War and Peace

I remember the Cold War — what turned out to be its last stage. (And remember, there were many “hot wars” within the 45 years of the Cold War: Korea, Nicaragua, etc.) Lots of people in the Free World accused the United States and NATO of being “warmongering” and “pro-war.” The Soviets, of course, called themselves “peace-loving.”

And today?

Here is an Associated Press report out of Budapest, following the recent EU elections. Viktor Orbán, says the report, “has blamed ‘pro-war’ politicians in Washington and Brussels for increasing tensions with Russia and portrayed his refusal to supply Kyiv with military aid and other support as a ‘pro-peace’ position unique in Europe.”

Yes, that is Orbán.

He points his finger at Washington and Brussels, over and over. Has he ever pointed it at his friend Putin? The man who launched the biggest war in Europe since World War II? The man who is trying to redraw international borders by force? The man who is trying to conquer and re-subjugate a neighboring country?

Consider, also, Edward Snowden, a guest of Putin’s in Moscow. Here he is:

“Pro-war politicians,” says Snowden. (He means people who support the Ukrainians in their struggle to repel the invader and save their country.) The biggest “pro-war politician” there is, is his host, Putin.

Consider, also, Tommy Tuberville, the Republican senator from Alabama — who claims that “Russia is open to a peace agreement, while it is DC warmongers who want to prolong the war.”

Uh-huh. “DC warmongers.” Why is it that some heroes of the Right today talk like the leftists of my youth? Why does a Republican senator sound like Angela Davis? It is a “fearful symmetry” — a grotesque one.

Consider Robert F. Kennedy Jr., too:

A question: Does anti-Americanism — a mindless, pernicious anti-Americanism — reside on the left or the right? The answer: Yes.

• Putin has just huddled with Kim Jong-un, in Pyongyang. North Korea is an ally of Russia in the attempted crushing of the Ukrainians. So are China, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba — the worst actors in the world. Dictatorships are pretty good at allying with one another. The democracies ought to be half as good.

Here is a headline from the AP, out of Seoul: “South Korea blasts Russia–North Korea deal, says it will consider supplying arms to Ukraine.” (Article here.)

• Some people can afford to be sleepy about the threat posed by Putin’s Russia — or they think they can. The Balts have no such luxury. They recently marked an anniversary, a day of mourning: June 14. On that day in 1941, tens of thousands of Balts were deported to camps deep into the Soviet interior.

Here is the Lithuanian foreign minister:

• Right now, there is a general-election campaign in Britain. I almost envy the Brits. Both of their major parties are pro-Ukraine and anti-Putin. We Americans, too, are in the midst of a general-election campaign, or close to it — and our situation is different. Could the fate of Ukraine, and beyond, depend on an election in a foreign country, namely the United States? That is a daunting question to think about — and many do.