Dr. Michael Baker is a retired general surgeon who also served in the military and retired as a rear admiral. He currently serves as the Chapter Chair of the East Bay Chapter and on the Board of Trustees of the World Affairs Council. He has been in Kyiv multiple times over the past few months, teaching Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) to Ukrainian physicians.
I consider Franklin Roosevelt to be one of our greatest leaders because of his ability to guide Americans into the realization that isolationism was a deathtrap and that supporting democracy in other countries was important. He watched as Neville Chamberlain got Hitler to agree not to take more territory – and then invade further. To highlight this, one should read or listen to Fireside Chat #16 on December 29, 1940. I have read that theaters and restaurants were empty that evening so that everyone could listen to the president’s message on that new communication tool, the radio. His words resonate clearly with respect to today’s Russian invasion and wanton destruction in Ukraine.
Roosevelt pointed out that the Nazi fascist aggressors made up and spread “pious frauds” to justify attacking other countries: “One of these frauds is the claim … that they are occupying or controlling a nation on the excuse that they are “protecting it” against the aggression of somebody else.” Substitute “Ukrainians are committing genocide in Donbas,” or “Ukraine is full of Nazis” and you see the parallel — outlandish propaganda from Putin to justify his Special Military Operation – in itself a way to pretend he is not waging war, just protecting people.
Roosevelt charted a risky course, as President Biden is similarly doing today, stating: “there is far less chance of the United States getting into war if we do all we can now to support the nations defending themselves against attack by the Axis than if we acquiesce in their defeat …” He noted this was crucial because “The people of Europe who are defending themselves do not ask us to do their fighting. They ask us for the implements of war, the planes, the tanks, the guns, the freighters which will enable them to fight for their liberty and for our security.” Both Presidents clearly saw that an attack on democracy and freedom anywhere is a threat to democracy and freedom everywhere.
Roosevelt recognized that autocracy needed to be stopped before a conquest allowed it to grow even stronger. “In a military sense Great Britain and the British Empire are today the spearhead of resistance to world conquest. And they are putting up a fight which will live forever in the story of human gallantry.” The same words apply to Ukraine’s military and the indomitable spirit of the Ukrainian people. Analysts predicted Ukraine would quickly fold. Yet they stood tall to resist and ultimately break the Russian army with its overwhelming force.
So I conclude that this is indeed our fight also. The fate of our children and grandchildren depend on us standing up for freedom with Ukrainians. As Roosevelt stated: “We must be the great arsenal of democracy. For us this is an emergency as serious as war itself. We must apply ourselves to our task with the same resolution, the same sense of urgency, the same spirit of patriotism and sacrifice as we would show were we at war.” Or someday we might find ourselves also threatened by enemies of democracy.