On January 23rd the US state department ordered the evacuation of US embassy members and their families in Ukraine, an action that came to the shock of both Ukrainian officials and US embassy officials. Us intelligence had been aware of the possibility of invasion for months, but this was the first realization of Putin’s impending invasion for the average person. Ukraine has been in a state of war for the last 15 years, but only now has Putin fully invaded. Mass migrations are in place. Thousands of refugees are pouring into neighboring nations this very minute. The average person is not a political scientist, but even the most uninvolved of us can see the importance of this War. The situation is dire, and the response from Washington has been unsatisfactory at best, and sinister at most.
As early as late November 2021, Washington was aware of the possibility of a Russian invasion. Putin has been ready for the possibility of escalation for years since the annexation of Crimea. He has been doing routine ‘checks’ around the Ukraine border for years in case of needing to deploy such a tactic. So what about this specific instance propelled Washington to act? Many of you are familiar with the NATO situation as a catalyst, and also of Putin’s half-baked reasoning for this invasion, but what measures did Washington take to prevent what they had already recognized as a threat?
To them, the answer to Putin’s escalation was imposing sanctions. There have been sanctions on Russia for 15 years, ever since the annexation of Crimea and the start of the Ukraine-Russian war. These sanctions have not deterred Russian military actions in the last 15 years of the War, what reason did Washington think that they would work now? In truth, sanctions do not work as a deterrent to Putin.
The autocrat of Russia does not care if his population becomes poorer. His inner circle will not rebel either, as they are dependent on Putin for the maintenance of their position and wealth. Even more damning, historical precedent has proven time and time again that poverty only increases authoritarian control. Sure, it comes as a risk, but the Russian people are not going to rebel. If they ever did, as their situation somewhat mirrors that of the French, the process would take decades, valuable time that the Ukrainian people do not have.
The ‘severe reparations’ the West talks about are simply not working. Sanctions have never prevented or ended a War, rather they lead to desperation, one that fuels the fire. In addition to this, the bulk of the sanctions were only applied after Putin invaded. If sanctions were really intended to work as a deterrent, why were they only enforced after the initial invasion? This seems more like an attempt to save face.
And for the diplomatic efforts, how the United States in particular patronized and engaged with Putin did not reflect that they were talking to a violent oppressor, but rather as someone reasonable. Appeasement was not attempted either, as most of Putin’s demands completely ruled out.
This reflects on the greater need for the West and the United States in particular, to appear strong, no matter what that might cost them on a global scale. The image of the US is just as powerful as its military might, and that is something that the US pours millions of dollars into maintaining. Rather than work with Putin to prevent this invasion, the US has spurred them on, likely inciting Putin’s anger. But now to maintain its image as benevolent and powerful, the West has decided on a different tactic.
The response elicited from Western countries such as the US and Canada has been one of unlimited and unprecedented support. Such a response is of course absolutely amazing in times of war, but the governments of North America have been spending an extraordinary amount of time and money on promoting the Ukrainian cause and appearing as key benefactors. True, their shipment of weapons to the war front has significantly aided in the trajectory of the war, but compared to similar situations in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, etc, this response is enough to give any advocates against the War on Terror pause. The message North America has sent to its populace is that war is not inherently bad, but it must be a war carried out by imperialist America.
The coverage by many news sites has also reflected on this hypocrisy. Many reporters are in shock at the invasion, many of them expressing this disbelief through racism. “These people are not Syrians, they are Blue-Eyed, Blondhaired Christians” is a sentiment expressed by many. When the US is the perpetrator of violence and imperialism in foreign countries, the people of America are silent. In this case, they are not. While that is undoubtedly good the support Ukrainians are receiving, for many POC diaspora coming from similar situations, the hypocrisy is heartbreaking.
Even more frightening, republican news reporters in the US have started to show open support for Putin, many showing admiration for his ‘strong leadership’, unrecognizing of the fact that Putin is a war criminal with no care for the lives of his subjects. The main reason for this sentiment being a general dislike of Joe Biden. Though this article is highly critical of Biden’s response and administration, it should be duly noted that Putin is a much worse leader and this article was not written to delegitimize Ukraine’s cause, but rather to support it. Donating and spreading awareness is an important part of any war effort, and as a youth, it is often the only thing we can do.
As always, the media we consume is biased, so be sure to think critically about how this situation is being portrayed. If you think that the West did all it could to promote diplomacy, look into the historical precedent for sanctions. If you think that support for Ukraine is not biased by structural racism, look into the way Ukrainian POC and immigrants in Ukraine are being treated at the border. The situation is disheartening for many, but there is some solace in how the War is progressing, as Putin is losing much more than he anticipated. To the West and Putin alike, it must be known that there is no purgatory for war criminals, they go straight to hell.
Where you can help: Save the Children nonprofit, Voices of Children nonprofit, Donbos regional nonprofit, Frontline healthcare nonprofit, Crimea regional nonprofit
Source(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
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