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Russia-Ukraine conflict exposes our global hypocrisies
But the reality of geopolitics, which this conflict is about, is far from black and white, especially if you look back historically.
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The aftermath of an airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theater, in Mariupol southern Ukraine on March 19, 2022. Rescuers searched for hundreds of civilians feared trapped under the wreckage of a bombed theater, as local forces battled against Russian troops across the country. (AFP/Maxar Satellite)
“WAR! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!”
These are the opening lyrics of the 1970 song "War!" by Edwin Starr, which at the time was a protest against the Vietnam war. Now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the song has suddenly become relevant again.
People all around the world have looked on with shock and horror at the unfolding heartbreaking scenes of war and tragedy in Ukraine. Unsurprisingly, many have reacted emotionally, especially as we have not even overcome the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. Non-military facilities in Ukraine have been bombed and hundreds of civilians have been killed, including children. Ten million Ukrainians – almost one quarter of its population – have become refugees, exacerbating the global refugee crisis. Six and a half million are internally displaced.
Many blame Russia, or specifically Vladimir Putin, casting him as a 21st century Hitler or Ras-Putin – with a nuclear arsenal capable of triggering World War III, which would spell the end of the world. But depicting him with a Hitler mustache is a bit juvenile, no?
Volodymir Zelensky, on the other hand, the millennial, is hailed as a hero – certainly an unlikely one – and a modern-day Winston Churchill (1874-1965). But given his unlikely background as a former comedian, maybe he’s more comparable to the Czech Republic’s Vaclav Havel (1936-2011), a former absurdist playwright and political dissident.
So, Zelensky and Putin are pitted as opposites: democratic vs despotic, loved vs hated, millennial vs late baby boomer, sympathetic entertainer vs hypermasculine show-off – in short, black and white.
But the reality of geopolitics, which this conflict is about, is far from black and white, especially if you look back historically, way back to the Cold War era, which lasted for 44 years (1947-1991). For you young ‘uns out there, it was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the then-Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, usually referred to as the Western and Eastern blocks.
