University of Granada · Dept. of Philosophy II · 2026
The Unreflective
Patriot
A Survival Guide for Sceptics in an Age of
Fanaticism and Political Regression — Illustrated
AuthorMiguel Moreno Muñoz
ORCID0000-0002-0746-9587
Date30 March 2026
Linksl.ugr.es/patriot
P
Ten Expressions from the Essay · Five analytical · Five satirical · All inadvisably accurate
▸ Analytical register
01
Self-proclaimed patriots dismantling our survival mechanisms
02
NATO: Article Five converted into an invoice
03
Sixty million dead as empirical evidence
04
"We knew, and calculated the political cost of inaction"
05
International institutions: built for a world where shame worked
⚡ Satirical register · vignettes enclosed
06
⚡ "Oops as foreign policy"
→ A MAGA-capped crane operator presses 'Release load' above four alarmed colleagues with no access to the controls.
07
⚡ "Crusading, now with corporate sponsorship"
→ Four knights in matching red caps ride through a landscape slicked with crude oil, lances updated for the commodity index.
08
⚡ "Post-conflict assessment: grounds for cautious optimism"
→ A smiling UN official surveys smoking craters and points at a single surviving brick: "I can see a reusable bit."
09
⚡ "Risk management by rotational enthusiasm"
→ The planetary boundaries wheel spins, outer rings engulfed in flame; observers wave a 'Social Media' banner, untroubled.
10
⚡ "When the veil of ignorance becomes a policy tool"
→ A fervent orator champions lethality as a treatise on the veil of ignorance burns: selective blindness as the preferred route to clarity.
Chronology of an Announced Regression
Events Whose Gravity Was Underestimated
Date Event International Response
Aug 2008 Russia invades Georgia; occupies South Ossetia and Abkhazia Verbal condemnation; no consequential measures
Feb 2014 Russia annexes Crimea; war begins in Donbas Limited sanctions; EU–Russia trade continues
Jul 2014 MH17 shot down: 298 civilians killed Investigation opened; no accountability delivered
2015–2022 War in Donbas continues; Minsk Agreements signed and violated Diplomatic process maintained; violations normalised
24 Feb 2022 Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine Sanctions; gradual military support — delayed and incremental
7 Oct 2023 Hamas attack on Israel; Israeli operation in Gaza begins UN Security Council paralysis; 75,000+ killed by March 2026
Jan 2026 Greenland crisis: US threatens tariffs against 8 NATO allies Joint declaration by 8 allies; no enforceable consequence
28 Feb 2026 US–Israeli assault on Iran; Strait of Hormuz threatened Dimensions unknown at time of writing; escalation risk: non-negligible
Mar 2026 UN: violence in Ukraine at highest recorded levels since 2022 GA resolution adopted 107–12; ignored by Russia before ink dried
Sources: OHCHR · PRIF · UN General Assembly records · Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Doomsday Clock: 85 seconds to midnight, Jan 2026)
The Arithmetic of Horror
A Balance of Victims and Destruction · As of March 2026
Ukraine Feb 2022 – Mar 2026
Civilian deaths (UN verified) 15,364+
Civilians wounded (UN verified) 42,000+
Russian military casualties (est.) ~1.2 million
Russian military deaths (est.) ~325,000
Ukrainian territory under occupation 116,000 km² (≈ Pennsylvania)
Electricity generation destroyed ~70%
Displaced children (of total) 1 in 3
Missiles & drones in Feb 2026 alone 300 missiles · 5,000+ drones
People requiring humanitarian assistance 10.8 million
"Nearly 1,500 days of death, destruction, and despair." — Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Sec.-Gen., Security Council, 23 Mar 2026
Gaza · West Bank · Lebanon Oct 2023 – Mar 2026
Palestinians killed — Gaza (MoH) 75,000+
The Lancet mortality survey estimate +34.7% above official figures
Wounded — Gaza 171,000+
Deaths from starvation (incl. 157 children) 463+ (OHCHR)
Child amputees per capita Highest in the world
UNRWA, journalists, aid workers killed 391 · 248 · 224
Palestinians killed — West Bank 1,071 (incl. 233 children)
Lebanon: killed / injured 4,047 / 16,638
Lebanon reconstruction cost (World Bank) $25 billion
"Intensified attacks, methodical destruction, and denial of humanitarian assistance appeared directed at permanent demographic displacement… raise concern for ethnic cleansing." — OHCHR Report, Nov 2024 – Oct 2025 [@ohchr2026]
Sources: UN OHCHR · OCHA · The Lancet Global Health · eClinicalMedicine (Duke Univ. / al-Shifa Hospital) · World Bank · UNHRO · Gaza Ministry of Health
Reference · Access · Citation
The Unreflective Patriot
A Survival Guide for Sceptics in an Age of Fanaticism and Political Regression — Illustrated
APA 7th Edition
Moreno, M. (2026). The unreflective patriot: A survival guide for sceptics in an age of fanaticism and political regression — illustrated. Zenodo CERN Research Repository. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19397588.
⟶   Read Online ⟶   GitHub Repo ⟶   Zenodo DOI
Short link  sl.ugr.es/patriot  ·  ORCID  0000-0002-0746-9587  ·  Universidad de Granada · Spain
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