Wankollie Barbara, Blog Post #2

    

Our recent lectures in class concerning Russia's invasion of Ukraine while the USA, Nato, and,  EU, on the other hand, trying to " help" Ukraine from being invaded got me thinking about a scene from a book that I'm currently reading, called A Tempest, written by Aime Cesaire. In this book, one of the characters is perceived as a monster and is under the spell of the king called Prospero. Caliban(the monster), welcomes Prospero on his island, but Prospero having magical power took Caliban's land, turns him into a monster, and later curses him because he believed Caliban tried to rape his daughter. Caliban is trying to rebel against his master, to get his island back, but it’s not working because Prospero is way too powerful. But that’s not the point or scene I’m driving at. Fast forward, new people arrive on the island and are also admiring the things they see and they want to take over. So Caliban sees this as an opportunity to merge with these people in order to free himself. But if you look at the conversation that Caliban had with these people, they kept on calling him a monster, slave, and commanding him as if they were not partners.

Now let’s talk about Ukraine and the USA, NATO, and the EU. If the international world is so interested in helping Ukraine why can’t they make Ukraine a member of NATO? Being a member of Nato will guarantee Ukraine's security. There might be other opinions like we don’t want to start another war or making Ukraine a member of Nato will be the beginning of WWIII because NATO will be forced to defend its territory. But my point is either way there is still to a certain point that war occurring right now that members of NATO are a part of, whether is by sending troops, arms, or giving sanctions. So the question is why then are the USA and Nato holding back Ukraine membership? As in the case of Caliban, those people that decided to help him weren't concerned about him being free, all they wanted was his island, which is why they still had no regard for him as a human being. Are the US, NATO, and EU a part of this big “Rescue” because they want to help, or is it because it involves Russia? In one of the articles I read concerning the Russia and Ukraine conflict, the writer mentioned that one of the reasons that Russia is doing this is because she’s trying to rebuild her political architecture in Western Europe. If this happens, it will build Russia's reputation and whether good or bad it will benefit Russia. Could it be that some of the higher powers in the international community are seeing this as a threat to their international reputation or power? 

Don’t get me wrong, It is totally inhumane to take another man’s land by force. Russia has no right to invade another country and Ukraine is right for standing its ground.  But my point is, the international community needs to make up their mind if they want in or out because honestly there's nothing like in between. Sanctions will not affect Russia right now and every moment the international community waits, a life is being lost. I know Russia has nuclear weapons, and the international community is trying to avoid that, but sending arms, and giving sanctions will not stop Russia or make things better right now. So if the international community is not a part of this to protect their power, and they really care about Ukraine then they should be in it fully. If they know they can’t help they should just leave it, because honestly, they could make things worse for Ukrainians and their poor allies.

Comments

  1. Will ScottMarch 8, 2022 at 1:58 PM

    I really liked this article because it contradicts a lot that is being said in the news. As much as I think it would be great for Ukraine to join NATO, that was by far what Putin and Russia worried about most because he saw how NATO was not afraid to have former Soviet Satellite states as allies. To you point wonder if NATO and the EU are part of this "Rescue" of Ukraine because they want to help or if it is because it involves Russia, I think it is definitely a little bit of both and I think that it is a really good point that you brought up given the history of NATO (being a nuclear alliance against Russia) and the United States. I think NATO truly wants to help, but if this was happening two different countries that NATO/ the United States did not have interest in, I do not think they would be sending in arms like they are at the moment. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this article.

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  2. AnonymousMarch 10, 2022 at 9:19 PM

    I appreciate you bringing in a different point of view to the conversation and using A Tempest, which is Shakespeare inspired I would assume, to demonstrate your point. I am curious from who's point of view this version of The Tempest is written from, because in Shakespeare's original version, he makes Caliban out to be a monster and not quite human, but the story is told from the POV of Prospero, which makes me think that the victors get to tell how things happened and spin the story any way they so chose. Anyway, beyond that I think it is interesting that you wish Ukraine to join NATO. Not because my personal beliefs, but because most had originally been singing a different tune. I think that you really did prove your point and it seems like a no brainer to bring Ukraine into NATO.

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  3. Laurel UtterbackMay 2, 2022 at 10:29 AM

    I really enjoyed reading this post, both because it tied in A Tempest, but also because a new perspective surrounding Russia and Ukraine was brought in. Not only do news sources just repeatedly pound into our heads that "x should happen because of y," but oftentimes, that is the only perspective that they want us to hear. Your opinions are still very interesting and relevant to this topic, now months later, where we are now at what is seeming to turn into a standstill war with no huge moves on the rise.

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