I'm sorry and disappointed that you consider that I've insulted you. On the contrary, I have more than once expressed my appreciation for your informed posts on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

I don't doubt and have never refuted or cast any sort of aspersion on your knowledge of these nations and their systems of authority or military organisation. Indeed, again I have actually admitted to your superior knowledge of these matters.

In fact, your focus on these issues illustrates that you did miss the point I originally made. The only 'negative' or 'contradictory' critique I had of your articles and your response to me.

I have already attempted on multiple occasions to explain why I raised the issue I did so to suggest that I am simple making assertions without support is, in my view, unfair.

In very simple terms, my point was that regardless of regulations, codes of conduct, individual orders, personal responsibility or anything else, there is a massive difference between the soldier in the field and the one in the rear, dictating what ought to happen from relative safety.

I have also attempted to indicate that conflict and war is the responsibility of all, not just those engaged in the actual fighting.

I am as disgusted as anyone by horrific abuse committed by individual or groups of soldiers. Yes, they are culpable for their own actions. However, they are also victims and when it comes to 'choice', I made the point and stand by it, that none of us knows how we would act in the heat of battle and that the majority of those fighting do not want to be there but have no choice about their situation.

Yes, there are sick people who apparently enjoy abusing others. These people exist in the military and in mercenary units just as they do in civil society. Indeed, given the mercenary force signfiicantly composed of ex-prisoners, it is not unlikely that there may be a greater number of such sick people.

The fact remains that virtually all, if not all, major conflict and war occurs because of a single person or handful of people in controlling and powerful positions. They are the ones who are ultimately culpable, not the people on the ground in the midst of battle.

The only mitigation to that which I can suggest is that they too are victims of conditioning and the various factors that have caused humanity to be one of the few species to commit genocide or mass killing of its own and certainly the only species to have the capability of doing it on a massive scale or to satisfy the ambitions, delusions, status, sickness or whatever of a single or few powerful beings, as opposed to survival of the clan or pure xenophobic defense of territory in order for the clan to survive.

If you still cannot understand my argument or motivation then perhaps you probably never will. However, it has not been, as you imply, simply an unreasonable, unexplained or unjustifiable response to your posts.

If I disrespected what you write or considered it to be of no value, I would not continue to follow you and read your posts, now would I take the time and make the effort to comment.

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