The effective confirmation by five European countries that Russia did kill opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2024 did not surprise those familiar with the Kremlin’s track record.
But the Feb. 14 statement, which blames Russia for the murder and specifies the kind of poison used, represents a new milestone in the deterioration in Russian-European relations.
Previously European countries were more reluctant to antagonize Russia. But Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and Kremlin-linked murders and sabotage all over the continent have pushed Europe towards a harsher and more resolute approach.
“It looks like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s penchant for killing has been recognized as outrageous,” Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin told the Kyiv Independent. “And now it will be impossible to restore normal relations with him. The idea that it is possible to make deals with him is becoming less and less popular in Europe.”
Nothing, and nothing will change. That’s what it means.
To expand: the idea of international law, or law broadly, is a fantasy that liberals believe in. Our legal systems in the world serve to preserve order, not dispense consequence evenly. There is no greater power, there are no international police, there is no consequence for killing as many people as you want, as long as you have an army and money.
I know this is preaching to the choir for anyone who’s been on the left for a while, but I also assumed all the safety and morality lessons at the end of G.I.Joe cartoons were actually seen and heard by the children who grew up to run the world, and I assumed that people cared about facts and holding onto memories of things they’ve learned, so maybe we all need to start reminding each other how the world works.
This suggests your advice to everyone is that we should all just give up.
You should ask about this fantasy about a guy called Milosevic (actually you can’t, he killed himself). He was dictator in Serbia for a considerable number of years, but eventually they dethroned him, reasoned he was a burden to their political future, and gave him up to the international court. It took a long time for political winds to turn. That is why crimes against humanity do not expire.
That’s silly. Killing even one person will produce enemies. Killing many people will produce countless enemies. Armies and money cannot be taken for granted if one keeps making enemies (also, they do not protect against assassination).
However, I do not imply certainty of Putin ever standing on trial. He could make peace and rule with an iron fist until natural death. He could be considered a burden and touch the wrong door handle without a big fuss. He could touch the wrong door handle courtesy of a foreign agency. Revenge is often quicker than justice. But there is a considerable possibility of Russians eventually removing him, eventually deciding that he’s a burden, and giving him up. Hopefully he will get a nice free apartment in the Hague next to Trump.