The Wolf in Wolf's Clothing
Vladimir Putin's intentions for raw, violent expansion are perfectly clear and morally repulsive. We must choose to be strong on the world stage once again.
You know the world has changed when you wake up each morning to find yourself asking “Is the President of Ukraine still alive?” and “Who has control over the city of Kyiv?”. A few weeks ago you may not have known the Ukrainian President’s name and you may never have heard of Kyiv, but you know them now and if you have an ounce of humanity, you’re thinking about the people in Ukraine often.
The world has long known that Vladimir Putin is a man with dangerous, imperialist intentions. His invasion of Ukraine is about one thing: power. It cannot sensibly be labeled a “security mission” that was necessary to “keep the peace.” It is the complete opposite. He has acted as nothing but the world’s biggest bully whose victim, to this point, has proven stronger than he thought.
We should be sure of ourselves in this: Vladimir Putin is not invading Ukraine as would a wolf who is clad in sheep’s clothing. His true intentions for raw, violent expansion are perfectly clear and morally repulsive. “This wolf comes as a wolf.”
So where then is the road to peace when one side has completely abandoned it? There have always been and will always be two real paths: surrender or strength.
Surrender is unconscionable. The people of Ukraine know this. Facing insurmountable odds, they have proved themselves to be fierce warriors, with civilians arming themselves with rifles and Molotov cocktails to fight the Russians to the bitter end. They do this because they know dying as freemen is preferable to living as slaves; they know that to surrender is to forfeit one’s liberty and embrace the chains of slavery. Ukrainians will not do such a thing. Europeans will not do it. Americans certainly won’t either.
We must then choose strength. As President Reagan once said, “We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong; it is when they are weak that tyrants are tempted.” All free nations, but especially we, the leader of the free world, must draw a line in the sand and make tyrants know that when they cross that line they will be destroyed. That no matter how hard they hit us we will hit them harder.
But we have in recent times attempted a third path: weakness.
President Biden has neglected to flex American military strength throughout the first year of his administration. In August we saw similar images of helpless mothers with their children trying to escape after President Biden decided to pull all American troops from Afghanistan. The haphazard withdrawal from Afghanistan was more than just a regional foreign policy blunder. The Afghanistan debacle, reportedly caused by President Biden himself, over the objections of military advisors, projected American weakness across the world, fortifying nefarious actors like President Putin.
In January, as Russian forces amassed around the Ukrainian border, President Biden implied that the United State would allow the Russians a “minor incursion” into Ukraine. Although the President attempted to walk back his insinuation in the following days, his rhetorical blunder already had an effect. Even last week, during his State of the Union address, Biden emphasized his unwillingness to use American military force. The decision not to intervene militarily has its merits; however, the leader of the free world should, at least rhetorically, leave the option on the table. Biden’s failure to project strength only emboldens Putin.
As a result of America’s passive approach to the Russian invasion, Russia need not worry about triggering an American response. Biden is making the politically safe decision. American troops being deployed to Ukraine is incredibly unpopular, only thirteen percent of Americans surveyed say sending troops to Ukraine is a good idea. If Biden were to express a willingness to send Americans overseas, it would certainly be met with stiff opposition from his political opponents, something Biden wants to avoid given his already abysmal approval rating.
By taking an American military response completely off the table, Russia no longer has to worry about provoking the international community during this invasion. Putin knows that, for now, anything short of attacking a NATO country is fair game. As a result, Russia is shelling population centers indiscriminately and deliberately targeting civilians. Biden’s unwillingness to even label these murders as war crimes demonstrates just how fearful he is of escalating the current conflict. The United States’ weakness opens the door for Russia to commit war crimes without punishment.
The world is safer with a bolder, confident America. With that in mind, we are rooting for the President. We hope he will act with some chutzpah on the world stage for America’s sake and Ukraine’s.
Ukraine should have never given up their nukes - clear mistake. That's the hunter giving up his gun and hoping the wolf doesn't attack. I don't think the U.S. nor NATO should get involved, though the saber rattling is already happening and I am expecting war at this point.