And Then There Was Ukraine

“AND THEN THERE WAS ..... KOREA.” Do we never learn?

The following bit is a bit fictionalized. A bit.

A Celtic goddess insinuated herself into my dreams.

She apprised me of the situation of my wayward, younger brother Sergei.

Bless his soul, gentle goddess. Sergei advocates for the United States to continue fighting for Our Democracy™ in Ukraine. He advocates for a gauzy, international institutionalism.

Sergei is a beautiful spirit. I know this, because I know Sergei. I love my brother.

And, truth-in-advertising, shining spirit: I may love my brother, but I admit little surprise with his protestations. I also admit non-trivial disagreement with them. I mean, I get it, but ...

Back in 2019—a few Ice Ages ago—the sainted Zelensky and his Servant-of-the-People party had secured absolute control of the executive and legislative branches of Ukrainian government on a platform that included a promise to engineer a settlement to the war with Russia.

I was there in 2019 when protesters protested in front of the Ukrainian parliament (the Rada). They protested against settlement. They advocated for war. They got it.

That’s right, friends. The war didn’t start in February 2022. This was a war that had been simmering since at least 2014. And, yet, here we are. We don't know how may Ukrainians and Russians have died. About 600,000 each? Fewer? More? Are the Quakers, Shakers, Buddhists and Anglicans among us proud of that?

Back in 2001 or so, Putin had posed the idea of Russia joining NATO. Like, how preposterous was that? NATO was formed in order to oppose the Soviet Union ... which dissolved under the weight of its own contradictions by 1991 ... so ... uh ... why do we still have a NATO?

Back in the 1990's, various questions and ideas floated around as we all floated around the Floating World of the Bill-Clinton-o-sphere. Early on, there was the "Peace Dividend": Now that we're no longer opposing the Soviets (because the Soviet Union dissolved) can't we cut back on spending?

While we're at it, can't we fold up NATO? After all, aren't we interested in Russia joining the global community, in its economy becoming folded into the global economy? We want Russia to succeed (right?), and assume it's place in the international community?

There must be a good story about institutional inertia (applied to NATO) that illuminates much of what is going on in 2025. Surely.

There were other questions in the Clinton years that informed much of what we did in the following twenty years. For example, should we engage in "democracy promotion" around the world? That set us up for interventions in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraq. Hmm ...

Then there was Korea ... I mean Ukraine. Ukraine had been known as "The Ukraine"--"The Borderlands". I admit, Celtic goddess, to having entertained the idea that maybe we should Make Buffer Zones Great Again (MBZGA).

I further admit that "MBZGA" does not roll off the tongue, but it does have the advantage of appearing very Ukrainian or Russian:

"MBZGA" … “МБЗГА” … Meh-buz-gah!

I think I need a джин-тонік.