Fresno State lecturer: America cannot lose its status as beacon of hope to the world
The ongoing worldwide clash between democracy and authoritarianism has now been expanded to China, where millions protested the government’s COVID isolation policies; and Iran, where laws regulating the headdress of women are under attack by multitudes of men and women alike.
While it’s unclear whether these protests will result in meaningful change in the long run, the very fact that they are taking place at all is a significant indicator that impatience with authoritarianism is becoming a widespread phenomenon.
The battle for freedom, of course, is particularly noteworthy in Ukraine, a nation of 43 million people, the second largest land area in Europe outside Russia.
The world has witnessed the spectacle of her productive soil being overrun by her ancient enemy, her cities and villages shattered into ruins by thousands of artillery shells and bombs, a tragedy met with selfless leadership comprised of courage and discipline. Even in the face of food shortages, along with the loss of heat, water and lights, such a bold response to brutality brings to mind the Battle of Britain more than 80 years ago.
The triumph of Russian aggression in this war would be a major disaster for freedom and democracy everywhere, but at this point in time, the force of events appear to favor the Ukrainians. The resources, military and otherwise, made available by the U.S. and our allies, along with a much weaker Russian Army than anticipated, have enhanced considerably the odds that Ukraine will survive intact.
This current positive outlook for Ukraine could change drastically, however, given the new Republican takeover in the House of Representative in January. GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has said he doesn’t see very good odds for much continued funding for Ukraine in the next Congress, a view shared by a number of Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., both of whom, along with others, want to shut off all aid immediately.
Not surprisingly, the great majority of MAGA Republicans who oppose our support for Ukraine in their war against Russian fascism are the same people who are election deniers at home, supporters of the Jan. 6th violence to overthrow our government, who are fighting to restrict voting rights for Americans of color in a number of states, and who are advocating that the respective state legislatures should have the power to overturn their states’ election results if they are not happy with the outcome.
By encouraging Russian aggression against democratic Ukraine while simultaneously promoting authoritarian policies at home, they are encouraging elements of fascism on both sides of the Atlantic, including racism, imperialism, militarism, and extreme nationalism, along with the age-old ignominy of anti-Semitism. It was against these forces of evil that we lost more than 400,000 lives defending democracy during World War II.
For well over 200 years, our great nation has been a beacon of light to the rest of the world. Our forefathers moved here from Europe and Asia, Africa and Latin America, to be free, to live in peace without fear of government oppression.
For us to turn now from our long heritage of democracy to a continent of darkness while forces within the boundaries of adversaries such as China and Iran are rebelling for what we already have would be unthinkable. Let us remember forever history’s important lesson, that “a great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within.”
Gary Wayne Walker of Fresno lectures on history and literature to seniors at Fresno State.
