Love a Country, Hate Its Sin

I have always been a Russophile: I love the literature, the music, the art. But this war in Ukraine is criminal and unforgivable. I want to blame Putin alone—leaving aside the Russian people themselves— even though that is probably naïve. Still, c’est compliqué. I feel a bit like I felt during America’s wars in Vietnam and Iraq—betrayed in my love for a country by that country’s stupid, brutal and ultimately “wrong” leaders—plus their credulous minions, of course. How long, and up to what point, is it possible to maintain one’s love of a country in spite of that country’s insane/inhumane policies? How long can one hate a country’s sin and still love that country?  Question to revisit in upcoming U.S. elections? …