Russia’s unprovoked and ongoing invasion of Ukraine is a lesson on many levels. The innumerable interpretations by any number of experts, the news coverage of every slant, and the public reaction…all are informative of a singular historical factoid I’ve seen mentioned precisely nowhere: Until less than a century ago, Putin’s behavior was not the exception but the norm.

Every advanced civilization in history has been built through conquest. Imperialism, annexation, and exploitation have been fundamental to the human story since the late Neolithic: Egypt and Sumeria, the Orient and India, the Mediterranean, Western and Central Europe, the New World. Why do Brazilians speak Portuguese, and other South Americans Spanish? Why were Australians and Canadians once subjects of England? Why are so many countries in Africa delineated with straight longitudinal lines? Why is the United States dominated by white Europeans?

Putin’s overt invasion of Ukraine may be questionable on a political and strategic level. But from the perspective of human history and human nature, it’s hardly news.

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