LETTER: If Russia fails in this war, the world could become a safer place
Rogue leaders will have to think twice before embarking on similar excursions
We are already in a low-intensity world war. This war is not about the annexation of Ukraine (now scaled down to four regions of the country). It is a war on freedom and democracy, the rule of law and the rules-based international system. It is a war between democracy and totalitarian central rule.
Just look at those countries that tacitly side with Russia. Vladimir Putin has declared war on freedom and democracy, the cornerstones of Western democracy. He has been fighting a low-intensity war through cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns for years, and has now scaled it up to a full-scale war on a member of the democratic family, which he tries to present as a mere “special military operation”.
Putin’s original aim was for his troops to head directly to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and replace the legitimate government with a puppet Russian regime. This would have been the first step towards expanding Russia’s territory and fulfilling his dream of restoring the Soviet Union.
Ukrainian resistance and unity within the Nato alliance forced him to scale down on his original aim and to concentrate on other regions of Ukraine. Putin is painfully aware that if he loses this war it will have dire consequences for him personally, and for Russia. That makes him very dangerous and unpredictable.
The first signs of this were his ruthless and indiscriminate bombing of civilians and civilian infrastructure. This low intensity world war can easily develop into a full-scale world war should Russia opt for nuclear attacks. Fortunately, there is no appetite for a nuclear war, not even in Russia itself.
If Russia loses this war, and my reading is that it eventually will, the world could become a safer place. It would be a boost for freedom, democracy and the rules-based international system. Nato and its alliance partners will be stronger than ever and will expand.
Rogue leaders in other parts of the world will have to think twice before embarking on similar excursions that will endanger world peace.
Dawie Jacobs, Sterrewag
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