OPINION:
On Jan. 24, 1943, the Casablanca conference concluded, and it was decided that the only acceptable peace with the Third Reich would be their unconditional surrender. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French Brig. Gen. Charles de Gaulle had long become disillusioned with the politics of appeasement that dominated the previous decade.
Roosevelt himself proclaimed, “No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it. There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness,” upon American entry into the war. However, in recent years we have seen a return to a global climate of appeasement where many Western democracies seem to lack the courage or the energy to stand up for the fundamental principles of Democracy, Liberty and Transparency.
Mikheil Saakashvili, former president of Georgia and governor in Ukraine; Maria Kalesnikava, political activist; and Alexey Navalny, leader of Russia of the Future, were all high-profile ambassadors of these core values and met the same fate in their homelands. Today I ask, why is the West not doing more to help those that risk their lives fighting for a better future and a more democratic world?
Within a single year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has strengthened Russia’s geopolitical situation with score after score of victories. Mr. Saakashvili’s arrest marks a turning point in Georgia’s future role on the world stage. Instead of continuing down the path of openness, freedom and democracy, the government has chosen to remove him from Georgian national politics through cooked up politically motivated charges.
In so doing, it is sending the free world a message — that it will pursue power at any price. His mistreatment while in prison and insufficient health care provisions for the duration of his hunger strike are further indications of the arrest being not only politically motivated but a dedication to complete disembowelment of any serious opposition to the status quo. Mr. Navalny’s poisoning and subsequent arrest were widely publicized and condemned, but little action was taken to ensure his safety or release. Overall, the response by the West to these arrests has been milquetoast at best.
The Russian state works very hard to protect those that have worked to advance its interests. Across the several high-profile controversies, Russian assets have gotten themselves into over the last decade, the Russian state has gone above and beyond to provide protection, support and refuge to these individuals. Why is the West so unwilling to do anything more than finger-wagging? Since their incarceration, Mr. Navalny and Mr. Saakashvilli have been repeatedly put in danger by their respective custodians, so it is clear to us that they seek to intimidate and arrest any figures that dare to oppose the incumbent regime. Democratic nations should do much more than they currently are to protect these figures’ lives at the very least.
In this turbulent political climate, it is unappealing for any government to take concrete action without risking negative publicity or falling victim to the Russian smear machine. However, suppose we allow the Putin regime and its sister republics to continue arresting opposition figures who have managed to galvanize a serious movement together. In that case, it sends the message that this kind of behavior is acceptable on the part of a government. Belarus’ arrest of Ms. Kalesnikava and subsequent trial was only possible due to Russia’s protection. American inaction in this sphere is particularly notable, with the superpower not seeking to take any action to ensure the safety of figures such as Mr. Saakashvili and Mr. Navalny. We in the West cannot just sit back and watch these promising nations backslide into tyranny and dismantle any practical opposition to the incumbent regimes.
While direct confrontation with Russia is both unnecessary and disruptive to the current political order in Europe, this is not an excuse to do nothing. The situation may be difficult and complicated, but in the context of aggressive Russian posturing concerning Ukraine and the Baltic states, this is the least that we could do. Complacent leadership cannot be allowed to appease nations that will do anything they can get away with to have their way. We must stand up for what is right and protect our political allies abroad, doing everything they can for a freer, fairer and more democratic tomorrow.
If we fail to protect the current generation of opposition leadership, can we even hope there will be a next generation? Do we think that those watching Mr. Saakashvili on hunger strike being tortured, beaten and drugged with psychotropics will be anything but intimidated into submission? This is what the regime wants. It’s obvious where the people responsible for these crimes are holding their funds, apartments and assets — not in Georgia. Verbal condemnation of these crimes is virtually akin to inaction. The outrage at these human rights violations must not be merely performative. We must hold those in power in these countries accountable and take united and decisive action.
• David Zaikin is co-founder of Key Elements Group. Born in Ukraine and based in London and a graduate of London Business School. Zaikin is an experienced strategic adviser to a number of leading multinational brands, current and former leaders and NGOs.
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