War, Race, and Onion Dome Architecture

St. Michaels Ukrainian Orthodox Monastery, Kyiv, Ukraine.

I cry everyday for Ukraine. Dead bodies on live TV, ninety-year-old babushkas stumbling toward safety, crying children, bombed buildings, starvation. All the horrors that Vladimir Putin has unleashed are broadcast every day. Like most Americans, my impressions of Ukraine before the war -- on the rare occasions we might have thought about Ukraine at all -- were fleeting thoughts of onion domes and a buttery chicken dish from Kyiv. Sort of a little Russia, by history and similar language. Now, despite the onion domes and an alphabet with funny-looking letters, we know Ukraine is less like Russia and more like any familiar Western European country. 

Beyond the onion domes is the real, twenty-first century Ukraine. Because of war, we have received a crash course on the country. On TV we see what had been vibrant and historical cities much like those we might visit on holiday throughout Western Europe. In normal times Ukrainians enjoy their cafes and coffee shops. They have their own language, their own heritage, and their own aspirations quite apart from those of Russia. Ukraine was a ping pong ball of European history, hit with invasions from every side since medieval times. Ukraine was actually controlled by Russia (or the Soviet Union) for relatively short periods, but under duress. In reality, Ukraine is more like us. We share with Ukraine a Western European system of justice which emphasizes individual human rights. We share a Greco-Roman approach to civic life rooted in democracy. They, like us, have an innovative and highly successful cyber industry. Their rich croplands look like Iowa or Minnesota. Ukrainians cast their gaze westward, not backward to the east or the Russian empire that Putin dreams of. Those are objective facts. The subjective facts are even more important. We have learned that we share the same values. President Volodymyr Zelensky started as an actor and was presented with a role to play he never could have imagined. In accepting that role, he has led and inspired Ukrainians to stand firmly in defense of their land and their democratic values. Doing so, he and all Ukrainians have reminded us of what our values actually are. When offered an exit out of Kyiv, Zelensky said, "I don't need a ride; I need more ammunition." With those words he ignited a fierce, value-based defense that may actually win this David-Goliath war. Zelensky's words and actions are echos of our own long-held values. Give me liberty or give me death was spoken by Patrick Henry at the American revolution. They could easily be Zelensky's words.  Don't tread on me was a phrase on an American warship flag in 1775; it could be Ukraine's battle cry. Live free or die is the state motto of New Hampshire. It is a phrase Ukrainians would viscerally understand. One nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all is asserted in our Pledge of Allegiance. It is asserted now by all Ukrainians. 

The western world has responded to these events with massive sanctions aimed at Russia's economy, aid to Ukraine's military, and refuge for millions (millions!) of fleeing Ukrainians. In the United States, sheltering refugees is a controversial subject. Trump, with the help of his minion Steve Miller, devised immigration laws that were unwelcoming to refugees who are black, brown, or Muslim, no matter how dire their situations. Some Ukrainian refugees, fleeing from equally desperate conditions, are now prevented from entering the U.S. by these same laws. Meanwhile, Americans, who want to welcome these mostly white, Christian freedom lovers, find themselves ensnared by our own prejudicial policies and are trying to figure out how to justify past opinions in the wake of new conditions. I wonder, though, how much of our reluctant concern for the plight of people from Guatemala is the reversed mirrored image of empathetic concern for the situation of Ukrainians. Ukrainians are like us -- but not solely as a matter of race. We see our values reflected in Ukrainians. I confess that my visceral response to the war in Ukraine is stronger than I can remember for Afghanistan, Guatemala, Nicaragua, or Yemen. Is that a sign of ethnic prejudice? Certainly a possibility, but we are also observing a war in Ukraine that looks like many World World War II movies we've seen on TV. We are very familiar with movies about the bloody battles fought in France and the air raids in London, with masses huddled in subways used as bomb shelters. And Putin's theft of the Crimea and eastern Ukraine is exactly like Hitler's uninvited annexation of Czechoslovakia that ignited the Second World War. This is a familiar war we can relate to, fought over issues we understand. My dad fought in World War II and we know what it was about. Putin has put in with the ranks of evil villains like Hitler. Between his raw, unprovoked aggression and the noble response of the Ukrainians, it is obvious which side we must be on. And it is obvious that we must help Ukrainian refugees, just like we would not have hesitated to help the desperate refugees filtering through Rick's Cafe in Casablanca. I think we feel this dire situation more than others for reasons like that. Because we have seen this all before. 

Look again at Volodymyr Zelensky. At 5'-6" he stands taller than most men. He displays no fear in walkabouts through the streets of Kyiv. He demands, not begs, from Western leaders the help required to defend shared values. He is as tough as the soldiers he commands. He acts like a super hero. Don't we all want to honor super heroes or, in our Walter Mitty fantasies, believe we ourselves would act like super heroes given similar circumstances? Wouldn't we all hope to be as courageous as Zelensky and the Ukrainians? Critics see racial discrimination in our response to Ukrainians versus other afflicted countries. I have no doubt that is a part of it. Most (but definitely not all) Ukrainians are white Christians. Is that why people seem more enthusiastic about welcoming them? Maybe. For some. But there is another explanation. Ukrainians are like us. Not because they're white, but because they hold the same values. Also, has there ever been a war with such clear distinctions between what we value as good and what we abhor as evil? Again, it is obvious which side we must be on. 

As a boy, I used to think the inscription for the Statue of Liberty was a policy of the United States. Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.... But this is not U.S. policy, it is just an inscription. Maybe, in the end, Zelensky's super power will be reminding us to do a deep read of that inscription and look at how we treat all refugees and immigrants. That may be wishful thinking. But I would like to believe in the possibility that we are capable of welcoming equally all huddled masses that yearn to breathe free -- even when the reasons are not as sharply drawn as they are here. How many times do we need to be reminded that there is only one Human Race and that all sub-divisions are artificial constructs? The tears shed on this war are partly a reaction to Putin's psychopathic cruelty and partly for frustration over the stupidity of the politics behind the war. Trump's playing politics by withholding aid to Ukraine during the 2020 campaign is the most obvious example of the intersection of Ukraine and American politics. The next close example is our immigration and refugee policies. Maybe, now, we can see that this must change. Maybe in Ukraine there is a seed of hope for that kind of future. 

One added thought: 

Trump trumpeted that there was no war between Russia and Ukraine while he was in power because he is such a genius peacekeeper. Are you kidding me? The war didn't start during Trump's reign because Putin got everything he wanted from him: withholding military funding from Ukraine, taking Putin's word that he didn't interfere with the U.S. election, countenancing the poisoning and imprisonment of Russian dissidents. Trump acquiesced to these Putin escapades and much more. Genius! Trump trumpets his prowess as a strong leader. Look at Trump and then look at Zelensky and tell me which is the more capable, brave, and strong. 

St. Sophias Cathedral, Kyiv, Ukraine.