Western Europe’s Challenge: How To Help Ukraine Defend Itself?

Ma’ariv, Israel, March 6

Currently, as these lines are being written, it is still too difficult to assess the outcome of the war between Russia and Ukraine. It is extremely difficult to subdue a nation that is willing to fight for its freedom even in the face of a superior military force, and we have examples of this from the Vietnam War and the war in Afghanistan. Yet two things are quite clear: The first is that the national defense of the Ukrainians has surprised many, including commentators with extensive experience studying armed conflict. The second is that the history of Europe is changing. The conflict between the Western bloc and Russia and its proxies, which existed but were hidden, reached a full-fledged state of war, the results of which, as stated, are difficult to predict. Russia is undermining the right of a European country to shape its own internal regime and foreign policy. And we have a very good reason to worry, even if the war does not seem to be directly affecting Israel. Indirectly, it will probably affect the management of our foreign policy and will probably increase the cost of living due to the high dependence on food and energy imports from Russia and Ukraine. And most importantly, this war should frighten us to the point that even today, one man, a dictator, can shock the whole world and change the face of history. This war isn’t about the need to advance Russia’s political and security interests. Rather, it’s a war that stems from one person’s ego. Putin does not want to be a loser in this fight. Having already lost a lot, he wants to emerge victorious. He aspires to be in a position where he can say to the Russian people: Indeed, the price of the war was high, but it was a necessary evil in order to protect the Russian homeland. The truth is that the current war is primarily a test of continental Europe. This is not a test of the United States. Although the United States is still considered the leader of the Western world, it cannot be the one required to pay the price in any war situation that is European in nature and scope. The responsibility falls mainly on the countries of the European Union. In World War II, Europe proved that it was unwilling to defend itself. About 15 years ago, after then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that he wanted to destroy Israel, I visited Austria with a senior economic figure. I asked the man a simple question: How are they willing to continue doing business and have a normal relationship with a state that declares it wants to destroy another state? His answer: We do what the government tells us to do. Austria wasn’t the only country that continued to maintain fruitful trade relations with Iran; it was Europe as a whole. The fact that a state declares that it wants to destroy another one isn’t really troubling to many European leaders. To me, this was an expression of the inexistent moral system of European governments. Today Western Europe once again faces a historic challenge that will profoundly affect the continuation of its sovereignty. How and how will it mobilize to help Ukrainians defend themselves? Will it really mobilize all possible resources to prevent Russia from taking the liberty of an independent state and dictating to it how it should shape its future? There are indeed great differences between World War II and the situation we’re witnessing today, but these are two historical landmarks of human drama and struggle between peoples. In the first test, which was World War II, Europe failed completely. Seventy-seven years have passed since, and one can only hope that European nations have learned their lesson. Today, European nations once again face a historic struggle that will shape their character and lives for decades to come. –Uriel Lin (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)