The war by Russia against Ukraine is wrong
as is Israeli occupation of Palestine
as was USA invasion of Iraq
as is the Syrian War ( though I'm not sure who is responsible for what there)
as is the Afghanistan War, and the Yemen War all of which I confess I know too little of to comment on, except that I know lives and livelihoods were destroyed and children's dreams broken.
We are not a peaceful race.
We fight for territory,
beating our chests like our ape ancestors,
and we have shed the blood of our own, oceans of it, over the years.
We have lived in an uneasy peace since World War II,
with the creation of the Brahmastra-like nukes,
with only pockets revelling in the display of the worst of humanity-
think the Vietnam war, the Junta in Myanmar, the Polpot in Cambodia, the Rohingya crisis, rhe violent births of Pakistan and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka against the Tamil Tigers, the horror of the Apartheid, all these after we said "never again" after the Holocaust,
more empty words there could never have been,
yet, an uneasy peace because somehow these seemed contained in smaller pockets of despair and tyranny.
So what of Ukraine and Russia now? This war has shaken that 'peace". because Europe is involved again. The playground bullies have a common enemy, an enemy who is easy to hate, whom we have become used to seeing as the villain, to rally against.
So here the world is against Russia, and for Ukraine.
That raises the stakes. Nearly everyone has been asked to/ made to choose sides (even Sweden, Switzerland, FIFA) . The echoes are uncanny. The Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated and WWI started.
The world ganged up against Germany and WWII started, with Hitler walking into Poland.
So what now? The echoes are terrifying and the enemy is flirting with Brahmastras, shooting at it and around it, taking over it. USA and Russia dropping dangerous words like so many bombs. And for my part, I'm just angry . There are already so many refugees seeking safety, escaping war all over the world. Why create a new problem like this now? And wars last for a long time. How long will this war go on for?
Ukraine represents something I think.
We have their president reminding us of Churchill - a great war time leader though not in peace time. He too made mistakes but he inspired the world with his courage and his words.
So perhaps Zelensky miscalculated in his wooing of the west and Europe, angering Big Brother Russia.
Even so
in war he is brave, at the front, inspiring, encouraging his people and the world,
and to praise Ukraine's efforts in fighting the war is not to discount other countries' struggles for their freedom.
I, in my small and insignificant capacity, condemn war all round. People deserve to live in peace, to call a space home and feel safe.
That means rallying the better portions of who we are, to prevail over our lesser selves. The battle of good over evil, of decency over wickedness, kindness over selfishness starts within us.
We, who live so safe here in Singapore, should never take it for granted.
When push comes to shove, how will we react?
Will we rise to defend our country and or surrender as quickly as possible to minimise loss of life ? I've often wondered how I would respond and don't have high hopes for heroic actions on my part.
No matter what his mistakes may have been, Zelensky is a leader to me, and the way his people fight an inspiration.
Russia seems to want to keep Ukraine thumbed down. Should a small nation never aspire to rise above the position granted to it? Besides, can we blame Ukraine for wanting the protection of belonging to an organisation that may protect them after Russia walked into Crimea and took over it 8 years ago? To say the Crimeans wanted to be part of Russia is besides the point. If residents of Woodlands wanted to be part if Malaysia, would we be okay with Malaysia claiming Woodlands as their own? As Singapore we would have to engage with Woodlands to find out more and try to address their grievances. And as Malaysia they would have to alert us that Woodlands residents are feeling this way please act. not just take it! So Russia took Crimea but Ukraine is wrong to aspire to protection from such future acts?
And even if he was wrong to ask, is war justified? is Russia right in walking into Ukraine to "de nazify" it and de-militirise it ? 'de nazify" is a gross misnomer, by the way, to describe Putin's actions. Perhaps the problem (dor Putin) in this case is how obviously he is playing his cards such that absolutely everyone can see through him. His "special military operation" is so clearly a walk in to take over the country, as he did in Crimea in 2014, also during the Winter Olympics. Other countries give vague reasons for their actions, and as appalling as they are, maybe somewhere, somehow, we can believe they believe in it or something. Here, it's different. Even I can see the set up!
Step 1: Amass troops around 3 sides of Ukraine.
Step 2: Sign a non-agression treaty with China, to protect its back
Step 3: Recognise breakaway regions as independent.
Step 4: Give a long speech to imply Ukraine is not even a country and so if Russia walks in, that's not a hostile take-over, that's that Russia walking in its backyard
Step 5: Say breakaway region appealed for help, that a genocide is happening!
Step 6: Move in with "peacekeeping troops"!
Step 7: War
Steps 2 to 7 took less than a week! it was chilling to watch it unfold. Perhaps in other countries we don't see the build-up like this, as though we are watching a movie unfold before our very eyes.
Perhaps the world can unite in this case because it is easy to hate Russia. they have been the outsider and 'bad guy' for so long (coz of the Cold War and Hollywood). It is harder for countries to say boldly that we think the USA is wrong or that Israel is wrong. Leaders have to protect their people and if that means kowtowing to the biggest kids in the playground so be it. It isn't fair. We have never lived in a fair world.
By that same token perhaps Ukraine should have never dared to ask for Nato membership and so provoke Russia. But Russia's response is war. surely that is too much. You ask for membership and I give you war. Like Sita crossing that line and being banished forever eventually. Some mistakes are just catastrophic, not in themselves but in the response they provoke.
Thus even after all this is said and done, I think Zelensky is a hero, for not taking it lying down, for fighting for the principle that men deserve to live free,
and hopefully the world will remember how we responded to Ukraine and respond in kind when our 'friends' bully other countries too.
