Lithuanian ex-foreign affairs minister on politics as pro wrestling

by Gabrielius Landsbergis, former Foreign Affairs Minister of Lithuania

Source: Substack

In 1961, Daniel Boorstin coined the term pseudo-event — an event staged for its own sake. The goal is not to say or do anything meaningful, but to keep the public engaged. The observer’s attention becomes the objective.

The pinnacle of the pseudo-event category is professional wrestling, sometimes called “athletic theatre”. No one is actually competing. The crowd cheers, picks favourites and watches victories. But nobody truly wins anything, it’s theatre.

To me, watching politics in recent years feels like watching pro wrestling. Recent announcements that “Trump is finally fed up with Putin” are the perfect example.

I get questions from the press: “Is this real? Is White House policy changing?”

I mean, come on… let’s look at the substance.

Take the Reuters headline: a possible $300 million delivery of equipment to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia announces next year’s defense budget — roughly $300 billion. It’s like we’ve donated a phantom weapon to fight a very real war. But the headlines are nice. They keep people reading. And those who seek hope can keep hoping — maybe this time, it’s real.

A few weeks ago we were asking — have the Iranian nuclear bomb sites really been destroyed? Or was it just one more episode of the show? We might never know the truth. We only know what was shown in last week’s episode. It is quite possible that Iran might continue to develop their bomb, not entirely unhappy about the script. All they had to do was accept the role of “the country that was defeated” and then continue to escalate against their neighbours and Ukraine.

You could say this is just Trump’s show. But it’s happening on both sides of the Atlantic — and it has been for a while. Remember the “coalition of the willing” and their “crippling sanctions”? It looked like a stunt slap: missing the opponent just enough not to hurt him.

Taurus missiles? I am starting to doubt that they even exist. And remember Biden’s big announcement: Ukraine will finally get ATACMS. Headlines roared. Days later we found out: Only eleven missiles were delivered.

Why is the spectacle necessary? Who demands it?

In the US, the answer is simple — the electorate demands a good show. Politicians produce it. Their goal is to keep people entertained, buzzing about the last episode, on tenterhooks for the next. Who’s the villain this week — Zelensky or Putin? Who gets hit next — Canada or Brazil?

For the producers of this show — it is just professional wrestling. What is unfortunate for us viewers is that real life continues nevertheless.

Putin doesn’t care if he’s called a villain this week. He’s not emotionally moved by such categorisation. He wants to obliterate Ukraine anyway, with or without our theatrical framing.

Outside the US, other Western leaders continue the theatrics. Are they really trying to scare Putin? That would be naive. It’s not difficult for him to see through their press-releases and figure out what’s really happening. Crippling sanctions? One call to Budapest or Bratislava to check if all is well, and, as always, it is. *laughs in putin*

Five percent in ten years, except for anyone who doesn’t feel like it? Weeell good luck, comrades.

Ten Patriot missiles out of thirty that were supposed to go to Ukraine? Weeell, that is indeed “a step in the right direction”, from Putin’s point of view.

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