In defense of a righteous war

War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing? I’m not so sure.

There are times when we do not seek conflict, but we are faced with it nonetheless. This is one of those times. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, beginning on February 24, is deeply tragic. This needless aggression threatens to upend the relative peace, hard-won, that Europe has enjoyed for nearly eighty years.

War and peace

Humans have known conflict since before civilization began; it is the nature of people to vie with each other for dominance and respect. The lord in his castle espies a fine piece of land and thinks, “wouldn’t it be grand if that were mine? Indeed it ought to be. Why, I have documents here that prove it is mine by right. Let whoever disagrees defeat me in battle, and the winner take the prize.”

In the wake of the Second World War, Europe took stock of a long, repetitively bloody history, and thought, “no more. We don’t need to do things this way.” This was the beginning of an intentional European community built for the express purpose of preventing future war. The nations of the continent would bind themselves together so closely that war between them would be unthinkable.

And it worked. Since the 1950s, when the three European Communities were established, there has been no war between member states. This continues to be true with the successor organization, the European Union. Though they can disagree mightily, the countries of Europe have shown that, at least for a time, at least so far, they can work together in the name of peace.

These communities are not the only ones of their kind. Many organizations around the world exist for the furtherance of peace by relationship. The League of Nations was an early attempt, though it failed in a number of ways, and ceased to exist in the wake of WWII. The United Nations is the group that currently has the widest membership on Earth, counting nearly every widely recognized country among its ranks. For all the flaws of these organizations, we all seem to recognize the potential for peace through partnership and dialogue.

Democracy denied

But we do not all seem to agree on what merits breaching the peace. Mad King Vlad of Russia, who seeks to redraw the post-Cold War borders and resurrect the power of the Soviet Union, is trying to force Ukraine back beneath Russia’s wing by military means. The Ukrainians have enjoyed a taste of democracy since the Iron Curtain fell, and they do not want to go back. Their fledgling democracy is a work in progress, yes, with corruption still rampant. But it is young, and still learning to fly.

Moreover, the struggle to keep democracy is an integral part of the system. Democracy is meant to be flexible, and change over time, lest it grow brittle and crack. Democracy is meant to be messy, and argumentative, and at times disappointing, because it takes work to work together, and we don’t always get exactly what we want. We have to be willing to put in the effort—a great effort, no doubt—to understand one another, and to work for the good of all and the subjugation of none. It is a moral good to stay on the path to democracy; though they may stray, let us extend grace to those who always seek to resume the proper course.

Ukraine pursues this.

Russia does not.

Putin’s pretext

My instinct is to consider the reason which Putin has given for his aggressive posture, his claimed fear of NATO encroaching on Russia’s borders. I would like to believe that this reasoning is offered in good faith, and that this invasion of Ukraine is an unfortunate escalation, made more likely by individually justified moves by Moscow. I struggle to understand the evil that lives in the hearts of men, and I would prefer to view my fellow people as good.

Unfortunately, it is clear that Putin is lying.

In the weeks preceding the invasion, the United States publicly predicted what actions Russia would take, and to an astonishingly large extent, they were right. Russian troops did overstay their exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea. Russia did claim, contrary to evidence, that Ukraine was planning to attack the separatists in the Donbas. Russia did wait until shortly after the Olympics before invading.

This intelligence success shows a very different side of US intelligence than we have seen at times this century. This is not the Iraq War intelligence community, with its erroneous claims of WMDs. This time, Russia has proceeded largely as the intelligence community has foreseen. This severely undercuts any narrative that almost two hundred thousand Russian soldiers just happened to be out on exercises when suddenly “oh! Look! An ‘independent country’ on that other country’s soil! Gotta go protect them!” Utter lies.

When someone offers a bad faith justification for their actions, it is unhelpful to grant them the argument based on those alleged concerns. Perhaps Putin does have legitimate worries about NATO, but even if that’s true, it is not true that those fears precipitated his invasion. It is not true that the Ukrainian regime is filled with Nazis and fascists. It is not true that Ukraine has plans to commit a genocide against Russian speakers in the Donbas.

Waging this war

And so Russia has launched an unjust war against its neighbor, a country with democratic ambitions and a vision for itself as an independent, intentionally Westernizing nation. A nation that, though it may one day be, is not currently a NATO ally. What can we do about this? Should we go to war for Ukraine?

I would argue that, to some extent, we already have.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a hot war, with people on both sides actively trying to kill each other. I do not think we should proactively engage in hot war with Russia, because of the threat of nuclear escalation. I acknowledge that this possibility exists in any steps we might take, and this does scare me. I empathize with President Zelenskyy in his pleas for a no-fly zone, though I agree with President Biden and NATO leaders that we should be extremely wary of the consequences of such a step.

Economic warfare

But there are other ways to fight, and we are using them, and should continue. The economic sanctions that the West has levied against Russia, threatening to crash their economy and cut them off from outside markets, do not fire a single bullet at a Russian citizen, but they are weapons nonetheless. Property seizures against Russian oligarchs inflict pain on the ruling class surrounding Putin. The value of the ruble has plummeted, and Western companies are pulling out of the country. We are already aiming and landing blows on Russia, in an effort to force an end to the conflict. For what is any war but a campaign to force surrender and concessions? Our economic weapons of war are not fundamentally different from our kinetic weapons.

Sanctions are themselves an evolution from ancient siege warfare tactics, attempting to starve and weaken an enemy until they can no longer resist. From sieges to blockades, from blockades to sanctions, economic warfare has evolved over the centuries, mirroring the progress of more concrete weapons like ballistae, cannons, artillery, missiles. The goal of any war is to degrade the opponent’s will and means to continue fighting. With kinetic weapons, this means killing enemy combatants—and in acts now considered criminal, civilians—and damaging infrastructure and equipment. Our economic weapons work much more slowly, but the damage they can do to Russia is great.

I think Putin recognizes this. On February 27, in response to Western sanctions, he raised the alert level on Russia’s deterrent forces, including nuclear weapons. This is a dangerous escalation which brings the world closer to nuclear armageddon. I don’t want to suggest that this move is justified. But as a response to an attack, it does make some sense. We are already fighting Russia, and Putin threatens retaliation.

Fear of escalation

I have said that I do not want us to join the hot war because it is a step towards open conflict with Russia, a powerfully nuclear state. A step towards the use of nuclear weapons. A step towards the third world war we have feared since the end of the second, and maybe towards the end of the world. Yet I wish that we could join. For all the horrors of war, and with the acknowledgement that I have never truly experienced death, destruction, and mortal terror, I wish that we could fight. I wish that there were a path we could follow that would let us obey our principles and what we feel is right, while also being a winning strategy. Instead, to fight with Russia risks the end of civilization.

Defense of democracy

I feel that my moral core rebels against this view of reality. What Putin is doing is deeply wrong. What Putin is doing is evil. I do not want to accept a world where the prudent thing is to sit on the sidelines while a bully slaughters innocents. It may be that we live in such a world, but that does not mean that to do less than what we must not do is to do nothing. It matters that we speak against this naked aggression. It matters that much of the world has rallied in condemnation of the war. It gives me hope.

The last few years have shown us the fragility of democracy around the world. China has reabsorbed Hong Kong in violation of their treaty with the UK. Democratic systems in Turkey, Brazil, India, Hungary, and elsewhere have been weakened at the behest of their leaders. The culture war in the United States has been escalating for more than twenty years, posing an increasing threat to the stability of our Republic. There is a lot to worry about. Autocracy and democracy are at war, and democracy has lost ground.

But see how the war in Ukraine is being framed, as a front in this greater conflict.

The villain

In this corner, clocking in at over two decades in power, a true advocate of Russian imperialism and the power of might, is President Vladimir Putin. A former KGB agent, Putin has progressively weakened the freedoms of the Russian people, committed brutal assaults against the peoples of Chechnya and Syria, elevated his friends and sycophants to positions within Russia’s oligarchy, and poisoned political rivals. The elections that have kept him in power, while wearing a veneer of democracy, have in fact been increasingly foregone conclusions as Putin has outlawed opposition parties and murdered or imprisoned those who might challenge him. Putin stands for autocracy.

The hero

In this corner, elected in 2019 on a platform of anti-corruption and ending the ongoing conflict with Russia, is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, former comedian and actor. Zelenskyy first came to the attention of myself and many other Americans when then-President Donald Trump pressured him to “do us a favor, though,” in his now infamous, laughably “perfect” call. Trump sought an investigation that he thought would damage his rival Joe Biden, who ultimately defeated him in the 2020 American presidential election. Trump threatened, and indeed attempted, to hold hostage $391 million of military aid to Ukraine unless Zelenskyy would announce an investigation into Biden’s son, Hunter.

This aid was intended to help Ukraine in their conflict with Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Trump’s pressure put Zelenskyy in a difficult position. Would he accede to Trump’s demands, corruptly announcing an unpredicated investigation into the orbit of a candidate in a foreign election, in order to secure the defense of his own country? Or would he stand up for his principles and reject this illegal scheme, risking the loss of needed military assets?

As we know, Zelenskyy stayed silent, attempting to thread the needle by not overtly provoking Trump while also failing to give in to him. I love him for that. And my admiration for the man has only grown as the war has raged in Ukraine. This hero refused a US offer to evacuate him, saying “I need ammunition, not a ride.” He has refused to abandon his people, unlike many, many leaders in conflicts around the world. His bravery in defense of his people and their democracy, and democracy writ large, has inspired and united the West and much of the world behind Ukraine. Zelenskyy stands for democracy.

And let’s not forget the people

Also in this corner are the Ukrainian people. For while Putin seems to be waging this war based solely on his own desires, the people of Ukraine stand alongside their president. Their stalwart defense in the face of such overwhelming might has been nothing short of amazing. Initial estimates put the capital in the hands of the Russian forces within days of the invasion; instead, two and a half weeks in, Kyiv is still under Ukrainian control. The entire country has mobilized to defend itself. The Ukrainian people want to govern themselves, and despite all the hardship and death Russia is inflicting, they are resolved to carry on. The Ukrainian people stand for democracy.

Why are we fighting?

The war in Ukraine is one front in the war to defend democratic systems the world over. Russia has invaded Ukraine because the latter has been slipping away from its former Soviet relationships in favor of closer ties with Europe and the West. With the 2014 Euromaidan protests and subsequent Revolution of Dignity, as well as by electing Zelenskyy himself, the Ukrainian people have expressed their desire to Westernize.

In contrast, Putin alone has decided that Ukraine belongs with, or perhaps to, Russia. In response to the 2014 revolution, Putin annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea and supported the separatist regions in the Donbas. This autocrat does not care what the people think, and seeks to impose his desired reality on his neighbor.

I love democracy. I really do. The notion that no one must be unheard, oppressed, or exploited is perhaps the finest thing I can imagine. And yes, I know that the US is not and has never been a perfect democracy. We began with slavery and only white male landowners allowed to vote. Though all adult citizens have the right to vote today, there are many obstacles to truly fair representation. Gerrymandering, laws which make voting more onerous, and regressive tax laws keep the poor down and threaten to further entrench minority rule.

But we are trying. Our democracy can and, I dearly hope, will continue to move towards a more perfect union. The Ukrainian people are our cousins in this struggle. They too wish to live in a better democracy, where their fate is determined by their own consensus, not the will of autocrats and oligarchs. We must do everything we can to help them.

Democracy is under threat around the world. The struggle for one democracy is part of the struggle for all of them. Let us not turn inward, ignoring those who share our ideals and plead with us for aid. Let us rise to this occasion. Let us show the world, and ourselves, what it means to be a democracy. What it means to be free.

Slava Ukraini, Glory to Ukraine.

Heroiam slava, Glory to the heroes.

May we soon see peace.