We are Ukraine (Part I): The Danger of Praising "Strong Men" Like Sycophantic Fan Boys

Ми Україна.

An Opinion Piece by Darren M. Slade, PhD

Like many of you, I just happened to be awake late when the red ticket banner came across my computer screen. Russia had begun its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The European continent was potentially plunging into an all-out war that hasn't been seen in over 80 years.

And like many from the World War II generation, I witnessed numerous religionists actually come to the defense of a tyrannical, murderous dictator by praising his "strong-man" tactics like a bunch of fan boys. "At least Putin's not a weakling like President Brandon!" they declare without any hint of irony or empathy for the horrendous human suffering taking place.

Women and children are being blown to pieces, for goodness sake. 18-year-old boys are being asked to fight to their deaths. Countless millions are being forced to abandon their homes, their families, and their entire lives after having done nothing to deserve such aggression.

For any religious or political ideology to be put at the service of the rich instead of the poor, the powerful instead of the oppressed, of war instead of peace, turns morality completely upside down. And to make things worse, American politicians (one party, in particular) embroil themselves in petty squabbles of blaming everything on the other party, wasting energy on deciding who among them are true sycophants of their political cult. All the while, the rest of us endure violence, war, drugs, racism, and greed.

So, who's to blame for the war crimes happening in Ukraine?

The Democrats blame Russia (because, you know, they are the military aggressor). The Republicans blame Democrats (because, you know ... reasons, I guess).

Right away, conservative leaders seem to care more about demonizing liberals than they do about remedying global crises. They excel at being opinionated but, in the end, do nothing to better humanity.

Is it ever justifiable to intentionally target innocent civilians in order to achieve political or military ends?

Years ago, one study found that Americans are the most likely population in the world (49%) to believe military attacks targeting civilians are justifiable.

The transient nature of these morals results in certain religionists succumbing to a war-like stupor, forcing them to amplify their own righteousness while exaggerating the wickedness of political rivals. Instead of being pro-life, they praise merchants of death. And make no mistake, praising "strong men" for their violent tactics is, itself, a cult of personality. And when you join a religious cult, you are likely to be enlisted to support wars-of-choice as a fulfillment of some obscure prophecies or divine plan. As history has shown repeatedly, this mindset is only one small step away from actively advocating for genocide as the will of God.

All that to say, I personally care less about your theological and political beliefs than I do about whether you're willing to kill for those beliefs (or standby and praise those doing the killing). What Russia has done to Ukraine should be loudly and universally condemned by every world leader, every religious leader, and every worshipper of God on this planet.

But what about NATO and other militaries? Should they do more than just condemn and apply sanctions? That's harder to answer, but I think the ethics of intervention and nonintervention is pretty straightforward...

**To be Continued** Part II: The Ethics of Military Intervention Against Russia

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