We have seen evidence of targeted attacks on civilians, attacks planned with the pre-mediated knowledge that they would cause indiscriminate death amongst children, the elderly and infirm… This is not conduct a civilized world can tolerate.

—John Risley

 

I had originally planned to use this column to continue with the inflation theme I raised in the last issue. I had felt this topic deserved a two-part series, given the threat it poses to the world’s economy over the next few years—its negative impact will affect everyone. However, I am going to switch gears and offer up my thoughts on another, even more pressing situation with global ramifications: Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

As I write this, the world is beginning to appreciate the extent of the horrific brutality perpetuated by the Russian invaders against Ukraine’s civilian population. If this were a war precipitated by a large segment of the Ukrainian population visibly and aggressively agitating for release from an oppressive government or if it were a conflict arising out of an economic system which was impoverishing its subjects, you might—and I say “might” in the most sceptical sense of the word—have some measure of understanding for the cause, though certainly not its effect.

But none of these rationales are resident in the reasons for this conflict.

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