Mediaboss Marketing

Russias war on Ukraine has built an unprecedented level of unity and geopolitical decisiveness across the Atlantic and among democracies around the world. This is the precise opposite of what Russia had intended. Russia has worked to sow discord within democratic countries and between allies for years through its information operations, often portraying the West in disarray and as weak supporters for their global partners.

The past couple of weeks have shown the opposite. The United States, NATO and the EU are fully coordinated and providing era re-defining support for Ukraine, a country defending itself from an invasion that seeks to deter Ukraine from its path toward democracy and a system free of corruption. Moreover, the invasion is finally motivating Europeans and Americans to free their countries of Russias influence in their information, energy and financial sectors.

Across Europe, the war has inspired a commitment to democracy, and it has forced through tough political decisions that seemed impossible a week ago. Perhaps in the United States, the war will also inspire a true reckoning across the political spectrum, beyond the Biden administration alone.

The West is proving Russia wrong. As the Alliance for Securing Democracy noted, in the lead up to the invastion of Ukraine, Kremlin-linked social media accounts falsely asserted that Western countries need a war, misrepresenting the motivations and interests of the U.S. and Europe, and in the case of France, amplifying voices calling for the country to leave NATO. Russian state-backed media outlet RT also pushed the narrative that Ukraine is isolated and without supporters, depicting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as helplessly bemoaning that Ukraine has been left alone.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The West was at Putins table, passionately working for diplomatic resolution. Putin launched the invasion in the middle of the U.N. Security Council meeting on paths for de-escalation (torpedoing the diplomatic option in practice and symbolically). Then, the U.S., with Europe, UK, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and other democratic partners, put in place the most unified and severe economic sanctions that could have been foreseen. The coordinated move even targeted the Russian Central Bank, which President Putin uses as a war chest.

Contrary to worst expectations, even far-right French politicians denounced the invasion. And rather than leaving Ukraine to be overrun, individual European countries and the United States are not only providing Ukraine with weapons, but the European Union for the first time in its history is providing EUR450 million for military assistance.

Russias war on Ukraine has pushed Europeans to make foreign and domestic policy decisions not seen in a generation or more. Germany, which until last week had stood by 1970s principles of economic partnership with Russia and hope for political change through trade, halted the completed, but not yet operational, Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Russia and committed to beefing up defense spending to EUR100 billion, more than doubling spending from last year. This turnaround includes a commitment that Germany will meet the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defense one that Germany previously seemed unlikely to reach any time soon.

The transformative and consolidating effect of Russias invasion is also directed inward. Weak policies on Russia for decades have hinged on openness to Russias influence, in the energy sector in Europe and in the financial and information sectors worldwide. The EUs announcement of a ban on Russias state-backed outlets, expected transition away from Russian energy, and severe economic sanctions on Russia despite likely fallout on European economies show the dramatic turnaround in Europes vulnerability to Russia influence. The Biden administration also announced a taskforce that will seek to identify ill-gained assets of sanctioned Russian oligarchs in the U.S. and the West.

As the war continues, Europe has already taken steps that for decades have been pushed but seemed impossible. The question remains how much of this introspection and foundational support for democracy will also extend to the far corners of the U.S. political establishment. Before the invasion, Fox News star commentator Tucker Carlson participated in spreading the idea that the United States and its allies were the main driver in the current escalation with Russia. Former President Trump called President Putin a genius, though he has walked back these comments in recent days.

Will Americans across all corners of the political spectrum follow their counterparts in France and Germany and do what is essential but seemed politically impossible just days ago, cutting off autocratic tendencies and weaknesses? Russia is forcing a reckoning for all democracies to stop anti-democratic erosion, one that Russia itself has seeded across societies. It is the moment to prove Russia wrong and heal what has been broken at home. If Europe so long denounced as slow and unambitious can do it in a weekend, so can the United States.

Kristine Berzina is a senior fellow and head of the geopolitics team for the German Marshall Funds Alliance for Securing Democracy. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

Find the full opinion section here. Got an opinion about this issue? Send a letter to the editor and you just might get published.

Follow this link:
How Russias invasion of Ukraine strengthened democracy around the world - The Dallas Morning News