I am starting to think that Russia doesn’t trust the West. Well without downplaying the importance of the many Czars and autocrats that have ruled Russia under an iron boot for centuries, we still must contend with our behavior toward Russia at the end of World War II. We were wary of the wily Stalin because our leaders knew who and what he was, a monster of death. However, our countries had together defeated the greatest threat to mankind since Genghis Kahn. Soldiers from both sides hugged each other with tears running down their faces. But what did the United States lose in comparison to the Russians?

America was a rising power, ready to flex its muscle. President Roosevelt made sure that our country’s timing into the war was tuned to enhance our status and power even more. We entered the war late, out produced everybody in the world, and came away from the conflict the literal winner. Europe was devastated, along with Japan and China, among many others. Our combat losses were miniscule when compared to those of our allies.

At that time, Russia was primarily an agrarian state with a system of serfdom under a hereditary ruler. Russia had been attacked many times and had often been the attacker. However, if you look at the map, it is easy to see that Russia is landlocked in an area of the world that has grown more and more energetically with worldwide trade doubling many times within a short span of years. Russia has always been a paranoid state. Of course, that paranoia was magnified many times after the fall of the Soviet Union. Here, the best course is to suspend judgement.

The Russians have a much greater sense of a proud history of struggle, invasion, devastation, and loss than Americans. Our country is a baby in comparison to Russia. The United States soil has never been invaded by a foreign force (except for the War of 1812). Many thousands of years of civilization, excellence in every art, science and space exploration promoted even with a nod to international solidarity within the International Space Station; Russia is proud of its exceptional culture; and so, they should be. Ever read Dostoevsky? Well let me give you a hint….Americanized English is a pauper when compared to the Russian language at its finest. It still mesmerizes the world with awe.

Russia suffered immeasurable loss due to World War II. There is a theory that Russian women are, on the average, exceptionally beautiful women due to the strain on the sperm pool after the loss of millions of men. Nature provided young women with strong weapons of attraction for the species to survive. If you have ever walked with streets of Moscow, I am sure that this observation still stands true today.

And yet, not America nor its allies around the world who fought together in World War II, offer the least of gratitude to the Russian people who lost their families, their future, and their happiness due to losses in the war. I think that the United States and NATO should have the nerve to present the Russian people, not the Russian state mechanism, with an impressive monument to commemorate their great gift to humanity. It should stand in a prominent place in the world. This monument must not be slathered with enmity or cast down as irrelevant. It is important for the peace of the world to make this injustice right…….no matter the war in Ukraine and the wreck of world peace it represents.