O/T:- Ukraine [Incorporating 'Congrats to Russia' thread]

[jackal2]

That was the conclusion reached by European countries in the 1600s, when the 30 year war that devastated most of northern Europe was fought by mercenaries. They would drain a country's resources, drain them some more while they indebted themselves, then go and fight for the next highest bidder, including against whoever they'd been fighting before.

This is why professional national armies were introduced. They needed to be paid for by taxation though, and taxation needed a nationwide bureaucracy, which is the pared down version of how the modern state came to be!

Indeed.

In fact it's a pared down version of national and international life: the endless tension that shapes individual countries and the relationships between them. At one extreme is the prospect of anarchy and statelessness, while at the other extreme is overwhelming state control and the bureaucracy that comes with it. Within our countries and across them we engage in an infinite 'discussion' about where precisely is the best place to be between these two situations.

I've always thought international politics is a psychopathic game. If you go looking for 'right' or 'wrong' or 'good' or 'evil' you'll meet yourself on the way back. It's purely about survival.

[upthemaggies]

Belarus president claims that Wagner has agreed to end the insurrection. Wagner Group leader Evgeny Prigozhin will abandon his mutiny in exchange for “security guarantees” for his fighters.