By the time this article is published, an aggressive Russia, with its leader bent on re-establishing the old Russian/ Soviet Empire, may have invaded a much smaller but democratic and peaceful country – Ukraine. All Canberrans should give support and encouragement to our local Ukrainian Australians at this tragic time.
This all could have been avoided.
Greg Sheridan, veteran writer for the Australian, was spot on when he said last weekend that the “giant dictatorships in Beijing and Moscow have never been more confident politically. This is because the West, never in its history more decadent, lazy, self-indulgent, narcissistic, can bear almost no pain for any geo-strategic cause, even its own survival, whilst dictatorships care little for public opinion and can bear a lot of pain.”
The three main Western European countries – the UK, Germany and France – if they were serious, could have stopped such aggression before it got started had they not destroyed their once formidable defence forces.
The US, too, has been weakened, although it did not cut its defence forces to the same extent as Western Europe did over the last 30 years. It also has China to contend with.
The US, Russia and Britain in consideration of Ukraine giving up the 1,200 or so nuclear arms left in the country after the fall of the Soviet Union, guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty. Russian guarantees, of course, meant nothing, but the USA and UK, by their weakness, have betrayed the Ukraine. I’m sure the Ukrainians now wished they had kept these nuclear weapons. Putin is hardly deterred by sanctions alone. Dictators rarely are. The only language they understand is force, and the ability and will to use it if necessary.
So, as Comrade Lenin once said in one of his major works, “What is to be done?”
For starters, the three major Western European powers need to immediately re-arm and double defence expenditure. Poland is already doing so. The UK, France and Germany all have bigger economies than Russia. No one is sending in troops, but weapons to help the Ukraine armed forces need to continue to be sent in and there may be considerable merit in allowing “volunteers” to go to the Ukraine to help oppose the Russians. The old Soviet Union used this tactic a lot in the past. Further, a lot more European NATO troops need to be deployed immediately to Poland and the Baltic states to help prevent further Russian aggression.
One thing Russian dictators have throughout history respected is strength. Putin rightfully despises Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and the Germans as weak. In contrast, his predecessors respected Chancellor Kohl (who allowed nuclear cruise missiles into West Germany in the mid-1980s) and especially Margaret Thatcher from 1982 onwards after the Falklands War.
The message to all democracies is re-arm quickly, be strong and work together – unity is strength. Naturally there will be pain, but not nearly as much as if we appease China and Russia as some people in this country want.
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Canberra Daily.
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