Why Parse ‘to Invade’?

Carl Bildt, Swedish foreign minister and a great friend of Ukraine, recently said at an Atlantic Council session: “If Russia wants to invade Ukraine, they can do it … But it will be the end of Russia as we know it.”

Indeed, Russia would then be ostracized by the international community for being a latter day aggressor and invader comparable to Nazi Germany.

But why analyze the verb ‘to invade’ into a meaningless state? Why parse it, dice it, slice it and categorize it with numerous shades of grey?

Everyone knows what invade means even if we can’t define it. There is a border between two states and if one side’s soldiers violate it, then it is an invasion regardless of the number of troops.

Earlier this year, before the opening of the Olympic travesty in Sochi, Russia invaded Ukraine, specifically its peninsula called Crimea. Moscow then annexed it. Moscow then invaded eastern Ukraine and caused bloodshed and mayhem.

Fortunately for the world, Ukraine’s response was restrained otherwise a global conflagration would have enveloped civilization.

Russia refused to abide by Ukraine’s declared ceasefire and continued to kill Ukrainians. But how long can elected officials of a democratic government look passively while their people and soldiers are killed?

Now Ukraine is successfully repelling the Russian invaders in an effort to bring this war with Russia to an end.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing war must be brought to an end by expelling the Russian terrorists back to Russia. That would constitute peace.