Україна Ukraine

Your assumptions are largely correct and I largely agree on all your points, having been in a position to actually implement some of this foreign policy well after they were initiated. When I say West, I mean largely the alliance system including NATO and five eyes, not cultural.

The people I've met that claim Afghanistan was illegal all have held the view that NATO is the single greatest cause of conflict in the modern world and should be disbanded. I disagree with this view strongly and I believe it comes from the view that NATO largely preserves the liberal order instead of enabling what they see as a peaceful anarchist revolution. It takes a certain worldview to get to that point.