Ukraine thumps.

This storyline now appears everywhere. Consider reactions in the West to Russia’s break with international law in its invasion of Ukraine. Much of the commentary has focused on Chinese support for Russia and its implications for international law as well as developing countries’ refusal to impose meaningful sanctions on Russia beyond formal condemnation in the U.N. General Assembly. If the postcolonial world is unwilling to punish such a glaring violation of the principle of non-intervention, the argument goes, it must be because these countries don’t care for rules, because they resent the West, or because they are beholden to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The same goes for those leaders and movements within the West who argue for suspending the current levels of support for Ukraine.