253: The Russian invasion of Ukraine. What’s Putin thinking?

The boys drink and review Double High-Pitch IPA from Hi-Wire Brewing, then discuss the invasion of Ukraine.

Pigweed gives a little historical background on the relationship between Ukraine and Russia, then P&C go through the four possible explanations of the situation recently offered by Jordan Peterson.

1. Putin is an evil expansionist thug who wants to expand his territory and restore the old Soviet Union.

2. [Following John Mearsheimer] The West has been provoking Putin by inviting all of Russia’s border states into NATO and the EU.

3. Russia’s concerned about the stability of its petrochemical-based economy and needs to secure bordering countries.

4. Russia is more serious about Christendom than the West is, and wants to save Ukraine from the decadent, anti-Christian West.

Each of these explanations might have a piece of the truth.

Also, how did the United States get drawn into this? It was understood — just a short time ago — that Ukraine was a horribly corrupt oligarchy, and we didn’t particularly care about it. Now we defend Ukraine as if we’re defending “democracy.”

There’s also a video version of the show.