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skydivernigel : I concur with your statements . I have been a few times professionally to Russia , the first time when it was still the USSR under Andropov ( who still emembers him ?) and when we in the West were so afraid of a Warsaw pact invasion (interesting concept the Warsaw pact for those old enough to remember) following the Prague Spring crush down . etc..
A few things struck me when discovering the real Russians was their absolute belief that we were going to invade them again .When we told them it was the other way around, they just laughed and replied : with what ? . So much for the propaganda from both sides.
Another thing we forget is that Russia has been invaded twice in recent history and defeated both invasion's at a huge human cost ( and the help of winter) and US and UK were never invaded . The psyche is different .
Having been around the globe a little since discussing ATC related matters with colleagues from those places, one can see that double standards exists from all sides . Ukraine and NATO are good examples. A large border separate Ukraine and Russia and Russia cannot accept to have US troops stationed at its borders, the same that US would not accept Russian troops at their border with in Canada or Mexico.
That is a fact , and last, as far as "democracy and dictatorships " it is amazing , if it was not tragic, to see that US politics today , whether under Trump or Biden, struggle with massive illegal immigration at their Southern border caused only by their continuous own support to violent anti democratic regimes in Central America.
The world is a mess, yes, but it always had been no ?