Ask HN: Why didn't the world learn the lessons of WWII?

Sounds like a pretty accurate representation of the human international politics, basically at every single point since recorded history has begun. This is not "the worst thing that has happened since 1945", it's standard operating procedure.

What is shocking to many people is that aggression has not started from their home turf, and that this time, it's not some apparently underdeveloped people somewhere in Africa or Asia or the Middle East or South America, but a place in the middle of Europe that's on the receiving end.

“The world” doesn’t learn lessons. People might. Almost no one alive remembers WWII. “The world” can’t always stop war or dictators

Human history is non-stop war, aggression, conflict, invasion. War is the not exceptional, nor are dictators, hatred, brutality.

Perhaps because people thought the relative peace since 1945 was the equilibrium state rather than the great exception to that state…. World wars were fought 1789-1815, 1914-1918 and 1937-1945. Significant revolutionary conflict in 1789, 1848, 1917-on and “minor” flare up’s in France from time to time. Germany fought its unification battles in 1866 and 1870. There was a bloodbath in the US 1861-1865. China and other colonial matters were “problems” for decades. There were lesser conflicts as well, such as US/Spain and Germany/Austria vs. Denmark. Others that I’m too lazy to look up.

Remembered one, the seven years war was actually a world war that lasted longer than seven years, with actions in n America, Europe and India. The US broke away, Frederick became Great, …

Because some people benefit from world wars. It happens that they were mostly powerful figures too.

You know, death could be very profitable.

Unpopular opinion, but deserves consideration:

Because, much like the sister who teases you until you finally have to act, the US and NATO backed Russia into a corner, presenting an existential threat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6mw9U62ZJU

If the West wins Ukraine, things will escalate, which could be far, far worse.

It might be that 2020 was the best year of this decade.

You're describing Hitler. Not Putin. The situations are very different.

There is no hatred of a people in Putin (just fear of Nato).

There is some superiority complex sure. But in Putins case it's the superiority complex of "Ukraine is actually Russia", which is enormously different from the hate of the nazis.

It was very utopic to think there would not be another war of conquest ever again. Migh is right will be forever true.

The state of the world between 1945 and now wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows either... During that period Stalin was still hell-bent on conquering the world and subjugated dozens of nations, Mao killed tens of millions of Chinese, the Khmers murdered around 25% of Cambodia's population, millions were killed in the Vietnam war etc.

Nationalism is still the dominant ideology, we still separate people physically even though goods and money has very few limits. The cause of world wars was the nationalist religion, and apparently it s still very influential, especially in poorer places where people don't feel they have Man other options to improve their position in life

Because it can be politically very expensive to stand up to a dictator. If similar sanctions had been put on Russia in 2014 as was done now, there would have been a major political backlash from the resulting economic downturn. The Russian operation in 2014 was perceived with much less outrage than the outright attack two weeks ago, so major sanctions doubling fuel price would have been much more difficult to justify.

Even now the West moved initially fairly slowly, leaders gauging the public reaction (and the reaction of others) to the invasion.