With apologies for voicing an opinion rather than linking an external article.
I am of the strong opinion that Remembrance Day had become at best grandstanding, and at worst, completely meaningless. There are phases tossed around like “Lest we Forget” or “Never Again”. But when Russia invaded Ukraine, we have effectively done the opposite (or very nearly).
Sure, we can send ammo so Ukranians can fight back, or host some of their forces for training. But the reality is, we are only marginally involved. We haven’t mobilized. We aren’t on war footing economically.
The root causes are many. But a combination of NATO’s article 5 protection only kicking in if we are attacked (rather than joining an already existing war), and the threat of nuclear retaliation, means we are paralyzed politically.
At a minimum: I would support direct involvement, whether that’s ramping up our own military, deploying specialists, reservists for minesweeping, stationing our own troops (meagre as they are) in Ukraine to directly support the fight. I would actually support much larger actions, including naval blockades or airspace closures but wholly understand that Canada cannot execute those on their own.
We cannot allow genocidal wars to be pressed in the modern world. And we should be doing everything we can about it. Right now, we’re doing barely more than nothing.
Respectfully, I don’t.
Remember the days leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when anyone with half a brain could see what was coming? THAT was the time to say “never again”, and prove that the horrors of war hadn’t been forgotten: by taking a hard stance and not even allowing it to start.
Instead, politicians dragged their feet, bickered, and accepted Putin’s lies even though they knew better. Now, even the rosiest, most optimistic scenario will have to include unnecessary death and destruction. I don’t think we should take his threats of nuclear war seriously, either, unless we want to establish a precedent of letting any nuclear power commit any atrocity they want.
I’d say the “we should have done something” window was during Putin’s rise to power and the (first? second?) invasion of Cechnya. But the West fucked off after winning the Cold War and here we are.