Artwork by Michael DiMilo
By Geoff Carter
In the cult film classic, The Big Lebowski, the Dude, its laconic anti-hero, complains to the other Lebowski—the Big Lebowski, the rich one—that he, the Dude, has been robbed and beaten up by thugs who had mistook him for the other Lebowski. The Dude is neither rich nor powerful, but he is principled. He stands up for his rights, saying to his doppelganger, “This aggression will not stand, man.” The Dude–seeking only justice—is thrown out for his troubles.
This movie is a cult classic partly because The Dude, Jeff Lebowski, is an American paragon of freedom—a man who does whatever he wants whenever he wants. He doesn’t work, he has few responsibilities, but still has his standards. He stands up for principles of justice and fairness. After all, in his youth, the Dude had been a member of the Seattle Seven and one of the authors of The Port Huron Statement. But, like America in general, the Dude has been slipping since the halcyon days of the sixties. His protests are now by and large dismissed, his legacy ignored, and his own ambition has stagnated. He has grown disillusioned and cynical. But somehow, despite sometimes overwhelming odds, the Dude still believes in the principles of fairness.
Late last week, the world stood by helpless and horrified as the Russian Army, citing a thinly veiled lie—a manufactured provocation—invaded Ukraine. It was hardly a surprise. Russia had been massing forces at the border for weeks, blatantly telegraphing their intention to invade the smaller country. Over one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers had been standing at the ready for weeks. Field hospitals, prepared with quantities of blood and plasma, ready and waiting for casualties, had been erected close to the border.
President Biden and other Western European leaders attempted to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of getting him to stand down. They threatened sanctions against financial institutions, Russian energy imports, and technology. Putin listened, shrugged, but went ahead and invaded, anyway, provoking America to impose the strictest sanctions ever brought against another country. Personal restrictions against Putin’s personal cohort of oligarchs—and his own children—have also been imposed by America and its NATO allies. France and Italy have imposed no-fly zones over their airspace, while Germany and other countries have sharply raised military spending. According to Vox , Russia has also been cut off from SWIFT, the electronic messaging service that allows financial institutions to communicate about international transactions. Germany has also frozen the Nord Stream 2 gas project.
So, in effect, America and its NATO allies, like The Dude, are saying this aggression will not stand. And, not unlike The Dude, their protests and efforts seemed—at first, at least—ineffectual. Putin knew what they were going to do—they told him to his face—but he didn’t care. Like a schoolyard bully, he went ahead and started beating up Ukraine anyway, daring anyone to step him and try to stop him.
No one wants to interfere militarily. While some countries, including the US and various NATO members, are sending munitions and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainians, all governments are reluctant to send in troops. Getting involved in a land war against a nuclear power helmed by a megalomaniac is in itself pretty risky. Sending young people off to die in a foreign land—even for a just and right cause—is political suicide. The stakes are simply too high.
And apparently, even the Russians don’t want to fight. Dispatches from the front have confirmed that some Russian units have refused to take up arms against the Ukrainian people, openly rebelling against their leadership. Others have surrendered to Ukrainian forces who have put up a valiant and surprisingly effective struggle against a superior foe. Huge anti-war demonstrations have popped up in Moscow and St. Petersburg. As of Sunday, the Ukrainian Air Force still had not relinquished control of the skies to the superior Russian Air Force. Against all odds, they’re hanging on.
And, short of putting boots on the ground, Europe, the US, and most recently, Australia, have done everything they can do. They’ve presented a united front in putting an economic headlock on Putin and his cronies. Even Switzerland, that paragon of international neutrality, has slapped financial sanctions onto Russian holdings. Putin responded to these efforts by putting his nuclear forces into a “state of high readiness”. According to the The New York Times, Biden chose to largely ignore the threat, which the American Ambassador to the UN characterized as “another escalatory and unnecessary step that threatens us all.” More posturing from the bully. But Biden, to his credit, didn’t blink.
The sanctions do seem to be taking hold. On Monday, February 28th, the Russian ruble had lost one quarter of its value. Citizens rushed to withdraw money and the Russian Stock Market closed because of the “developing situation”(NY Times). While the fighting has not slackened and Putin seems undeterred in his ambition to annex the Ukraine, pressure on the Russian economy continues to mount. As the ruble crashes and connections to the West are cut, Putin may have to rethink his position.
If this onslaught of sanctions is at least partly successful—and early indications are that it may be—then the world may be entering a new era of solidarity and civilized order. If the nations of the world can successfully prevent military aggression using a hegemonic economic firewall, perhaps our planet might be on the verge of an enforcable peace.
And maybe the Dude was right. His insistence that “this aggression will not stand, man”—despite his ineffectiveness in dealing with violence (especially when fighting the nihilists)—just might be possible. It may very well be that in his day, when a vision of world peace seemed possible—but then soured as we watched the youth movements of the sixties dissolve into capital gains and profit margins—that the hippies were right, that peaceful change can work. Maybe, just maybe, a schoolyard of kids standing together might be able to disarm the biggest and nastiest bully.
Or maybe that’s just your opinion, man.
Sources
Great column, Geoff. I’m clicking my heels watching the UN and NATO cooperating. I’m sick thinking about the destruction the Ukraine has suffered and will probably continue to suffer.
Thanks, Neal. I know all of this is probably wishful thinking, but sanctioning seems stronger than ever before. Hopefully, they’ll work,