The Ukrainian Crisis

There are quite a few conflicts in the world at any one time. Think about it, when was the last time that you remember the news not talking about a war, conflict, or any other military action somewhere in the world? My entire life I cannot think of one time, one solitary moment of peace. Can you?

 The Past

I am half Ukrainian and half Polish but All American. I have always been an extremely patriotic individual. But that does not mean I have forgotten my roots. I really wish that I had more time with my grandmother to be able to find out more about that portion of my family and heritage. The biggest thing I remember being told was a story of when my Grandmother and Grandfather running from the Nazis through Europe on their way to the United States, as most did during that time. I remember hearing about how they would routinely hide in trenches or abandon and burnt out homes as they fled the chaos and calamity of the war raging around them. My Grandmother was pregnant with my father at the time and my uncle was probably around 10 years old I believe. 

My father ended up being born in Austria and when they finally made it to the United States they settled in Pennsylvania. Over the years they all learned really good English and did what everyone else did.The eventually moved to Chicago and when he grew up and got married, had children, and started a life devoid of all wars. We lived for a while in a place called "the Ukrainian Village". It was a Ukrainian community in Chicago that tried to keep Ukrainian customs alive in new generations of people growing up in America. 

I am mentioning this because our country, America, has done a wonderful job through the generations building a country with a wide variety of people, cultures, and ideals. Although some might argue that point and claim that the crime and racism that exists is a clear example of why it is not working, I think most would agree with me that it is. So what about the rest of the world? What about the Ukraine? I am asked often by those around me who know what my heritage is what my thoughts are about the crisis that is going on over there. I am asked how I feel about it or if I know more than they do.

A Cultural & Real Separation

There is a lot going on over in Europe that I have no idea about. I'll admit, I don't really pay much attention to what is going on over there. Why would I? With what has been happening over in the Ukraine I have been paying attention to the news a little more but I still never made a huge effort to search out or find specific programs geared towards information on the conflict. From what I do know however it does see like there are some really bad things happening over there and it does not appear to be slowing down at all. On the contrary, it seems to be gaining momentum, not losing it.

I cannot say for sure what it will take to end the conflict but it does seem like some neighboring countries might need to get involved. And why not? Some of what is happening could very well spill over the Ukrainian borders and into their lands. Now, on top of the troops that Russia has been amassing on the borders, pro-separatist militias are taking over various government buildings and areas. People are fighting and dying and I think it is just a matter of time before everything escalates into full war. 

It is difficult for people here in the US to get involved in what is happening there. We just do not have enough information or enough cultural knowledge to really know what's best. The various factions and ideals that people are fighting for are foreign to us. Russia built certain portions of the country and populated others. Russia also dominated the Ukraine for many years and when they finally got their independence it was long overdue.  The problem is that it was relatively recent and there are still a lot of people there who are Russian at heart. It makes for a difficult situation and again, one that the United States should stay out of. That is, unless the prevailing government, the true government of the country sincerely asks us for help. Should that happen we will really need to determine what is right and what our previous obligations might be. How bad do we want to piss of Russia?