UKRAINE – DILUTION OF MEMORY AND 0F HORROR THREATENS NEUTERING OF PUTIN

With leaders of most of the world’s population lacking the morality to condemn Putin’s murderous horror show, the peoples of those democracies standing for Ukraine’s freedom have a special responsibility to uphold basic moral values. However, having been rescued from Covid by inoculation, another form of inoculation risks Western democracies opening the door to further brutality of dictators.

Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin and their respective cronies have a lot in common. One common feature is mass murder, but there is no need to compare Putin’s slaughter of Ukrainians to the Holocaust, as President Zelensky has done. Adolf Hitler did not just kidnap and murder Jews, but systematically murdered civilians in vast numbers, including by reducing cities to rubble. The siege of Stalingrad perhaps compares in some respects with the organised annihilation of Ukrainian cities and their civilian inhabitants, with incessant bombardment from a distance and starvation of food, medicine and other necessities. Putin rounds up and transports from their own country into his Russian hell thousands of innocent Ukrainian civilians: did not Hitler do something similar?

In WWII, the UK was intrinsically involved and a target itself throughout its duration and so, while it played out, it was front of mind of every Brit every day. Writings, films, memorabilia, cemeteries and remembrance ceremonies remind today’s UK of WWII, lest we forget. On the other hand, the horror of the Holocaust was not at the time a live experience for the UK people, and other nations less directly affected. And so, the risk of it being forgotten by non-Jews is much greater, and there are even news merchants who deny it ever happened. Specific reminders are necessary, lest we forget. As the Ukraine war extends beyond the few weeks so far and perhaps as peace becomes ever pressing, and perhaps peace even breaks out, will the sheer monotony of destruction and misery have immunised people outside Ukraine. As a result, they may consider any peace a victory, even if forced compromise means Putin survives in power and takes some booty in the form of land. How dangerous would that be for the future civilised world?

DAILY NEWSREEL BOMBARDMENT CAN ANIHILATE THE SENSES

As Ukrainians suffer daily bombardment of lethal weapons of multiple destruction from Putin’s genocidal mission, so people in countries not directly affected, such as the UK, witness a bombardment of newsreel, pictures and words, tales of courage and woe. As weeks and perhaps months go by, there is a severe risk that the world’s public becomes tired of, or inoculated against, the perpetrators’ constant inhuman brutality, and the calculated dismantling of an entire country and so the destruction of millions of lives. It is probable perhaps that attrition not just of Ukraine and its people but also of world politicians and their electorates will lead to a very unholy compromise, and Putin “getting away with it”. That must not happen. President Zelensky’s solace to his people that “all wars end in agreements” could be misleading and optimistic if it is read to mean a good deal. Surely as William Hague has observed in The Times, they often end in the brutal murderers getting some of what they want, living also to fight or rather murder another day, and not remaining pariah. Also, others, as in WWII, are left to pick up the bill to rebuild the infrastructure and sustain its surviving population, but how will Putin, the destroyer, be made to pay reparations. A complex issue.

President Assad “got away with it” in Syria and continues to do so, thanks to Putin who himself also got away with it there. Perhaps that buoys him. Putin got away with it in Crimea. Let us not forget these errors which led the West to where Putin and Ukraine are today. Putin must not get away with it again.

LET US NOT FORGET

Perhaps every Briton, European and American will need constant reminders of the daily horror, murder and waste of life being inflicted by the Putin regime. The war is a month in. Already some onlookers will have tired of the weight of the issues and daily suffering, no longer attending to any published news, shutting the war out. Others will become saturated absorbing the pictures and drama regularly. During Covid, the constant daily tales of bereavement and complaint on broadcast news had a similar effect. In Covid’s case the ability to maintain a balanced perspective was perhaps lost. Despite the fact people will become war weary, it is surely essential that, even if the war of attrition lasts months, those who are responsible for proper news publication stay at it. It is notable how the fact that Syria long ago left the screens and the front pages means the millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey and elsewhere and the devastation of places such as Aleppo are barely thought about. President Assad goes about his business, another mass murderer let off. Maybe all people should take some time each day to reflect on the evil perpetrated and suffering wilfully caused to ensure the enormity of this Ukrainian devastation is not diluted by memory and the wish to move on.

This will become of even greater import after Putin’s war machine goes silent, in occupation of some of Ukraine or not. Maybe there will be an accord. As Western elections come and go so will politicians, and the grand words of resistance and condemnation of Putin could be distant memories; and a “practical” approach may emerge, subduing the very values Putin opposes and wants to destroy. The branding of Putin, his cronies, and those with the trigger fingers raining shells on civilians in their thousands, as war criminals could stop, and maybe they will consciously or subconsciously be allowed to re-join global society. That surely must never be allowed to happen. If it does, it will be because the public and its leaders choose to forget and return to the weakness, foolishness and complacency which engendered the temerity of Putin to invade Ukraine.

LEST WE FAIL TO LEARN

If Putin did not control a huge nuclear arsenal, perhaps or even surely the Western powers through NATO or otherwise would be more aggressive in protecting Ukraine and preventing the mass murder and dislocation of Ukrainian people. Fear of escalation inhibits direct confrontation with Russia, most commentators say rightly for now at least. It is a manifest lesson that any dictator or autocrat, going unchecked by constitutional powers being exercised, with a nuclear weapon capability, is almost impossible to negotiate with or control. North Korea is just such a problem. Nearer to home does not Iran aspire to build nuclear weapons, as it vows to destroy Israel, and perhaps has designs on “leading” its immediate neighbourhood at least, just as Putin wants to control again Eastern Europe?

Melanie Phillips in the Times of 26 March explains how and why Israel treads a tightrope between supporting Ukraine and not being excessively anti-Russian, for which President Biden chides Israel wrongly in her view. But a striking part of the article is her suggestion of total Biden hypocrisy, reporting that the USA is “using Russia to broker the nuclear deal with Tehran”. The point of the original Iran accord which Trump foreswore but the UK and Europe maintain is to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. She suggests that the U.S. plan is to agree to Russia policing the compliance of Iran with its obligations, and that “the USA will enable Russia to set up a sanctions evasion hub in Iran”. Putin wishes to weaken the West. He is a complete fraud. He would surely, if it suits his ends, enable, not stop, Iran getting such weaponry. If these suggestions are true, an inevitable question is whether President Biden understands anything of what is going on. The idea that the democracies of the West will ever trust Putin on any serious matter again must surely become anathema. It must be a long time perhaps before Russia can join the global scene.

If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, they will be uncontrollable, with other nations (unless Israel acts) having little power to resist, which is a lesson of the Putin invasion. It is to be hoped that the Times article concerned is misinformed.

NEUTERING PUTIN – STRENGTH, LANGUAGE AND CONVERTING THE WORLD

On Wednesday 23 March, Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared Russian behaviour “morally unacceptable”. Words are important and this sounds like a gross understatement. Surely, although so many UN countries refuse to condemn Russia, he could be more transparent and call murder “murder” and crime “crime”. “Morally unacceptable” can describe a lot of daily behaviour by ordinary people as everybody fails to meet the values they might aspire to regularly, and Putin’s exceptional depravity needs to be called out on every occasion, so it is never forgotten or underplayed. Mealy-mouthed weak protestation, such as the UN’s, will slowly water down the evil being represented. It will be important that strong language remains the norm and the UK and U.S. Governments at least are carrying an honourable torch in that respect. It is gratifying and relieving that, when the likes of Russia’s Foreign Minister, Lavrov, peddle complete fictions, news presenters often point out that they are lies. But quite often they do not. It is important perhaps that on any occasion when the Russian deceit is broadcast, it is depicted as just that, deceit. 

The lesson that the strongman evil dictator only responds to greater strength in power terms is often recounted and explains why the depletion of military power in democratic nations is an unaffordable risk, even though no leader wants to use the weapons involved. So too in language. Leaders, journalists, academics, writers, artists, and everyman should not afford to Putin or his cronies any quarter, abstaining from respectful language, and ensuring every reference to Putin and his cronies portrays in some way their appalling guilt. This approach perhaps will also reduce the risk of the sheer criminal brutality and evil being considered anything other than totally repugnant, not simply “morally unacceptable”.

The power of Western democracies to neuter Putin going forward depends on showing absolute strength, unity and unwavering determination. Public support will assist that, requiring the public to pay a price in terms of quality and cost of living, but also not to forget or water down the Putin depravity. Even if Western leaders can remain true to espoused values, countries representing over half the world’s population have yet to support them and call out Putin for that depravity in defence of similar values. While those democratic leaders talk of Putin’s global isolation, that is clearly but bluster while so many other nations are not openly condemning Putin. Perhaps, Presidents Biden and Macron, and Prime Minister Johnson and others, have another task, equally as pressing as defeating Putin in Ukraine: that is once again persuading other nations, such as India and South Africa and Brazil, as well as South-East Asia, that democratic values must trump the vicious immorality of the world of the likes of Putin.