R&I – KC
A case in point: last week, Joe Biden accused Russia of committing “genocide” in Ukraine. He did so offhandedly, clumsily, and inarticulately, of course, but he did it all the same. After a brief mention in a speech about inflation, he clarified his position to reporters: “Yes, I called it genocide . . . It’s become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian.” Not for the first time, therefore, Biden thrust himself way out in front of his own administration, which has not accused Russia of genocide.
The reasons for declining to make that accusation are easy enough to see. In the first place, Russia is not guilty of genocide in Ukraine and, moreover, charging a country with genocide traditionally has implied a moral and political imperative to intervene directly to stop the killing. U.S. and/or NATO intervention in Ukraine, however, would bring with it extremely high risks, including the likelihood of sparking World War III and a nuclear holocaust.
Why do I say that Russia is not guilty of genocide? Simple: Although Russia haskilled thousands of civilians in Ukraine, and may well have committed war crimes, those two things by themselves don’t add up to “genocide.”
DarkGoldenMan
Article URL : https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/18/167072/