So slow, yet so powerful.
Comparison:
“Sarotte writes, “Just as a glacier sweeps across a landscape slowly, yet alters broad swathes of terrain profoundly, so too did NATO’s expansion eastward force elements of the post-Cold War political landscape to shift and settle, leaving behind landmarks for the twenty-first century.”
Using a glacier in this comparison captures both the length of time (and slowness) as well as the power of a massive moving set of ice formation over a swath of geography. M.E. Sarotte used both well to capture how NATO may have contributed to current problems with Russia.
Context:
“The cumulative result was a fundamentally altered system of security in Europe, one that was especially cherished by states in Eastern Europe freed from Moscow’s yoke, and which was held up as an instrument of peace and stability by successive U.S. Presidents. And, for Russian officials from Putin on down, it’s been a stubborn, paranoid obsession. Sarotte writes, 'Just as a glacier sweeps across a landscape slowly, yet alters broad swathes of terrain profoundly, so too did NATO’s expansion eastward force elements of the post-Cold War political landscape to shift and settle, leaving behind landmarks for the twenty-first century.'”
Yaffa, Joshua. “The Historical Dispute Behind Russia’s Threat to Invade Ukraine.” New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2022. Web.
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