“The Glowing City on the Hill” – in the words of John Winthrop and Ronald Reagan, America has long been a country led by principles and purposes. To maintain this legacy, the simplest test cannot be failed. Recognize, condemn and deter international attacks.
The Russian Ukrainian War ends when Moscow stops sailing it. But political discourse three years later in Washington has muddied what is obvious to children. War cannot be resolved by handshakes or simple “trading.”
This is an unprovoked war of attack and a criminal act. Only Russian invaders – lure children, behead prisoners, deploy North Korean troops, Procurement Ballistic missiles from Iran – you can finish it.
The Third World War is upon us, and the only power to hold it back is Ukraine's indomitable courage. The willingness of Ukrainian brave sons and daughters to sacrifice everything for freedom. I cannot ask Kyiv any more, but I can and must ask for more from Moscow.
Russia responds to all diplomatic overtures with constant violence. If Vladimir Putin wanted peace, why did Moscow unleash a record 267 drones in Ukraine just days after the Trump White House expanded its Olive branch through a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov? This harsh display of duplication and disrespect is a wake-up call that Washington should not ignore.
Moscow could end the war in Ukraine today if it was chosen. Retracting troops from the territory of a sovereign state does not weaken Russia or pose a threat to its security. If NATO was truly a threat, Moscow was to strengthen its defenses along the Finnish border and did not bet everything on the horrifying attempts to recolonise peaceful neighbors.
America won the Cold War, but in contrast to the shameless Kremlin spin, no one lost. In fact, the world had retreated from the brink of nuclear apocalypse, and the red horror ended, with Russians, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Moldovans, Armenians and countless others having their first real chances of freedom.
While Putin, a war criminal, refuses to see it, the collapse of the Soviet Union was not the greatest disaster of the 20th century. It was the downfall of a brutal and extractive empire, and could have been a historic opportunity for the Russian people. But, alas, when flirting with democracy temporarily in the 1990s, the Kremlin quickly crushed all of Russia's freedom.
Now, the plunder under Putin is working to bring the world back to the darkness of colonial conquest.
America I know, remember the success of the desert storm, where American leaders paid global respect, while tyrants forced their boundaries. America, as I know, does not betray a friend or stab an alliance behind it, will not kick the victim of a vicious gut attack while its victim fights for survival. I will not negotiate with terrorists. And when we see the nation Fighting for freedom and willing to dieAmerica stands with them.
Transatlantic unity and American leadership should once again scare tyrants and resurrectors. If Russia succeeds in unraveling the post-Cold War order, it will not stop in Ukraine. Other authoritarian states – even in Tehran, Pyongyang, or Beijing – are watching. They consider that Russia has had little impact by launching an unprovoked war, as it violates the long European peace established in 1945. If Ukraine fails, we are opening the door to the world, including all countries.
As Reagan Please put it down“The ultimate determinant of the struggle currently underway for the world is not a bomb or rocket, but a test of will and ideas. The trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the ideals we cherish and we are dedicated.” America, as I know, is a generous place that stood on the right side of history. Our economy is strong – the world's vy hope. If our federal budget is dollars, then the support we give to Ukraine would be half the penny.
Ukraine did not ask for an invasion, so there is no need to ask for assistance. America's prosperity and security depend on the fragile balance established after the Cold War. When Moscow benefits from Belligerence, it unravels the credibility of US deterrence.
The Russian war is a campaign of neo-imperialism that must be stopped. Our tomorrow will be shaped by today's choices. This war must end. But it's not a concession, another frozen conflict, or an attacker's victory.
Putin can “dismantle” this war.
Andrew Chakhoyan isAcademic DirectorAt the University of Amsterdam. He previously worked for the US government at the Millennium Challenge Corporation and studied at Harvard Kennedy School and Donetsk State Tech University.
