Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
As Russia’s assault on Ukraine enters its third week, it has become all the more apparent just how stupid and cruel the whole invasion is—thousands dead, over 1.5 million refugees, civilians taking up arms, the shelling of a nuclear plant.
With all that in consideration, it’s understandable that so many of us are emotional over this crisis and simply want the horrid thing to be over with.
But let’s not forget that nukes are on the table.
If Putin feels backed into a corner and is truly mentally unstable like some are suggesting, then we should take the threat of nuclear war very seriously.
The main goal should be deescalation, rather than calling for direct military action or a no-fly zone that would require some sort of enforcement.
I’m compassionate for those who are suggesting these measures if they are caught in the middle of the onslaught or are directly affected by this tragedy.
What I can’t abide are chickenhawks on the sidelines willing to put the world at risk so they can appear the toughest on Putin or indulge in hero fantasies.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, both on “Hannity” and Twitter, has called for “a Brutus in Russia” to assassinate Putin, failing to consider how the Kremlin would respond to such a provocation or what would happen to the world’s largest nuclear arsenal if someone were to take this advice.
Richard Engel, chief foreign correspondent for NBC News, asked on Twitter if the West should “watch in silence” as the Russian convoy approaches Kyiv, pretending there was a legitimate dilemma when even middling intellects knows that a direct clash between NATO allies and Russia could lead to nuclear war.
These are just a few examples of such warmongering.
To be fair, this isn’t the only troubling rhetoric out there. I am hearing many talking points from moral relativists and the pro-Putin crowd that are quite frankly ignorant if not disgusting.
In a perfect world, Putin would be in prison with the rest of the thugs, but we’re going to have to accept that this probably isn’t going to happen.
We can still impose sanctions, supply weapons and support boycotts, but because the West was so complacent and drunk on Russia’s natural gas, we are now forced to watch from the sidelines as brave Ukranians are forced to fight on their own.
That is our punishment.
