The excellent speakers at the Kyiv Post’s June 18 “Bringing Peace to Syria & Ukraine” conference showed the clear links between these two long-playing and unresolved tragedies. Yet many people still refuse to see the connections because they are focused on the vast differences. No question, the dissimilarities are profound: Russia invaded Ukraine, while the Syrian civil war started as a popular revolt against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, an uprising he crushed with chemical weapons, barrel bombs and other war crimes. Ukraine has lost 10,000 people to Syria’s 500,000. Ukraine has 1.5 million displaced by war compared to Syria’s 11 million people. The conflict is much more complicated in Syria, where several nations are involved in the fighting. By contrast, all that Ukraine needs for peace is for Russia to leave.
Yet, the similarities are disturbing. The West’s weakness in responding to Russian aggression in Ukraine and Syria has emboldened the Kremlin. The aims of Russia are similar in both nations — to weaken Western democracies and to create a refugee crisis that triggers political crises in the West. It is mission accomplished in that regard as anti-immigrant, nationalistic political parties gain strength in many European nations.
We can’t turn back time. But we can do better in the future.
Important principles at stake: In Ukraine, Russia must be held accountable for stealing the sovereign territory of another country. In Syria, Russia must become a pariah for the chemical weapons that its puppet uses. The Kremlin leaves trails of death and destruction in both nations. It will continue until Vladimir Putin is stopped. The moral challenge of the times is to defeat him. The idea for the event came from Kyiv Post publisher Adnan Kivan, who grew up in Syria. We’re glad to be part of such a worthy effort and hope Ukrainians and Syrians can unite to bring peace to their lands.
