The war in Ukraine is being waged by way of two paradigms: on the one hand, the realistic-modernist paradigm, which Russia represents; and on the other hand, the postmodern and symbolic paradigm represented by the West.
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The concept of victory as defined by Russia is based on elements of blood, iron, and territory. As such, it focuses on classic warfare involving tanks, infantry, and the occupation of Ukrainian nerve centers with aim of toppling the government as preconditions for Moscow's desired strategic change in Eastern Europe.
Contrary to the Russians, the West's concept of victory is based mainly on symbolic elements, which turn the war into a representation of the struggle between the forces of light – pursuing liberty and liberalism – and the forces of darkness – synonymous with centralism and political oppression.
As far as the West is concerned, the outcome of war is not measured in physical and absolute terms, but in relative ones that tend to be shaped in direct correlation to the image of the aggressor and the victim. This is why according to the West's definition of victory, the Jewish president of Ukraine has become a symbol representing the idea of resistance.
Under current war conditions, it seems that the concept of resistance, which connects to a world of liberal views, post-colonial discourse, and the values of freedom with a dash of historical touches from World War II, has never been so popular.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an actor-turned-statesman fills the role assigned to him by the West well, even if the ending to this play has already been written. Zelenskyy is no stranger to new media and he has lent himself to it and to the idea of creating images that large publics in the West (and also in Israel) find addictive, as they want to see how the idea of freedom is translated into resolutely resisting an invading force and civilian sacrifice.
Yet in a vicious paraphrase of Voltaire, the West loves to see the blood of others shed on the altar of his ideals. The effort to search for heroes and an image of victory based on symbolism fails to obscure the bleak reality on the ground in Ukraine – on the shelled streets of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, Kherson, and other cities.
This is a reality that is far removed from the world of symbols – the same world that caused the two leaders who are managing the crisis for the West to go wrong: US President Joe Biden, who has completely misunderstood Russia's determination to maintain its national interests; and Zelenskyy, who was misled by the West's false pledge of support and failed to see the true balance of power.
This is why he and the US missed the opportunity to make the most of the narrow window of opportunity before Russian forces breached Ukraine's border to reach a reasonable compromise with the Kremlin.
The deadly combination of Biden and the West's arrogance and Zelenskyy's strategic blindness left Ukraine with a lot of sympathy as the bearer of the flag of beautiful symbols of resistance, but alone against an opponent who plays the realistic rules of the game.
The war will end when Russia decides it is time. It will be decided not only because the balance of power is in favor of Russia but also because, unlike Zelenskyy who embodies spirit, image and symbols, Putin will possess territory and show results.
Zelenskyy may go down in history as the herald of Ukrainian resistance. It stands to reason that if the Russians remove him from power he will live a comfortable life in the West; maybe write a book or two, and go on speaking tours, lecturing on wars, resistance, and freedom.
He will be able to quietly tell himself that the whole world is a stage, but for Ukraine and its citizens, that is not the case.
Ukraine is being destroyed by real war, not one of imagery. Human suffering is real, as is the damage to its infrastructure, and the country will invest years to emerge from the ruins – not the well-manicured symbols-based world understood by the West.
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