The Four Stages of Appeasement

For some nations and individuals, appeasement is a station at the end of the line that they reach right away, after some traumatic cultural or national event, for others it is a journey of stages along the line, stop after stop marking a point at which values and morals are surrendered for ephemeral things until they reach the end of this dark journey and the end of their national existence.

This is the express train of appeasement we now find ourselves riding, wherever we live, we are but another stop on the line, from dusk to darkest night.




The 4 Stages of Appeasement

Stage 1 - Washington D.C. - Washington D.C. is a relevant present day example, but London in the 30's is just as good of an example. At this stage the appeasement is being carried out by a nation fairly confident in its own power but believing itself overextended and seeking to safeguard its commercial interests is listening to those domestic diplomatic and business interests eager to avoid a fight.

While a world power and perhaps even an empire, at Stage 1 the nation's diplomatic and even business interests have gone native abroad and are no longer protecting its interests, but their own. These forces combined with the lassitude that has taken hold in the nation during its age of prosperity have convinced it that there is more to be gained by transforming its enemies into allies through appeasement. At the heart of this belief is the mistaken idea that these enemies are not genuinely hostile, but are pawns or simply misled. And the participation of these enemies is seemingly needed to maintain the nation's economic power.

This form of appeasement seemingly proceeds from strength, but is in truth a weakness that slowly eats away at the nation revealing the rot within.

Stage 2 - London - While the nation still holds to an illusion of strength and self-sufficiency, it is an illusion that few at home or abroad believe anymore. The nation still has some of its former renown, but less of its capability and virtually none of its former confidence. The international trade empire that once sustained it has become a dependency, a crutch and soon a drain. While its enemies immigrate, a slow trickle of its citizens are beginning to emigrate.

Appeasement here proceeds from the need to save face. While on the surface the nation practices appeasement from strength, in private it practices it from weakness. While the nation is far stronger than it appears, the rot has become so pervasive that this is buried and forgotten. Rule over foreigners has become foreign rule, and there is very little confidence to be had except among its newest immigrants. At this stage you will actually find immigrants more willing to battle for the country, than its native population.

Appeasement here has become a reflex, because its leadership no longer thinks of its strength, but only of maintaining an international trade empire by any means necessary. Strength at this stage is primarily used as a bluff and as a diplomatic counter behind which stands raw naked fear. It is a fear that its enemies can smell and with guile feed upon. At Stage 2 the nation is not quite willing to sacrifice itself yet, but is eager to throw any allies it has into the flames to protect itself for the loss of a nation's faith in itself is accompanied always by acts of faithlessness.

Stage 3 - Jerusalem - The formerly confident nation has had its confidence eroded to the point of engaging in increasingly erratic behavior. Appeasement began on the D.C. and the London track and by the time it reaches the Jerusalem station, it combines the foreign agenda of the business and political elites with a country that has lost the ability to depend on itself.

Appeasement rather than bringing peace, erodes the confidence of a nation, until at each stage it comes to feel helpless and is incapable of a consistent policy toward its enemies. Like a dog that has been promised a treat too often and yet is repeatedly beaten, it whines, begs, lashes out and then begs again. This is the process by which men are made into slaves and nations into ruins.

At this station on the appeasement track, the nation which began by defining terms for its enemies now obsessively watches its enemies for any signs of legitimacy, constantly bemoans their unfaithfulness and rather than acting against them, proceeds to another round of negotiations in the futile certainty that there is no other option.

At Stage 3 on the appeasement track the nation has lost what little self-worth it had in Stage 2 and is floundering and repeating the same insane pattern of appeasement it has become fixated on as the only solution. Meanwhile its business and diplomatic elites are in full fire sale mode as the nation's people cast adrift question their own right to exist.

Stage 4 - Stockholm - By Stage 3 the nation had lost faith in itself and is seriously questioning its right to exist. By Stage 4 the question has already been decided in the negative. The nation now feels that it has no right to exist. Its appeasement is no longer defensive, but a moral act of atonement for its own existence. While such sentiments have existed in the nation's culture even at Stage 1, they were part of the aforementioned rot, they are now the absolute dominant voice.

The nation has come to be convinced of its utter worthlessness and now identifies with its attackers. When it is attacked, it can do nothing but bow its head and ask for more. Its lack of confidence and faith in itself has instead lead it to project its identity on the one source of strength it beholds, its enemies. Taking on the identity of its enemies, the nation at Stage 4 is the city openly wishing to be conquered.

International trade may be good and prosperity may be sufficient, but the nation lives in shame of itself and is only waiting for someone to get around to officially asking it to surrender. This is the terminus of the Appeasement Express, the stop at the end of the line when the passengers get off in darkness. Beyond it lies only the moans of the conquered and the newly fortified walls of the conquerors. There is a reason why Stockholm Syndrome is another name of appeasement's endgame and this is it.