A call for peace

To the Editor:

I am old enough to have participated in antiwar protests against the American war in Vietnam. No protest ever called on the Vietcong to stop fighting the U.S. It was understood that the U.S. was the aggressor and that the North Vietnamese were freedom fighters opposing this latest attack by yet another colonial power bent on domination and exploitation of their country. In other words, the Vietcong violence, as regrettable as all violence is, was seen as necessary and justified in defending the sovereignty of Vietnam. There are parallels to Ukraine.

The U.S. and NATO have engaged in aggression toward Russia for decades in what can only be considered an attempt at neo-colonial domination. The incorporation of countries bordering Russia into NATO and the placement of troops and offensive weapons in them is threatening and provocative. That Russia, like Vietnam before it, is standing up to this aggression can arguably be seen and regarded as the assertion of the right of self-defense (Like the U.S. in the Cuban Missile Crisis). As I noted in an earlier letter (UD, 10/8/22), Russia and Ukraine reached a peace agreement in April that the U.S. scuttled in favor of continued fighting. This revealed Ukraine to be a U.S. war of aggression.

As with Vietnam, we in the United States need to see clearly who is and who is not the cause of the violence. As with Vietnam, we need to demand that our government leaders stop perpetuating the violence by funding Ukraine and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Russia has expressed a desire for peace in Europe. The U.S. should join them in trying to achieve it.

Phil Nichols

Sonora