Russia’s Ukraine war happened because facts and civility broke down. Here’s the fix

Having served as U.S. ambassador to Portugal from 2010 to 2013, I remain a frequent visitor to the country, and here I sit watching events unfolding in Ukraine. I am struck by how difficult it is to understand this. While political leaders across the years have believed a more extensive international security architecture would reduce the possibility of another Cold War-like event, key Russian leaders had a very different perspective. Now we are facing a major crisis in Ukraine.

While in Portugal, I’m taking time to hear the perspectives of several Portuguese officials and former government leaders. Their general belief is this is all ultimately a result of Russian President Vladimir Putin having amassed absolute political power, blended with his obsession to redeem the nation from humiliation driven by the Soviet Union’s dissolution. My Portuguese contacts are very proud of the steps taken by the European Union, grateful for U.S. leadership and interested in how the roles of individual countries and the EU will evolve out of the necessity of this situation.

Currently, I serve as the founder and CEO of American Public Square at Jewell, a Kansas City-based organization working to bring together diverse and divergent perspectives through fact-based, civil discourse. In the context of this crisis, I’m mindful that among APS’ core objectives is the effort to increase the use of civility, facts and perspectives when tackling complex issues. In this current crisis, we basically have an absence of all three.

A military invasion is about as uncivil as you can get. Thousands of refugees are displaced, civilian casualties are mounting, and soldiers are dying. Russian anti-personnel weapons are being used and the devastation is immense. Attempts at civil diplomacy are failing.

Misinformation is rampant. Putin’s premise for invading Ukraine as a “denazification” campaign is refuted with facts that fundamentally challenge this notion: The Ukrainian president is Jewish; he was elected through a democratic process; an ultranationalist right-wing party failed to win a single seat in Ukraine’s 450-member legislature in 2019; and on and on. Conversely, claims that Ukraine represents a threat to Russia simply don’t generate the facts to support them and there is mounting evidence of major propaganda efforts.

Regardless of your own perspective, it’s always important to invest time in understanding other perspectives. I personally believe Putin has always seen the intentions of NATO and the West as malign. I also believe the prevailing perspective of the West is rooted in not wanting to threaten Russia and eliminating the long adversarial relationship. Both sides failed to address the competing perspectives or find common ground, and we are now seeing the devastating effects.

The world is in a place it has never been before — economic warfare, anxious NATO countries, the world’s second largest nuclear arsenal on alert. So, what are we to do?

All of us can learn from what we are watching in Ukraine. This is an example of what happens when there is a total breakdown of civility, facts and perspective. Let’s use that to inspire our next steps.

▪ Take this opportunity to affirm your commitment to civility, facts, and perspective.

▪ Invest time in understanding diverse and divergent perspectives on this issue, even if you ardently disagree with them.

▪ Educate yourself through a variety of sources and invest time in understanding both the historical and contemporary narratives. The more of us out there using facts and recognizing misinformation, the better.

We may not be able to create a “boots on the ground” impact for our current crisis, but I believe these are the right steps toward ensuring something like this never happens again. I hope you will join me in the effort.