By Korey Moore, The Current Co-Editor-In-Chief
Over the course of the past week the global media has been dominated by coverage of the Russian offensive against Ukraine launched last Thursday; Westerners are morbidly familiar with the appalling images of the combat and resulting carnage and the dire situation of Ukrainian citizens. Images of Ukrainian buildings battered by Russian bombardment, of highways congested with fleeing civilians, of previously flowering human settlements that had been desperately abandoned have circulated abundantly across media in all of its numerous forms.
Such an invasion is a product of the expansionist foreign policy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has always been a controversial figure in the West, where he is regarded as an authoritarian and corrupt figure, as the head of an abhorrent pseudo-democracy, in which politics are not conducted by free and fair elections but by the brutal suppression of opposition and the manipulation of the masses. Such are the views of Americans and their European allies, who have entertained a fierce rivalry with the Russians since the mid-20th century.
The invasion itself also has roots in this rivalry, and in the broader scheme of the historical relations between the two nations; it is the culmination of the tensions which have existed between Russia and Ukraine since the partition of the USSR upon its collapse 31 years ago, which saw the formation of the two nations, each having been member states of the USSR, as polities distinct from each other, In addition to separating the two nations, the aforementioned Ukrainian independence produced substantial political and economic instability within the region, that of the former Soviet bloc of nations, which has dominated the political and economic landscape of such a region since.
The tensions of the previous years, which have culminated in the form of the events of the previous week, are ultimately the product of President Putin’s discontentment with the status quo, and his zealous determination to restore the form of a flourishing superpower in which the nation had existed for the previous centuries, surviving various violent political transformations. Such determination has been manifested in various forms of diplomatic aggression, the most extreme of such being its most recent invasion.
The results of this invasion thus far have been diverse; Westerners, generally resentful of Russia, have responded almost unanimously in favor of Ukraine. Western leaders have announced fierce diplomatic strikes against Russia in response to its invasion, and have launched programs of aid for Ukrainian troops and civilians. Innumerable displays of support for Ukraine have been made across Europe and North America in the form of public protests and media advocacy. Ukrainians have proven steadfast in the defense of their homeland, forming stiff resistance to the Russian offensive.
These events, as remote as they may initially appear, can bear a multitude of meanings for American youth, and thus that at River Hill. AP U.S. Government and Politics teacher Jessica Nichols explained that “River Hill students can become involved in three different ways.”
The first of the three ways is the manner by which the invasion may affect students of Ukrainian or Russian ancestry. “We have students who have ties to both Ukraine and Russia. Thus, through the family members that they have in those countries, there’s a lot of uncertainty that they can be dealing with. I thus hope that our teaching staff and that our students are sensitive to the fact that we have kids on both sides.”
The second of the three ways is the fundamental fact that River Hill students will come to inherit the world, and will thus come to inherit, and be compelled to respond to, the results of this situation. “We’re creating the leaders here, the leaders that will have to deal with the repercussions of this policy of Putin’s. They’ll have to deal with this for a very long time.” She proceeded to affirm that “as future leaders, students at River Hill will need to grapple with these issues,” Ms. Nichols said.
The final of the three ways is that the conflict “will impact the way we see the world.” This conflict, unforeseen by many prior to the last month, greatly altered the status quo, and the common understanding of the world. “We didn’t really have any concerns about an expanding Russia, until these events in Ukraine occurred. That increase in uncertainty will definitely impact the way we are going to interact with the larger world around us. As we grow and become the leaders that take this earth by storm, that is going to be a thing that you guys are going to grapple with.”
River Hill Senior Alex Thompson shared his thoughts, saying, “I don’t think that River Hill students will be affected unless the United States enters the war. Most of us will continue to go about our daily lives. Some people will, of course, choose to get involved and support the Ukrainians in the conflict; some will be deceived by Russian propaganda, but I ultimately don’t hold that day-to-day lives will change unless the United States joins the war.”
Alex continued, commenting that, “Some of the seniors are in the Selective Service, and thus if the United States were to both join the war and implement the draft, there is a very distinct possibility that some seniors may be drafted.” With regards to this possibility, that of a draft, Alex agreed that such is “very, very unlikely.” Such a belief has substantial merit and is prolifically held by experts on the matter. Despite fears and satirical media regarding such, and how American youth may be drafted to fight, the true probability of this is immensely slim, and such fears are thus irrational.
The situation in Ukraine is generally an immensely volatile one, one of which all Westerners are grimly aware, one whose condition in a week is difficult to project due to the electrical rate at which new developments are unfolding. Regardless, the hearts of the masses of the West are with the people of Ukraine, as they valiantly and nobly defend against the wiles of an imperialist invader.