The readings from this week really showed me how much I don’t know about the war in Ukraine. Firstly, involving the political situation for refugees in Europe and the US, I understand the tightrope that nations walk by offering wide-ranging support for Ukrainians. It is a situation where all countries want to prioritize their own citizens, however if no country provided refugee support there would be a far greater humanitarian crisis. This seems to be a common moral issue for the leaders of many countries, as their constituents undoubtedly have different views on the responsibilities of their country to help non-citizens. Stemming from this debate, the question of responsibility remains unanswered, as solutions of immigration crisis are not quite so clear.
From the point of view of the Christian group that traveled to Ukraine, the answer is far more simple: all countries should support Ukraine against the unjust aggressor. I found the documentary to be very well-made, and the fact that the main characters were Christians made the explanation around the religious “persecution” from the Ukrainian government far clearer. The narrative served, in my mind, as a strong example of having the right person tell the story. The main character was devoted to the Christian cause, and I found greater authority in their telling due to their group affiliation. Connections as such are important to utilize when selecting characters for our own stories in this class.
Regarding the educational and career opportunities in Ukraine, I was interested in doing more research into a potential “brain-drain” happening as the war continues. This could be an idea for the first news story, and I would look to talk with experts to see if the final destination of the intellect may be Germany. I am also very interested in understanding the parallels between right-wing extremism in Europe and in the US. Some of the anti-immigration sentiments expressed in Germany with attacks on Ukrainians is highly similar to America’s own crackdown on illegal immigrants. Specifically, this new idea of moving immigrants to other countries upon entry seems to be a new worldwide development.
I do not believe that the war between Russia and Ukraine will be the last. The reporting regarding technologies used in this war was, in my mind, very telling about what the future of conflict could look like. I am also very interested in digging deeper into this topic of warfare, especially in how governments are changing their defense departments to adapt as technology improves. European countries are witnessing a new style of war play out, and, in my opinion, should be making improvements now to maintain defense units that truly are capable of defense. While the effort of local citizens in Ukraine fighting for their country by bringing down Russian drones is beyond admirable, I doubt other countries will want to plan for this as their solution to drone attacks.
