For Zabine Van Ness, the news from Mariupol, Ukraine brings back traumatic memories. Zabine knows firsthand what war does to innocent people. Her earliest childhood memories are of being rushed to the cellar to take cover during bombing raids.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said President Biden was not advocating for regime change in Russia when reporters asked. The US has done it in the past, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and other nations, so it is a fair question. In those instances, we have taken direct military actions or manipulated others to eject their leaders. However, it may have to result from their internal politics in Russia.
Unfolding horrific events in Ukraine coupled with brutal repression of dissent in Russia have caused me to insert another declaration that is equally relevant to any study of ethics, policy, and law, given the death and destruction we are witnessing because of the ambitions and grievances of Vladimir Putin.
This is not the Ukraine, 2022. This is again Czechoslovakia,1968. It is a seminal year for all events: social, cultural and political, worldwide. The world is watching… hoping and holding its breath, for the outcome to be revealed. Can this ragtag group of dreamers overcome the odds—will support come from people and governments around the globe?
“Treason” is an act of criminal disloyalty to the state, according to the dictionary. It is especially egregious when you have been formally elected by the citizens to be the head of state and have sworn a public oath to “preserve, protect, and defend” it.