History Repeats
All that is required for Evil to triumph is that good people do nothing.
-Edmund Burke
Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.
-Commonly attributed to George Santayana
-Edmund Burke
Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.
-Commonly attributed to George Santayana
History's Cyclical Nature
The proverb attributed to George Santayana has unfortunately fallen on deaf ears. Within 5-10 years we will be fighting WWIII unless drastic measures are taken. (By WWIII, I do not mean a nuclear holocaust; I mean a land war engulfing 5 or more continents and leading to tens of millions of lives lost.) While I am less critical of our current governmental administration than I am of our former administration, I believe that the foreign policy decisions under President Biden spell absolute catastrophe if not reversed.
In the late 1930s, Neville Chamberlain and Édouard Daladier (the Prime Ministers of Britain and France respectively) pursued an international policy of appeasement concerning German aggression under Hitler. When Hitler occupied bits of Austria, Chamberlain and Daladier pronounced that they would not retaliate so long as Hitler took nothing else. Of course, Hitler took more and more, and each time, Chamberlain and Daladier said, “THAT was your last territory. No more!” to which Hitler took more land.
Let us not forget that from the 1930s until 1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the US said that Hitler was not our problem. We pursued an America First policy in the 1930s as we saw tyranny march across Europe, and only reacted once we were attacked. Let us not make the mistake of indifference this time.
Now, as Russian Premier Vladimir Putin continues to annex more and more of Ukraine, President Biden and various political leaders of the European Union repeatedly slap Putin on the wrist, telling him he can keep what he has taken so long as he does not take any more.
In the late 1930s, Neville Chamberlain and Édouard Daladier (the Prime Ministers of Britain and France respectively) pursued an international policy of appeasement concerning German aggression under Hitler. When Hitler occupied bits of Austria, Chamberlain and Daladier pronounced that they would not retaliate so long as Hitler took nothing else. Of course, Hitler took more and more, and each time, Chamberlain and Daladier said, “THAT was your last territory. No more!” to which Hitler took more land.
Let us not forget that from the 1930s until 1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the US said that Hitler was not our problem. We pursued an America First policy in the 1930s as we saw tyranny march across Europe, and only reacted once we were attacked. Let us not make the mistake of indifference this time.
Now, as Russian Premier Vladimir Putin continues to annex more and more of Ukraine, President Biden and various political leaders of the European Union repeatedly slap Putin on the wrist, telling him he can keep what he has taken so long as he does not take any more.
Prevention vs. Reaction
It is painful for me to watch this unfold knowing that there are only one of two ways in which it will end. The US and EU decide to forcefully deter Putin with military action, showing him in no uncertain terms that he cannot gain another inch of Ukrainian territory without shedding Russian blood. Or, more likely, the US and EU continue to chastise Putin to no avail, and by 2030, Ukraine has been entirely annexed (along with parts of the Baltics, Poland, etc.), and the US and EU finally go to war against an enemy that is far more powerful, resulting in significantly higher mortality and collateral damage. My fear is that the 2030s will see World War III unless multinational military action against Russia is taken this year.
All of this historical analysis is to make a specific point about human nature: as Edmund Burke said, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.” If Chamberlain and Daladier had confronted Hitler with military force the moment he encroached upon Austria, WWII might have been avoided. If the US and EU respond to Russia in 2022 or 2023, WWIII might still be avoided. While fighting a “War of Prevention” might seem overly punitive, it is far more beneficial for the civilians of all nations involved. A minor war in 1938 might have cost tens of thousands of lives. WWII costs tens of millions. When a political leader has shown belligerence, they must be dealt with firmly and in no uncertain terms, for the good of collective humanity, including the civilian population of the nation that their head is misleading.
Look at history for wisdom: for the successes and failures and challenges that those before us faced. And do not do nothing.
All of this historical analysis is to make a specific point about human nature: as Edmund Burke said, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.” If Chamberlain and Daladier had confronted Hitler with military force the moment he encroached upon Austria, WWII might have been avoided. If the US and EU respond to Russia in 2022 or 2023, WWIII might still be avoided. While fighting a “War of Prevention” might seem overly punitive, it is far more beneficial for the civilians of all nations involved. A minor war in 1938 might have cost tens of thousands of lives. WWII costs tens of millions. When a political leader has shown belligerence, they must be dealt with firmly and in no uncertain terms, for the good of collective humanity, including the civilian population of the nation that their head is misleading.
Look at history for wisdom: for the successes and failures and challenges that those before us faced. And do not do nothing.
