It has now been 40 days since Russia invaded Ukraine—and who knows when or how that tragic war will end. From the beginning, the Ukrainian people have struggled bravely to defend their country—and have suffered great losses. But the shadow of that war is a long one.
The Local Effects of the War
It is hard to comprehend the horrors of the
death and destruction in Ukraine since February 24. According to the latest
figures I could find yesterday (Apr. 4), some 24,000 people have already been killed,
and the Ukrainian government claims that around 7,000 non-combatants have lost
their lives.
In addition, more than 10,000,000 Ukrainians
have left their homes with more than 40% of them having become refugees in other
countries, primarily Poland. Twenty-three of the U.S. states have a population
smaller than the number of current Ukrainian refugees (approx. 4,200,000).
Further, there is the wanton destruction of
houses, factories, infrastructure, farmland, and much more. A sad, sad
situation in Ukraine indeed!**
The Global Effects of the War
The shadow of the war in Ukraine is a long one,
affecting many millions of people around the world. Consider just two major detrimental
global effects:
** Hunger/Starvation
“War
in Ukraine could plunge world into food shortages.” This is a March 25 headline
of a
National Geographic article.
According to that piece, “Over the past
decade, Ukraine, long known as the breadbasket of Europe, has become an
agricultural powerhouse for much of the developing world.” Ukraine is “a
country of 40 million people, but they produce food for 400 million.”
But sadly, Ukraine will most likely not be
able to do that this year because of the war.
A March
21 post by Religion News Service warns, “Ukraine may leave millions hungry.”
That was the assessment of Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World.
It is too soon to know how intense/detrimental
the long shadow of the war in Ukraine will be, but the prospect of increased world
hunger/starvation is distressing.
** Poverty
In this country, the
most direct effect of the war in eastern Europe is inflation, particularly seen
in the dramatic rise in the price of gasoline and diesel fuel. While price
increases are a source of widespread complaint, it is a dire problem for those already
living in or near poverty.
In the U.S., even in 2020 there were more than
37,000,000 residents who were living in poverty.
A headline on a
March 29 post on Business Insider advises, “Americans should budget
an extra $5,200 this year to cover rising prices.” But how can that possibly be
done by households with a yearly income of less than $26,500 (the poverty level
line for 2021)?
And how many more will fall into poverty
because of the war?
Then there are the hundreds of millions around
the world who are considerably worse off.
The future looks much darker now for nearly
all of these people because of the long shadow of the war in Ukraine.
The Personal Effects of the War
If the war in Ukraine doesn’t escalate into a
nuclear war—and I remain grateful that Pres. Biden has persistently and
consistently sought to guard against that possibility—we who live in North
America don’t have to worry about being directly affected by what happens in Eastern
Europe.
Most of us Americans, though, will be affected
indirectly, mostly by higher prices and perhaps shortages of some commodities. Even
that will be no big problem for those of us who are able to bear the extra cost.
But the coming months are going to be a time
when many people in this country, mainly those living below the poverty line, and
vastly more in the poorer countries of the world, are going to need additional help
to buy food and other necessities of life.
Can we—and will we—in the middle class (or
above) do more to help the multitudes who are already suffering and who will be
suffering more in the long shadow of the war in Ukraine? And will we also support
the federal government in providing greater assistance? If not, why not?
_____
** On Sunday (4/3) the news media made public news and images about the atrocities committed against the Ukrainians in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv.
See, for example, this CNN
article (with a video).
Well, it seems there wasn't anything that people wanted to comment on in today's blog, at least not yet. (Or maybe the content is what most of you readers knew already and didn't particularly want to think about anymore.)
ReplyDeleteThe only comment received to this point is from Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucky:
"Good questions, Leroy."
Whether my Thinking Friends write anything or not, I hope each will consider what I wrote in the last paragraph and will agree with Dr. Hinson that they are good questions.
This situation is a sad commentary on our sinful nature.
ReplyDeleteThis is hopefully a wakeup call for those who are Not yet followers of Christ.
My Prayers are for the people of Ukraine and All the poor&suffering people in the world
Blessings to All,
John Carr
Thanks, John Tim, for your comments.
DeleteWhen I read this, early this morning, I found it a little crushing as a review of what we're facing in the world. And it didn't even include the likely takeover of the US government houses by trumppublicans in November. What I thought and still think, regarding your questions, is that some of the middle class will do some things but not enough. My wife and I are contributing a pittance each week to some organization. Last week I was with someone in a Rotary Club chapter who said that they raised $15,000 in one evening for humanitarian help for Ukraine. And I think that as long as Democrats have a majority, the U.S. government will do some things but not enough because serious progressive policies today require super majorities.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anton, for your comments. And you are right, I didn't mention the likelihood that in the U.S. things will get worse before they get better. Those on the right seem to be willing to give support to the brave Ukrainians fighting the Russians--although some, inexplicably, seem to side with the Russians--but they are also largely against giving additional help to those who are suffering hardship in this country.
DeleteHere are comments just received from Thinking Friend Jerry Jumper in southwest Missouri:
ReplyDelete"You astutely record the facts of Putin's war and, with the rest of us, propose no quick fixes. It is difficult to watch this decimation of infrastructure, homes, people and agricultural productivity while accepting that we cannot DO more without jeopardizing ourselves. I believe Putin is evil, not 'smart,' and believe this is not his last dance."
Thanks, Jerry, for your comments also. This is certainly a tough time for Eastern Europe and for the U.S. in seeking to help Ukraine and support our NATO allies. And what makes it so hard is, as you imply, not knowing whether this will be the end of Russian aggression or whether it is just the beginning.
DeleteI agree with providing more assistance, whether it is by the government or me, or both. As far as why not, I am against any reduction in fuel taxes. I think that causes different problems. Besides the obvious reduction in funds for the infrastructure for which fuel taxes are used, it reduces mitigation strategies that higher fuel costs will cause people to take. Higher fuel costs is actually a good thing environmentally, but not economically for those already struggling as you pointed out. I would rather more targeted benefits be provided to the latter in general to address higher costs, but not specifically for fuel costs. Obviously this can be complicated, but that is my example of a why not, or at least a what not.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Dennis, and your point is well taken.
DeleteI'm so sad and conflicted about this war that I've been unable to post any comments earlier. As I was pondering a response to this post about looming food shortages, I heard a news report on NPR about the consequences of bird flu and coming shortage of chicken (and price increase) at the grocery store. Bad news on top of bad news.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Clif, even though it was about more bad news--and I hadn't previously heard about this year's spreading bird flu.
DeleteBut I am more concerned about the spreading of disease in Ukraine in the weeks ahead. An April 5 article in The Washington Post is titled "Ukrainians should be on the lookout for a new battlefield enemy: Disease," and here is a part of what it says,
" . . . as the weather warms, Kyiv will be forced to confront a less visible enemy: disease.
"War and disease have been deadly bedfellows for as long as armies have fought one another. Historically, sickness and related non-battle injuries have caused some 80 percent of military casualties. During the American Civil War, infectious diseases such as pneumonia, typhoid, dysentery and malaria killed far more men than enemy fire. Some historians have argued that the U.S. Sanitary Commission did as much to win the war for the North as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Likewise, during World War I, influenza and pneumonia accounted for more than half of the 52,000 non-combat deaths, and one-quarter of the U.S. Army — over 1 million men — fell ill.
"For the past five weeks, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians — civilians and soldiers alike — have been crammed together in trenches, shelters or damaged buildings. Many Ukrainians are living underground where air circulation is poor, in close quarters, with shortages of potable water (needed for washing), and limited access to hygiene supplies and facilities. Ukraine’s dense urban areas make them incubators for the spread of disease."
(This is part of the "short" shadow of war rather than the long shadow I mainly wrote about in this blog post.)
The war in Ukraine is yet another example of sin and evil in the world, and the horrific suffering of way too many people because of a dictator, and his abuse of power.
ReplyDeleteIn our small city, musicians gave a benefit concert and raised over $8,000.00 for the people of Ukraine. There is also a refugee committee working on receiving Ukrainian refugees.
Canadian Lutherans can also give to Canadian Lutheran World Relief's special Ukraine appeal.
Thanks, Garth, for sharing the news about what the musicians in your Canadian city have done to help the people in Ukraine and about the work the refugee committee is doing. I am also happy that Canadian Lutherans (along with perhaps most denominational bodies in North America) are receiving funds for assisting those who are suffering in Ukraine.
DeleteHere are comments received a few minutes ago from Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago:
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leroy, for your observations, especially with respect to how the suffering in Ukraine has expanded to include poor people everywhere due to the higher costs for food. I can add nothing to what you have written."