***This is not some silly argument about contribution ratios***
So, today is the anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany to Comintern forces (Allied Forces made peace the day before). Other than the obvious and self-evident significance of the anniversary, this particular date is being celebrated by some, but politicized by others. Of course, I am referring to Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. Every year, on May 9, a flurry of celebrations take place on Red Square. The flagship event is the military parade. This is a show of the Russian Armed Forces parading through the square as they had done from the very first Victory Day celebration back in 1946. This holiday is the Russian fourth of July. This parade is not just a show of muscle. This is a commemoration that honors those who sacrificed everything, to pay respects to those who were irreversibly damaged by oppressive Soviet policy regarding veterans, and to celebrate those who are still able to take pride in the successful defense of their homes. But this is not only about Russia. This holiday is about the contribution of the former USSR republics, the Allied forces who fought alongside the Comintern forces, and most importantly, peace. Russia has a tradition of inviting figures from western countries to participate in the event. For instance, in 2005, government ministers from the US, Canada, Poland, Italy, Spain, and even Germany were invited to attend. The Americans, French, and British were even able to march alongside the Russians. Today, the very invitation to attend the Victory Day parade was declined by the US, Canada, Ukraine, Germany, Czech Republic, the UK, the Nordic Countries, the Baltic Countries, Bulgaria, and Poland. My question is...why????
Of course, this is Russia's equivalent of the Fourth of July, but imagine if we invited the Russians to participate in our Fourth of July!
The very fortunate side of this is that the ministers of a few of these countries are celebrating their own parades. Belarus, for example, will be holding its own parade. Alexander Lukashenko was quoted saying that, "We are together and [we] share [Russia's] feelings." Angela Merkel, however, will be visiting on the day after. What is the point? Why would you directly and purposefully miss the largest celebration of the defeat of your country's largest, darkest blot upon its history? Surely a leader as skilled and competent as Chancellor Merkel recognizes the diplomatic advantages of attending? Merkel confirmed plans to meet with Vladimir Putin to commemorate the event in an alternative manner. Her spokesman, however, stated that attending a military parade in light of recent actions would be 'inappropriate.' As stated above, this celebration is much more than that, and Merkel obviously recognizes that. In addition, such an event which is dedicated to the common struggle of Russia and its partners is a perfect starting point for a relations thaw. The value is there, and Merkel sees it. The question, again, is why would she downplay her attendance?. We can begin to see a clearer picture with the Czech President, Milos Zeman, whose situation is somewhat similar to Merkel's. Zeman has been a critic of western foreign policy since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, and he has repeatedly criticized the boycotting of this event. Moreover, he remained steadfast in the desire to attend the V-day parade. All of this despite drawing criticism from the US and the EU. Zeman was so confident in his decision that he banned US ambassador-- Andrew Schapiro-- from Prague Castle. This is truly a man of convictions. Well, he was. Zeman has cancelled his attendance to the parade, but he is still visiting Moscow on the 9th to celebrate in a low-key, attention-avoiding way. This is incredibly odd. Two high-class EU leaders are acting independently from what seems like the rest of the western world. They appear to want to mend ties with Russia and participate in the holiday, but they aren't committed enough to face the criticism from the EU and the US. This answer begs yet another question- why are issues of diplomatic ties so extremely interwoven into a celebration of mutual perseverance over evil?
The United States and its not-so-subtle sphere of 'unquestioning co-operation' seems intent on making Russia an enemy on every front. Even, rather laughably, on the front of historical fact, opinion, and remembrance. The unimportant arguments flow between distant, detached opponents as to the contribution ratio of the belligerent nations of Nazi Germany's surrender. US media outlets mock Belorussian WW2 memorials. We have already seen the desertion of the last bastion of co-operation between the US and the Russian neutral sphere. How hard is it to share in the remembrance of a common victory? How hard is it to not only celebrate liberty bought (long-term) by the sacrifices of another nation, but also your very own? No two individuals would behave like this! The motive behind this is that the US doesn't want to bury the hatchet with Russia. The United States would very much love to marginalize the nation which does all in its power to defend against US interventionism. What better way to marginalize a nation than to isolate it? Unfortunately, Russia will not be quite as isolated as the US would like it to be. The use of the word 'unfortunately' comes with the consequence of Russia not truly being isolated. Russia has been historically divided between the East and West by both geography and ideologically. The United States, NATO, and the EU all belong to the Western Sphere. Who might head the Eastern Sphere? China of course. The silly behavior of the US is only serving to drive the head of an ideologically neutral sphere (Russia, Belarus, Central Asia, Serbia, probably Greece in the future, the separatist states in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, and the nation of Armenia) into the hands of the enemies that it should really be worried about. But that is enough of that aside. Back to the issue at hand. Merkel and Zeman value their ties with Russia, but they are unwilling to 'diplomatically insult' Washington. They are trying to walk a middle ground made necessary by childish behavior on the part of the US and the nations who went along with it. It is, however, encouraging to see an attempt from these leaders to bridge an ever-expanding rift, despite the fact that greater powers would rather that rift expand out of control. The US is using all of its diplomatic influence to keep Russia from thawing any relations. There has been so much pressure put on European leaders to boycott this event from the US, that it is near impossible for the leaders who need the relations the most to actually recover them. If the US was actually concerned with worldwide well being and peace, then it too would have jumped upon the opportunity to reforge ties through a shared historical struggle. Such an event would, however, loose the US its opportunity to utilize its diplomatic power projection to further isolate its new enemy. The US, as has been previously discussed on this blog, needs a validation for its power. Russia is the wrong target, but a convenient one. I fear that the politicians of my country have an unhealthy jingoist mentality against a country which poses no real threat to them, and, likewise, grovel at the feet of a nation that they should truly fear, China.. For the reasons discussed above, the American attitude toward this parade reflects its attitude toward a nation that doesn't have to be its enemy, but has been pushed and shoved into the uncomfortable role. And so it appears that we have found a possible answer answer to this question, but questions still yet remain.
In addition to the previous questions regarding motives, politics, and other distant topics, this question is far more real. Why does the US spit upon its history, embarrass itself, disrespect all of its veterans, and blatantly step on the effort and the cause of those who did not live to see their profound effect upon the course of the world? This ceremony is not only about Russia! This ceremony is a commemoration of OUR efforts! I would love to attempt to draw up an answer to this question, but I simply can't. This is inexcusable. It is, however, a consequence of the actions of the lowest of the low who con-volute history by mixing it and its remembrance with politics best left to the present. History has always been and will always be a part of politics, but this is a new low. Especially for our government in the United States.
Despite what anyone has said on your television screen, I hope that you have celebrated victory on May 8th, and I hope that you will celebrate it again today. The Russian V-day parade will undoubtedly be hosted on the RT website and their channel on YouTube. Remember the lessons learned from this years events. Do not pollute or twist history because of modern politics. You will only make a fool of yourself and spit upon the graves of those you dishonor.
And by the way, guess whose army is marching alongside Russia's this time.... China's. This diplomatic disaster can still be prevented, but we must take a painful paradigm shift to vilify one of our largest trading partners. In addition, we must then undo the mess that we have created and drive Russia and its sphere out of China's grasp. This process could begin with a great potential for success next year. We could march alongside the Russians and celebrate our cooperation instead of playing the role of a high school drama queen by creating problems when there are none.
