Putin’s aggression

It’s become rare in the 21st century for the world to witness the kind of naked aggression and disdain for innocent civilian lives as we’ve seen the past two weeks as a result of Vladimir’s Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Equally rare, and inspirational, is the response of the Ukrainians themselves, who have stood up impressively in the clearest possible demonstration that they are, indeed, a nation and a people deserving of sovereignty, democracy, and the full support of the American people.
While the war is incredibly tragic in its impacts on innocents, it has come as a valuable reminder that what we often take for granted in Western nations, such things as freedom of thought, freedom of speech, free and fair elections, the rule of law, and the freedom to live without fear of foreign aggression, are truly priceless.
Vladimir Putin has demonstrated that he cares nothing for these values. He’s not a “genius,” as former President Donald Trump claimed last week. He’s a monster willing to kill countless thousands of civilians for his own vanity and lust for power.
He’s a reminder of what it is that the West, imperfect as it is, must stand against. While some here in the U.S. see Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, or even Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, as strong leaders, such people mistake sociopathy for strength. Putin’s actions should remind us that those in the West who have flirted in recent years with authoritarian beliefs and foreign strongmen, have, in effect, given aid and comfort to the enemy.
Let’s not mince words here. Vladimir Putin is our enemy and he is part of an increasingly-aligned axis of authoritarian nations, including China, that now presents a fundamental challenge to the Western ideals of personal liberty emblazoned in the U.S. Constitution.
Russia and China have made it clear they will work together to advance an alternative vision of governance based on authoritarian, even totalitarian, principles, with no fealty whatsoever to the rights of individuals. It’s an approach to governance that relies on violence and elevates raw state power over human dignity.
America has certainly had its failings as a major power, the invasion of Iraq being the most recent example. Yet, whatever the motivations of the Bush administration for that ill-conceived action, the U.S. did not intentionally bomb apartment complexes, schools, hospitals, or nuclear plants. The U.S. removed an authoritarian dictator, much in the mold of Putin himself, and, ultimately, left the country and its resources in the hands of the Iraqi people themselves. Putin has made it clear he has no more respect for the principles of democracy and self-determination in Ukraine as he has demonstrated in his own country, where political opponents and independent journalists are jailed or murdered and where the Russian people, many of whom oppose Putin’s brutality in Ukraine, face arrest and prison sentences for expressing such views.
Putin has created an incredibly dangerous moment for the world. The war in Ukraine risks a new period of major power instability and has the potential to create a wider conflict, even a world war. His attacks on Ukrainian nuclear plants, and his threatened use of nuclear weapons, risks devastating consequences for the planet at a time when we should be focused on common threats, such as the risks posed by climate change.
This moment is eerily similar to the late 1930s, when another sociopath, this one in Germany, used the same false stories as Putin’s today, to justify invading neighboring countries. Fortunately, Western leaders appear to have learned the lessons of Hitler. The Biden administration, to its credit, has spent months warning of this invasion and working closely with our NATO allies to rebuild that organization and mount the kind of sanctions regime that will ultimately contain Putin. NATO has proven its relevance and is now more united than ever in both recognizing what Putin really is, and in the need for strong action to oppose him.
The sanctions against Russia will mean some sacrifice here at home. Oil prices have spiked globally even ahead of the imposition of sanctions on Russian oil and those increases are already being felt at the pump. But that’s a small price to pay to stand in solidarity with Ukrainians who are watching in horror as Putin’s madness is leveling their major cities.
We know that many residents of our region would like to do even more to help. Which is why we are providing links to Ukrainian organizations that are assisting in both humanitarian relief and military support. You’ll find that story on today’s front page and we encourage readers to consider a contribution. This could be a turning point in world history, and we all have much at stake in ensuring that the values of liberty aren’t extinguished under the heavy boots of a dictator and his war machine.