Originally Posted by
beardy
The Royal Navy had a significant role on the high seas in stopping the trade in human bodies for slavery despite the waters they plied and more recently the vile trade in drug running. Any vessel running the gauntlet of the law of the sea, human decency and morals deserves to be stopped and inspected, only those who carry guilt should be ashamed of their conduct.
There is no higher horse.
Unforunately, history and academics take a broader view. Consider reading the works of British sociologist Martin Shaw on the topics of:
-The role of genocide in the origins of the British state
-The problem of genocide in the Empire and British settler colonialism
-Britain's relationship to twentieth-century European genocide
-Britain's role the genocidal violence of decolonization
-Britain's role in the genocidal crises of the post-Cold War world
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been repeatedly, by Cold War political leaders, et al, been attributed to NATO's encroachment into Ukraine. And so to listen to NATO military officers talk about "honour" and "morals" is a bit much. Terms that come to mind include 'echo chamber' and 'paur auternus.' The old observation that "those who scream loudest are most guilty" remains true today.