I may be overly optimistic but people can change. Zelensky may be a politician and an actor/role player but so far he is not a blatant demagogue like Putin and Trump. So far, I cautiously support Zelensky....
I think that it is within the realm of possibilities that even cult followers can be educated and sour on their heroes. Even "those who wield power in Washington aligned to the military-industrial complex" as described by David H and Noam Chomsky below, can have an epiphany. I believe in the power of the oath, and that most people will tell the truth. It may take a lie detector or sodium phenethyl to loosen the tongue. But the spotlight should be enough to invoke conscience. Most of the witnesses against Trump in the impeachment trials were neoliberal card carrying Republicans who told the truth contrary to their political philosophies. Bolton didn't get to testify, but he is a prime example. Although he is an acknowledged ideologue, he told the truth about Trump.
Your comment this morning is so great it brings tears to my eyes. The fact that this is the true America that our children and forefathers fought to save sacrificing their lives for the basic reality you have described. How we have given this right away to a source in our own midst makes me wonder what have all the patriotic sacrifices of our nations lifetime journey meant to the followers of tRump-Republican party mired in Putin belief. It is imperative that we regain these fundamental aspects for our future good for America “home of the free and the brave”
"To form a more perfect Union" is the goal. We must regain a commitment to the common good for America to be the "Land of the free and the home of the brave".
Five yeses! If we could get money out of politics, the others would likely follow. Getting power to reform itself is a tough one. The CITIZENS UNITED ruling was immensely harmful, leading many to conclude that the court is either extremely naive or very anti-democratic.
Money is not speech and corporations are not persons; They are legal fictions.
When exactly did fictions obtain constitutional rights?
My dream: Democrats win in a landslide in mid-term and pass campaign finance reform to abrogate CITIZENS holding.
It would certainly be a start to get money out of government policies. First we need to clean up and or balance the courts. Citizens United is Unconstitutional. We need to kick unethical jurors out/ off the bench! Impeach or whatever is done to get rid of partisan and anti democratic traitors! Ban the Stench on the Bench!
I’m seriously considering starting a Laurie Blair dictionary of colorful expressions. First entry, greedheads. Second, the stench on the bench. I just love these.
I completely agree with everything you wrote, Professor Reich. As horrible and hateful as a chunk of this country has become, I believe the majority of people are good, decent, honest people who want the best for themselves as well as their families, friends and communities. Just like Putin trying to hide the death and destruction of an entire nation, you can’t keep the truth hidden forever. The truth will always come out. And love will always triumph over hate even if it feels like hate is currently winning. Thank you for another great post!
I am sorry to disagree, but I regard this view as coming from a deep immersion in your culture - one where America is good and operates with the best intentions - this may be true at the individual level - but not from those who wield power in Washington aligned to the military-industrial complex - truly evil, they have brought us so much death and destruction. There seems a view that this war is a zero-sum game - it is not! Ukraine will lose even if they "win" - many will die, those that live will never be the same. It is zero-sum for the west; we will have some issues with inflation etc - but will make a lot of money selling more arms to a dispirited world.
Chomsky "So I’m not criticizing Zelensky; he’s an honourable person and has shown great courage. You can sympathize with his positions. But you can also pay attention to the reality of the world. And that’s what it implies. I’ll go back to what I said before: there are basically two options. One option is to pursue the policy we are now following, to quote Ambassador Freeman again, to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian. And yes, we can pursue that policy with the possibility of nuclear war. Or we can face the reality that the only alternative is a diplomatic settlement, which will be ugly—it will give Putin and his narrow circle an escape hatch. It will say - here’s how you can get out without destroying Ukraine and going on to destroy the world."
David H ; Ukraine is already destroyed mostly. In the article there is no discussion of the role played by the moneyed interests. Also, condemnation of America because of it's history of conquest and false flag attacks on sovereign nations does not negate the criminal brutal attack on Ukraine. Noam Chomsky is not God. The situation right now is such that Nuclear threat will make all of us slaves to it. We will be unable to deal with tyrants and oppressors, because provoking them will end existence. In the meantime, weapons manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank. The oligarchs are temporarily 'frozen'. It would be a good opportunity to end their outsized wealth, making it illegal, and barring the use of such in governing. We, the people are not the murderous tyrants, the obscenely wealthy and insulated from terror are the guilty parties. They are a threat to real freedom in the world.
Agreed. Chomsky is not god, but he's as prescient a human as there is alive today (save perhaps John Mearsheimer) in these matters and if we are worried about the nuclear threat of Russia now perhaps we should not have allowed our leadership to provoke Putin ever since the end of the cold war. Please look into what John Mearsheimer has been warning for more than a decade. Just search YouTube for his name. It's fascinating!!!
Thank you for your objectivity and perspective on this issue. Something the rest of the folks on this post including the Professor have lost when it comes to Russia.
I have never read Chomsky. What I do know beyond the shadow of a doubt is that human dependence on oil and gas and man's thirst for money which brings power over others is at the heart of the crisis.
Until consumable energy is freely available to every person, this visciousness won't stop.
Agreed, that the reality of the world is not clearly good/bad. Is it possible we can achieve both? Defend Ukraine "to the last Ukranian" so that it still exists at the end of a diplomatic settlement? There are already losses on both sides, and the world stands to suffer greatly if Ukraine--and specifically its wheat harvest--ceases to exist.
Amen to that ! ! And incalculable shame on anyone duped by such userous and repulsive images as lil donnie hugging that American Flag. If I see it again, I'll puke . You know bone spur boy ! Can anyone say DRAFT DODGER ! ? The sellective, short memories and psuedo/patriotism dribbling out of frump supporters drooling yaps makes my skin crawl ! !
Having been seventeen years old in a submarine in the pacific, having lost his six dearest lifelong pals on a liberty ship, the old man and I dwelling on the Vietnam Conflict ,"Ahhh they use that patriotism word to stir folks up kid. Actions speak louder than words. Use yer head. War brings nothing but misery and death." Real tough guys; vlad (killer of women and children) and his idolitar lil donnie draft dodger . Neither a fraction of the man Zelensky appears.
Very good take on the whole thing Robert ! Keep it up !
You are wildly optimistic, but WE are left with no other choice. Trump supporters have been manipulated by Russian propaganda via primarily the internet. I read that 44% of Americans get their news off the internet and social media. That means that 44% of Americans are flooded with Russian propaganda. People want simple, revelatory, emotional news and the Russians have played that to their advantage. The focus of the upcoming election should not be on political polarization in America but on Putin and what he has done to foster that polarization with well-placed propaganda.
I snipped this from Timothy Snyder's book The Road to Unfreedom. It is one grain of sand in the ocean!
"Much of what Russia did was take advantage of what it found. Hyperpartisan stories on Fox News or outbursts on Breitbart gained viewership thanks to transmission by Russian bots."
These bots sent out millions of transmissions!
Russian propaganda has made dupes of American citizens and prisoners of our Congress.
Thank you, Robert! I keep hoping that the blinds will come off those millions of our fellow Americans, so that they can admire and own real devotion, generosity, selflessness, sacrifice and love of their fellow humans, regardless of faith, race, gender or political preference.
And what type of nationalism does this article invoke? Excusing a complete rejection of diplomacy and peace initiatives by the Biden administration because of McCarthyism and Putinphobia? Placing Russia's war crimes as a priority whereas ours against poor black and brown people are all but forgotten? National patriotism means sending billions in weapons so that Ukraine can fight the US proxy war against Russia? This is neoliberalism and the new "liberalist nationalism" at their finest, invoking emotion over critical thinking as we leave Ukraine to be destroyed and tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands to be slaughtered. Putin is an autocrat, his invasion is unwarranted but not unprovoked. That provocation is ours and NATO's, yet we leave Ukraine to do our dirty work and portray Zelensky as Churchill as if we're watching a war film. Doing the bidding of the defense industry and the generals is nationalism at its worst, and the continued apologies for Biden's rudderless leadership and highly suspect rejection of any notion of diplomacy will only result in two things-- complete devastation of Ukraine or nuclear conflict.
This is the typical response to a demand for diplomacy and peace. I am suggesting that the leader of the free world should have taken a delegation including Zelensky and his foreign ministers to Russia to negotiate with Putin when Russia was amassing troops in November. Negotiating peace to prevent war should be the priority of any administration, particularly then the other party is a nuclear superpower. Biden's lack of leadership in this respect and his eagerness to send billions in weapons to the region shows his complete lack of vision and his allegiance to an American Empire that is likely in its last days specifically because the only answer it knows is a militaristic one. Your question ignores that Zelensky was ready for peace talks early on but received zero support for the Biden administration. I apologize that I do not cheerlead for death and destruction.
I would always opt for diplomacy and peace. You are making some big assumptions, though: first, that the U.S. did not, in fact, attempt a diplomatic solution, and, second, that Putin would have met with Zelensky. Meeting with Zelensky would have been a recognition by Putin that Zelensky was the legitimate leader of Ukraine. Let's not forget that Zelensky recently stated that he would meet with Putin face to face. Putin refused the offer.
Agreed, but the one who would have to initiate the process is Biden, and he has shown zero interest while calling for regime change which is obviously the US goal at this point (which is insane in itself). Biden is the "leader" of NATO, Biden has the nuclear weapons, and the US is the aggressor historically in this situation. That is not putting the "blame" on the US, but context is vital to initiating the peace process, and again there is absolutely no evidence that the Biden administration lifted a finger towards diplomacy. I am not biased towards or against Democrats but reality must enter in at some point, the complete disinterest in negotiation is not an assumption it is indeed real, and the evidence is this puff piece by Robert Reich.
I have always found Secretary Reich to be an astute commenter whose experience in politics and economics makes him a valuable resource for me. You may disagree with him, but I don't think he can be accused of writing "puff". Vlad Putin has shown time and again, in Chechnya, Georgia, and Syria that he is a bully who will kill anyone, including innocent civilians, women and children, who stand in his way. He assassinates journalists, politicians, and business people both at home and abroad. There are times when you just have to stand up to a bully, otherwise he will never stop bullying. Reference the Vichy French government and their obeisance to Hitler. The Ukrainians tried negotiating with him in Istanbul, even offering to remain neutral and not join NATO. Putin is not interested in negotiating. He wants to revive the old Soviet Union and refuses to allow nations in his vicinity the right of self-determination.
So they say. If Biden were to have attempted any sort of diplomacy when Russian troops were amassing this tragedy and potential nuclear confrontation might have been avoided. Biden had as little interest in peace as Putin.
Says you. When he reported that intelligence predicted an incursion, even Zelensky disregarded him. Russia is no longer the Soviet Union. Several Soviet re[publics are now members of NATO. We are not even invited to negotiate.
If you are the leader of the free world and essentially in charge of NATO, it would behoove you to act like a leader and attempt diplomacy. We have no way of knowing what would have transpired because there was zero attempt. Amazing but not surprising how many apologists for Biden and World War II there are in the Democratic base.
Not meaning to be argumentative, but this is precisely my point. Biden refused to meet with Putin because he invaded a sovereign nation (at least that was the excuse given), but Biden has participated in the invasion of at least four sovereign nations! And he should have been starting talks, as multiple former foreign policy and cabinet members from the Clinton era were saying, at the first signs of trouble back in November. You support and like Biden I understand so you are filtering through a biased lens. Biden has not met a war he didn't like, and he was stumping for the invasion of Iraq five years before Bush actually did it. I do not trust his foreign policy and I do believe he is a danger to our security at this time.
I admire your optimism and wish I could share it, but the prevalence of recently enacted hateful laws targeting women, the LGBT community and voters rights have left me in despair. We are teetering on the brink of fascism and those of us who are fighting for democracy are now seen by the majority as being weak and ineffective, as shown by Biden's polls - despite all he has accomplished. I'm afraid that most Americans won't value our Democracy until we have lost it. We are, indeed, as much under attack as Ukraine, it's just a subtler war.
Paula Dean ; I just keep remembering that the majority of voters voted for Biden. It's the Putin party of tRump who support denying women's right to decide when or if they will bear children. Most Democrats support the LGBT community and certainly voter's rights. I think that because the corporate media cite polls (which can be bought) and misinformation about inflation, it is convenient to blame Biden and Democrats. Consider the source of the 'news'. Even Mainstream media have an agenda, and it is nor about supporting the common good.
This is a great essay, Professor Reich, that makes a strong case for the kind of commonality, community and true patriotism that Volodyrmyr Zelenskyy is showing the world almost every moment. He never gives up on his community, his nation, or on his fellow citizens, and he encourages them to stay true to their democracy even as they flee for temporary safety elsewhere. I think the actions of Ukraine's neighbors (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria) also show a decency and respect for Zellenskyy and his fellow Ukrainians. Apparently, ordinary citizens in Romania and nations bordering on Ukraine are welcoming the many Ukrainians and (please note) Russians who are fleeing the kind of terror and threat represented by Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and their "patriotism." (The Russians are every bit as terrified of repercussions caused by their support for Ukraine in its efforts to remain free. They are living proof that the major export offered the world by Russia has always been (and apparently still is) Russian people, usually the most talented, artistic, patriotic, inventive of all.) All of this positive response and true patriotism coming from citizens of many nations near and far from Ukraine is caused by the actions of President Zelenskyy, an apparently improbable head of state and one dismissed by the former 45th US president who has brought nothing but shame, dissension, economic and social disaster on our country and the world. Somehow Zelenskyy has not been enough of a national leader, not prominent or wealthy or well-known enough in Trump's eyes. (The irony is that the world will long remember and be grateful to a short, ordinary-looking comedian, who sought to make people at home in Ukraine (and Russia) laugh and forget their troubles but instead willingly and whole-heartedly stepped up to the plate to face the challenges PUtin and Trump created, all for the good of his people. That is a kind of patriotism rarely seen in America, too rarely, I believe.) If we want to choose an individual who represents true patriotism and sacrifice for the good of his people and our people as well, we could do no better than to choose Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He is not just the president of a free and secure Ukraine but, in my view, the current president of the free world, representing us all and giving us something to believe in and a path to follow. It is my hope that Ukraine will one day return to peace and prosperity; it is my certainty that the nations of the world will long remember and be grateful for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, long after the exploits and deeds of such as Valdimir Putin and Donald Trump have been erased by an example of a decent man who gave his country the best he had in him.
Surprised to see Dr. Reich follow the mainstream media war propaganda in deifying Zelensky. He could have been courageous and declared that Ukraine would be neutral and not join NATO. He could have stopped the Ukraine military attacks on Donbas which, since the U.S. government (Obama/Biden) supported coup against the democratically elected President Yanukovych, has killed thousands of Donbas Russian ethnic civilians the past eight years. He never moved to curb the strong influence of the Neo-Nazi and ultranationalist forces in western Ukraine, although he may have feared for his life if he did so. He has called for actions that would have lead to WWIII, like the no-fly zone. Over the past year, he banned four Russian language TV channels. His overall message seems to be more weapons, more war, although, again, he may fear for his life if he said anything else . I could go on. Bottom line, he is no angel, and Ukraine is a deeply divided country, contrary to his representations.
Yes, indeed. You could go on and cite events that seem to show Zelenskyy in a different and less favorable light. However, none of this changes the fact that Russia is the aggressor in this conflict, that Russia invaded Ukraine and not the reverse, that Russia has taken this thing to innocent civilians and pursued attacks on schools, homes and apartments, hospitals, and day care centers. To my knowledge, no Ukrainian troops have chosen to enter Russia and return the favor; the aggression has all been at the instigation of Putin's military who seem to have raped and pillaged as they went through the country. We can argue that Zelenskyy is no angel but I am sure that that is true; I am also sure that the USA played a negative role in the situation and that Trump used his presidency to try to extort Zelenskyy into digging up dirt on Hunter Biden, completely contrary to the US Constitution. )Trump was also more concerned with his own re-election bid than with adhering to the rule of law and responding to Putin's aggression.)Indeed, there is plenty of blame to go around but, ultimately, the ones who will pick up the tab are the civilians on both sides of the border and in whatever nation PUtin decides to invade next in his effort to take hold of the entire south and east of the region. I believe the Russians who protest the war will become the next and major Russian export as the Russians tend to flee when internal conflicts force them to evacuate. It's a sad situation all the way around and no side is without some role in the disaster. That doesn't make Zelenskyy a saint but it doesn't make him the only villain either. I would suggest that the real villains are PUtin and Trump (Putin's little helper). I do not think you can condone what Putin has done by defending his actions in Ukraine and condemning Zelenskyy's. The essential fact remains: Russia was and is the aggressor and has destroyed Ukraine...it will get worse as Ukraine was the agricultural power-house in the region and sent its products to many other nations...that's all gone now and famines are likely to occur in nations far removed from the war zone. However, Putin has trouble considering his own population so the calamity ushered into other more distant countries is not likely to pique his attention. Bottom line: Ukraine is not the only deeply divided country. Been around here lately?
Of course, we too are deeply divided. We have to put the entire Ukraine tragedy in historical context, as objectively as possible. What lead up to this horrible war? It is not right just to blame the "maniac dictator" Putin. I blame NATO and various U.S. governments, just as much; all are at fault. NATO should have dissolved after the fall of the USSR. It was a historic opportunity to declare all Europe a zone of peace, to mutually agree that ALL its nations were guaranteed security against military attack and freedom to choose their own economic course. Instead, NATO broke its promise not to expand "one inch" toward Russia. It kept itself intact, and substituted a greatly weakened Russia for the Soviet Union as its enemy. Bill Clinton expanded NATO all the way to Russia's border, despite its strenuous objection. George Bush's neocons declared that Ukraine and Georgia would join NATO. Putin declared way back then that was a red line for Russia. He was arrogantly ignored. He was true to his word when pre-NATO Georgia took military action against pro-Russia Georgians in South Ossetia, and were defeated by the Russian Army. Finally, Obama/Biden supported the coup against the democratically elected but "pro-Russian" President Viktor Yanukovych (who was from the Donbas region) by western Ukrainians (Kyiv is in Western Ukraine), and the ethnic Russian Ukrainians in eastern and southern Ukraine rose in revolt against the coup. After all, they had voted Yanukovych into office (look at a map of the 2010 Ukraine presidential election). This was not an "unprovoked" war, it was provoked, perhaps deliberately. Only negotiating a peace will stop the fighting, but the prospects for that look pretty bleak right now. I'll keep saying it: when will our world leaders start declaring peace instead of war?
Please note. This war began when Russia invaded Ukraine. As far as I know, no Russian civilian has lost his/her life, no child 6 years old has been buried, no city in Russia has been bombed and flattened. All this has occurred at the hands of Russia and Vladimir Putin has justified it with pronouncements that there is no such thing as Ukraine, that the Ukrainians are really Russians. From what I know of President Zelenskyy: he is descended from Russian Jews although he was born in Ukraine. (He is active in the Jewish community in Ukraine.) His great grandparents died during the Holocaust and he spent four years of his childhood in MOngolia. His native language was Russia; his mother was an architect and his father was a professor of computer science at a university in his hometown, Rihn (I believe it is called). Zelenskyy took a law degree from the university in Rihn and clerked in a law office but decided he wanted to pursue a career in tv and movies, in which he has had considerable success. His production company has offices in both Kyiv and Moscow as his programs have been well-received in both countries. There has been considerable support for him and against the war in Russia and, at present, many Russians are attempting to flee as they face prison and worse for supporting Ukraine. It seems to me that what you are protesting is not so much the war, the criminal actions of the Russian military, or the role of Ukraine as a kind of staging ground for war but the organization of NATO itself. I lived in a country experienced with invasion and conquest by its more powerful neighbor during WWII and I would assure you that the apprehension many European states large and small toward Russia is understandable. The Finns and Swedes are now very interested in joining NATO as they fear Russian aggression of the sort demonstrated by the war in Ukraine. They have not gone on the attack against Russia but they know full well that Russia has set its sights on their lands. They do not trust Russia (Putin) and few European nations do--and this is true whether or not they border Russia. I have a hard time understanding why Russia would seek to invade and enlarge its already giant and underpopulated country; right now, Russia is not making the best use of its land (or its people); it forces its best and brightest, its most creative, artistic, intellectual, inventive people to flee and its economy is dinky and will get dinkier. It is on its way to becoming more of a pariah than it already is and, from the view of its neighbors, its pariah designation is deserved. I agree with you, however, that the only way out of this is negotiations, something that Zelenskyy has repeated offered to Putin. I do not believe that Putin's army can win this thing in a timely fashion and I di not believe that Ukraine will go on the attack and attempt to retaliate inside Russia itself...so it will just drag on indefinitely unless a settlement can be reached. I do not believe that the Russians are avoiding attacks on the pro-Russian )Russian language) communities in eastern/southern Ukraine...the pro-Russian people are as much victims of Russian aggression as those still alive in the west.
I never doubted Zelensky has some fine qualities and personal history. As I see it, deification in this situation is something else. It serves the strident western war propaganda that will diminish rather than enhance the possibility of peace. I do not condone the invasion at all but it must be put into its full historical context. Holding NATO and the U.S government blameless and nothing but a force for "good" is ahistorical from my point of view. Expanding NATO was and is a prescription for continual tension and military conflict. From my reading of history, Russia even before Putin was attempting to go in the direction of mutual non-aggression, only to be rebuffed at every turn by the U.S. and NATO. NATO is a MILITARY alliance whose declared enemy is Russia. You think NATO marching to its borders was a formula for peace? I do not. As for Russian "war crimes", I do not doubt it, but it has a lot of company from the West and the USA who have committed centuries of war crimes and never really been held accountable. I do not believe in one-sided accountability or extreme hypocrisy. My most fervent hope is that a world peace movement will come alive and demand our leaders, all of them, start making peace instead of war.
At this point, I do not believe it serves anyone to bring up the failings of various organizations, whether they be NATO, the US Government, the Kremlin, even Putin or Trump. There is more than sufficient concern about what is going on the ground in Ukraine to push arm-chair historical criticism to the side. You are more concerned with the aims, success or failures, deceptions and past actions and policies of various organizations and governments and one can argue such issues pro or con of any specific position. (I believe this situation was waiting on a leader willing to overlook the rules of law (any rules of any legal body anywhere) and found such a leader in the person of Donald Trump who was also an individual willing to do the bidding of Vladimir Putin.) However, I believe that the reality on the ground is--and should be--the concern at this point: the facts that so many Ukrainians have lost their homes, towns, lives, futures, at the hands of undisciplined, misdirected and misled, and amoral, Russian teenagers should be the concern. The losses in this conflict are the primary issue and concern at this point, not the significant failings of the governments and NATO. It is not NATO or the governments or world organizations who will pay the final price; no, it is a family mowed down in an attempt to flee; a baby whose life became a matter of 6 months; an elderly survivor of the Holocaust who dies in a basement in Mariupol...(I can, however, understand the eagerness with which the nations of Finland and Sweden are attempting to join NATO' they can see the writing on the wall and, having engaged in wars with Russia, they have experienced what we see with our own eyes in Ukraine.) I believe that Zelenskyy is gamely trying to play the hand that he was dealt, to help. Lamenting what NATO was (and is) and the missteps and errors of the past is the stuff of latter days and relatively safe academic discussions considering the actual reality and crises being faced by ordinary people in Ukraine, in Russia, and (as it will probably develop) in Moldova. Most European nations fear Russia and their fear is in fact justified and warranted. I believe that Russia is not concerned with peace and securing peace in the future; it is an expansionist autocracy which is currently terrorizing all its neighbors and setting its sights on more conquest in other small and generally defenseless countries. They got far more than they bargained for in Ukraine but, ultimately, it will not be the Russian government or ours which pays the price,,,it will be ordinary people in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Hi Robert, I have followed the news and am more than appalled at what has happened to the Republican Party. All of my family is firmly to the right, but I, being a married gay man (married to a wonderful and kind man) am quite the opposite. Though quite bruised by what the GOP has become (I have to wonder what all my deceased Republican family members might now think of their "Grand Old Party") I have to maintain some optimism as to the outcome of the current struggle. It is my belief that the greater part of the American electorate will wake up to the fact that they need to support the "American Experiment" over Putin, Xi, Trump, and the rest of the white, conservative, hateful, Christian Right. Thanks Robert - we need to work to keep our freedom!
Although I was born half dozen years after the end of WWII, I grew up in a household of extraordinary patriotism. My father fought in Europe, as did most of my uncles and aunts. They understood the true meaning of patriotism and love of country having seen the destruction of authoritarianism and fascism. America understood this as well, they sacrificed during times of rationing, they volunteered and participated in War Bond drives. Even children joined in.
I have absolute fate in the America people that when push comes to shove, they will fight as President Zelenskyy is doing, along with fellow Ukrainians, to protect their land and the true meaning of what it means to be a patriot. They remind me of what we once were and what we can be again.
Putin's aggression is certainly brutal but it was hardly "unprovoked" according to those who predicted it would happen as far back as 2014 and earlier. Wouldn't you have to say that there was no reason for the U.S. to worry about soviet missiles in Cuba back in the day in order to hold that Putin should be "unprovoked" by NATO on his doorstep now? Why is it unreasonable for Putin to have something akin to our own Monroe Doctrine? This all could have been avoided if U.S. leadership had just half the respect for Russian security it demands of others in the entire western hemisphere. Peace could also be negotiated now if U.S. leadership did not prefer to sacrifice Ukrainians just for an excuse to bleed Russia. Neoliberal foreign policy is no better than neoliberal economics. I would think you of all people could lay blame properly on the generation of leadership who thinks they can justify ANY level of greed they desire.
Not that the Trump state department didn't fly the same flag as the one that came before it... but doesn't the fact of a huge nuclear arsenal factor into the calculus - even if ever-so-slightly? President Obama didn't renew the New Start Treaty... but the fact of the same also suggests there may not have been someone to negotiate with, yeah?
(Further: would conventional conflict risk really correctly be thought a prime risk factor against a backdrop of climate change?)
I choose Zelensky Patriotism and Reich Patriotism. What a deep, profound message today. Thank you for all of your Wise Words, Professor.
Thank you for your kind words, Anne.
You are most welcome. I am honored to be here.
I may be overly optimistic but people can change. Zelensky may be a politician and an actor/role player but so far he is not a blatant demagogue like Putin and Trump. So far, I cautiously support Zelensky....
I think that it is within the realm of possibilities that even cult followers can be educated and sour on their heroes. Even "those who wield power in Washington aligned to the military-industrial complex" as described by David H and Noam Chomsky below, can have an epiphany. I believe in the power of the oath, and that most people will tell the truth. It may take a lie detector or sodium phenethyl to loosen the tongue. But the spotlight should be enough to invoke conscience. Most of the witnesses against Trump in the impeachment trials were neoliberal card carrying Republicans who told the truth contrary to their political philosophies. Bolton didn't get to testify, but he is a prime example. Although he is an acknowledged ideologue, he told the truth about Trump.
Your comment this morning is so great it brings tears to my eyes. The fact that this is the true America that our children and forefathers fought to save sacrificing their lives for the basic reality you have described. How we have given this right away to a source in our own midst makes me wonder what have all the patriotic sacrifices of our nations lifetime journey meant to the followers of tRump-Republican party mired in Putin belief. It is imperative that we regain these fundamental aspects for our future good for America “home of the free and the brave”
"To form a more perfect Union" is the goal. We must regain a commitment to the common good for America to be the "Land of the free and the home of the brave".
I think we need to encourage the Justice Department to indict Trump.
I think we need to get money out of politics.
I think we need to utilize the immigration policy as it was designed.
I think we need to deplatform lying, propagandist “News”.
I think we’d better act…
FAST!
Five yeses! If we could get money out of politics, the others would likely follow. Getting power to reform itself is a tough one. The CITIZENS UNITED ruling was immensely harmful, leading many to conclude that the court is either extremely naive or very anti-democratic.
Money is not speech and corporations are not persons; They are legal fictions.
When exactly did fictions obtain constitutional rights?
My dream: Democrats win in a landslide in mid-term and pass campaign finance reform to abrogate CITIZENS holding.
Or, is that a fantasy?
Never say never.
Paula B. I agree that we must try at least. the secret to triumph is in the first syllable ; Try!
It would certainly be a start to get money out of government policies. First we need to clean up and or balance the courts. Citizens United is Unconstitutional. We need to kick unethical jurors out/ off the bench! Impeach or whatever is done to get rid of partisan and anti democratic traitors! Ban the Stench on the Bench!
I’m seriously considering starting a Laurie Blair dictionary of colorful expressions. First entry, greedheads. Second, the stench on the bench. I just love these.
Why thank you, Paula!
I completely agree with everything you wrote, Professor Reich. As horrible and hateful as a chunk of this country has become, I believe the majority of people are good, decent, honest people who want the best for themselves as well as their families, friends and communities. Just like Putin trying to hide the death and destruction of an entire nation, you can’t keep the truth hidden forever. The truth will always come out. And love will always triumph over hate even if it feels like hate is currently winning. Thank you for another great post!
I am sorry to disagree, but I regard this view as coming from a deep immersion in your culture - one where America is good and operates with the best intentions - this may be true at the individual level - but not from those who wield power in Washington aligned to the military-industrial complex - truly evil, they have brought us so much death and destruction. There seems a view that this war is a zero-sum game - it is not! Ukraine will lose even if they "win" - many will die, those that live will never be the same. It is zero-sum for the west; we will have some issues with inflation etc - but will make a lot of money selling more arms to a dispirited world.
The following link to a recent Chomsky interview is really worth the read (the transcript has links) <https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/04/noam-chomsky-on-how-to-prevent-world-war-iii>
Chomsky "So I’m not criticizing Zelensky; he’s an honourable person and has shown great courage. You can sympathize with his positions. But you can also pay attention to the reality of the world. And that’s what it implies. I’ll go back to what I said before: there are basically two options. One option is to pursue the policy we are now following, to quote Ambassador Freeman again, to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian. And yes, we can pursue that policy with the possibility of nuclear war. Or we can face the reality that the only alternative is a diplomatic settlement, which will be ugly—it will give Putin and his narrow circle an escape hatch. It will say - here’s how you can get out without destroying Ukraine and going on to destroy the world."
David H ; Ukraine is already destroyed mostly. In the article there is no discussion of the role played by the moneyed interests. Also, condemnation of America because of it's history of conquest and false flag attacks on sovereign nations does not negate the criminal brutal attack on Ukraine. Noam Chomsky is not God. The situation right now is such that Nuclear threat will make all of us slaves to it. We will be unable to deal with tyrants and oppressors, because provoking them will end existence. In the meantime, weapons manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank. The oligarchs are temporarily 'frozen'. It would be a good opportunity to end their outsized wealth, making it illegal, and barring the use of such in governing. We, the people are not the murderous tyrants, the obscenely wealthy and insulated from terror are the guilty parties. They are a threat to real freedom in the world.
Agreed. Chomsky is not god, but he's as prescient a human as there is alive today (save perhaps John Mearsheimer) in these matters and if we are worried about the nuclear threat of Russia now perhaps we should not have allowed our leadership to provoke Putin ever since the end of the cold war. Please look into what John Mearsheimer has been warning for more than a decade. Just search YouTube for his name. It's fascinating!!!
Thank you for your objectivity and perspective on this issue. Something the rest of the folks on this post including the Professor have lost when it comes to Russia.
I have never read Chomsky. What I do know beyond the shadow of a doubt is that human dependence on oil and gas and man's thirst for money which brings power over others is at the heart of the crisis.
Until consumable energy is freely available to every person, this visciousness won't stop.
Agreed, that the reality of the world is not clearly good/bad. Is it possible we can achieve both? Defend Ukraine "to the last Ukranian" so that it still exists at the end of a diplomatic settlement? There are already losses on both sides, and the world stands to suffer greatly if Ukraine--and specifically its wheat harvest--ceases to exist.
Amen to that ! ! And incalculable shame on anyone duped by such userous and repulsive images as lil donnie hugging that American Flag. If I see it again, I'll puke . You know bone spur boy ! Can anyone say DRAFT DODGER ! ? The sellective, short memories and psuedo/patriotism dribbling out of frump supporters drooling yaps makes my skin crawl ! !
Having been seventeen years old in a submarine in the pacific, having lost his six dearest lifelong pals on a liberty ship, the old man and I dwelling on the Vietnam Conflict ,"Ahhh they use that patriotism word to stir folks up kid. Actions speak louder than words. Use yer head. War brings nothing but misery and death." Real tough guys; vlad (killer of women and children) and his idolitar lil donnie draft dodger . Neither a fraction of the man Zelensky appears.
Very good take on the whole thing Robert ! Keep it up !
You are wildly optimistic, but WE are left with no other choice. Trump supporters have been manipulated by Russian propaganda via primarily the internet. I read that 44% of Americans get their news off the internet and social media. That means that 44% of Americans are flooded with Russian propaganda. People want simple, revelatory, emotional news and the Russians have played that to their advantage. The focus of the upcoming election should not be on political polarization in America but on Putin and what he has done to foster that polarization with well-placed propaganda.
I snipped this from Timothy Snyder's book The Road to Unfreedom. It is one grain of sand in the ocean!
"Much of what Russia did was take advantage of what it found. Hyperpartisan stories on Fox News or outbursts on Breitbart gained viewership thanks to transmission by Russian bots."
These bots sent out millions of transmissions!
Russian propaganda has made dupes of American citizens and prisoners of our Congress.
"It's Social Media, stupid."
Mainstream media is almost as bad. For example, rates of worldwide inflation is greater than US inflation.
And Fox 'News'.
Thank you, Robert! I keep hoping that the blinds will come off those millions of our fellow Americans, so that they can admire and own real devotion, generosity, selflessness, sacrifice and love of their fellow humans, regardless of faith, race, gender or political preference.
When people are under oath....
And what type of nationalism does this article invoke? Excusing a complete rejection of diplomacy and peace initiatives by the Biden administration because of McCarthyism and Putinphobia? Placing Russia's war crimes as a priority whereas ours against poor black and brown people are all but forgotten? National patriotism means sending billions in weapons so that Ukraine can fight the US proxy war against Russia? This is neoliberalism and the new "liberalist nationalism" at their finest, invoking emotion over critical thinking as we leave Ukraine to be destroyed and tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands to be slaughtered. Putin is an autocrat, his invasion is unwarranted but not unprovoked. That provocation is ours and NATO's, yet we leave Ukraine to do our dirty work and portray Zelensky as Churchill as if we're watching a war film. Doing the bidding of the defense industry and the generals is nationalism at its worst, and the continued apologies for Biden's rudderless leadership and highly suspect rejection of any notion of diplomacy will only result in two things-- complete devastation of Ukraine or nuclear conflict.
Are you suggesting that the Ukrainians should have just capitulated to Putin?
This is the typical response to a demand for diplomacy and peace. I am suggesting that the leader of the free world should have taken a delegation including Zelensky and his foreign ministers to Russia to negotiate with Putin when Russia was amassing troops in November. Negotiating peace to prevent war should be the priority of any administration, particularly then the other party is a nuclear superpower. Biden's lack of leadership in this respect and his eagerness to send billions in weapons to the region shows his complete lack of vision and his allegiance to an American Empire that is likely in its last days specifically because the only answer it knows is a militaristic one. Your question ignores that Zelensky was ready for peace talks early on but received zero support for the Biden administration. I apologize that I do not cheerlead for death and destruction.
I would always opt for diplomacy and peace. You are making some big assumptions, though: first, that the U.S. did not, in fact, attempt a diplomatic solution, and, second, that Putin would have met with Zelensky. Meeting with Zelensky would have been a recognition by Putin that Zelensky was the legitimate leader of Ukraine. Let's not forget that Zelensky recently stated that he would meet with Putin face to face. Putin refused the offer.
Agreed, but the one who would have to initiate the process is Biden, and he has shown zero interest while calling for regime change which is obviously the US goal at this point (which is insane in itself). Biden is the "leader" of NATO, Biden has the nuclear weapons, and the US is the aggressor historically in this situation. That is not putting the "blame" on the US, but context is vital to initiating the peace process, and again there is absolutely no evidence that the Biden administration lifted a finger towards diplomacy. I am not biased towards or against Democrats but reality must enter in at some point, the complete disinterest in negotiation is not an assumption it is indeed real, and the evidence is this puff piece by Robert Reich.
I have always found Secretary Reich to be an astute commenter whose experience in politics and economics makes him a valuable resource for me. You may disagree with him, but I don't think he can be accused of writing "puff". Vlad Putin has shown time and again, in Chechnya, Georgia, and Syria that he is a bully who will kill anyone, including innocent civilians, women and children, who stand in his way. He assassinates journalists, politicians, and business people both at home and abroad. There are times when you just have to stand up to a bully, otherwise he will never stop bullying. Reference the Vichy French government and their obeisance to Hitler. The Ukrainians tried negotiating with him in Istanbul, even offering to remain neutral and not join NATO. Putin is not interested in negotiating. He wants to revive the old Soviet Union and refuses to allow nations in his vicinity the right of self-determination.
https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/media-60807407
Self defense.
So they say. If Biden were to have attempted any sort of diplomacy when Russian troops were amassing this tragedy and potential nuclear confrontation might have been avoided. Biden had as little interest in peace as Putin.
Says you. When he reported that intelligence predicted an incursion, even Zelensky disregarded him. Russia is no longer the Soviet Union. Several Soviet re[publics are now members of NATO. We are not even invited to negotiate.
If you are the leader of the free world and essentially in charge of NATO, it would behoove you to act like a leader and attempt diplomacy. We have no way of knowing what would have transpired because there was zero attempt. Amazing but not surprising how many apologists for Biden and World War II there are in the Democratic base.
False assumption that we didn't try to reach out. Apparently you missed. several attempts. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/595399-psaki-confirms-biden-putin-meeting-off-the-table/
Not meaning to be argumentative, but this is precisely my point. Biden refused to meet with Putin because he invaded a sovereign nation (at least that was the excuse given), but Biden has participated in the invasion of at least four sovereign nations! And he should have been starting talks, as multiple former foreign policy and cabinet members from the Clinton era were saying, at the first signs of trouble back in November. You support and like Biden I understand so you are filtering through a biased lens. Biden has not met a war he didn't like, and he was stumping for the invasion of Iraq five years before Bush actually did it. I do not trust his foreign policy and I do believe he is a danger to our security at this time.
I admire your optimism and wish I could share it, but the prevalence of recently enacted hateful laws targeting women, the LGBT community and voters rights have left me in despair. We are teetering on the brink of fascism and those of us who are fighting for democracy are now seen by the majority as being weak and ineffective, as shown by Biden's polls - despite all he has accomplished. I'm afraid that most Americans won't value our Democracy until we have lost it. We are, indeed, as much under attack as Ukraine, it's just a subtler war.
Paula Dean ; I just keep remembering that the majority of voters voted for Biden. It's the Putin party of tRump who support denying women's right to decide when or if they will bear children. Most Democrats support the LGBT community and certainly voter's rights. I think that because the corporate media cite polls (which can be bought) and misinformation about inflation, it is convenient to blame Biden and Democrats. Consider the source of the 'news'. Even Mainstream media have an agenda, and it is nor about supporting the common good.
This is a great essay, Professor Reich, that makes a strong case for the kind of commonality, community and true patriotism that Volodyrmyr Zelenskyy is showing the world almost every moment. He never gives up on his community, his nation, or on his fellow citizens, and he encourages them to stay true to their democracy even as they flee for temporary safety elsewhere. I think the actions of Ukraine's neighbors (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria) also show a decency and respect for Zellenskyy and his fellow Ukrainians. Apparently, ordinary citizens in Romania and nations bordering on Ukraine are welcoming the many Ukrainians and (please note) Russians who are fleeing the kind of terror and threat represented by Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and their "patriotism." (The Russians are every bit as terrified of repercussions caused by their support for Ukraine in its efforts to remain free. They are living proof that the major export offered the world by Russia has always been (and apparently still is) Russian people, usually the most talented, artistic, patriotic, inventive of all.) All of this positive response and true patriotism coming from citizens of many nations near and far from Ukraine is caused by the actions of President Zelenskyy, an apparently improbable head of state and one dismissed by the former 45th US president who has brought nothing but shame, dissension, economic and social disaster on our country and the world. Somehow Zelenskyy has not been enough of a national leader, not prominent or wealthy or well-known enough in Trump's eyes. (The irony is that the world will long remember and be grateful to a short, ordinary-looking comedian, who sought to make people at home in Ukraine (and Russia) laugh and forget their troubles but instead willingly and whole-heartedly stepped up to the plate to face the challenges PUtin and Trump created, all for the good of his people. That is a kind of patriotism rarely seen in America, too rarely, I believe.) If we want to choose an individual who represents true patriotism and sacrifice for the good of his people and our people as well, we could do no better than to choose Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He is not just the president of a free and secure Ukraine but, in my view, the current president of the free world, representing us all and giving us something to believe in and a path to follow. It is my hope that Ukraine will one day return to peace and prosperity; it is my certainty that the nations of the world will long remember and be grateful for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, long after the exploits and deeds of such as Valdimir Putin and Donald Trump have been erased by an example of a decent man who gave his country the best he had in him.
Surprised to see Dr. Reich follow the mainstream media war propaganda in deifying Zelensky. He could have been courageous and declared that Ukraine would be neutral and not join NATO. He could have stopped the Ukraine military attacks on Donbas which, since the U.S. government (Obama/Biden) supported coup against the democratically elected President Yanukovych, has killed thousands of Donbas Russian ethnic civilians the past eight years. He never moved to curb the strong influence of the Neo-Nazi and ultranationalist forces in western Ukraine, although he may have feared for his life if he did so. He has called for actions that would have lead to WWIII, like the no-fly zone. Over the past year, he banned four Russian language TV channels. His overall message seems to be more weapons, more war, although, again, he may fear for his life if he said anything else . I could go on. Bottom line, he is no angel, and Ukraine is a deeply divided country, contrary to his representations.
Yes, indeed. You could go on and cite events that seem to show Zelenskyy in a different and less favorable light. However, none of this changes the fact that Russia is the aggressor in this conflict, that Russia invaded Ukraine and not the reverse, that Russia has taken this thing to innocent civilians and pursued attacks on schools, homes and apartments, hospitals, and day care centers. To my knowledge, no Ukrainian troops have chosen to enter Russia and return the favor; the aggression has all been at the instigation of Putin's military who seem to have raped and pillaged as they went through the country. We can argue that Zelenskyy is no angel but I am sure that that is true; I am also sure that the USA played a negative role in the situation and that Trump used his presidency to try to extort Zelenskyy into digging up dirt on Hunter Biden, completely contrary to the US Constitution. )Trump was also more concerned with his own re-election bid than with adhering to the rule of law and responding to Putin's aggression.)Indeed, there is plenty of blame to go around but, ultimately, the ones who will pick up the tab are the civilians on both sides of the border and in whatever nation PUtin decides to invade next in his effort to take hold of the entire south and east of the region. I believe the Russians who protest the war will become the next and major Russian export as the Russians tend to flee when internal conflicts force them to evacuate. It's a sad situation all the way around and no side is without some role in the disaster. That doesn't make Zelenskyy a saint but it doesn't make him the only villain either. I would suggest that the real villains are PUtin and Trump (Putin's little helper). I do not think you can condone what Putin has done by defending his actions in Ukraine and condemning Zelenskyy's. The essential fact remains: Russia was and is the aggressor and has destroyed Ukraine...it will get worse as Ukraine was the agricultural power-house in the region and sent its products to many other nations...that's all gone now and famines are likely to occur in nations far removed from the war zone. However, Putin has trouble considering his own population so the calamity ushered into other more distant countries is not likely to pique his attention. Bottom line: Ukraine is not the only deeply divided country. Been around here lately?
Of course, we too are deeply divided. We have to put the entire Ukraine tragedy in historical context, as objectively as possible. What lead up to this horrible war? It is not right just to blame the "maniac dictator" Putin. I blame NATO and various U.S. governments, just as much; all are at fault. NATO should have dissolved after the fall of the USSR. It was a historic opportunity to declare all Europe a zone of peace, to mutually agree that ALL its nations were guaranteed security against military attack and freedom to choose their own economic course. Instead, NATO broke its promise not to expand "one inch" toward Russia. It kept itself intact, and substituted a greatly weakened Russia for the Soviet Union as its enemy. Bill Clinton expanded NATO all the way to Russia's border, despite its strenuous objection. George Bush's neocons declared that Ukraine and Georgia would join NATO. Putin declared way back then that was a red line for Russia. He was arrogantly ignored. He was true to his word when pre-NATO Georgia took military action against pro-Russia Georgians in South Ossetia, and were defeated by the Russian Army. Finally, Obama/Biden supported the coup against the democratically elected but "pro-Russian" President Viktor Yanukovych (who was from the Donbas region) by western Ukrainians (Kyiv is in Western Ukraine), and the ethnic Russian Ukrainians in eastern and southern Ukraine rose in revolt against the coup. After all, they had voted Yanukovych into office (look at a map of the 2010 Ukraine presidential election). This was not an "unprovoked" war, it was provoked, perhaps deliberately. Only negotiating a peace will stop the fighting, but the prospects for that look pretty bleak right now. I'll keep saying it: when will our world leaders start declaring peace instead of war?
Please note. This war began when Russia invaded Ukraine. As far as I know, no Russian civilian has lost his/her life, no child 6 years old has been buried, no city in Russia has been bombed and flattened. All this has occurred at the hands of Russia and Vladimir Putin has justified it with pronouncements that there is no such thing as Ukraine, that the Ukrainians are really Russians. From what I know of President Zelenskyy: he is descended from Russian Jews although he was born in Ukraine. (He is active in the Jewish community in Ukraine.) His great grandparents died during the Holocaust and he spent four years of his childhood in MOngolia. His native language was Russia; his mother was an architect and his father was a professor of computer science at a university in his hometown, Rihn (I believe it is called). Zelenskyy took a law degree from the university in Rihn and clerked in a law office but decided he wanted to pursue a career in tv and movies, in which he has had considerable success. His production company has offices in both Kyiv and Moscow as his programs have been well-received in both countries. There has been considerable support for him and against the war in Russia and, at present, many Russians are attempting to flee as they face prison and worse for supporting Ukraine. It seems to me that what you are protesting is not so much the war, the criminal actions of the Russian military, or the role of Ukraine as a kind of staging ground for war but the organization of NATO itself. I lived in a country experienced with invasion and conquest by its more powerful neighbor during WWII and I would assure you that the apprehension many European states large and small toward Russia is understandable. The Finns and Swedes are now very interested in joining NATO as they fear Russian aggression of the sort demonstrated by the war in Ukraine. They have not gone on the attack against Russia but they know full well that Russia has set its sights on their lands. They do not trust Russia (Putin) and few European nations do--and this is true whether or not they border Russia. I have a hard time understanding why Russia would seek to invade and enlarge its already giant and underpopulated country; right now, Russia is not making the best use of its land (or its people); it forces its best and brightest, its most creative, artistic, intellectual, inventive people to flee and its economy is dinky and will get dinkier. It is on its way to becoming more of a pariah than it already is and, from the view of its neighbors, its pariah designation is deserved. I agree with you, however, that the only way out of this is negotiations, something that Zelenskyy has repeated offered to Putin. I do not believe that Putin's army can win this thing in a timely fashion and I di not believe that Ukraine will go on the attack and attempt to retaliate inside Russia itself...so it will just drag on indefinitely unless a settlement can be reached. I do not believe that the Russians are avoiding attacks on the pro-Russian )Russian language) communities in eastern/southern Ukraine...the pro-Russian people are as much victims of Russian aggression as those still alive in the west.
I never doubted Zelensky has some fine qualities and personal history. As I see it, deification in this situation is something else. It serves the strident western war propaganda that will diminish rather than enhance the possibility of peace. I do not condone the invasion at all but it must be put into its full historical context. Holding NATO and the U.S government blameless and nothing but a force for "good" is ahistorical from my point of view. Expanding NATO was and is a prescription for continual tension and military conflict. From my reading of history, Russia even before Putin was attempting to go in the direction of mutual non-aggression, only to be rebuffed at every turn by the U.S. and NATO. NATO is a MILITARY alliance whose declared enemy is Russia. You think NATO marching to its borders was a formula for peace? I do not. As for Russian "war crimes", I do not doubt it, but it has a lot of company from the West and the USA who have committed centuries of war crimes and never really been held accountable. I do not believe in one-sided accountability or extreme hypocrisy. My most fervent hope is that a world peace movement will come alive and demand our leaders, all of them, start making peace instead of war.
At this point, I do not believe it serves anyone to bring up the failings of various organizations, whether they be NATO, the US Government, the Kremlin, even Putin or Trump. There is more than sufficient concern about what is going on the ground in Ukraine to push arm-chair historical criticism to the side. You are more concerned with the aims, success or failures, deceptions and past actions and policies of various organizations and governments and one can argue such issues pro or con of any specific position. (I believe this situation was waiting on a leader willing to overlook the rules of law (any rules of any legal body anywhere) and found such a leader in the person of Donald Trump who was also an individual willing to do the bidding of Vladimir Putin.) However, I believe that the reality on the ground is--and should be--the concern at this point: the facts that so many Ukrainians have lost their homes, towns, lives, futures, at the hands of undisciplined, misdirected and misled, and amoral, Russian teenagers should be the concern. The losses in this conflict are the primary issue and concern at this point, not the significant failings of the governments and NATO. It is not NATO or the governments or world organizations who will pay the final price; no, it is a family mowed down in an attempt to flee; a baby whose life became a matter of 6 months; an elderly survivor of the Holocaust who dies in a basement in Mariupol...(I can, however, understand the eagerness with which the nations of Finland and Sweden are attempting to join NATO' they can see the writing on the wall and, having engaged in wars with Russia, they have experienced what we see with our own eyes in Ukraine.) I believe that Zelenskyy is gamely trying to play the hand that he was dealt, to help. Lamenting what NATO was (and is) and the missteps and errors of the past is the stuff of latter days and relatively safe academic discussions considering the actual reality and crises being faced by ordinary people in Ukraine, in Russia, and (as it will probably develop) in Moldova. Most European nations fear Russia and their fear is in fact justified and warranted. I believe that Russia is not concerned with peace and securing peace in the future; it is an expansionist autocracy which is currently terrorizing all its neighbors and setting its sights on more conquest in other small and generally defenseless countries. They got far more than they bargained for in Ukraine but, ultimately, it will not be the Russian government or ours which pays the price,,,it will be ordinary people in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Hi Robert, I have followed the news and am more than appalled at what has happened to the Republican Party. All of my family is firmly to the right, but I, being a married gay man (married to a wonderful and kind man) am quite the opposite. Though quite bruised by what the GOP has become (I have to wonder what all my deceased Republican family members might now think of their "Grand Old Party") I have to maintain some optimism as to the outcome of the current struggle. It is my belief that the greater part of the American electorate will wake up to the fact that they need to support the "American Experiment" over Putin, Xi, Trump, and the rest of the white, conservative, hateful, Christian Right. Thanks Robert - we need to work to keep our freedom!
Our country, right or wrong
When right, to be kept right.
When wrong, to be put right
-- Carl Schurz
Although I was born half dozen years after the end of WWII, I grew up in a household of extraordinary patriotism. My father fought in Europe, as did most of my uncles and aunts. They understood the true meaning of patriotism and love of country having seen the destruction of authoritarianism and fascism. America understood this as well, they sacrificed during times of rationing, they volunteered and participated in War Bond drives. Even children joined in.
I have absolute fate in the America people that when push comes to shove, they will fight as President Zelenskyy is doing, along with fellow Ukrainians, to protect their land and the true meaning of what it means to be a patriot. They remind me of what we once were and what we can be again.
Professor Reich, you are as sincere as you are eloquent. Thank you. Frank
Putin's aggression is certainly brutal but it was hardly "unprovoked" according to those who predicted it would happen as far back as 2014 and earlier. Wouldn't you have to say that there was no reason for the U.S. to worry about soviet missiles in Cuba back in the day in order to hold that Putin should be "unprovoked" by NATO on his doorstep now? Why is it unreasonable for Putin to have something akin to our own Monroe Doctrine? This all could have been avoided if U.S. leadership had just half the respect for Russian security it demands of others in the entire western hemisphere. Peace could also be negotiated now if U.S. leadership did not prefer to sacrifice Ukrainians just for an excuse to bleed Russia. Neoliberal foreign policy is no better than neoliberal economics. I would think you of all people could lay blame properly on the generation of leadership who thinks they can justify ANY level of greed they desire.
Not that the Trump state department didn't fly the same flag as the one that came before it... but doesn't the fact of a huge nuclear arsenal factor into the calculus - even if ever-so-slightly? President Obama didn't renew the New Start Treaty... but the fact of the same also suggests there may not have been someone to negotiate with, yeah?
(Further: would conventional conflict risk really correctly be thought a prime risk factor against a backdrop of climate change?)