Dear Editor:
Americans’ number one concern according to recent polls is the state of democracy in their own country. The prevailing narrative in the West for the war between Ukraine and Russia is the preservation of democracy. Half a year into this fiasco, we can see how well that is working.
Huge parts of Ukraine have been devastated by Russian artillery. Support by the West, backed by the military might of the United States, has also contributed to the devastation in the name of democracy. Elsewhere, world-wide, people are suffering directly linked to the war in Ukraine. Even the World Food Bank is overwhelmed with cries for help from the global south. People are food insecure, fertilizer for crops is too expensive, wheat is slow in coming, if it comes at all. Is there an end in sight? Maybe. Possibly. Some time.
Where does this leave global citizens? I would say both powerless and silent. Where are the voices of dissent that challenge the prevailing narrative that this war in Europe in the 21st century is a just war?
If democracy is under attack in the United States and Americans are not sure of the outcome, then how can the United States protect it around the world with aid and guns?
Janet Calderwood,
Rockwood