This past week the world has reached into our homes with scenes of war in Europe not seen in decades: columns of tanks, trucks, and soldiers forcing their way into a sovereign and independent country; mothers and children fleeing west; frantic efforts by an awakened NATO and European Union to stop the unprovoked onslaught of one nation against another; and acts of courage by brave men, women, and soldiers who have stayed behind to defend their homes and their country.
The horror of what’s unfolding in Ukraine exposes the menacing return of autocracy that has been growing for years, not just in Russia but in Europe and the U.S. When the people of a country lose the power to vote and govern themselves, they become subject to the whims and ambitions of an autocratic elite, a would-be czar, a king, a dictator. We’ve been down this road before. “It feels as though we’re caught in a 1940s newsreel,” said a CNN reporter on the scene Tuesday.
Those of us born after World War II and who lived through the Cold War of the mid-20th century have perhaps been lulled into a false sense of security. We thought the spread of democracy, free trade among nations, tourism, and sheer common interest would somehow put to rest ancient ambitions, rivalries, and resentments. But in the end, we’ve been reminded how human we are, as those who drafted the U.S. Constitution knew well. Autocracy lives within us and always will.
Ukrainians are threatened with a loss of freedom that makes our domestic quarrels seem petty. We’ve been luckier than our parents and grandparents who had to fight a world war to stop Europe’s last dictators. The invaders of Ukraine have done us a favor, laying bare what’s at stake. Now’s the time to unite once again in defense of the idea at the heart of our 275-year-old democracy: a government of, by, and for the people. Ukrainians are fighting for that idea, for their country, and for the right to live freely and independently. If we value our own heritage of freedom, we must stand with them and be vigilant in guarding our own democracy here at home.
