Democracies At Crossroads

George Marshall, center, at Harvard's Commencement, June 5, 1947.

Like newborn babies, Democracies are fragile man-made constructs that need constant nurturing. The January 6, 2021 attack on our Capital, followed by copycat efforts in Brazil revealed the dark forces intent on destroying the foundation of democracy, and the will of the people, through fabricated stories of rigged or fraudulent elections.

Israel is a young, small, divided democracy on the verge of civil war. Like Catholics and Protestants, like Shias and Sunnis, the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews of Israel are fighting amongst themselves and disagreeing on the future course of their new state.

So here is the big question: Is Benjamin Netanyahu a Right Wing extremist destined to tear the country apart (Thomas Friedman), or is he Israel’s equivalent of Abraham Lincoln, destined to prevent or to incite a civil war? While only time will tell, here is an excellent article that sheds light on the topic. This is an essential issue because it is a harbinger of what might be in store for America.

The fight for democracy is expensive, often paid for by blood and treasure. I am an optimist and long on democracy, trusting that in the long term, democracy will prevail. This is the time to design a new Marshall Plan to pay for the recovery from the damage war has wrought in Ukraine.

The price for democracy in Ukraine is not just the tens of billions in arms we continue to provide it with, but billions more later to secure Europe’s energy needs and to rebuild Ukraine.

We are honored to have Highland Institute Director Douglas Gardner, who was the UN Resident Coordinator to Ukraine from 2000 to 2004, host various discussions on the path toward peace and healing in Ukraine.