Letter: Democracies must ‘stay the course’

Published 1:49 pm Monday, August 15, 2022

In Ukraine, where democracy is under direct attack, there is a military standoff in which each side hopes the other side’s morale will break first.

Vladimir Putin hopes that over time, the democracies’ willingness to sacrifice for each other will diminish, allowing existing Russian forces to dominate Ukraine and move on to the next conquest. Russian efforts to subvert Western unity haven’t been very successful in Europe so far, but Russian propaganda has helped to shape internal divisions in the USA. Russian disinformation will be persistent and will involve all available media. We don’t yet know how Europeans’ unity will survive a cold winter without Russian energy supplies.

Horrified by Russian brutality, Ukrainians appear more united than ever. Ukrainian patriots, and friends of democracy, hope a unified Ukraine can “hold the line” until average Russians are no longer willing to fight for Putin’s imperial ambitions. Outside persuasion won’t matter much inside Russia. It is likely to take a while for Russian morale to decrease enough to change the course of the war.

In the war in Ukraine, both sides feel the cost of compromise is too great to bear. Ukraine will probably suffer from a “shooting war” for at least several more months. In such a war, the side with the most patience is likely to prevail.

For the sake of everyone’s future, including our country and our families, I hope all democratic countries will “stay the course” until a reasonably negotiated peace becomes possible in Ukraine.

DAVE CUNDIFF

Ilwaco