Collateral hopes

The immense destruction being caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine accentuates pessimism about the human condition, especially that of autocrats convinced they have come into this world with a messianic mission to fulfil. This is the case of President-dictator Vladimir Putin, but also of many other leaders in their respective countries who have set themselves up as omnipotent warlords, lords of lives and estates, and for whom the universal principles of law do not apply as long as they do not coincide with their supreme and tyrannical will.

The collateral damage of the war currently raging in Ukraine is already colossal, not only in material terms but also in terms of the enormous destruction of millions of lives: those that are being cut short or those that will bear the perennial irreversible wounds of body and soul in the future. Also, of course, the tragedy for many millions of human beings, inhabitants of distant countries or of the countries in the battered Ukrainian theatre where the operations of bombing, destruction and extermination are taking place.

In the midst of all these misfortunes, however, there is a glimmer of hope in the camp of the democracies. Violently shaken by national-populist onslaughts, challenged by those who struggle between the alternative of freedom and inefficiency versus supposedly effective totalitarianism, and their once determined proselytising for their values in retreat, the liberal democracies have finally gone on the offensive. The developments in the European Union as a whole in the first ten days of war allow us to believe in the miracle that it is still possible for freedom and democracy, with all its values, to prevail, so that they can once again become the attractive magnet of hope for all the peoples of the world.

The narrative of all these days, in which reticence has disappeared or even seemingly eternal parameters of behaviour have collapsed, such as Germany's decision to end its aversion to weapons or Switzerland's decision to abandon its everlasting and exquisite neutrality, shows that the West has realised the enormity of the challenge and has decided to speak the language of force.

Proof that our values are worthwhile

The unanimity reached by NATO and EU countries in adopting the unprecedented sanctions against Putin's Russia, even at the cost of the damage they would cause, also shows that the supreme values of our model of society are worth more than short-term economic interests. It is also the first great practical demonstration of the solidity of the European project, which so many had already considered to be on the verge of irrelevance. The scale of Vladimir Putin's challenge has therefore had the good side-effect of restoring hope and showing that freedom is worth fighting for.

Of course, one might argue that NATO's stinginess in declaring Ukraine a no-fly zone, which would prevent Russian bombers from further ravaging the tormented country, presided over by a hero like Volodimyr Zelenski. As Putin himself has threatened, to do so would have been tantamount to a head-on NATO-Russia clash and an all-out world war that has yet to be officially labelled as such. Such a clash cannot be ruled out. It will depend on how effective actions and sanctions prove to be this time, which, this time, have turned Russia and its richest and most influential figures into pariahs.

There also remains the hope that, despite the regime of terror Putin has imposed on his subordinates, which is very reminiscent of the one his idolised Stalin used to inflict, Russia will find an alternative solution to the ruthless subjugation of its own people and neighbours.

But given this unity and steadfastness in confronting the common enemy, there is also hope that the West and its values will be able to ally with the rest of the world in the other major global challenges facing us. In the meantime, we must increase mobilisation and resources to help as much as possible the brave Ukrainians fighting on the ground, and the millions of refugees who refuse to resign themselves to living under the despotic boot of tyranny. Let us welcome them and toast with them as those who fight for freedom and the values of our civilisation deserve.