The Russo-Ukraine War has tragic stalemate stamped all over it. The Russians are dug in and are apparently willing to endure casualty rates that normally only non-democratic oligarchies can sustain politically over time.
The Ukrainians, who have fought bravely and well, though outgunned and outmanned, show little sign of surrendering their freedom, no matter the cost to their citizenry.
So the ghastly war of attrition drags on, with its horrendous human cost in lives lost and bodies broken. President Trump, rightly horrified by the human carnage and suffering, has tried to be an “honest broker,” however awkwardly, in bringing about a cessation of the bloodletting. By the way, I would advise Vladimir Putin not to tick off the President. When President Trump believes he is being played for a “sucker,” he can very quickly become very dangerous.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
I am going to be so bold as to propose a peace plan that would provide a roadmap to restore genuine peace in the region. If successful, it could also provide an example for how to bring a peaceful conclusion to other conflicts across the globe.
First, perhaps the most universally accepted value in the world today is the principle of “self-determination” — the belief that people in a particular region have the right to determine for themselves how they will be governed and by whom. A close corollary to this is the principle that a region’s sovereignty cannot be changed by military conquest (i.e. Crimea being annexed as part of Russia after having been taken by military force). To this point, most countries do not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
So, where do we go from here? I believe we should have the overwhelming majority of the international community come together and support a peace plan as follows:
1. A cease-fire is put into place, monitored and enforced by a multinational U.N. military force with a complete stand down and garrisoning of Russian and Ukrainian troops.
2. This would be followed by a U.N. policed, monitored, and supervised election in each of the occupied regions of Ukraine. In other words, the people living in Crimea, the Donbas, and the other occupied regions would have the opportunity to vote for: a. remaining part of Ukraine; b. becoming part of Russia; or c. becoming an independent entity. This way the people will decide their own fate and the international community will demand that their decision will be respected.
Part of the peace plan must also include an internationally supervised investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity by both sides with war criminals being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I realize that many will say this is unrealistic and Russia will never agree to such a plan. (I suspect the Ukrainians would agree because I am confident that in free and fair elections, majorities are going to vote to live under Ukrainian democracy as opposed to Russian dictatorship.)
If the will of the international community is sufficiently resolute, and the Russians pay a higher and higher military and economic price for resistance, Russia will grow tired of being an international pariah.
At the very least, such a peace initiative is worth a serious international effort. After all, the people themselves will decide how they are governed. What person of goodwill could, in good conscience, oppose self-government?
Dr. Richard Land, BA (Princeton, magna cum laude); D.Phil. (Oxford); Th.M (New Orleans Seminary). Dr. Land served as President of Southern Evangelical Seminary from July 2013 until July 2021. Upon his retirement, he was honored as President Emeritus and he continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor of Theology & Ethics. Dr. Land previously served as President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (1988-2013) where he was also honored as President Emeritus upon his retirement. Dr. Land has also served as an Executive Editor and columnist for The Christian Post since 2011.
Dr. Land explores many timely and critical topics in his daily radio feature, “Bringing Every Thought Captive,” and in his weekly column for CP.
