Of course we know. A dictator is an animal. They do not play friendly with other nations. They have no interest in listening to the US and making deals with the US. They are animals with basic brain material. Otherwise if they were geniuses or smart, they would have been easily able to make friends with Western nations that follows the rule of Mutual Benefit in nature. Animals that work together tend to have Mutual Benefit.

But a dictator is worse than a mutually-benefitting animal. A dictator IS A PARASITE. A parasite that feeds off the funds of his own people's tax money for glory (emotional gain) by showing the world how scary he is and how powerful he is. He cares about how his power looks--not whether his power benefits his people or not.

Therefore, appeasement can never work on a parasite. A parasite does not ADHERE to mutual-benefit it adheres to exploiting others, aiming primarily for its own glory/emotions/wellbeing. A parasite hates it when others also benefit from the share of the pie.

Direct confrontation is something a parasite understands. Because it is a dangerous organism that requires emotions and glory. It cannot withstand being embarrassed or confronted. Because in reality, their need for glory, emotions, power, control, is a creation of their fear. Their fear of losing control. Their fear of being brought down from power. Their fear of losing glory and emotional satisfaction. The parasite has FEAR.

In contrast, the Western nations are after logical reasoning for mutual-benefit. This rule forces Western nations to wonder if there was a misunderstanding in the logical reasoning that caused Russia or China or dictatorships to suddenly become hostile despite the great benefits they were afforded by trading with the US and EU. But the reasoning for the hostility by China and Russia is NOTTTT logical reasoning... It is parasitic. It is emotional. Therefore, confrontation is required, not appeasement, because it is ultimately their fear that drives them to evil, hatred, hostilities with the West. They're afraid. So strike them even further with fear, not with being nice--because they are an animal, a parasite, that only understands pain, not gestures or gifts or deals or words.

If I was wrong -- if I was wrong, then they would have been best friends with Bush or Obama or Biden or Trump or others who appeased them. They would have seen it as a great sign of friendship and mutual benefit. Instead of drifting further and then lying about the reasoning by claiming "NATO expansion" etc.

That is basically proof of why "appeasement" will NOT work.