Finding critics of the pile-on over Russia’s attack on The Ukraine is almost impossible, and that is in itself a cause for worry. Since I still do not know why Russia invaded, what their purpose is or why they took on such a massive task, I will just watch to see what comes up.

Meanwhile there was this from Peter Hitchens which at least explains some of it: The West acts tough with Russia because we’re just too feeble to stand up to our real enemy… China. Here’s how he ends.

I have never seen any attempt by anyone to reply to the urgent condemnation of this decision, made in 1998 by one of the greatest diplomats who ever lived, George Kennan. Mr Kennan, inventor of the successful strategy of ‘containment’ of the Soviet Union, came out of retirement to protest.

He said Nato expansion was folly, and correctly predicted it would create nationalist backlash in Moscow. Did the neo-conservatives who created this policy really think Russia, with its huge intelligence services and vast, sophisticated foreign policy establishment, would not notice that it was being targeted?

Russia guards its interests, as do all nations, just as rain falls downwards and water is wet. Out of this realisation came Vladimir Putin, the direct consequence of the Wolfowitz doctrine. We created him.

In fact, Wolfowitz and Clinton were simply wrong. China was the real danger. Think about this. In 1989, the Soviet Empire gave way to mass demonstrations in Prague and East Germany. It could have massacred protesters in Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin, but it did not. After a few nasty but feeble attempts to fight demands for independence in the Baltic states and Georgia, Russia gave up its enormous empire in Europe and Asia. In return, Russia was treated like a pariah by the EU and Nato when it sought a civilised relationship with them.

That same year, China’s Communists answered their people’s demands for freedom by murdering them on the streets of Peking.

I cannot see how this will ever work to the advantage of the Russians. In the end, this can only work to the advantage of China and Joe Biden, two of the greatest enemies the West has ever had.

There is also this by Pat Buchanan which follows the same sort of path: Did We Provoke Putin’s War in Ukraine?.

When Russia’s Vladimir Putin demanded that the U.S. rule out Ukraine as a future member of the NATO alliance, the U.S. archly replied: NATO has an open-door policy. Any nation, including Ukraine, may apply for membership and be admitted. We’re not changing that.

In the Bucharest declaration of 2008, NATO had put Ukraine and Georgia, ever farther east in the Caucasus, on a path to membership in NATO and coverage under Article 5 of the treaty, which declares that an attack on any one member is an attack on all.

Unable to get a satisfactory answer to his demand, Putin invaded and settled the issue. Neither Ukraine nor Georgia will become members of NATO. To prevent that, Russia will go to war.

Peace in our time, but only on our terms.