Russian tanks entering Ukraine with Ukrainian civilians seeking shelter.

Russian Revisionism and the Lie of Provocation

There exists in the muddled discourse surrounding Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine a certain insidious argument that bears more than a passing resemblance to a particular strain of historical revisionism. This argument, ostensibly put forward by those seeking “context” or “nuance,” suggests that Russia was not the aggressor in this conflict but rather a wounded […]

JD Vance, Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, styled as Goodfellas or The Godfather

From Goodfellas to Godfather: How Trump Sees Ukraine

There is a scene in Goodfellas that is worth revisiting, not simply for its cinematic brilliance but for its inadvertent commentary on contemporary events and the mechanics of power. The beleaguered restaurant owner, hapless and outmatched, finds himself at the mercy of Tommy DeVito’s arbitrary cruelty. Knowing he cannot directly confront the problem, he seeks […]