True enough. And not a good look for an early 21st century audience who has never experienced or rarely studied a nation under an existential military onslaught. Though, some of our parents and most of our grandfathers experienced something similar.
The American Bund was a late thirties pro-fascist movement. It’s last rally in 1939 drew 20,000 supporters to Madison Square Garden. By late 1941, the organization’s leadership had been arrested and or deported (American citizens) and the party was banned. During the same period, all one had to be was a first generation American of Japanese ancestry in the US or Canada to loose one’s livelihood and be placed with one’s family in a concentration camp for the duration of the war.
The Cold War was also an existential conflict. The House Committee on Unamerican Activities made itself quite infamous for pursuing communists - real and imagined. We forget today that it’s efforts were strongly supported by the American people. Heck, even John Wayne starred in a movie where he was an agent of the committee chasing down a murderous communist in Hawaii - played by James Arness of all people.
In 1940, the British government banned, the British Union Party because it might represent a ”fifth column” supporting Germany.
It may be correct that Zelensky is trying to consolidate his power as a dictator. I think it is at least as likely that the Ukrainian government is acting not so differently than other democracies have during existential conflict.
Most of these pro-Russian parties are small and locally based in the East. The largest of these, is the pro-Russian Opposition Platform for Life which holds a little less than 10% of the seats in the Ukrainian parliament. It is lead by Victor Medvedchuk who has close ties to Putin.
Should he and his government have done so? From our point of view, probably not. If nothing else, he has given additional grist for Tucker’s new neo-isolationism mill. But before we judge Ukraine too harshly as they literally battle for their existence, we should study our own history.
The American Bund was a late thirties pro-fascist movement. It’s last rally in 1939 drew 20,000 supporters to Madison Square Garden. By late 1941, the organization’s leadership had been arrested and or deported (American citizens) and the party was banned. During the same period, all one had to be was a first generation American of Japanese ancestry in the US or Canada to loose one’s livelihood and be placed with one’s family in a concentration camp for the duration of the war.
The Cold War was also an existential conflict. The House Committee on Unamerican Activities made itself quite infamous for pursuing communists - real and imagined. We forget today that it’s efforts were strongly supported by the American people. Heck, even John Wayne starred in a movie where he was an agent of the committee chasing down a murderous communist in Hawaii - played by James Arness of all people.
In 1940, the British government banned, the British Union Party because it might represent a ”fifth column” supporting Germany.
It may be correct that Zelensky is trying to consolidate his power as a dictator. I think it is at least as likely that the Ukrainian government is acting not so differently than other democracies have during existential conflict.
Most of these pro-Russian parties are small and locally based in the East. The largest of these, is the pro-Russian Opposition Platform for Life which holds a little less than 10% of the seats in the Ukrainian parliament. It is lead by Victor Medvedchuk who has close ties to Putin.
Should he and his government have done so? From our point of view, probably not. If nothing else, he has given additional grist for Tucker’s new neo-isolationism mill. But before we judge Ukraine too harshly as they literally battle for their existence, we should study our own history.
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