National Post (National Edition)
Putin's global war
It's time for Canada to pull its weight
The Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars are two fronts in a global hybrid war that is being waged against the West by Russian President Vladimir Putin and other dictators.
This war has lasted for years and now involves traditional, or “hot,” wars in Ukraine and Israel. Putin has employed political sabotage, espionage, cyberattacks, propaganda and disinformation, and has worked with allies like China and Iran, as well as non-state actors like Hamas.
These hot wars began years ago, with Putin's invasions of Georgia and Crimea. And on Feb. 24, 2022, he upped the ante with an attempt to conquer all of Ukraine. So far, the war has devastated the country, cost nearly 20 per cent of its territory and caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries.
Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023 (which happens to be Putin's birthday). The next day, Hamas official Ali Baraka praised Russia's assistance.
“There are countries that support us politically. Even Russia sympathizes with us,” he told Russia Today.
“Russia is happy that America is getting embroiled in the Palestinian war. It eases the pressure on the Russians in Ukraine. One war eases the pressure in another war. So, we're not alone on the battlefield.”
On Oct. 26, Russia hosted Hamas and Iranian officials in Moscow to discuss the war. The Times of Israel reported that they discussed ways to stop “Zionist crimes supported by the United States and the West.”
Both wars were unprovoked and brutal. On Oct. 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NATO that Hamas and the Putin regime are “the same evil, and the only difference is that there is a terrorist organization that attacked Israel, and here is a terrorist state that attacked Ukraine.”
The wars are entwined. Hamas's attack on Israel opened up a second front for the West, throwing the Middle East into chaos and distracting the world from Putin's atrocities in Ukraine. Putin is likely working behind the scenes to convince China to invade Taiwan, in order to open up a third front, but Beijing is unlikely to do so.
China struggles with grave economic problems and needs its European and American customers. It would be unsurprising, however, if Russian disinformation were at least partially behind the constant barrage of China fearmongering, which is designed to unsettle Asia and to divert U.S. military resources to the region.
Russia has also contributed to gridlock in NATO and the European Union by backing Hungary's Viktor Orbán, who spouts Russian talking points designed to prevent or delay support for Ukraine.
But Europe has pivoted, amid concerns that Putin may not stop at Ukraine. At the end of February, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested for the first time that Europe may have to consider sending troops to Ukraine.
Last month, Macron doubled down, telling The Economist that Europe is “mortal” and could “die.” He added that, “If the Russians were to break through the front lines, if there were a Ukrainian request … we would legitimately have to ask ourselves this question” of whether to send troops in.
Recently, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a major increase in defence spending, the deployment of 16,000 troops and fighter jets to Poland and agreed with Macron that Putin “won't stop at Poland's border.”
The world is mobilizing and laggards like Canada must wake up and pull their weight. In Asia, Japan, South Korea and Australia have increased their defence budgets. In Europe, countries like Germany are contemplating conscription to build up their armed forces and are allocating massive defence spending increases.
Meanwhile, Canada has never met its NATO obligations and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has no intention of doing so. The rest of the world is beginning to realize that Putin is waging a global war, which means everyone is next, and that he must be defeated.
Canada must wake up to this reality, as well.