History is a great teacher. If we fail to learn to from mistakes made in the past, history will tell us, we are doomed to repeat those mistakes.
In the mid 1930s, a man took control of a European nation, developing it into a military powerhouse. When he expanded his power and took over nearby countries, the rest of Europe thought by appeasing him it would stop his desire to expand beyond. That was a mistake. The result was he invaded more countries, sent 6 million people to their deaths in the gas chambers, and World War II was the result. His name was Hitler.
Today, the world is faced with a dictator, a tyrant, much like Hitler. His name is Putin. His invasion of Ukraine could be just the beginning of his aggression. With the threat of nuclear war, to stop his aggression, the world must first destroy his power economically, support Ukraine with military supplies and humanitarian aid, destroy Putin’s support among his wealthy friends, and help average Russian citizens to rise up and topple Putin from within his own country.
As Americans and the rest of the world, we must realize for us it may mean sacrifices, from rising gas prices and other economic costs. But to stop this “Hitler” now will be far easier than in later years when a world war will stop this man and his thirst for power.
Ray Strassner
LaSalle
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Letter: History might be repeating itself with Putin
