In the midst of the ongoing
military invasion by Russia in Ukraine, countries in Eastern Europe could hardly
afford to dwell on the past and react against each other at the
expense of being proactive and united in pushing Russia back to within
its borders—coloring within the lines rather than unrestrained. Therefore, the
E.U.’s parliament can be criticized for having spending time and effort on 8
July, 2026 on a resolution that criticizes Ukraine’s then-sitting president,
Voladymyr Zelenskyy, for having renamed an elite military unit after the World
War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Even though a large majority of
representatives in the Parliament voted in favor of the resolution, the legislative
chamber could have been oriented constructively to combatting Putin’s push
into Ukraine rather than play into his hands by stoking division between Ukraine
and the E.U. state of Poland. Generally speaking, European culture may be criticized
for putting much weight on the past at the expense of the present and future. “The
past will never change, but tomorrow is still open” should be taught in
European classrooms as a maxim. In 2026, as in the immediately preceding few years,
the E.U.’s self-handicap in responding sufficiently to helping Ukraine militarily
can be chalked up to not letting go of the past to embrace the present in a way
that is oriented to the future.
The full essay is at "The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)."
