Russia-Ukraine War Seems To Be History Repeating Itself
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- A lot has been said of how unsettled the past couple of years have been, at home and around the world. Now comes the war in Ukraine, a new calamity that feels like something from another time.
"You know, there has not been a land war in Europe since the Nazis were defeated in 1945," said University of San Francisco history professor Elliot Neaman. "That's why the Ukrainians, I remember seeing some of the regular Kyiv citizens being interviewed, they just didn't believe that this was actually going to happen."
Even for historians, this was a day that brought a certain kind of disbelief. The Ukraine crisis has, in fact, produced a land war in Europe, and for all of the situation's complexities, there is now one simple takeaway.
"In conclusion, I would say we're looking at a very different world once he takes Ukraine," said Neaman. "A much more unstable world."
"It feels like a repetition of history in a sense," said Yulia Bezvershenko, Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. "When you read books about the Second World War."
It looks like history repeating as well; the citizens of Kyiv seeking shelter in their local metro stations, a scene that recalls famous images of the Londoners sleeping in the Underground during the blitz. Refugees heading for borders, trying to escape the dangers and uncertainties of war.
"We can't really imagine that in the 21st-century instead of creating the future people would be destroying it," said Bezvershenko, a Ukrainian native.
"It's a sad day," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "We pray for them. We support them with humanitarian assistance. We also support them with our military assistance as well."
Pelosi discussed US assistance to Ukraine Thursday while speaking in San Francisco, adding that there's no way of knowing how long this conflict might last. This crisis may just be beginning, even though, not that long ago, it seemed inconceivable.
"At the end of the Cold War, there was a famous book by Francis Fukuyama called The End of History, where he thought there was only kind of one system left, democratic capitalism," Neaman explained. "There would be a few stragglers, but basically there was no options. Obviously, history has returned with a vengeance."
