Three months ago, the Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych sided with Russia and against the European Union. Since then, we\u2019ve witnessed a crisis unfold in Ukraine. Ukraine\u2019s loyalties are split down its geographical middle, with the western half wanting to join the Union and the eastern half claiming loyalty to Russia. After weeks of protests and 80 deaths, the Ukrainian Parliament voted Yanukovych out of office, at which point he fled the capitol.<\/p>\n
Sergei Aksyonov, Crimea\u2019s Prime Minister, requested help from Russia, asking Vladimir Putin<\/a> \u201cfor assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness on the territory of the autonomous republic of Crimea.\u201d Russian troops have traveled to Crimea to help Aksyanov \u201cguarantee the peace.\u201d<\/p>\n President Obama\u2019s response<\/a> was to threaten Russia, stating, \u201cJust days after the world came to Russia for the Olympic Games it would invite the condemnation of nations around the world. Indeed, the United States will stand with the international community in affirming there will be costs for any military intervention in the Ukraine.\u201d Secretary of State John Kerry added that<\/a>, \u201cAll options are on the table,\u201d and that \u201cyou just don\u2019t in the 21st<\/sup> century behave in 19th<\/sup> century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pre-text.\u201d<\/p>\n Unless, of course, you are the United States. Because when you are the United States in the 21st<\/sup> century you can invade Iraq and Afghanistan with a \u201ctrumped up pre-text\u201d all the while boasting to be the world\u2019s sole remaining Super Power.<\/p>\n How does the United States act like the world\u2019s sole super power? It invades other countries without fearing retaliation.<\/p>\n This is Vladimir Putin\u2019s chance to show that his Russia is a world super power. That, like the United States, it can invade another country without retaliation. Both countries have shown that in the 21st<\/sup> century they are willing to use violence to promote their shared desire for global power. The United States has set itself up as the model<\/em> for any nation who wants to be a super power. And Russia will soon discover that the United States is also the obstacle<\/em> to any nation that tries to become a world super power.<\/p>\n We often think that conflicts stem from differences, but in this case we observe that conflicts stem from similarities. Russia\u2019s desire for power is mimetic<\/a>, or imitative, and modeled on its rival for power, the United States. Russia wants what the United States has \u2013 the prestige of being a global super power \u2013 and Russia is willing to use the same methods that the United States has used to gain and sustain that prestige \u2013 violence.<\/p>\n And so the United States and Russia are stuck in a decades old mimetic crisis of violence. Reagan\u2019s demand to \u201ctear down this wall\u201d produced a truce of sorts but did little to eliminate the risk of the re-emergence of violence and hostility between the two nations.<\/p>\n So we must ask: Is there any hope for a more peaceful relationship between Russia and the United States, or are we doomed to a future of apocalyptic violence of our own making?<\/p>\n Jesus said, \u201cPeace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives\u201d (John 14:27-31). When we feel threatened, we seek to restore peace at the expense of others. Peace for ourselves and our people means that we come first, our victory is what matters, restoring our prestige is equivalent to peace \u2013 for us and our people, and any method is justified to achieve such a noble goal. This is what Jesus means by the way the world gives peace \u2013 through the justification of violence. Humans always<\/em> think that our violence is good and defensive, and that it will bring not only prestige, but also peace. We also always<\/em> think that our enemy\u2019s violence is bad and aggressive, and they must be defeated in order for peace to prevail.<\/p>\n But Jesus created the possibility for an alternative way toward peace. It\u2019s the way of nonviolence, forgiveness, love, and the loss of prestige. In a world that seeks prestige for the self, Jesus said we must die to the self to follow him. Those who take up Jesus\u2019 way that seeks justice and peace through nonviolent methods will likely suffer. They will likely be accused of being unrealistic, of being failures. But, let\u2019s be realistic, if we continue to use violent methods in the name of peace we only guarantee ourselves a future of mutual suffering. In a world of nuclear weapons that could destroy the world, our only hope is in the peace of Christ.<\/p>\n If our model is the United States or Russia, we will be enslaved to rivalry. Most Christians in the United States will have its nation for as our model, not the One whom they claim is their Lord and Savior. Our alternative model, of course, stares us in the face and bids us to follow him into a new form of humanity. Jim Warren puts it eloquently in his book Compassion or Apocalypse<\/a> when he writes, \u201cThrough his nonviolent compassion, servanthood, humility, generosity, and love Jesus becomes the model for a new humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n In the face of apocalyptic violence and rivalry for world super power, Jesus, our model for a new humanity, is our only hope.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Adam Ericksen<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0blogs at the<\/em>\u00a0Raven Foundation<\/a>\u00a0, where he uses mimetic theory to provide social commentary on religion, politics, and pop culture. Follow Adam on Twitter at @AdamEricksen<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Three months ago, the Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych sided with Russia and against the European Union. Since then, we\u2019ve witnessed a crisis unfold in Ukraine. Ukraine\u2019s loyalties are split down its geographical middle, with the western half wanting to join the Union and the eastern half claiming loyalty to Russia. After weeks of protests and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1651,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[688],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mimetic-mondays"],"yoast_head":"\n