#5SmartReads - March 24, 2022

Marisa is an employee benefits account executive by day, a freelance writer and #5SmartReads contributor by night, and a mom 24/7. She writes and shares about food and dining, politics, culture, and the challenges of being a full time working parent in the American heartland. She enjoys wine, books, and daydreaming about elaborate vacations and real estate in her nearly non-existent downtime.

‘We Told You So’ How The West Didn’t Listen To The Countries That Know Russia Best (Politico)

Have you seen that meme that's making the rounds about how after two years, the speaker is giving up his/her status as an expert in epidemiology and virology to become an expert in Eastern European affairs? No? Well, it's one of those things that's brilliantly funny because it's true. We all know that the internet is a place where it can be all too easy to know just enough to be dangerous, and that's something I am really trying to avoid in thinking and talking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This piece from the European Politico dives in to how this can be a threat to understanding in the real world also, when we dismiss the knowledge of those with real expertise in favor of a more popular "groupthink" formed opinion.

How War Became A Crime (Vox)

In an effort to understand a bit of how we are where we are today, no matter the subject, it always helps to turn first to history. Here in Kansas City we are fortunate to have the National WWI Museum and Memorial (bet you didn't know that was even a thing), yet even with that, many people around here and all over the US don't really have a good understanding of the first World War or the events between its end and the beginning of World War II - even those who have a pretty good understanding of history otherwise. This Vox article takes a good look at the geopolitical norms that came out of that era and how they are standing up in the face of the current situation.

Russia ‘Cancelled’ : Is This An Effective New Way Of Waging War? (The Christian Science Monitor)

We've all read the headlines about McDonalds pulling out of Russia or seen a story about how the ruble is stacking up to the dollar in the post-invasion economy, but as the humanitarian crisis rages on, a serious question is left unanswered: will it work?

How Russia’s Elite Bought Biarritz (UnHerd)

This is a really interesting expose on some of the Russian oligarch holdings in and around Biarritz, in France. As we talk about the sanctions that the U.S. and Western Europe are imposing on Russia now, it's important to remember that we have all at times been more than happy to take their money in the not so distant past. The more I read about current affairs, the more it seems that the invasion of Ukraine is a line in the sand and that we will see more sustained crackdowns on "dirty" Russian money in the future.

Harvard Teens Made A Website Matching Ukrainian Refugees With People Offering Places To Stay (Washington Post)

And to end with a bit of a bright spot: I am always amazed by the wonderful, kind, brilliant things human beings are capable of - sometimes or perhaps even most often when things elsewhere are looking hopeless. Ukraine Take Shelter, its creators, and those who are using it to help match refugees with places to stay don't take away from all of the horrible things that are happening right now, but they do, quite literally, make the horror more bearable for those most impacted.