The Halifax International Security Conference in Halifax, Canada, over Nov. 18-20, just concluded as a real gathering of war buzzards. The Politico coverage on Nov. 20 reports that the participants all agreed that “democracy” is more important than peace. “The way to protect global democracy right now is with weapons and support for Ukraine’s battle against Russia, not talks,” was the message of the conference, Politico opened by quoting one of the Ukrainians present in person. “The support for that fight flew in the face of a growing narrative around the need for peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. ‘Democracy without weapons is blah blah blah,’ said Hanna Hopko, identified as a Ukrainian democracy activist and former parliamentarian, on Sunday, summing up the atmosphere at the three-day conference.”
The Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollengren said, “We cannot let Russia and Putin get away with this kind of aggression,” speaking on the sidelines of the meeting. “The Ukrainians are fighting this war, but it’s also our war,” she said. “If Russia would win, it would have a direct impact on our security.”
The main message from the conference, Politico reports further, was to double down on supporting Ukraine. And Ukrainian officials who traveled thousands of miles in the midst of war to Halifax said they felt buoyed by the support. “I feel a strong bond, especially being here,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna told reporters during a pull-aside roundtable.
This is apparently existential for NATO, not just against Russia but also against China. “If we lose in Ukraine, we lose Belarus, we lose credibility,” around the world, Poland’s Defense Minister Gen. Rajmund Andrzejczak told Politico. China is watching the conflict closely, Andrzejczak claimed, and since Beijing is a more serious longer-term threat, success in Ukraine will have effects in the Indo-Pacific as well. “It’s a matter of synchronizing our efforts,” he said. “If we do not fulfill the mission first in Ukraine, we will not be ready for mission number two, which is China.”
