one of the greatest geopolitical blunders in history.
I understand Poland's historical grievances against Russia. However, in the current context, ripping down this war memorial is just the latest in a long line of insane and reckless acts against Russia. As many have remarked elsewhere, our "leaders" are behaving like a bunch of narcissistic school children towards Putin. In the UK, we've banned Russian players from attending Wimbledon. This kind of thing is only counterproductive and strengthens Russian support for Putin. Love him or hate him, Putin is the only adult in the room at the moment.
As a follow up to my last post. There is a picture on the internet. I'd post it here but don't know if I should. It's of a man, I believe his name is Piotr Sosnowski, a Catholic priest and Polish. He, along with some other men, is about to be shot in a wood somewhere. It might seem odd but, sometimes I stare at the photo and wonder about the man. He doesn't cower, he stands tall, one foot slightly in front of the other, staring at his killers - DEFIANT in his priestly black with white collar. Refusing to show fear. He's being murdered for what he represents - obedience to something higher than men. I pray that I could represent myself so well in the face of certain death.
I knew of the Soviet atrocities at the beginning and end of the war so I found it unremarkable that Poles were desecrating memorials.
I may have heard of the Katyn massacre - probably on this site - but it hadn't stuck in my consciousness. It's easy to understand the deep animosity Poles have for Russia. How sadly ironic that they have in Putin the one man (apparently) who could bring some healing and bridge the gap between the two countries.
You mentioned conspiracy theories - to be expected - but was the plane crash definitively ruled accidental?
I highly suggest watching Katyn. There are a couple of clips on YouTube. One is about 5 minutes long and difficult to watch. It represents the most realistic depiction of how totalitarian regimes brutally exterminate their "problems." It is also a great example of how these regimes prepare the ground for total domination. Evil, brutal, systematic efficiency. They just erase you from the earth. Even while typing this out I realize how hard it is for me to describe what I feel when I watch the clips. True evil.
Thank you Mark for the invaluable history lesson - it of course helps explain Poland being caught, as it were, between a rock and a hard place, and throws light on what sometimes appears to be its “schizophrenic” behaviors: not exactly head of the class of dingbat Ursula’s LGBTQ++ EU, but at the same time, wedged in between Germany and Russia, it feels none too comfortable with the belligerence UA-Russia war…
It's as though Poland is itching for a fight to regain and restore it's honor and sense that no one should consider it a sidecar any longer. My guess is that they'd feel the same way about Germany if they (again) invaded Austria, Hungary, or the Baltics.
Another terrific piece...
I was blessed in college to have had as a professor, mentor and thesis advisor a legendary Polish Resistance fighter, diplomat and scholar by the name of Jan Karski. With all the atrocities he'd witnessed (as "up close and personal" as anyone on the planet, seeing as he was repeatedly dropped into occupied Poland specifically to try to disrupt or, at least, report them back out to London and the world) from both the Nazi and the Soviet sides, it never ceased to amaze me how impeccably and dispassionately he could present the incredibly-nuanced history of Russia and Eastern Europe. Need more of that both in the academy and society these days....more scholar, less holler.
Thanks for this, Mark.
It’s also worth remembering that, before “liberating” Warsaw, the Red Army stopped at the Vistula to allow the Germans to first put down the Warsaw Uprising, which was timed to take advantage of the Soviet offensive and expected German retreat.
In a comment I made on a previous post I noted that Russia genuinely reached out in friendship to the West in the wake of the Soviet collapse. As evidence of this, Putin’s gesture regarding Katyn and the Smolensk air disaster ranks with his call to W after 9/11 expressing condolences (the first foreign leader to do so) and his help in facilitating the U.S.’s retaliatory moves in Afghanistan. Peter Hitchens recently said that the West’s refusal to reciprocate Russia’s desire for friendship since 1991 will eventually be recognized as one of the greatest geopolitical blunders in history.
And what if Putin and his current Leadership are as evil as Stalin and his? https://jrnyquist.blog/2022/04/21/will-russia-go-nuclear/
I understand Poland's historical grievances against Russia. However, in the current context, ripping down this war memorial is just the latest in a long line of insane and reckless acts against Russia. As many have remarked elsewhere, our "leaders" are behaving like a bunch of narcissistic school children towards Putin. In the UK, we've banned Russian players from attending Wimbledon. This kind of thing is only counterproductive and strengthens Russian support for Putin. Love him or hate him, Putin is the only adult in the room at the moment.
As a follow up to my last post. There is a picture on the internet. I'd post it here but don't know if I should. It's of a man, I believe his name is Piotr Sosnowski, a Catholic priest and Polish. He, along with some other men, is about to be shot in a wood somewhere. It might seem odd but, sometimes I stare at the photo and wonder about the man. He doesn't cower, he stands tall, one foot slightly in front of the other, staring at his killers - DEFIANT in his priestly black with white collar. Refusing to show fear. He's being murdered for what he represents - obedience to something higher than men. I pray that I could represent myself so well in the face of certain death.
Thank you for the history lesson.
I knew of the Soviet atrocities at the beginning and end of the war so I found it unremarkable that Poles were desecrating memorials.
I may have heard of the Katyn massacre - probably on this site - but it hadn't stuck in my consciousness. It's easy to understand the deep animosity Poles have for Russia. How sadly ironic that they have in Putin the one man (apparently) who could bring some healing and bridge the gap between the two countries.
You mentioned conspiracy theories - to be expected - but was the plane crash definitively ruled accidental?
I highly suggest watching Katyn. There are a couple of clips on YouTube. One is about 5 minutes long and difficult to watch. It represents the most realistic depiction of how totalitarian regimes brutally exterminate their "problems." It is also a great example of how these regimes prepare the ground for total domination. Evil, brutal, systematic efficiency. They just erase you from the earth. Even while typing this out I realize how hard it is for me to describe what I feel when I watch the clips. True evil.