General Discussion

These were territories formerly controlled or claimed by imperial Russia.

"Seward's folly" (my 8th grade history teacher taught us it was called at the time) involved buying Alaska. The Spanish drove off the Russians, and decades later we drove off the Spanish. (Of course, Mexico still has dreams of revanchism, reclaiming the empire they inherited from their Spanish overlords--just look at how Venezuela, respected by the DSA, thinks claims based on Western imperialism should apply to its benefit and profit).

We bemoan Western imperialism. And tend to justify all others because, well, we're the worst. Welcome to the cog diss. We're the same. (That can be sung to "Welcome to the jungle," with later lyrics adjustments, because "welcome to cognitive dissonance" just won't work.)