1) The Refugee Crisis: an epidemic worldwide, but especially for Europe

Question: “Should your country withdraw from the International Convention on Refugees (known as the UN 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol)?, and make up its own rules regarding who can claim refugee status and what their entitlements would be (taking into account what your country can afford)?”

Background: In 1951 and 1967, the United Nations (UN) passed the International Convention on Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, which forced all member states worldwide to accept anyone who appeared at their borders and claimed refugee status. This Convention was originally meant to deal with the millions of refugees displaced by World War II (which ended in 1945).

Issue: What may have worked at the end of World War Two is not working in 2022, as this Convention is being overwhelming abused, particularly by organized crime (i.e. people smugglers).  As a matter of fact, in 2021 people smuggling (human trafficking) has become one of the top five most profitable sources of income for criminals who are readily taking advantage of this Convention and its very liberal interpretation.  A flood of refugees, particularly into the European Union, have pushed host countries to the brink financially, socially, and politically. Part of the problem stems from the definition of who can be a refugee: the definition is far too broad, basically allowing anyone to claim refugee status.

According to critics of the refugee program such as Victor Orban (Prime Minister of Hungary since 2010), Mateusz Morawiecki (Prime Minister of Poland since 2017) and Sebastian Kurz (former Chancellor of Austria), instead of this Convention being used for “political” refugees, which is what the Convention was originally designed for, it is now being used primarily by “economic” refugees (people who are predominately poor, illiterate, unskilled, and are merely seeking a higher standard of living). The primary concern of these so-called refugees is to have a better life, which will be theirs if they can gain access to a country which has a generous welfare system that hopefully has no benefit time limits attached to it. In theory, member states under the Convention do not have to accept “economic” refugees, but in practice trying to discern who is or isn’t a genuine refugee has been next to impossible. With such refugees come the following concerns that are now being hotly debated:

• Escalating Financial Costs: Governments are being forced under international law to provide housing, food, medical and dental benefit coverage, and a regular income to huge numbers of refugees, which many governments can’t afford. The strain on resources is pushing some countries to the brink of financial ruin. In order to pay for these extraordinary costs, governments will have to force their taxpayers to pay higher taxes: in essence, those who work will have to work harder and receive less pay in order to support those who don’t work (i.e. the refugees and unemployed). This is the situation throughout the European Union, particularly in countries such as Germany and France. Germany alone registered 1.1 million refugees in 2015, and still the refugees continue to flow into Germany and the rest of the European Union with no end in sight.  In countries such as the United Kingdom (which has left the EU), higher taxes will be imposed upon everyone by means of higher local council taxes (paid monthly by every resident of the country, except refugees).  
• Escalating Social Costs: Many countries already have to deal with the huge number of unemployed in their own countries, trying to find them meaningful work and a regular source of income. For example, the official rate of unemployment in Spain (nationwide) for the end of 2019, hit 14.7% (the “official” rate is usually much lower than the “real” rate of unemployment), and amongst young people in January 2020, it was officially 30.6%. In 2022, Spain’s official rate of unemployment was 14.4%, a negligible  improvement from 2019’s rate.  For countries such as Spain, it will be next to impossible to find refugees employment (in either the short or long term), especially when the majority of refugees can’t speak the language of their host country. To compound this situation, since Spain is part of the European Union, it is still expected to take in on an ongoing basis its fair share of refugees and provide them with social and financial assistance, which includes finding them employment. If Spanish citizens can’t find employment, how can the refugees?
• The Domestic Homeless Are Neglected: In a bizarre twist, it would appear that refugees (the foreign homeless) are entitled to a host country’s generous welfare benefits, yet the domestic homeless are not. For example, the Canadian federal government (under Stephen Harper) in September 2015 refused a request from the city of Vancouver to provide $100 million in funding in order to build permanent mental health treatment facilities and housing for the city of Vancouver’s homeless. The reason given for the refusal was lack of funds. (Vancouver is Canada’s third largest city, and the number of homeless in Vancouver for 2014 was estimated at approximately 2,800 by The Homeless Hub research library.  In 2019 that number had increased to 23,000 people, according to a Canadian Press article published in March 2022.) Yet, miraculously three months later, in November 2015, the federal government (under the new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau) seemed to have no shortage of funds when it proudly announced that it would spend $640 million on bringing 25,000 refugees into Canada, providing them with long-term housing, food, and medical and dental benefits. (Canada’s homeless, however, remained forgotten even with the change in government.)  Canada’s costs for taking in refugees for 2019 was estimated to be $400 million.  The same situation exists in the United States where critics have pointed out that the federal government provides assistance (e.g. housing, medical treatment, and financial assistance) to refugees, but ignores the huge number of Americans that are homeless, many of which are war veterans. These veterans have been unable to obtain proper medical treatment (for physical and psychological damage that they incurred while on military duty) and have been reduced to living in temporary shelters, or on the street, or under bridges and eating out of garbage cans or at soup kitchens, if one is available. Many American, Canadian, and European politicians refuse to follow the motto: “Take care of your family first!”
• Terrorism and Security Concerns: News reports have stated that many of the refugees entering the European Union have purposely gotten rid of their identification and in so doing are preventing the authorities from checking out their backgrounds (e.g. for previous criminal or terrorism activities). Governments have no way of knowing whether a refugee is legitimate or not. Terrorist groups such as ISIS have publicly boasted that they have been able to take advantage of this situation, and pass many of their fellow terrorists into unsuspecting countries, particularly to countries such as France, which has seen a steady increase in terrorism against its citizens (with no end in sight).   In the November 2015 terrorist attack on Paris, France by ISIS, 130 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks throughout the city.  Some of these terrorists had entered the EU by posing as refugees.  According to the BBC News, many refugee centres in Germany are being used by ISIS as recruitment sites. More and more of Germany’s police forces are having to deal with this new constant threat of terrorism; and to make matters worse, many refugees and illegal immigrants have turned to crime. The German government under Angela Merkel,  Chancellor, knowingly let in huge numbers of young, single men as refugees. Many of these men are now causing a lot of problems, especially for German woman whom they regard with disdain. In early 2018, BBC News reported that crime within Germany is on the steady increase with much of the criminal activities being made by the young, single male refugees and illegal immigrants.   
• Religious Intolerance: Most of the refugees that have entered the European Union are devout Moslems. Traditionally the majority of Europe’s countries have been Christian. These two groups of peoples have been mistrustful of each other for hundreds of years, dating back to the Crusades. Many news reports from Europe have cited Moslems as publicly stating that they view non-Moslems (e.g. Christians, atheists, and agnostics) as “infidels” (unbelievers). Christians in turn have stated that they view Moslems as “medieval”. Throwing these two groups of people together has predictably generated much anger and hostility.
• Encountering Old Enemies: News reports have mentioned that the Moslem refugees in the European Union are now encountering bitter “old” enemies: Arab, Moslem refugees who have settled in cities like Paris, France, are now fighting with rival ethnic groups, in particular the Jews. The Marais District, which has been Paris’ Jewish quarter for hundreds of years, is now being transformed into a “mini war zone” as Arab fights Jew. The Arabs despise the Jews and want them to leave (and vice versa). Obviously, the violence and religious intolerance, which is so embedded throughout the Middle East, has now been transplanted into the European Union. According to a January 2018 episode on the Smithsonian Channel (an American TV station), it was deliberate policy under Germany’s previous chancellor, Adolf Hitler, to use the Arab Moslems (in the Middle East) to combat and hold “in check” the Jewish populations. No doubt many Jews currently living within Germany are questioning the rationale for Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, to intentionally “flood” Germany with Arab Moslem refugees (coming from the Middle East). Once could argue that she would have known in advance that such refugees detest the Jews and would do everything in their power to get rid of them (as they have been doing in France). So what exactly did Angela Merkel hope to accomplish with such a policy? Many German Jews would see such a policy as a re-kindling of hatred towards the Jews, a possible continuation of the “hell” they experienced under Adolf Hitler.
• Sharia Law versus State Law: All of the Moslem refugees are obliged to follow sharia law, which is the law of Islam. It regulates their entire life, down to the finest detail (e.g. how you are supposed to dress in public). Westerners would be quite shocked, however, to know some of the rules and regulations that the refugees are expected to follow; according to one website, two such examples are: a) A man can beat his wife for insubordination and b) A non-Moslem who leads a Moslem away from Islam should be put to death. Previous news reports mentioned that so many Moslem refugees have settled in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, that they are now demanding that sharia law should override Danish (state) law in the areas of the city where the refugees reside.
• Too Many Refugees: According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2020 there are currently 25.9 million refugees, 3.5 million asylum-seekers, and 41.3 million internally displaced people worldwide. The number of potential “economic” refugees is difficult to estimate, but it is more than likely huge, as in 2015 the UN estimated the number of international migrants (people living in a country which is not where they were born) at 244 million.  By 2020 that number had gone up to 281 million people.  This is a crisis with the potential to destabilize many countries worldwide, as many refugees want to relocate to either Europe or North America (primarily to the United States).

Topic #2:  Fair Trade versus Free Trade

Question: “Should your country implement a fair trade policy (which is favored by unions and consumers) and abandon its current Free Trade policy which is so heavily favored by businesses throughout the world?”

Background: The United Nations oversees trade amongst nations by means of the World Trade Organization (the WTO), which is the successor to GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). For the past few decades a Free Trade policy has been the cornerstone of the UN’s efforts regarding trade between countries. With this policy, the world’s citizens have been told that if Free Trade were allowed to continue, then their living standards would increase dramatically.

Issue: In theory, the idea of Free Trade sounds wonderful: a country can produce a product for an extremely low price and then sell it to whoever wants to buy it. To ensure that this can take place, no country is supposed to impose any tariffs or taxes upon imported goods. However, every country is not equal when it comes to how businesses are allowed to operate. For example, in countries like China there are no labor unions so the rights of workers don’t exist.  The cost of labor is therefore quite cheap, making it possible to set up what is in essence a factory run by slave labor.  Also, since the government is communist, corrupt, and serves the needs of the business community, there are no enforceable laws pertaining to protecting the environment. Businesses are basically free to do whatever they please with no consequences, which gives them an unfair advantage in the market place.  That is the primary reason why so many multinational corporations have set up business in China.  

Why Are American Businesses Favoring Communist China at the Expense of the USA?

Since it is cheaper to operate a business in China, most American, Canadian, and European manufacturing businesses have closed down their domestic operations and relocated them to China. For example, an American company can get a Chinese company to make it a product for $1.00 U.S. as opposed to an American company that would make it for $2.50 U.S. Even though the product can be made much cheaper in countries like China, don’t expect any of these cost savings to be passed onto consumers, as the American company will still sell the product in the United States (or elsewhere) for its full retail value (e.g. $10). The profit margin is huge for businesses, which would explain why so many companies have rushed to set up their operations in countries like China. Unfortunately, given the current worsening imbalance in trade, it would appear that instead of improving the living standards of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, Free Trade has done the opposite.

Fair Trade, on the other hand, would take into account the economic plight of foreign workers (i.e. ensure that they are paid a decent wage) as well as any other unfair practices that a foreign business operates under (e.g. its ability to ignore any environmental rules and regulations). It would allow a government to impose tariffs and taxes to compensate for such an unfair advantage.

Why Did Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party Support Free Trade in the 2016 US Election?  

As strange as it may seem, the devastating impact of Free Trade upon the United States was initially brought forward very forcefully by Hillary Clinton back in 2008 when she was running against Barack Obama (to be the democratic candidate for president). She described the crippling impact that Free Trade (i.e. globalization) had upon entire towns throughout the United States, as factory after factory closed down, and re-opened overseas (especially in China).  On the other hand, Barack Obama, the democratic candidate whom Hillary Clinton lost to and who later became president for two terms, seemed to be a strong supporter of Free Trade.  Then in the 2016 election when Hillary Clinton finally became the democratic nominee for president, for some unknown reason she seemed to forget everything she previously stated about the plight of American workers and industry and opted for the Free Trade status quo (i.e. permit globalization to continue its devastation of the American economy), a continuation of Barack Obama’s trade policies.  Even now it is difficult to know where the Democratic Party stands on this issue. 

In the 2016 election, her rival, Donald Trump, the republican candidate, seemed to be more in touch with American workers and even visited those towns and cities which had lost huge numbers of manufacturing jobs to Free Trade (globalization). Such a sentiment on the part of Donald Trump was a major factor in his winning the presidency. It would appear that Free Trade is no longer viewed as being beneficial to everyone, especially to countries such as the United States. Many Americans, in particular its workers, are demanding that the USA adopt an “America First” trade policy (which is more akin to Fair Trade than Free Trade).  

Topic #3:  Multiculturalism: Cultural Enrichment or Cultural Extinction?

Question: “Should your country do what it can to preserve its unique identity and values or abandon them for multiculturalism?”

Background: The term “multiculturalism” is used primarily to describe a country’s immigration policy in which a host country has deliberately decided to allow the immigration of peoples who have different nationalities and cultures. Coupled with that immigrant’s legal right to enter the country is the unofficial expectation of how that immigrant is expected or not expected to integrate into the host country. For example, both Americans and Canadians would view their societies as multicultural, yet the expectation of a new immigrant to the USA is very different than that of one to Canada. Americans view their society as a “melting pot”, whereas Canadians view their society as a “mosaic”. Many high-profile politicians worldwide have spoken in favor of promoting multiculturalism: the belief that a country is better off having many different nationalities (cultures) within it rather than one unique culture. Such a doctrine may sound wonderful in theory, but it can bring with it a host of problems, many of which we are witnessing firsthand in the European Union, as the topic of uncontrolled immigration has generated a lot of anxiety and discussion.

Issue: Depending upon the expectations placed upon new immigrants as well as the number of immigrants involved, a country’s policy of multiculturalism can be viewed as either a failure or success. Those who oppose multiculturalism stress the argument that it can destroy a country’s culture, traditions, and values, leaving that country with no unique identity. On the other hand, those who support multiculturalism argue that bringing more nationalities and cultures into the country will enrich that country and make it stronger. The key issue hinges around whether or not the immigrants being allowed into a country are expected to assimilate or not. If the immigrants are expected to assimilate, but are unable or refuse to assimilate, then that country will have a huge potential social and economic problem on its hands. Some points of view on this issue are as follows:

• Multiculturalism seems to work best in countries that were founded by huge numbers of people from different nationalities and cultures who moved into that country at relatively the same time, which prevented a culture based on one particular nationality from ever being formed. Instead, a new culture was built around this “melting pot” of different nationalities. The most famous example of this is the United States (historically referred to as the New World). When an immigrant comes to the United States, he or she becomes an American. That immigrant is expected to abandon his or her previous ways of doing things, and quickly adopt to the American way of living. Many would argue that this approach to multiculturalism has worked well for everyone concerned, and that the vast majority of new immigrants are proud to become “American”.
• Some countries, however, have opposed the American version of multiculturalism and decided to promote the policy of letting immigrants retain their own cultural identity. Canada is one such country. For example, an Italian male immigrant who comes to Canada would be Italian-Canadian, not Canadian. He can retain his own language (Italian), nationality (passport), religion (Catholic), food, and way of life. The obvious drawback to this type of policy is that the immigrant is not required to rapidly assimilate into the general populace. While Canadians accept this, most Americans would ask themselves: “Why didn’t the Italian immigrant just stay in Italy? Why come to the New World (North America) looking for a change in your life, and then decide to retain the status quo (i.e. live life as he would in Italy)? It doesn’t make sense!” Canada’s “mosaic” vision of multiculturalism can easily create a society with numerous ghettos of different ethnic groups who feel more at home with others of their own nationality than they do with the Canadian population at large. Obviously the chances of these immigrants being fully integrated into Canadian society is very low. Many critics have even stated that such immigrants can live in Canada for years without learning either English or French (Canada’s two official languages), which hurts their chances of finding employment and setting up a new life (i.e. the Canadian federal government is setting up such immigrants for failure, not for success).
• Multiculturalism does not seem to work well in a country that has a strong, unique culture, particularly if it is based on nationality. If the new immigrants have no interest in integrating with the existing society, then the country’s population will become fragmented and create a lot of resentment and friction. Multiculturalism assumes that the new groups of immigrants will respect the current values and traditions of their new home country, and adopt to it. This is not always the case, as evidenced by what is happening in Germany (which has let in huge numbers of refugees many of which are Moslem). Germany has traditionally been a Christian country with its own unique culture and way of life. There are now seemingly endless news reports of clashes involving young Moslem men and German women. The young Moslem men are horrified at how the German women dress and act in public (and want them to obey sharia law); and these men have expressed their views quite violently (incidents of harassment, sexual assault, and even rape are becoming more common).
• If a country’s unique culture, traditions, and way of life is destroyed by multiculturalism (i.e. the number of new immigrants is huge, and these new immigrants are not expected nor want to integrate with the society at large), what is going to be the ties that bind that country’s people together? This is the major point being discussed worldwide, particularly in countries such as the United Kingdom. Many British citizens have openly stated that they are proud to be British and want to retain their own traditions and way of life, and have no interest in seeing it destroyed (or further fragmented) by letting in huge number of immigrants who don’t want to integrate into British society and want everyone else to accommodate them. Perhaps such Brits are expressing the advice given in 387 A.D. by St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, to St. Augustine (a newcomer): “When in Rome, do as the Romans!” Many, especially those who oppose multiculturalism, would argue that even after 1,600 years, his advice is still applicable!

Topic #4:  The Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) – Assessing the Damage

Question:  How did COVID-19 become a pandemic and what role did China and the WHO play?

Background:

A) What is a coronavirus? 

• A coronavirus is a type of virus, usually found in animals.  There are many kinds of coronaviruses found in many different types of animals. 

B)  What does a coronavirus do? 

• Coronaviruses usually infect animals, but can, albeit rarely, infect humans as well.
• A coronavirus can infect different parts of the human body.  Each type of coronavirus seems to infect a particular part of the body.  

C)  What is COVID-19?

• A new type of coronavirus that attacks the respiratory system of humans.

 D)  In what country and city did COVID-19 originate from?  

• This particular new coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China.  The first case of this virus appeared on December 1, 2019 when a resident of that city became ill.  

E)  What was the original source of COVID-19 infection?

• COVID-19 is thought to have originated from a “wet market” within the city of Wuhan, China.  People who visited the market developed viral pneumonia which was caused by this new coronavirus, COVID-19.

F)  What is a “wet market”?

• China has a long history of “wet markets”.  A “wet market” is a place that sells live wild animals directly to consumers, in addition to “regular” food such as fruits and vegetables.    

G)  What live animals can you buy at a “wet market”?

• Many live animal species are available for sale at a “wet market”, including:

1. wolf cubs
2. civet cats
3. bats
4. snakes
5. pangolins
6. turtles 

 H)  What “wet market” animals can transmit the coronavirus to humans?

• the civet cat: is not actually a cat, but resembles a mongoose; a delicacy in China; is reputed to be the source of the previous SARS pandemic in 2003
• the bat: is reputed to have passed the SARS virus to civet cats which in turn passed them to humans
• the pangolin: it resembles an armadillo – a long-nosed ant-eating mammal; the meat is a delicacy in China; some of its body parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine, e.g. to treat skin diseases and arthritis; is thought to be the possible source of the COVID-19 virus.

I)  Is there a similarity between COVID-19 and SARS?

• Yes, COVID-19 is similar to the SARS virus, but seems to have spread faster than SARS.  Both are coronaviruses.

J)  What is SARS?  Where did it originate from?

• SARS is a coronavirus.  It stands for “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome”.  It originated in China in 2002 and caused a pandemic (which finally subsized in 2003).  It, too originated from one of China’s “wet markets”.

Issue:  Preliminary observation would suggest that China withheld crucial health information from the WHO and the rest of the world.  It would appear that China purposely downplayed the severity of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), and in so doing, unleashed it upon the rest of the world by allowing Chinese citizens to travel to the USA, Canada, and Europe as well as other areas of the world.

The Role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the COVID-19 Pandemic:  The Timeline of What Happened 

• Former US President Donald Trump accused the WHO and in particular its Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, of negligence (namely, concealing information, being too slow to react to the virus, and showing favoritism towards China). 
• US Senator Rick Scott went further than Trump, accusing the WHO of “helping Communist China cover up a global pandemic”.
• On December 1, 2019, the first known case of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, China. Others soon reported being ill with respiratory problems soon after.   
• On December 31, 2019, the Chinese government informed the WHO  about the Wuhan outbreak.  Apparently the Chinese government knew at the time that it was caused by a coronavirus, but they waited till January 7, 2020 to confirm it to the WHO.
• On January 12, 2020, the Chinese government officially shared the full genome sequence of the new coronavirus with the WHO (even though they knew of it much earlier).
• In mid-January 2020, the WHO requested permission from the Chinese government to send in a team of scientific observers to the Wuhan area (the center of the outbreak), but the Chinese denied the request.
• On January 22, 2020 the Chinese government issued a temporary ban on “wet markets” selling live wild animals.
• On January 28, 2020 the WHO Director General had a private meeting with Chairman Xi Jinping in Beijing to discuss this issue.
• On January 30, 2020 the WHO Director General publicly praised the Chinese government’s success in containing COVID-19 (even though the WHO had no valid proof of that so-called success).
• On the same day, January 30, 2020, the WHO declared that the outbreak was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).  No doubt some scientists would notice the contradiction:  “If the outbreak has been successfully contained, why issue a PHEIC?”
• On February 8, 2020 the Chinese government allowed WHO observers into China.
• On March 11, 2020 the WHO Director General declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic.
• On March 22, 2020 the Chinese government re-opened 94% of its “wet markets”.
• To date, China has refused to shut down its “wet markets” on a permanent basis.

A Possible Cover-up by Communist Chinese Government Officials?  

According to a recent Euronews article, “this is not the first time in this crisis that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ignored the broader good of its own people and the global community.  At the outset of the crisis, the CCP also censored and imprisoned Chinese medical professionals in Wuhan who were reporting on the new virus.  It also took a wide range of other measures to suppress information while also putting out its own misinformation (such as the falsehood that there was no human-to-human transmission).  The rest of the world lost precious time and many lives, as the government did whatever it could to try to save face….”

A Previous Chinese Government Global Pandemic Cover-up (SARS)

This is now the second time that the Chinese government has tried to cover up a pandemic originating from within China, particularly from its “wet markets”.

According to The Guardian newspaper, in November 2002 the first cases of a new coronavirus, later named SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), began to appear in China.  It was a new deadly respiratory disease thought to have originated from one of more “wet markets” which sell wild live civet cats. These civet cats were infected with a coronavirus thought to have been transmitted to them by bats.  The Chinese people eat civet cats, and regard them as a delicacy. People were mysteriously dying of this new deadly respiratory disease, yet the Chinese government did not alert the WHO of this development. Not surprisingly, the infection spread throughout China and then throughout the entire world.

The WHO deemed SARS to be a global threat in March 2003. The former Director General of WHO, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland (the former Prime Minister of Norway), accused China of withholding vital health data, and even claimed “that the outbreak might have been contained if the WHO had been able to help at an earlier step”.  The outbreak finally subsided in late July 2003.  

Worldwide, a total of 8,093 people were infected of which 774 died.  According to the National Academy of Sciences, the cost stemming from the disruption of business activity due to SARS on a global level for 2003 was estimated to be $40 billion US.

The Current Human and Economic Cost of COVID-19

The SARS global pandemic was relatively short-lived and did not infect many people worldwide (only 8,093 people), yet the global economic cost for those few months in 2003 was estimated to be $40 billion US.  The human and economic costs of COVID-19 is going to eclipse SARS on a huge scale:  as of March 2022, according to BBC News, about 457.9 million people worldwide became infected with Covid-19, resulting in over 6 million deaths.  In the USA, the covid-19 virus killed 963,124 Americans.  

In February 2021, Forbes estimated the economic worldwide costs of the covid-19 pandemic to be $24 trillion USD.  That amount will be significantly higher once the pandemic is over.  

Topic #5:  The Invasion of the Ukraine by Russia

Question:  “What should be done about Russia’s unprovoked attack of the Ukraine? Will it lead to World War III?”

Background

Location:  The Ukraine is a country in the Eastern part of Europe that shares a common border with seven countries:  Poland, Belarus, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Moldova.  

Size:  It is Europe’s second largest country by area (second only to Russia).  

Population: About 44 million

Historical Ties with Russia:  The Ukraine was part of the former Soviet Union, but in 1991, the Ukraine officially declared itself an independent country. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, has publicly stated his wish to re-establish what was once the Soviet Union (which was most of Eastern Europe).  To that end, in 2014, Russia illegally sent in troops to occupy and annex part of the Ukraine – the Crimea.  It is still under Russian occupation, and now Russia has decided to attack and annex the entire country of the Ukraine. 

Russia’s Objective:  It would appear that annexing the Ukraine is the first step towards re-establishing what was once the Soviet Union.  If that is true, then Russia will more than likely attempt to annex the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), then the rest of Eastern Europe (which includes such countries as Poland, Hungary, and the former countries of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and East Germany).  Given the fact that Putin has declared himself “president for life”, he is not worried about being removed from political office.  He has plenty of time to annex one country at a time, using the excuse that it is necessary to ensure Russia’s national security. 

Appeasement of Russia:  In 2015, a year after the Crimea annexation, Angela Merkel (then Chancellor of Germany) met in person with Putin to discuss how relations with Russia could be normalized.  US Senator John McCain publicly condemned such a meeting stating that it was a repeat of history:  In March 1938, Adolf Hitler annexed Austria, and then several months later in September 1938, Hitler announced the annexation of the Sudetenland (in western Czechoslovakia).  That same month, British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, met with Adolf Hitler in an effort to appease him.  That meeting produced the infamous Munich Agreement in which Hitler was allowed to retain his annexation of the Sudetenland on condition that he stop any further aggression towards other countries within Europe.  That agreement was a disaster, as it legitimized Hitler’s claim to the Sudetenland, and gave him the confidence to continue his annexation of other countries.  Merkel did not achieve anything concrete from her meeting with Putin.  Putin even used the meeting to further justify his annexation of the Crimea.  The appeasement policies of Germany and the rest of the EU have continued ever since the Crimean annexation.  Putin was even able to request that Germany approve the construction of one of the most important pipeline projects in Europe: the construction of the gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, connecting Russia to Germany.  Begun in 2018, it would have brought Russia unbelievable wealth (and made Germany dependent upon Russia for its energy needs – a reckless decision on the part of Germany, a major NATO country).  On February 22, 2022, after having received enormous political pressure from its allies, Germany halted the approval of this gas pipeline from beginning operations.

Options Available to the EU:   Putin has left the EU with very few options.  Basically, the EU has to either side with the Ukraine helping it militarily and economically to defeat Russia or the EU will face annihilation.  The Baltic countries, in particular, are at high risk of military invasion from Russian troops.  The EU will be overwhelmed by refugees fleeing the Ukraine (and even Russia itself).  This is exactly what Putin wants: he is determined to de-stabilize the EU.  Putin’s  support of the dictator, President Basher al- Assad, of Syria is proof that he can use refugees as a weapon to overwhelm the EU. Millions of Syrian refugees have been used as a pawn by Putin, yet the EU and its allies have done little to stop him.  At some point, Europeans have to accept reality that Putin is basically the Russian version of Adolf Hitler, and like Hitler, he won’t stop till he is forced to!  Appeasing Putin will only make him stronger and more aggressive.