The Fundamental Difference between Ukraine and Russia

As I write this, more than one hundred thousand Russian troops are gathered along their border with Ukraine. Every day, Ukrainian citizens are living in fear of invasion. Why are innocent people facing the prospect of death and destruction at the hands of a foreign power? The answer is the same one that underlies so many historical conflicts: The failure of states to recognize the moral primacy of the individual.

Consider the Russian regime’s two main arguments for its aggressive behavior. One is the claim that the potential eastward expansion of NATO threatens Russia’s national security.¹ The other is that Russia and Ukraine are part of the same historic Russian culture and should be united as one people.²

It’s easy to pick factual holes in these “arguments,” and many have. NATO is a defensive alliance, and none of its members are going to initiate an attack against Russia. A peaceful Russia is no more threatened by a NATO-backed Ukraine than Turkey is. Countries that trade with each other instead of threatening each other have no reason to go to war. On the historical point, the fact that Ukraine shares history with Russia says nothing about whether either or both of these governments are legitimate—and certainly does not grant Russia the right to invade Ukraine. . . .

About Thomas Walker-Werth

Thomas Walker-Werth is associate editor at The Objective Standard and a fellow at both Objective Standard Institute and Foundation for Economic Education. He writes and speaks on personal development, philosophy, history, and science, and he organized the Innovation Celebration conference with his wife Angelica. See more of his work at walker-werth.com.

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