Last night in comments, Dr. Jackyll and Ms. Deride asked:
I usually stay out of these threads because I have no expertise on any relevant topic, but one thing that comes up over and over has been nagging at me.
You have said repeatedly and forcefully that we ought to take “Never again” seriously, which would mean trying to stop genocides in the making and punishing their perpetrators. What would it look like, as a matter of foreign and military policy, if we (U.S. and allies) actually did that? As to Ukraine, I can’t think of anything that would help much short of treating Ukraine as a de facto member of NATO entitled to the full benefits of Article 5. As to the rest of the world, I can’t even begin to imagine how it would work.
Genocide is a relatively new word, but what it describes is as old as recorded history. Many past wars, both religious and secular, were genocidal in purpose and intent, and if they failed to achieve actual genocide it was usually only for lack of means. Today, because advances in communications and technology have allowed us to see “everything everywhere all at once,” it feels as if there’s more genocide going on than ever before, but that’s probably an illusion. That perception also makes it easy for us to think the problem of stopping genocide is insoluble and just give up trying.
Obviously, I have no suggestions what to do about any of this. If you thought anyone in power were inclined to take “Never again” as seriously as you do, what practical steps would you propose that they take?
This is an excellent question. I think we can break the answer down into two categories. Things we can and should be doing that are non-kinetic and non-lethal that demonstrates why engaging in a genocide would be a bad idea. This basically would fit into concepts of deterrence. For instance, had we pre-positioned a V Corps, 1st Armored Division plussed up with several additional brigade combat teams (BCTS), moved US Navy and Marine floats into key strategic locations, repositioned strategic aviation assets, and began moving the US defense manufacturing, as well as that of our NATO allies, onto a war footing we might have deterred this nightmare. Similarly, if we began ramping up the training – such as for the F-16s – last summer, that option would be coming online now, rather than being estimated as coming online in late spring/early summer 2024. By not rapidly moving to increase our and our allies ability to supply the Ukrainians and get them training that will take months to a year, we have not provided them with what they need right now to stop the genocide. This is all short of putting our own personnel in theater to fight alongside the Ukrainians. Especially as all the reporting from January and February 2022 made it clear that the US had known for months that the re-invasion was coming. We wasted important time. We are still wasting it. And this is before we get to the really crucial part of the questions, which is the one that leads to kinetic response. If genocide is, indeed, so far outside the norms, if it is the type of extraordinary activity that requires an extraordinary response, then if we are never going to ever consider actually directly intervening, then we need to just own up to the fact that we don’t mean it, we’re not going to actually do anything to stop them, and stop using the expression.
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
War for Ukraine Day 541: (Some of) You Have Questions, I (May) Have AnswersPost + Comments (49)
