Putin's War

 I dedicate this song by the Piranhas to all those poor Russian guys who have been called up to serve in Putin's war on the Ukraine:

I know I'm not the only one who has noted the parallels that Putin's war has with Hitler's mission for national and personal glory but then all dictators will find that similar problems in maintaining their rule are met with similar solutions. For example, one of the common problems tyrants like Putin face is the threat from potential rivals & critics. The dictator's suspicions lead them to imprison or murder these rivals & critics. Putin is undoubtedly a murderer for his cause.  The other general rule-of-thumb with dictators is that they surround themselves with sycophants who tell the dictator what he wants to hear and therefore his fantasy world isn't challenged. 

 

As with Hitler Putin's initial successes have lead him to believe in the mythology that has come to surround him. He sees himself on a mystical religious crusade bound up with his eastern orthodoxy. He's known to obstinately pursue goals very single mindedly until he achieves them, which is bad news for Ukraine and perhaps for the whole world. The only thing that will stop him is his complete defeat. Hitler held on to the very last, buoyed by his initial successes he swallowed the mythology of personal destiny that he thought these successes were evidence of. .