NATO, EU unity arise from under Putin's tolling treads

 

It is a common argument that NATO overreached when they brought the former Soviet states into its fold in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union. The claim is that in so doing it encroached upon Russia’s sphere of influence, in which that nation, as a great power has every right to enact, just as the U.S. and China exert sovereign power in their geographical area. A version of this argument was recently made by Tom Friedman, esteemed New York Times column writer. This is far from a uniform view.

 Others have argued that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, many of these states, formerly in a stranglehold by Soviet oppression, sought to enact some version of democracy and become increasingly allied to Europe where they have belonged both historically and geographically. The result was the expansion of NATO and the EU, which accommodated these Eastern European nations. The counterargument is based on the premise that without an embrace of a strong European identity, those countries may not have had sufficient resources to stabilize their changing political cultures and economies in the turbulent new world that was emerging in that theater of Europe. Even if one accepts Friedman’s contention, influence is one matter. Military invasion of a sovereign country is at a stratosphere of an altogether different kind.

 There might have even been a bright moment or two in the early 1990s, where a new Russia might have emerged, rooted in democracy and the quest for economic development, poised to focus on the hard work of gradually transforming their massive, underpopulated landmass into a modern state, thereby enhancing the quality of the life of its citizens from the borders of Europe to the Pacific Ocean.

 Alas, it was not to be. The nation reverted to the authoritarian form of government with a megalomaniac President, who views himself as Peter the Great, seeking to revive the Russian Empire as a neo-colonial source of power in the 21^st century with an economy only the size of Texas. While Putin has been seething at NATO and the U.S. for over a decade, his brutal attack against Ukraine is so over the top that it deserves nothing less than universal condemnation.

Consequently, I strongly support the actions the Biden administration has taken to mount a unified, international response against Putin's outlandish behavior in his unjustified attack against Ukraine. Economic pain is one critical tool in the arsenal of democracy against the tyranny of Russian autocracy, which is being wielded as effectively as possible. It is also critical to work with our NATO partners to assure that Ukraine has maximum military support and other aid they need at this critical time and that our Eastern European NATO partners be supported with high levels of military presence. In addition, countries that are taking in large numbers of Ukrainian refugees need the support of the West in providing whatever humanitarian aid they need, to make the sacrifices of their own resources, treasures, and comforts as bearable as possible.

 The international community should put Putin on trial as a war criminal. If not in person, then in absentia. Such a public shaming would demonstrate our solidarity with the people of Ukraine as well as those among the Russian people who are publicly protesting Putin's outrageous war. Dragging Putin to The Hague, even in absentia, and conducting a very public trial is a critical act that could have significant impact in shaping and sustaining world opinion against him.

Christians worldwide should repudiate Putin’s assertion that he is a secular savior of Christian Orthodoxy and call him what he is: An agent of the Evil One. The Eastern Orthodox leadership should take the lead. Excommunicating him, given the central role the Russian Orthodox Church has in lending him legitimacy.  Other Christian churches both here and abroad throughout the US and the world, should take a united public stance in forcefully repudiating Putin and his warmongering actions. The integrity of their faith and most sacred traditions depends on it.

I close with a brief word on Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, a hero of the first order, whose patriotism knows no equal. The response in this country is that either Americans can hang their head in shame for the albatross of what democracy here has become in recent years or Zelensky can serve as a source of inspiration for what this nation can and needs to become again in realizing our better angels through the emulation of his example of true patriotism. In several short years, Zelensky has been transformed from a television comedian to nothing short of the 21^st century version of Winston Churchill, who stood alone in the onslaught of Hitler. A GQ article caught it right in a recent article titled, “The Improbable Rise and Endless heroism of Volodymyr Zelensky” (https://www.gq.com/story/improbable-rise-endless-heroism-volodymyr-zelensky). May we so learn from him and be so inspired.