The Empire Strikes Back! ...against their former colonial overlords

[Vladimir]

I never said anything about forgetting history. Butchering it and picking it apart to suit your own biases, and then holding the scrappy remains up as a blueprint (or excuse) for future policy, on the other hand, is bloody stupid.

Then perhaps memory isn't the issue and analysis is. Relationships and interests form over time. The longer the time, the deeper and more involved the interests.

Far from stupid, it's actually quite rational.