War by Any Other Name

Two years ago in Ukraine, Russia began a war to reconquer another of its former territories. Its aim was clear and unambiguous, it was war. The Ukrainians have put up a fantastic fight so far, but the conflict has settled down to a war of attrition, and with the much larger forces of Russia battering against the numerically smaller forces of Ukraine, the outcome may eventually turn against them. Even if the U.S. resumes its considerable aid in money and munitions, there could still come a point where Ukraine is simply worn down.

Ukraine is not the only war that Russia is currently waging. It also is conducting a massive campaign against the democratic countries of the world. The use of misinformation, fake news, social media manipulation, electoral interference, cyber attacks, economic threats against smaller countries, and the backing of terrorist groups, Hamas, Hezbollah and now Houthi rebels, in other words, the use of anything short of outright conflict that would bring a much larger response is in play. Smaller provocations using proxies such as Iran, North Korea, Belarus and China to push economic pressures means that Russia don’t actually need to have their forces on the ground fighting in order to destabilize or harm other countries.

Democracies are not as tightly bound as authoritarian states and are more easily threatened by internal disunity. Those who want to loosen the rule of law, cut taxes for the very wealthy, deregulate business, distrust science, allow for the repeal of environmental laws and increase discrimination of minorities and other gender based groups will cut out the heart of a democracy without a second thought. This is not a war with guns and bombs but one with ideological weapons. The defense of democracy is not a passive conflict and it requires each and everyone to actively work to support and keep it strong. Each citizen has the right to vote and participate in shaping what our country is and what it should become. To ignore this and let others decide for us is amount to giving everything up. Ukraine has not given up, and its citizens shed their blood daily in order to keep their democracy intact, can we do anything less? There may not be an active war here, but we must act as if there was one.

(The war in Ukraine has now continued for two years. How much longer will it take to realize that it is our war against Russia as much as it is theirs. Photo courtesy the Economic Times.)