Half a League, Half a League, Half a League Onward
Many lessons can be extracted from history. Reflecting on today’s quickly-evolving situation involving Russia and Ukraine makes me think of the Charge of the Light Brigade which took place in 1854 during the Crimean War. Religious issued contributed to the start of the Crimean War, but another factor was growing Russian power in the Middle East and around the Black Sea. Britain and France did not want to see gains in Russian power, and joined the Ottoman Empire against Russia.
The Crimean War is known for logistical and tactical mistakes made by both sides. One such example is the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava. Due to a miscommunication, about 670 troopers of the British light cavalry, armed with lances and sabres, were sent to carry out a frontal assault against Russian forces supported by artillery, a task better suited for the heavy cavalry forces that typically lead frontal charges. Not only were the Russian forces more sufficiently armed than the Light Brigade, but they also were supported on either side of the “Valley of Death” by additional artillery batteries. 110 troopers of the Light Brigade were killed in the Charge of the Light Brigade. An additional 161 were wounded.
As was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death,
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
…
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
…
Once again, Russia is seeking to increase its power around the Black Sea. Crimea – the peninsula where the Battle of Balaclava and the Charge of the Light Brigade took place – is the very region in Ukraine recently seized by Russian forces with the authorization of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. “One of the very first sentences you’re taught to say in Foreign Policy Community College is, ‘Russia without Ukraine is a country; Russia with Ukraine is an empire,’” wrote Tufts political scientist David Drezner in Foreign Policy magazine regarding the training of Russian diplomats.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI) said on “Fox News Sunday,” “Putin is playing chess and I think we are playing marbles…” Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said on ABC’s “This Week” that he expects that the House of Representatives will work with President Obama on the situation involving Russia and the Ukraine.
We must learn from history, and show a strong resolve. The response to this Russian aggression must be clear and decisive. We need to push European nations to increase their military spending. We shouldn’t be the only country with the capabilities and equipment to act. Britain, France, Austria, Germany, Italy, etc. ought to be spending more of their resources on their military in order to keep the Russian Bear at bay.
We ought to have a program similar to land lease with countries like Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland. These countries were under Soviet occupation, and do not want to be pawns in a newly minted Russian empire.
We must also take bold action on energy policy. We have the ability to strangle the Russian economy. Not with sanctions, but by taking away one of Russia’s biggest cash sources: the sale of energy to Europe and countries like the Ukraine. These plans should have already been made. But while Putin was scheming, Obama was dithering. Obama should immediately approve more liquefied natural gas export facilities. The Russians sell oil also. President Obama could send a strong message by approving the Keystone XL pipeline and increasing North American oil production.
The question is whether or not the President has learned that a pen and a phone aren’t always enough. He needs to take bold action. Congress will stand with him if he does. It is time for President Obama to show Vladimir Putin that we are the United States of America. And while we will not invade the Crimean peninsula, we will stop Russian expansionism.
As always, if you have concerns or comments or wish to inquire about legislative issues, feel free to contact my offices. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
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