Charlie has written a fine piece about the dangers of Manichean thinking when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Americans have a bad habit of projecting their own ideals and concerns onto every conflict.
Ukrainians have shown extraordinary bravery in the face of Russia aggression. Volodymyr Zelensky’s conduct during this crisis, and his speech to the Russian people, were downright Churchillian. The Ukrainian president has shown more courage than any European leader in memory. One hopes his nation gives Russia a Winter War, and that Putin’s regime is forever destabilized and punished for underestimating the will of the Ukrainian people and the world. But, considering Russia’s overwhelming military advantage, that seems unlikely.
Contra ABC’s Matthew Dowd, and others eager to fit this war into a broader domestic political narrative, however, Ukrainians aren’t fighting for “democracy” generally or, as Hillary Clinton says, “the global cause of democracy.” It’s odd to see the same people obsessed about authoritarianism in Hungary putting little Ukrainian flags on their Twitter profiles and calling it a bulwark of “liberal democracy.” Even on those silly pseudoscientific international lists used by leftists to prove United States is descending into totalitarianism, Ukraine’s government is ranked behind Hungary’s. The “Democracy Matrix” has Ukraine tied with the junta-led state formerly known as Burma.
Perhaps Ukraine is on the right trajectory and Hungary isn’t (debatable), but we support it because it is fighting and dying to repel an aggressor, a geopolitical foe. As Zelensky eloquently explained in his plea to the Russian people, he fights for Ukrainian culture, society, and homeland, a separate and unique place from Russia. And that’s more than good enough. There’s no need to create an idealized world that comports with our politics.