Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

The Russian Anschluss

The recent hostile and provocative acts committed by the Russian Federation against the sovereign state of Ukraine and Crimea in pursuance of its geopolitical and territorial interests in those two areas are a timely reminder to all people who value freedom and security of the need for the U.S. to project its power abroad to ensure the continued maintenance of both peace and prosperity throughout the greater world. The stationing of Russian troops in Crimea in the aftermath of the unceremonious ouster of corrupt Ukrainian leader Viktor F. Yanukovych constitutes a clear violation of international law and norms and must be met with a robust response on the part of the United States and the European Union. In spite of every assurance given by the modern intelligentsia that the past era of saber-rattling and the violation of nations’ and states’ sovereignty by hostile nations is a thing of the past, recent events have provided the people with a starkly different reality, one that, if left unchecked, will come to resemble the old world rather than the one that was said to have materialized in the aftermath of the Cold War. 

Throughout the tenure of the current administration, the people have seen an increasingly aggressive China making its growing military prowess known toward the nations that surround it. Recently, the Russian Federation sold the People’s Republic of China its first aircraft carrier, and, while the PRC has continued to increase its military spending to better enforce its territorial interests in the surrounding regions, the U.S. has decreased its military spending, having come to the conclusion that the value of cyber prowess has taken precedence over the value of the American soldier, who twice liberated Europe and has fought around the world in defense of Western values in the face of its various lesser alternatives and counterparts. The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation cannot be tolerated by the nations who comprise the Western world; the Russian Federation cannot be allowed to absorb a large swath of the Ukrainian people and economy and expect to not suffer consequences for its criminal behavior. If this precedent is permitted to endure, other hostile nations will look to Russia’s actions as being representative of a new benchmark being set in the way in which foreign affairs and interests are to be conducted and pursued. In recognition of the ways in which the world has changed since the end of the Cold War and the World War II, the United States and its allies should seek to check the rising aggression of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.

The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation via a dubious referendum that does not enjoy the involvement of the Ukrainian government should not be recognized by any nation that comprises the international community. Until the Russian Federation removes its troops from Crimea and recognizes the sovereignty of Ukraine, the United States and the European Union ought to send troops along the border that separates Crimea and Ukraine, to guard against further Russian aggression and incursions into the territories of surrounding states. To check the rise of Russia as a hostile force committed to the reigniting of the Cold War, and the rise of China as a nation that will inevitably wish to expand its reach around the region it occupies, the United States should advocate for a new international order and way of doing business.The remilitarization of Germany and Japan should commence in light of their respective proximities to Russia and China; over the course of their rich and varied histories, both nations’ soldiers have proven to be of the highest rank and calibre. 

A new emphasis ought to be placed on the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was the subject of much discussion at the height of the Cold War, to ensure that an America ripped and torn apart by contemporary warfare shall never exist. It should be made clear to all powers who wish to challenge American influence abroad that should they make the decision to pursue their interests in violation of international law, they will meet head-on the full might and power of the Western world, led by the United States and its European allies, whose values and ways of conducting affairs have in the past withstood the onslaught of every nation and alliance that has sought to challenge it. Only with a robust and aggressive foreign policy can the United States and its European allies hope to maintain security around the globe, for it is only through the credible threat of total war and annihilation that the civilized world can hope to promote peace and prosperity beyond its borders. 

 

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