Friday, March 11, 2022

An (unlikely) end: Zelensky becomes president of Russia and remains the president of Ukraine

I've been thinking of a way to end the war that would not be a disaster for the world, for Ukraine and for Russia. So many people have died already. So much has been destroyed and this path continues without an end in sight. People believe that a regime change in Russia is the solution. But what kind of regime change? If Putin dies tomorrow (i.e., before a resolution is reached), Russia will be left in turmoil. Its economy is crippled, and will be crippled further by the thirst for punishment which is so popular today. There is no shortage of people who cause harm when they have power. So, I worry that Putin will be replaced by somebody else who does even more harm in a Russia that is like a post-WWI Germany. I'm not Russian or of Russian origin, yet I see that this permanent threat it represents could only be defeated if Russia becomes a stable, democratic power. Of course, there is no magical wand, but giving Zelensky the presidency for both countries would be a start, and it could stop both the war and the collapse of Russia.

I see no problem with unifying Russia and Ukraine -- it just has to be under the right kind of leadership. Of course, the down side of that is that Russia could become strong again, and this whole war is aimed at bringing it and Ukraine down or bringing down Europe or both.

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