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| Biden Speaking in Warsaw |
“Time and again, history shows that it’s from the darkest moments that the greatest progress follows.”
Our dark moment is that Russia invaded Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, a little more than a month ago. Evidently the Russian government expected an easy conquest. Instead, they have encountered fierce resistance and dim prospects for ultimate victory. In the meantime, a great nation is being bombed to rubble – and yet continues to resist.
So, Europe is again at war. War is so very terrible, but people too often think – at the war’s outset – that victory will be quick and easy. Initial enlistments in the Confederate and Union armies in 1860 were for only 90 days. Both sides anticipated a quick, easy triumph. Both sides were wrong about that. People are still wrong when they think that war is easy.
In contrast, Biden’s speech warned the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that the world is in for a long, hard struggle. He gave us a precedent. After World War II, Poland was an occupied satellite state of the Soviet Union. Under Lech Wałęsa’s leadership, Poland broke away from the Soviet tyranny and established itself as an independent and proud nation.
As Biden explained in his speech:
That was Biden’s key point. Nothing, Biden emphasized, about that flight “was simple or easy.” It took years. It took decades. The result of the hard struggle, however, was a breath of freedom:
And that, Biden emphasized, gives us a historical precedent. Ignoring the angry pundits, optimistic supporters, and political opponents who expect a quick, easy solution to the Ukraine crisis, Biden warned NATO – warned the world – warned the United States – that nothing about this would be easy:
Biden’s “clear-eyed” warning was the most important part of his speech. That, more than anything, is what we needed to hear. We can only face dangers if we acknowledge them. The press concentrated on a soundbite, when Biden called for Vladimir Putin to leave office. That, most certainly was not the speech’s most important point. Biden was preparing NATO to accomplish its purpose. NATO’s purpose is to deter Russian aggression. That is why NATO was founded, and that is why it still exists today.
I am merely a retired speech professor, and I don’t pretend to know what the best foreign policy would be. I do know that the world has reached a dangerous inflection point. The world could erupt into full-blown World War III, which would surely be the worst calamity in human existence. Or, by acknowledging the danger and working together, world leaders might have the wisdom to fend off disaster.
The postmodern political world pays the most attention to politicians who deliver quick quips and then offer easy solutions to complicated problems. Biden offered neither. Instead, he offered the wisdom of history. Are we listening?
“Ten years later, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Poland and Central and Eastern Europe would soon be free. Nothing about that battle for freedom was simple or easy. It was a long, painful slog fought over not days and months, but years and decades.”
That was Biden’s key point. Nothing, Biden emphasized, about that flight “was simple or easy.” It took years. It took decades. The result of the hard struggle, however, was a breath of freedom:
“But we emerged anew in the great battle for freedom: a battle between democracy and autocracy, between liberty and repression, between a rules-based order and one governed by brute force.”
And that, Biden emphasized, gives us a historical precedent. Ignoring the angry pundits, optimistic supporters, and political opponents who expect a quick, easy solution to the Ukraine crisis, Biden warned NATO – warned the world – warned the United States – that nothing about this would be easy:
“In this battle, we need to be clear-eyed. This battle will not be won in days or months either. We need to steel ourselves for the long fight ahead.”
Biden’s “clear-eyed” warning was the most important part of his speech. That, more than anything, is what we needed to hear. We can only face dangers if we acknowledge them. The press concentrated on a soundbite, when Biden called for Vladimir Putin to leave office. That, most certainly was not the speech’s most important point. Biden was preparing NATO to accomplish its purpose. NATO’s purpose is to deter Russian aggression. That is why NATO was founded, and that is why it still exists today.
I am merely a retired speech professor, and I don’t pretend to know what the best foreign policy would be. I do know that the world has reached a dangerous inflection point. The world could erupt into full-blown World War III, which would surely be the worst calamity in human existence. Or, by acknowledging the danger and working together, world leaders might have the wisdom to fend off disaster.
The postmodern political world pays the most attention to politicians who deliver quick quips and then offer easy solutions to complicated problems. Biden offered neither. Instead, he offered the wisdom of history. Are we listening?
Earlier Post Never Give in: Words of Wisdom from Winston Churchill
Earlier Post: Franklin Roosevelt's War Message, December 8, 1941
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P.S. During my teaching years, I often asked my students to read Why Nations Go to War by political scientist John Stoessinger. That superb book examines the key decision moment when world leaders, invariably by mistake, decide to jump over the cliff and launch their nations into combat. What leads presidents and dictators to such overconfidence, violence, and poor judgment? In every case, world leaders’ poor judgment involved poor small group communication. That is, nations go to war because leaders fail to listen, jump to conclusions, ignore advice, or surround themselves with incompetent sycophants. When history writes the history of Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine – and I’m assuming that there will be someone left to write the history – bad communication, poor judgment, and impulsiveness will surely turn out to underlie his leadership. Anyway, I recommend Stoessinger’s book to everyone.
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