The National Executive Committee of Social Democrats USA released the following statement on March 16:
As authorized by Vladimir Putin, Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24 is a violation of international law and constitutes a series of war crimes. Social Democrats USA both condemns unequivocally these actions and Putin’s vision of Great Russian imperialism that drives them, and fully supports the sovereignty of Ukraine and the right of Ukraine to defend itself.
Social Democrats USA opposes the use of no-fly zones since these would only increase the likelihood of direct armed confrontation between the US and Russia. Instead, we support the calls of Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressional Representative Ilhan Omar for targeted sanctions to be applied to Russia as the best way to get it to halt its invasion and to withdraw entirely from Ukraine.
Let this invasion remind us that all human beings who experience terror and destruction deserve equitable and fair treatment from the world. Racism and xenophobia must not determine who has access to humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement. World leaders must condemn all perpetrators of war and terror, no matter their affiliation, and we must seek to aid all victims of war and terror.
I understand that Putin’s responsible for his decision to invade. But any thoughts on our role in the developments leading up to this? If we know how we might’ve helped prevent it, this might give us better-informed clues to where we go from here.
I don’t support Nazism in Ukraine. Nor do I recognize the use of sanctions, which violate international law. Neither do I support the idiocy of the state department. I’m also surprised to see the AFL-CIA in the blog roll. This probably isn’t a fit for people like myself.
EDITOR’S RESPONSE: Targeted sanctions do not violate international law, unlike Putin’s invasion, which clearly does. Supporting the right of Ukraine to defend its sovereignty has nothing to do with either Nazism or the US State Department. SDUSA has seen no reliable evidence that the AFL-CIO under its current leadership is engaged in undermining progressive movements abroad.