National glory and global tragedy
James J. Y. Hsu 許正餘

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops into eastern Ukraine in the name of protecting two Russian separatist regions there. Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine breaks international law and breaches Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Russian soldiers were reportedly told that they would be welcomed by the Ukrainians as liberators.

However, even in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city where ethnic Russians comprise 17 percent of residents, people fight Russian troops bravely and fiercely. They choose democracy and freedom over dictatorship and racially motivated national glory.

A new world order has been unveiled by Putin’s aggression into Ukrainian territory, which underlines an attempt by the Russia-China alliance to counter the world’s democratic bloc.

Putin has never been shy of wanting to bring back the glory of the former Soviet Union, while China has never hidden its ambition to take over Taiwan on a mission for national rejuvenation. Russia and China divide and conquer racial groups to justify, unify and glorify their immoral politics, which might easily lead to global tragedies.

Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish, he won 73 percent of the vote in 2019, which clearly shows that Ukraine is an advanced democracy that has gone beyond racial divides. Zelensky’s unyielding spirit has inspired people worldwide and united Europeans, Americans and Ukrainians. In a rare historical moment, 141 UN member states voted in the UN General Assembly to denounce Russia over the Ukraine invasion. Zelensky and Ukrainians have earned great respect from the world.

Many countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, supplied weapons to Ukraine, and blocked the passage of Russian ships and airplanes. If Putin is defeated in this war — and he will be — the world would be more peaceful, and the universal values of democracy and freedom would be stronger.

Overemphasizing racial pride and national glory has caused many human catastrophes. Just look at Hitler in Germany and the Cultural Revolution in China. During the Cultural Revolution, anyone who was educated or related to Western culture would be relegated to the “five black categories.” Physicist Yeh Qisun (葉企孫), who trained 79 academicians, including two Nobel laureates, was left penniless and ended up begging for food on the street. Songwriter Chen Gexin (陳歌辛), who created the popular Lunar New Year song Congratulations (恭喜恭喜), starved to death in a labor camp.

Moreover, the “sins” of the parents at time were passed on to their children. Xu Yanji (許燕吉), daughter of famous writer Xu Dishan (許地山), was condemned to live in an impoverished village and led a torturous life.

If people forget the lessons of history, similar tragedies would repeat themselves. The Cultural Revolution was a political scheme by Mao Zedong (毛澤東) to purge his enemies by inciting national sentiment, but it also vividly displayed racism and the dark side of national glory.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has also played the ethnicity card in an attempt to invade Taiwan, reinforce its political control, and repel any notion of democracy and opposition, not dissimilar to what Mao did during the Cultural Revolution.

During last month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, China unleashed a feverish campaign of national pride. As soon as American-Chinese skier Eileen Gu (谷愛凌), who competed for China, won a gold medal, Beijing’s propaganda machine started churning out stories such as: “Eileen Gu’s entire final performance is really beautiful, impeccable and great. She has a farsighted mother who taught her daughter to be proud of China and took her back to China every year at all costs, so that she can know her roots and speak the national language. “

However, Gu did not officially give up her US citizenship and has dual citizenship. The question is why did China bestow upon her the special privilege, as Beijing normally prohibits dual citizenship. Except for powerful government elites, Chinese are allowed to have only one passport. It is ironic that when citizens try to reason with Chinese officials, they tell them to shut up or face imprisonment. The rule of law is only a convenience under the CCP and does not serve fairness or justice.

Gu is not actually Chinese American — she is Eurasian American. A good percentage of the US population has mixed ethnicity. That is why race cannot be a good reason for any political decision unless to correct wrongdoings.

Unfortunately, racism is played out fiercely by authoritarian regimes and fascist groups for national glory — a very dangerous game and the root of immoral politics that has caused great tragedies.

China promotes racial pride and national glory with slogans such as: “The Chinese dream,” “family ties between the two sides of the Strait,” “collaborate the glorious undertaking of national rejuvenation.” Yet, beyond the Han race, minorities are not necessarily treated equally, especially Uighur and other Turkic Muslims. Stirring up national pride, but ignoring liberty and human rights will undoubtedly bring disaster to China, or any other country, as any political stability would be short-lived.

Pro-democracy Chinese have realized that the transfer of power by way of “head chopping” within the CCP is unsustainable, and a democracy like Taiwan’s is urgently needed.

Fighting in the US Revolutionary War of 1774, Americans chose democracy over the national glory of Britain, and opened up a free new world. Many similar struggles are still going on in the world, and at the forefronts are Ukraine and Taiwan.

The most important race is the human race. We are humans, and only human rights, liberty, democracy and the rule of law can bring true peace to the world, as all people “are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” as stated in the US Declaration of Independence.

US President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address declared: “In the battle between democracy and autocracies, democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security.”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked the greatest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. On top of that, consider the possibility of a mad dictator launching a nuclear missile, which unfortunately is not a far-fetched hypothesis. It becomes ever more urgent to take down autocratic governments, especially those with nuclear arsenals.

Only checks and balances, and the separation of powers can bestow the collective wisdom to stop a stupid war.

The UN, choosing the side of peace and security, should punish Russia by revoking its permanent membership in the UN Security Council, as also suggested by Iryna Zaverukha in the Los Angeles Times. The world should never again allow a country’s pursuit of national glory to cause a global tragedy.

James J. Y. Hsu is a retired National Cheng Kung University physics professor, and a member and former president of the North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association.