When one watches the circus that has emerged out of Zelensky’s visit to the White House, it evokes absolute dismay. The fact that the vitriolic reality of US politics can grab hold of the narrative, exalting some and demonising others, leaves one wishing the facts could find their way to the table. Somebody once said that the first casualty of war is the truth, and this war is no exception. Perhaps the most disturbing fact is that for a small piece of real estate to access a submarine base, 1,000,000 young people could still be alive. But for the needless expansion of Western hegemony, those 1,000,000 young people would still be with us. The propensity to demonize Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump or to exalt Zelinsky is a complete distraction from understanding the issue and from what is a total waste of human life.
What we've witnessed in the Ukraine is an extension of
Western foreign policy after the fall of the wall. We had every opportunity to
forge a meaningful relationship with Russia and to aggressively share our way
of life, and instead, we met the challenge not with indifference but with tactics
that have undermined Russia and pushed it away. Many academics are of the view
that Vladimir Putin had a valid case, if ever there can be a valid case for war.
The tactics in the years following the fall of the wall and the willingness to
deploy nuclear weapons in Eastern Europe gave rise to Russia fearing for herself.
The West’s desire and policy direction was one of dominance rather than one of
building a peaceful world order. This attempt at dominance has now resulted in
an unstable multi-polar reality and has put the world in a most precarious
situation.
It is never wise to choose to abandon relations with a
country or a human being. The choice by Western leadership to abandon relations
with Vladimir Putin was unwise. The willingness to demonize him is also unwise.
The West’s underestimation of his resolve is unwise. All these acts of
alienation, rather than the pursuit of friendship, have pushed Russia precariously
close to China. This in of itself is a disquieting reality.
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Given all the bloodshed, one wonders where the solution lies. It
is certain, however, that the solution will never be found in screaming masses
choosing to make a hero of one person and to demonize another absent a fair
review of the facts. It does an extreme disservice to the young people lost and
the young people now at risk to become the subject of or to be inspired by
propaganda. It does the same disservice to fail to recognize the valid claims
of both sides.
When one examines this issue, with 1,000,000 lost young
lives as a backdrop, one realizes the folly in seeking dominance rather than
developing a world order founded on the rule of law. With Russia, we moved from overt
containment to tacit containment to overt containment. There are very few who
will take being dominated absent resentment. In time, that resentment manifests
itself in the form of violent rebuke. This is an age-old cycle.
In reviewing President Reagan's Address at Pointe du Hoc,
Normandy, France, June 6, 1984, he addressed the issue of the day: peace with
Russia. His outstretched hand was taken by Mikhail Gorbachev, and a peace was negotiated.
The world was a hopeful place. If anyone in the government, particularly the US
government, has a few minutes, they should watch his address at Point du Hoc and take inspiration from it.
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