Who Said What

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is yet another issue which has divided Americans.  The mainstream opinion on the political left and right is that Russia’s invasion was unprovoked and unwarranted and sides with the Ukrainian people protecting their homeland. Most Americans appreciate President Biden’s measured approach and leadership of NATO’s allies despite his numerous foreign policy failures in the past.  His abysmal polling numbers have seen a slight improvement after his forceful condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin at his first State of the Union Address. Still, there is a vocal minority that argues for Russia’s talking points, including that Ukraine has committed war crimes in the eastern region of Donbas and has mainstreamed a Nazi militia. Former Trump appointed senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense argued in an interview with Fox Business that Russia has been too gentle with Ukraine and called popular Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “puppet.”  Trump himself called Putin’s strike against “genius.”  It wasn’t the first time the former President had advocated for Russia.  He also argued that Russia should join the G7. There are others who claim that the Biden Administration is being too soft in its support of Ukraine and should impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. 

All sides are tossing insults at one another.  If you acknowledge that white nationalism has infected the state sanctioned Azov militia in Ukraine, some will accuse you of falling for Russian propaganda.  If you point out that Ukraine’s fragile representative democracy is led by a Jewish President, people will accuse you of being naive.  Both statements are true.

I’ve decided to compile and address some of the statements both sides making and address them.

“Assassinate Putin”

Fox News host Sean Hannity stated that the United States should assassinate President Vladimir Putin.  This is not only illegal according to international law, it will rally the Russian people behind his cause.  Russians are finally beginning to question Putin’s decision making.  The smart play would be to allow dissent and discontent to grow among the Russian people, who will soon become tired of the deaths of Russian soldiers from war and the massive economic downturn that is already beginning to result from heavy economic sanctions. If there is one thing Americans should know by now, it’s that if you assassinate a leader, even an unpopular one, you make him/her a martyr and sympathetic figure. Kill Putin and he ends up on a statue in a defiant Russia, while all of the country's problems get blamed on the west. 

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called upon Russians to make an assassination attempt.  Again, saying this out loud will only make an organic Russia assassination look like a western plot.  Also, is Senator Graham aware of the line of succession in Russia? Is he certain that that individual has a different worldview than Putin?

“Establish a No-Fly Zone”

Many people don’t understand that establishing a no-fly zone is not as simple as it sounds, particular with a powerful country like Russia.  First, the US/NATO would have to establish air superiority and that would come through combat.  Direct combat with the Russians, whether by air, sea, or land, would be an escalation and essentially begin WWIII.  While some believe we are already in WWIII, we should let history be our guide.  The US never intervened in WWII until we were attacked directly on US soil. Days later, Germany declared war on the United States, not the other way around.  If people thought wars with Afghanistan were costly both monetarily and in terms of lives lost, just wait until we fight a relative super power.  The same people castigating Biden for not imposing a no-fly zone would be on cable news castigating him for all the caskets that return home with flags draped over them. Helping to facilitate the Ukrainians to fly NATO planes themselves is probably the most reasonable answer.

“Ukraine is a haven for Nazis”

This one is slightly complicated.  The Azov Battalion was founded in 2014 by a white nationalist and is currently an official member of the Ukrainian National Guard.  There is a white nationalist presence in this battalion and in the country at large.  However, Vladimir Putin’s argument that he is de-nazifying Ukraine doesn’t hold up, especially since there are Nazis in Russia.   Also concerning is the treatment of African refugees at the Polish border.  

We all need to admit that the empathy the Ukrainians have received worldwide and in the region is in part due to the fact that they are white and largely Christian.  When Syrian, Afghan, and Iraqi refugees showed up at the borders of Poland and Hungary, they were met with guns and closed borders.  The Ukrainians were met with food, water, and toys for their children.  It is true that Ukraine is situated on the border of NATO countries and is a larger country, but the stark difference in the reaction can not be adequately explained by that alone.

In order to advocate for the Ukrainians and not make the same mistakes we made in the past, we need to be both intelligent and honest about this conflict.