Over the course of the last two years, the world has been presented with a decisive test of whether or not it supports the principles of democracy and the advance of all of humanity toward a better life, or tyranny and repression. That test has been defined by nothing less than the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is a unique clarifier.
President Biden spoke decisively on that issue in his speech to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week. His eloquent remarks included the following, as I quote from the manuscript:
“There will always be forces that pull our countries apart and the world apart: aggression, extremism, chaos, and cynicism, a desire to retreat from the world and go it alone.
“Our task, our test, is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart, that the principles of partnership that we came here each year to uphold can withstand the challenges, that the center holds once again.
“My fellow leaders, I truly believe we are at another inflection point in world history where the choices we make today will determine our future for decades to come.
“Will we stand behind the principles that unite us? We stand firm against aggression. Will we end the conflicts that are raging today? Will we take on global challenges like climate change, hunger, and disease? Will we plan now for the opportunities and risk of revolutionary new technologies?
“Each of us in this body has made a commitment to the principles of the U.N. Charter, to stand up against aggression. When Russia invaded Ukraine, we could have stood by and merely protested. But Vice President Harris and I understood that that was an assault on everything this institution is supposed to stand for.
“And so, at my direction, America stepped into the breach, providing massive security and economic and humanitarian assistance. Our NATO Allies and partners in 50-plus nations stood up as well. But most importantly, the Ukrainian people stood up. And I ask the people of this chamber to stand up for them.
“The good news is Putin’s war has failed in his — at his core aim. He set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free. He set out to weaken NATO, but NATO is bigger, stronger, and more united than ever before with two new members, Finland and Sweden. But we cannot let up.
“The world now has another choice to make: Will we sustain our support to help Ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom or walk away and let aggression be renewed and a nation be destroyed?
“I know my answer. We cannot grow weary. We cannot look away. And we will not let up on our support for Ukraine, not until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace [based] on the U.N. Charter.”
After these remarks, President Biden also spoke to the terrible situation in the Middle East, reiterating America’s support for a “two state solution.”
I, for one, think it is critical to point out the connection between the Russian aggression in Ukraine and conditions in the Middle East. It is clear that Putin ordered his puppets, Hamas, to commit the atrocities of last Oct. 7 in Israel in order to divert attention and resources from Ukraine. Sadly, it has worked with the unwitting cooperation of Netanyahu. And the major media has fallen in line by criticizing Biden for not having come up with a workable solution there, as if it is almost solely his responsibility.
In Germany, the revival of a pro-Nazi right wing in the eastern part of that country comes with, not surprisingly, a stiff opposition to support for Ukraine.
How obvious does this have to be? The shared strategic interests between Putin and right wing political forces in Europe and the U.S. can speak only to the effectiveness of covert Russian operations in the West.
Ukraine is the measure. That makes it all relatively easy to assess, despite the howls of pro-Putin dissemblers to insist it is not so simple. But it is that simple.
The enemy stands exposed.