Gary Saul Morson, writing on “Do Russians Worship War?” in the current issue of Commentary:

Americans all too often presume that everyone else aspires to live and think as we do. Others must share our values, if only in secret, or at least be eager to learn them. This is a dangerous attitude to take with any nation or culture, but perhaps especially so with Russians—and never more so than when the topic is war. Russians simply do not think about war in the way Americans do. . .

Once one grasps how Russians think, one understands why Putin declares that Russia is now fighting not the Ukrainian people but fascists, and why he pictures Russia as the underdog in a struggle with NATO. Also clear is his confidence that Russia can outlast its foes and that Western powers will tire of paying for a war before Russians tire of dying in it.