Day 17, Phase 3
War-adjacent content milling
Day 100 of fascist Russia’s genocidal war in Ukraine is next Friday on June 3. Mark it in your calendar.
John’s map above with Bakhmut in the middle illustrates the incredibly flat and boring terrain Russian forces are attempting to conquer before Ukraine blows them to smithereens, again.
Stefan runs down the latest tactical bullshit here. An adulterated version of same appears in the Kyiv Post — Ukraine’s Goat with Teeth1 — here.
Bakhmut is already being flattened.
The Kyiv Independent on May 24 published2 an opinion in response to the opinion expressed by The New York Times3.
I stopped reading after the third paragraph, because the former didn’t even attempt to be charitable when criticizing the views of their opponent.
American philosopher Dan Dennett has for decades promoted the best antidote for the tendency to caricature one’s opponent. It’s a list of rules promulgated many years ago by social psychologist and game theorist Anatol Rapoport (creator of the winning Tit-for-Tat strategy in Robert Axelrod’s legendary prisoner’s dilemma tournament).
You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.”
You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement).
You should mention anything you have learned from your target.
Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism.
European Pravda’s rebuttal to the NYT editorial is much better.
Ukraine’s Goat with Teeth. (December 21, 2021)