It’s my seventh day in Hamburg. I’m sitting on the bedroom floor, leaning against the closed door, and talking on FaceTime with a close friend. People down the corridor are about to go to sleep. Then he says, “Write. Notes. On Twitter. On Instagram.” And I ask, “why?” He responds, “Maybe, a person will read them and feel better for a second.” I have never thought that I …
From the moment that Russian troops first attacked his country on February 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskyy has bravely rallied his country, and much of the world, in opposition to Putin’s aggression. Since that time Ukrainians have fought bravely against the inefficient but brutal Russian military onslaught. They have been an example to everyone in the world who cares about freedom. Two weeks ago I wrote that Zelinskyy …
At first glance, it may seem like a strange and even a preposterous undertaking. My country is under attack. Thousands of people have already died. Many more may die in the upcoming days, even hours. Ukrainian cities are being shelled, schools and hospitals are being destroyed by bombs and artillery fire, women and children are hiding in bomb shelters and basements. The whole world is watching a gigantic …
Note: What follows is a talk that I presented on Tuesday, March 1, at a Teach-In organized by Indiana University’s Russian and East European Institute and held at the Hamilton-Lugar School of International Studies. I’d like to thank Sarah Phillips, Mark Trotter, and the the entire REEI staff for their work to organize the event, and give a shout out to Regina Smyth, for promoting the idea. — …
In the wake of the strong, swift, and unified response of Europe, Western democracies, and most of the international community against the Russian war on Ukraine, the world witnessed what was unthinkable until a few days ago. Germany severed ties with its most important supplier of gas and announced multi billion dollar investment on its military. Norway froze Russian investments in its trillion-dollars sovereign fund. Sweden broke its …
Jeffrey Isaac’s essay on “Volodymyr Zelenskyy, The Hero We Now Need” (Democracy Seminar, February 27, 2022) helps to provide perspective on the specifics at stake in Ukraine. It weaves key points into a coherent whole. Ukraine’s Zelenskyy is a hero to all “who stand for freedom and liberal democracy.” In the face of Putin’s bombs, tanks, and threats to execute him, Zelenskyy displays political and physical courage. Should …
His defeat must lead to global change When the Russian president is finally defeated in Ukraine, the West must avoid past mistakes to ensure peace I have never been so wrong about a major event that was so clearly forewarned. I was convinced that Vladimir Putin would not be so reckless as to launch a full-scale conquest of Ukraine, if only for the simple reason that he would …
A View from Hungary During a regular meeting of Democracy Seminar, the worldwide committee of democratic correspondence, last Thursday morning, (February 24th), we discussed the unfolding crisis in Ukraine and agreed to write up and share our quick responses from our different locations. In this post, a perspective from Hungary. Jeffrey C. Goldfarb The Hungarian government was unprepared for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán …
Waging war against a developed industrial nation with substantial and sophisticated armed forces is always a perilous business. If said nation is also rather large (say, the second largest European country), substantially inhabited (say over 43 million citizens), had ample warning and quite some time to prepare for an enemy attack, things get even more complicated. If the will to fight is also present within the famous trinity …
From our Democracy Seminar colleague inside Ukraine During a regular meeting of Democracy Seminar, the worldwide committee of democratic correspondence, last Thursday morning, (February 24th), we discussed the unfolding crisis in Ukraine and agreed to write up and share our quick responses from our different locations. At the same time, we received this message from our colleague in Ukraine. On February 24, thousands of Ukrainians woke up at …
