Ukraine leadership and solidarity in the face of epic threat is beautiful and inspiring. Can you imagine the foaming frustration of Putin as he fails to scare them into submission? Yes, Putin can attack and inflict heavy damage, but it will cost him dearly and things are already not going according to his tired old script. Maybe Biden really does have intelligence to say he thinks they’re going to attack; if not it’s still a great psych move.
Regarding their solidarity, and indeed the strong character of the Ukrainian people, it was on full display for 93 days ending in 2014. To gain appreciation for their resolve and bravery, see Winter on Fire, a Netflix documentary by Evgeny Afineevsky. See it and you will get appreciation for the strength and resolve of the people. And you will understand why today they keep referencing back to 2014. The youth made a remarkable stand against tyranny.
These are people with much Russian blood; the same Russian blood and resolve that did the most to defeat the Nazis. Today’s Russians of Russia proper are under Putin’s influence, either duped or on board with him. The Russian heritage in Ukraine is still standing and pointing toward freedom.
In the documentary, and again in today’s anxious time when history teeters on repeating itself, Ukrainians make a good important point. That is, they want the world to fight for Ukraine, not to fight over it.
Ukraine Leadership on Display Today
The world heard today from Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who attended and delivered a speech at a Munich security conference. He spoke with straightforward conviction in his native tongue. His is a delicate balance to keep; in the face of what might be the biggest land force in history hanging over Ukraine, he must confront the west for their failed promises. And there are many; his words speak for themselves.
It was brave for Zelenskyy to attend, but the west criticized him for making the trip. Biden wants to speak for the west, but he has not been willing to go to Ukraine. Zelenskyy did not stoke fear; he has in fact asked the west to stop questioning the lack of fear in the Ukrainian people. Yet the immediate reaction to today’s speech by some westerners was to say he was desperate. If one cared to see it, this was not the case. In fact, he is calling on the west to stop their appeasement of Moscow. But we cannot help ourselves; we are living by fear and division too.
The Ukrainians are notably brave, not stupid. And they have leadership, at least in the form of Zelensky – leadership like the US does not have. On such world affairs, who of the Americans can speak openly from the heart, with conviction and appreciation for unfettered truth? Just like Putin, we have the charade of being forced into another war: ‘We don’t want it and cannot help it.’
So, the west will punish Russia economically, even if the American masses have to suffer more too. In the face of corruption and moral turpitude, who really wants a war or wants to avoid a war is a wild economic guess. Americans have been put on notice that they will have to pay if war starts, while it will certainly be another record pay day for the American war economy.
