We play down our own sins and concentrate on our enemies' sins which are as long as your arm!!

SUMMARY - Our own greater aggression for centuries has set a very bad example to Russia.  Our side has invaded their country twice over the last 200 years - Napoleon and Nazis.  Yet, 30 million Russians killed as they helped us 'win' in 1918 and 1945.

MORE DETAIL:

Many Westerners were far too bellicose and not even a pinch magnanimous after OUR mighty victory in the Cold War - that was actively ended by the Russians.  YES!  Actually, their victory.  Instead, we stuck the boot in by expanding NATO with some former Warsaw Pact members being allowed in.  No wonder Putin was not best pleased.

I am always so suspicious of expanding our empire or sphere of influence to take over more countries and islands like Taiwan.  We are so greedy for countries.  (In the W Midlands, also for multi-modal public transport of seven kinds!)

The Judeo-Christian world is a little too enthusiastic for other countries to come under our sphere of influence and to be like us.

Since the time of Queen Elizabeth 1 in the 1500s, we started our expansion with piracy on the high seas, looting the treasure ships of Spain and Portugal.  Britannia soon ruled the waves.  We became ruthless conquerors and a major player in the Scramble for Africa by W European nations in the later 1800s.

The Judeo-Christian nations were slow to embrace democracy because the rich and powerful, the proud self-regarding, were determined to maintain their wealth and power.

Our side was responsible for the one World War in two halves, from 1914 to 1945.  That led to the Cold War against Russia and their empire called the USSR.  Foolish decisions in the 1990s by our leader, America led to resentment in Putin and, eventually, the 2014 war against Ukraine because we wanted them part of the West, our side.  For 900 years there has been war between Russia and Ukraine.  See the Sixsmiths' book, 'Putin and the Return of History'.

The Top People who govern us explain that their wars are to fight terrorists or Communists in Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, S America.  In recent years, we end up fighting terrorists in Afghanistan (five wars lost to the Afghans since our total rout in 1839 when one British soldier survived), Iranians and Iraqis fighting us reprobates because we attack them.

Our foreign policy, even after 500 years, remains the problem.