A statue of Lenin located in central Kiev, photographed in 1999
On the one hand it’s arguably discouraging that the American public isn’t paying attention to the war in Ukraine. On the other hand, who can blame them? It’s understandable that there’s a strong sense of “you’ve got to be kidding? I thought the Cold War was over. Aren’t Russians and American natural allies, and even if we’re not getting along these days, can it really be that we’ve reached a point where we’re on the verge of fighting a proxy war?” Then there’s the fact that If a war of attrition in the midst of Europe ultimately became intolerable to the American government in the 1990s, why is a war of attrition acceptable in Europe today? Does the Obama Administration view the world so much differently than the Clinton Administration, or is it because, as the Russians profess, Ukraine really isn’t Europe, or is it just the realpolitik fact that the conflict involves not a third rate power, but Russia and not just Russia on a neutral playing field, but Russia at its border where it has all the advantages? Russian involvement notwithstanding, the war in Ukraine is very different than the Balkan wars of the 1990s. For one thing the conflict in Ukraine, while arguably based in part on ethnicity, isn’t driven by historic ethnic grievances and vendettas nearly to the degree it was in the former Yugoslavia where people were at each other’s throats almost immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But it’s not as if it’s been smooth sailing for Ukraine since declaring independence in 1991. The2005 Orange Revolution and Euromaidan 2014 aside, for the most part Ukraine, like Russia, has been more of an oligarchy than a democracy for the past 24 years. If the problem in the Ukraine is largely political, doesn’t it cry out for a political settlement? But, of course, the argument against this is Munich 1938.
If largely ignored in the US where the conflict so far has had little direct impact, for obvious reasons the same can’t be said of Eastern Europe. The American historian, Timothy Snyder, addressed a large crowd at Charles University in Prague on Jan 27, 2015. I wasn’t there, but I watched the speech on YouTube. The speech is a good starting point for understanding how we got into this mess, at least from the American point of view, though Snyder would argue there is no legitimate alternative view, that the Russian point of view is purposely contradictory and nonsensical. Another talk I would have liked to have heard and wish was available on You Tube was entitled ‘A Movable East’ and delivered by Benjamin Tallis on May 27, 2015 at Anglo-American University, the school I have taught from time to time. While I don’t know Benjamin personally, I’m under the impression that he’s an academic interested in exploring issues that really matter and asking questions that many don’t think to ask. A talk he gave in Prague entitled ‘Borders’ is available on You Tube and may be a good springboard for delving into his work.