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Source: https://www.jns.org/opinion/putins-unpleasant-surprise-at-the-wests-resounding-no/
Ukraine Has Shown that Nationalism Can Be a Force for Good
(JNS) Fiamma Nirenstein - In March 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the BBC that Russia "is part of European culture," and he would not rule out the possibility of joining NATO. When NATO went to Afghanistan, Putin was happy. When Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania entered NATO in 2004, he even said that Ukraine could do so, stating, "It's none of my business." The Russian invasion of Ukraine is creating an unexpected Western narrative in which politically correct pacifism is making way for a new ethic of courage that even requires weapons. Putin's arrogant invasion of Ukraine caused a lightbulb moment among Western leaders - that Ukraine had to do the obvious: defend itself and affirm its choice for Western democracy. What Ukraine has shown, and Europe may be starting to understand, is that nationalism can be a force for good and democracy. The writer, former vice president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, is a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.