Dishonoured nations turn violent
Humiliation on the battlefield is one of the most reliable catalysts for an ultranationalist backlash. From the Freikorps in Germany to Russian “violence merchants” — the embittered veterans of the Afghan War and the brutal conflicts of the Nineties — rage, criminality, and organised violence have a habit of spilling back into society when wars end in dishonour. Disappointed, traumatised troops return home with the conviction that only force can redeem the nation, spreading chaos and revanchist politics as they go. And, if Vladimir Putin manages to draw Donald Trump into agreeing to a one-sided peace deal that will reward his war of aggression and leave thousands of Ukrainians stranded under a brutal Russian occupation, history could yet repeat itself in Kyiv.
