John S. Hancock lives in Concord.
The idea that after the fall of the Soviet Union “we decided that it was a unipolar world and the U.S. and NATO would write the geopolitical rules going forward” is not true.
Dr. Kristina Spohr, a professor at the London School of Economics and a specialist in the International History of Germany since 1945, states that with the conclusion of the Cold War, “European security order has been rooted in the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and reconfirmed by all signatories including Moscow in the Charter of Paris for a New Europe in 1990.” (Cold War History, Volume 23, 2023 Issue 1)
These historic agreements representing a European consensus emphasize shared principles promoting the sovereignty of all nations, the sovereign equality of nations, the inviolability of European borders, democracy, human rights, economic liberty and responsibilities, and resolving disputes between nations peacefully. The right of any nation to choose its own alliances is recognized as well.
In marked contrast with Europe’s and NATO’s resolve towards the peaceful resolution of differences between nations is Vladimir Putin’s aggressive militarism, his unprovoked invasions and war of conquest against Ukraine. Putin’s often stated intention is to eviscerate Ukraine as a nation and absorb it into Russia.
Furthermore, Putin like many of his czarist, Bolshevik and Soviet predecessors, denies the Ukrainians are a people with their own distinct history, culture and language. He intends to destroy their ethnic and national identity in violation of the United Nations’ prohibition against genocide.
Putin’s forces have kidnapped over 19,000 Ukrainian children who are being either forcibly adopted or taken to “re-education camps” to be subjected to a constant barrage of “hate-filled propaganda” in Russian-occupied Crimea and in Russia, according to British Foreign Minister James Cleverly.
On July 17, Foreign Minister Cleverly announced new sanctions against individuals like Sergey Kravtsov, Russia’s Minister of Education, and others in charge of Putin’s program of child deportations.
One quote, when taken out of context, alleges that the United States and its allies made a “commitment” in 1990 not to expand NATO. However, in the same New York Times article, Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev refutes the allegation (Peter Baker, New York Times, 1/9/22).
Gorbachev states that Secretary of State James Baker’s comment of not moving “one inch to the east” was made in regard to not basing foreign NATO soldiers in what had been East Germany. It pertained only to German reunification and had no relevance to any other country.
In fact, Gorbachev said, “The topic of NATO expansion” in other countries “was not discussed at all, and it wasn’t brought up in those years.” Perhaps this subject didn’t come up because the Warsaw Pact hadn’t yet been disbanded.
Is there any evidence to accuse the United States of having a “covert role” in ousting Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych? Yanukovych actually chose to flee the country, reportedly accompanied by billions of dollars from the treasury after massive demonstrations against his tyrannical rule occurred following his backing out of the commitment which elected him; to obtain membership for Ukraine in the European Union. Ukraine’s Parliament rightfully voted him out of office for abandoning the presidency.
Putin is a proponent of a “spheres of influence” foreign policy. It’s a reprehensible imperialist doctrine and a declaration identifying which nations and peoples’ powerful countries feel entitled to exploit and intimidate at their whim. He has a “sphere” in Africa where Putin’s mercenaries of the Wagner Group are in at least four countries and have a stranglehold of control over the country’s diamond and gold mines in the impoverished Central African Republic.
Putin swallowed up Belarus sending in 30,000 soldiers to simultaneously threaten Ukraine before his invasion of that country and to put down a popular pro-democracy movement that protested and led strikes against the rigged election victory of dictator Alexander Lukashenko. It’s Putin’s own bellicose behavior that drove previously neutral Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
Dr. Spohr writes that Putin wants another sphere in Europe consisting of the former Warsaw Pact countries except for East Germany. He has no claim over these NATO members, former Soviet satellite states, they freed themselves from their chains beginning in 1989 through a largely peaceful revolution at the ballot box as Solidarity in Poland led a movement that swiftly swept over Soviet-dominated Europe.
The result was the inspirational and liberating emergence of democratic governance across the continent and the fall of totalitarian communism.
Putin has no claim over Ukraine which as a “republic” of the Soviet Union endured 70 years of Soviet tyranny and terror including the Holodomor, the deliberate murder by starvation of 3.9 million Ukrainians.
In 1991, over 92% of Ukrainians including majorities in Crimea and the Donbas voted in a nationwide referendum to form their own sovereign nation which Russian President Boris Yeltsin immediately recognized.