Problem-Posing War and Death in Ukraine

Document Type

Editorial

Publication Date

Spring 5-2022

Abstract

"There are many conflicts over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And these need to be debated and debated again. Debates in the spirit of dialogue work best. Dialogues that initially serve to pose questions are important. Which doesn’t mean solutions are unimportant. They are crucial but best served when the right questions are asked. In my writings on Ukraine, I have tried to show how nationalist conservatives have engaged in an insidious lexical opportunism in order to adjust their allegiance from Putin to Ukraine so as to advance their version of authoritarian populism and make it seem compatible with the interests of the Ukrainian government. They might have a point if they believe that Zelenskyy is a puppet of the oligarchs and supports an ‘exclusivist nationalism’ that is anti-Western, anti-democracy and would be completely inhospitable to Russian speakers in Ukraine. I don’t believe this to be the case. At the same time, the left is having its own disagreements, often freighted with acrimony and populated by vile accusations hurled about like daggers in a travelling circus act."

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This article was originally published in PESA Agora in spring 2022.

Copyright

PESA Agora

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