{"id":63142,"date":"2024-05-21T17:39:59","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T15:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/?p=63142"},"modified":"2024-05-22T17:13:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T15:13:16","slug":"russia-and-the-west-conference-2024-takeaways-ralf-fuecks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/russia-and-the-west-conference-2024-takeaways-ralf-fuecks\/","title":{"rendered":"The War in Ukraine is a Test for Liberal Democ\u00adracies\u2019 Resolve"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Opposition politician Vladimir Milov and Memorial-cofounder Irina Scherbakowa; Photos: Tobias Kunz \/\u200b LibMod<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\u201d.vc_custom_1508251598805{margin-top: 30px !important;}\u201d][vc_column width=\u201c2\/3\u201d css=\u201d.vc_custom_1508252250311{padding-right: 20px !important;}\u201d][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]<\/p>\n

The war in Ukraine is a test for liberal democ\u00adracies\u2019 resolve and for their capacity to act. There is still time to turn the tide. Otherwise, future histo\u00adrians will mark this war as a turning point in the decline of liberal democ\u00adracies. Read Ralf F\u00fccks\u2019<\/em> summary of this year\u2019s inter\u00adna\u00adtional LibMod conference \u201cRussia and the West\u201d.<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_gallery interval=\u201c3\u201d images=\u201c63167,63157,63207,63159,63161,63163,63165,63169,63171,63175,63177,63179,63181,63183,63185,63187,63189,63191,63193,63195,63197,63199,63201,63203,63147,63205,63209\u201d img_size=\u201cfull\u201d css=\u201c\u201d][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]What impressed me most on this day full of intensive, serious discus\u00adsions was how partic\u00adi\u00adpants from Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Britain, the Baltic states and also Russian opposition repre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives held up the mirror in front of Germany. There is a signif\u00adicant difference between their analysis and their language and the German discourse. They openly say what you don\u2019t hear from Olaf Scholz:<\/p>

\"Portrait<\/p>\n

Ralf F\u00fccks<\/a> is managing director of the Center for Liberal Modernity.<\/p><\/div>\n

1) This is also our war. Not because we wanted it, but because Putin declared war on the West.<\/p>\n

2) If you don\u2019t want to win a war against an opponent who is deter\u00admined to do anything, you have already lost it. Germany\u2019s \u2018middle path\u2019 \u2013 neither Russia nor Ukraine should win the war \u2013 is wrong. Ukraine will either win or lose this war \u2013 and a Russian victory would have catastrophic conse\u00adquences for us, for Europe and for the future of the inter\u00adna\u00adtional order. The West urgently needs a strategy for victory in Ukraine with every\u00adthing that is necessary for this.<\/p>\n

3) Last year, Russia invested around 120 billion dollars in the war, which is 5.2 per cent of Russia\u2019s gross national product. Europe\u2019s support for Ukraine in 2023 amounted to just under 50 billion dollars or 0.25 per cent of Europe\u2019s GDP. Putin has appointed an economist to head the Defence Ministry to boost war production. If we don\u2019t finally ramp up our arms and ammunition supplies on a massive scale, Ukraine will lose the war. And Putin will not stop with the conquest of Kharkiv and Odesa.<\/p>\n

4) Chancellor Scholz is putting the brakes on arms deliv\u00aderies to Ukraine \u2013 no Taurus missiles, no fighter jets, too little of every\u00adthing else and too late \u2013 out of fear that Putin escalates the war and of a possible collapse of the Russian regime. These are the wrong fears. We should be much more afraid of a Russian victory. And we must finally draw red lines for Putin instead of constantly worrying about his red lines.<\/p>\n

5) Don\u2019t be afraid of regime change in Moscow. With the present regime there is neither sustainable peace in Europe nor the prospect of democ\u00adratic reforms. Defeat in Ukraine is the only chance for positive change in Russia.<\/p>\n

6) Tighten sanctions. It\u2019s a joke that Ukraine is in danger of losing the war for lack of resources, while 300 billion Russian state assets are sitting in European banks that can be used to support Ukraine. At the same time, Western technology vital to the war is still being channeled to Russia via third countries, and more than 2,000 Western companies are still active in Russia and paying taxes to the regime. The circum\u00advention of sanctions via third countries must be stopped at last.<\/p>\n

7) The initiative for a special inter\u00adna\u00adtional tribunal against the Russian leadership for the crime of aggression needs to be relaunched. If inter\u00adna\u00adtional law is not to become a waste of paper, Putin and his henchmen must be held accountable for the war crimes in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

8) Open up a perspective for a post-imperial Russia: This is not about bringing Russia to its knees or humil\u00adi\u00adating it. A Russia that is no longer a threat to its neigh\u00adbours and respects inter\u00adna\u00adtional law deserves an open door for cooper\u00adation. Today, this means above all supporting the democ\u00adratic opposition. This is where the hope for a different Russia lies.<\/p>\n

To sum up: The war in Ukraine is a test of the resolve and ability to act of liberal democ\u00adracies. Who has more staying power? If the Moscow-Tehran-Beijing axis proves to be stronger, dark times will dawn, and not just for Ukraine. There is still time to turn the tide. Otherwise, future histo\u00adrians will mark the Ukraine war as a turning point in the decline of liberal democracies.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_message css=\u201c\u201d]The conference Russia and the West<\/a> has been held annually since 2018. Since 2023, it is the flagship event of our Expert Network Russia. Find more infor\u00admation about the network here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read this text in German here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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