Why Help Ukraine?

The saying is that history repeats itself, and it could very well be about to do just that.
Without going into some longwinded history lesson, lets just say that if the concern really is avoiding WWIII then we need to stop Russia. Using the excuse that helping too much could lead to WWIII is perhaps unrealistically optimistic, it is also possible that war has already started and we might not be doing enough about it. When you allow an aggressor to operate outside of defined international requirements without immediate, overwhelming unity and action, they will continue to do what they want because it quickly becomes clear nobody is actually going to do anything to stop them. The warning signs are there, the only way to end this is to insure a military defeat for Russia, anything else will only make the aggressor more confident and could easily lead to the very escalation those without the will to do what must be done say they are trying to avoid. Allowing a reckless nuclear power to dictate world politics simply by making the threat of using those weapons means the red line has already been crossed, if that is what the aggressor is implying, then the only response the rest of the world can make is to show without question that we will not live under that threat or allow one man to affect the world in such a negative way, or have we already forgotten how it plays out if we do not.

So what can you do, short of going to Ukraine to take up arms yourself?
The answer is that each individual can do a lot, because we make up the international community that can require our leaders to take proper action. You should also stay informed by keeping an eye on a reliable news source, not propaganda, but a trustworthy source of information. When you see something you can affect, do so. As examples, ASUS continues to sell it’s products in Russia, you can help by not purchasing ASUS products, and telling them why you are not. Same would hold true at the country level; disappointed that Germany (of all countries) is not doing enough to stop this aggression, then don’t purchase products made in Germany and again, tell those companies about your decision. That is how individuals become the most powerful actors in world politics, by making ourselves heard and taking collective individual action. In the end, a little research and some emails can insure that your money is not spent funding bad actors, and that your politicians know what you expect from them.

Or you can just ignore the problem and hope it goes away … after WWIII.

* These are my opinions, yours may differ.