Ukraine Kindergarten damaged by Russian shelling
O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 Even now your enemies are in tumult;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
3 They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against those you protect.
4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
Psalm 83:1-4
The civilized nations of the world are appalled by the brazen aggression of Vladimir Putin as Russia invades Ukraine. He has employed the tactics of a bully and a warmonger, bizarrely accusing the nation his attack force of 200,000 has invaded of aggression. No sensible person believes a word he utters, probably not even the average Russian. Putin wants to portray himself as a strongman restoring the glories of the Soviet Union and holds a deep grudge against countries which have pushed him to the margins of international coalitions because of other illegal actions. After the communist regime collapsed there was hope for "glasnost", a new transparency in government, along with democratic reforms and international cooperation. Putin has taken the country in a different direction and is a dictator by just about any measure.
The members of the European Union and of NATO, including Canada, Britain, and the United States, have condemned this violation of international law and offered support to Ukraine. This involves sanctions against Russia and military aid, although no one is intimating "boots on the ground."
The de Adder cartoon here suggests that these responses will mean little to Russia, that nothing will be effective. Yet what else can other nations do? The Americans are still a military superpower but a military response would surely lead to a horrific escalation.
Reading John Dominic Crossan's book How to Read the Bible and Still be a Christian has been a reminder that in every era of the Judeo/Christian scriptures people of faith lived within what he describes as the matrix, or matrices, of different empires, which rose and fell. The peasant Jesus and rabbi Paul were executed by the powerful Roman empire, yet that brutal and sophisticated regime eventually crumbled and disappeared. The bible acknowledges these regimes and their "might makes right" power while upholding the sovereignty of God who will prevail.
What comes to mind as we see the grim footage from Ukraine is the book from 1992 entitled The End of History and the Last Man. American political scientist Francis Fukuyama argued that with the ascendancy of Western liberal democracy, post Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Untion (30 years ago) humanity has reached "not just ... the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: That is, the end-point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government."
Since the publication of that optimistic book we have seen the rise of both anti-democratic regimes with strongmen leaders around the globe. The former president of the United States, a tyrant and bully, has praised Putin's latest aggression. The spread of what is described as populism (a misnomer, it seems to me) is actually anti-democratic, and anti just about everything else except toxic nativism and self interest. It's enough to make us believe in original sin, the sin of violence.
We must pray for the people of Ukraine, for their immediate safety and their independence. We can pray for world leaders as they make difficult decisions. We can pray that those of us in democracies are willing to make economic sacrifices in order for sanctions to have any impact. We can pray for Russians who have taken to the streets in opposition to the invasion.
We can also pray for Ukrainian Canadians who feel this deeply. There are approximately 1.4 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent and many of their forbears came to this country as a result of a Russian reign of terror earlier in the 20th century.
The Ukrainian Pioneer series -- William Kurelek (Ukrainian Canadian)
3 comments:
Very scary times. It's no shock that Putin and Trump were so chummy. They're two peas in a pod. I wish Trump would just go away and be quiet. Nothing he says has any rational thought behind it. Does it surprise anyone that he praises Putin for this act?
How dare Putin invade Ukraine. The country has a democratically elected government, and if they want to join NATO, they should be able to. His feeling threatened by this possibility is ridiculous; it hardly means NATO troops would be attacking Russia.
I hope that countries, including Canada, are open to accepting Ukrainians who end up fleeing a war torn country. I feel so sad for them, and for the Russians who are against this aggression but obviously afraid of publicly voicing their opinion.
Putin's veiled threat about nuclear attacks on anyone who interferes with his plans and actions in the Ukraine need to be taken seriously. This is another power hungry megalomaniac who does not care about humanity. and those who follow Trump still will not see the danger in these actions. It is indeed, very frightening. Prayers, for sure - and encouragement to all of our government levels to sanction, sanction, sanction, and give as much aid as possible to the Ukraine, as quickly as possible. War is such a terrible thing!
Thanks to both of you for these comments. It's good to see that many nations are offering special dispensation to accept Ukrainian refugees and I hope Canada does so as well. As for Trump and his minions, wannabe fascist dictators admire other dictators. I do hope that crippling Russian economically will hasten the end of this reckless invasion.
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