The dramatic events in Ukraine over the last 96 hours constitute a disaster, the full scope of which remains unknown. There is no doubt that the Russian president gave the order to invade, and he, as well as the Russian government, are directly responsible for the death toll and other atrocities that the ongoing war has resulted in thus far and will result in until the conflict is resolved.
Moral condemnation, on the other hand, is insufficient. The public requires a clear recognition of the process of western chauvinism and imperialism attempting to prevent Russia from reclaiming its sovereignty after the utter humiliation it endured at the hands of the same western powers. War, on the other hand, is never a solution. The Russian government's current actions will have far-reaching consequences not only for Ukraine and Russia, but for Europe as a whole. This is only the beginning of a massive disaster that could have been avoided with the stroke of a pen. Had NATO and the United States not been too proud to put in writing that Ukraine will not join the Treaty, there would have been no war and diplomacy could have prevailed.
This episode was supposed to be another in The Barricades' monthly series of thumbs-ups and thumbs-downs with Youri Smouter, the host of the political YouTube show "1+1." However, Youri sat down with the hosts of On the Barricades this time to exclusively discuss the catastrophic events in Ukraine. This is the first of two installments of a two-part discussion.
War is never the answer! Russia out of Ukraine, NATO out of existence! (part 1)