Europeans will have to become much more serious about ensuring that we have the means to protect ourselves and our allies against despots who respect only hard powerThe haunting wail of air-raid sirens urging people to shelter underground. The howl of warplanes. The crump of artillery. The death rattle of tanks. Civilians who have never held a weapon arming themselves with a gun to defend their homeland. War has returned to Europe.And it has returned in a form and on a scale that many complacently thought could never again happen on our continent. A large and despotic power is hurling its military might at a smaller, democratic neighbour. At minimum, the Russian invasion of Ukraine aims to eliminate an independent, sovereign nation’s right to self-determination. Vladimir Putin’s onslaught is designed to prevent Ukrainians from choosing any other destiny than subservience to Moscow. At worst, he will satisfy his appetite to swallow up a country that he has mendaciously argued has no right to exist. Continue reading…Europeans will have to become much more serious about ensuring that we have the means to protect ourselves and our allies against despots who respect only hard power
The haunting wail of air-raid sirens urging people to shelter underground. The howl of warplanes. The crump of artillery. The death rattle of tanks. Civilians who have never held a weapon arming themselves with a gun to defend their homeland. War has returned to Europe.
And it has returned in a form and on a scale that many complacently thought could never again happen on our continent. A large and despotic power is hurling its military might at a smaller, democratic neighbour. At minimum, the Russian invasion of Ukraine aims to eliminate an independent, sovereign nation’s right to self-determination. Vladimir Putin’s onslaught is designed to prevent Ukrainians from choosing any other destiny than subservience to Moscow. At worst, he will satisfy his appetite to swallow up a country that he has mendaciously argued has no right to exist.