As I put the finishing touches on this post, Zelensky is leaving the White House early, as talks between him and Trump appear to break down completely. The implications of this make me want to vomit. The things that inspired this post feel petty indeed. But the post is written, so here it is.
At this late juncture, when Trump himself is basically offering to split Ukraine down the middle, Molotov-Ribbentrop style, I find it easy to forget that groups like “Films For Action” still have anything to say about it.
I shouldn’t, because groups like this have something to say (usually the same thing) on everything. But my dumb, naïve, faith in humanity clearly knows no bounds, and I continuously underestimate people’s stubborn attachment to worthless bromides.
Films for Action (said “Action” presumably referring to social media postings) is the latest group I’ve encountered that presumes to offer an opinion (I won’t dignify as “proposal”) on issues it knows less than nothing about. The pattern is the same: high- school level buzzwords and slogans offered up in place of any actual knowledge of history or geopolitics, from a safe, enclosed space in the west, free of input from any Ukrainian, East European, or indeed anyone in a position to know anything about it. The aggressor is praised with faint damnation, the proposed solutions utterly unworkable, the assumed causes utterly nonsensical.
At this late junction, these groups seem incredibly inconsequential – there’s less than a candle’s chance in the Mariannes Trench that any of this stuff will be taken into account by any of the parties involved – but I know well meaning people who take these cliches seriously (and I want to test my new keyboard), so I will address some of their points:
1) NATO encroachment? Encroachment on what? Countries that want to protect themselves from Russia. Eastern Europe is not Russia's property, nor its "sphere of influence". It is not entitled to any say in which treaties those countries choose to enter. It is certainly not entitled to invading countries at whim, which it has a history of doing, and which only NATO membership has been able to prevent.
2) Reject the militarization of Ukraine - Only Ukraine's decision to make. It's not ours to reject.
Rest assured, Russia will not similarly demilitarize, even if NATO chooses to.
3) End U.S. and NATO weapons shipments. Presumably that would include the ant-aircraft systems which Ukraine has been using to prevent Russian missile attacks on its cities. This would leave Ukraine entirely defenseless.
4) Propose a demilitarized zone along Ukraine’s eastern border. Which side of the border? Which border? The real one or the current one?
5) Ending sanctions that harm civilians - a Kremlin sob story. The sanctions are currently hindering Russia's ability to maintain this war - rebuilding its lost materiel, and paying its soldiers, and producing its missiles, which harm far more civilians.
6) Guarantee security for Ukraine through diplomatic agreements - Russia has never honoured a diplomatic agreement in its existence (except perhaps the Molotov - Ribbentrop pact). Minsk I and II, and the Budapest memorandum, were previous diplomatic agreements that supposedly guaranteed Ukraine's sovereignty. All were violated with impunity. Such agreements are just pieces of paper without the strength or willingness to enforce them.
Also note that the entire project staff of this organization (with the exception of one Brit) are based in Kansas. No one from Ukraine, or any former Warsaw Pact country. No one with any experience of living next to Russia.
Anytime anyone blames Russian behavior on “NATO encroachment”, it follows as night follows day, that said person has never met nor spoken to anyone who lived under the former Warsaw Pact. (There definitely weren’t any consulted for the production of this document).
There’s a glorious lack of self-awareness these groups enjoy, when they cough up ideas not remarkably different from Trump’s own: freeze the lines of conflict, stop the flow of aid, and end the sanctions. Not a word about returning Ukrainian territory or kidnapped children. For all practical purposes, there’s no difference. It amounts to a mutilated, disarmed Ukraine in the face of a resurgent, unrepentant Russia.
Wherefore all these treaties and agreements suggested by Films for Action? How, pray tell, might they be imposed or enforced? They don’t know, and probably don’t care. Such manifestos aren’t meant to be implemented, but to signify ideological commitment.
Not long ago, many leftists embraced the "punch a nazi" craze. There was no talk of negotiated settlements then. There was some recognition there that some evils can only be dealt with one way. If only there was a similar recognition that not all evils shave their heads.
