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Indivisibles,

It feels like a lot has happened since we first got the news late Thursday
night of a full-blown Russian invasion of Ukraine and one of the largest
invasions in Europe since World War II. Like you, we’ve been glued to the
heartbreaking stories coming out of the region — from [ [link removed] ]Ukrainian
soldiers' defiant stand on Snake Island and [ [link removed] ]President Volodymyr
Zelensky’s unwavering heroism to [ [link removed] ]reports of Russian anti-war protestors
facing ominous threats by Vladimir Putin and countless ordinary Ukrainians
fighting for their lives in the face of authoritarian Russian aggression. 

As our friend [ [link removed] ]Stephen Miles, President of [ [link removed] ]Win Without War, put it on
Friday: “…I fucking hate war. I hate everything about it. I hate the
people who glorify it. And I hate people who don’t do everything they can
to prevent it. War is death, it’s destruction, it’s pain, it’s suffering.
I fucking hate it.”

Us too.

But here we are. So, today we want to talk to you about four things:

 1. How Russia’s inexcusable invasion of Ukraine fits into the broader
context of the global decline of democracy;
 2. How what’s happening right now underscores the urgent need for green
energy investment;
 3. Why we’re happy with President Biden’s leadership in this moment &
what we want to continue to see from him; and
 4. What you can do right now.

The global rise of authoritarianism

[ [link removed] ]If you missed The New York Times newsletter “The Morning” by German
Lopez yesterday, we’d urge you to catch up now. It’s a great primer on how
democracy is on the decline worldwide and how Putin is a big reason why. 

For decades, Putin has been intent on consolidating his power and
weakening democracy around the world. He intervened in the Syrian civil
war to back Bashar al-Assad during a democratic uprising. Putin is the
central force [ [link removed] ]keeping authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko in power in
Belarus even as his own people rise up to demand freedom. He deployed
[ [link removed] ]Russian troops to invade Georgia in 2008 and [ [link removed] ]annexed the Crimean
Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. And he even [ [link removed] ]interfered in our
elections in 2016 and 2020 (along with those of Britain, France, Germany,
Italy, and Spain).

These kinds of actions by Putin and other enemies of liberal democracy,
coupled with insufficient pushback, have helped foster a global democratic
decline. As noted in The New York Times piece and [ [link removed] ]a new report from
Freedom House, “Just one in five people now live in countries designated
as ‘free,’ down from nearly one in two in 2005.” 

Why?

Unchecked autocrats

Democracy has… declined globally because democratic leaders have done
too little to stand up for themselves, the Freedom House report argued.

As is now clear, the world’s response to Russia’s annexation of the
Crimean Peninsula was not enough to deter Putin from going further. Even
the sanctions imposed on Russia after its full assault on Ukraine this
week [ [link removed] ]stopped short of maximum punishment, sparing much of the
Russian energy sector that Europe’s economy still relies on.

At the same time, autocratic governments have [ [link removed] ]increasingly worked
together, using their collective economic and political power to create
a cushion against punishments from other governments. China [ [link removed] ]approved
Russian wheat imports this past week, effectively softening the impact
of the West’s new sanctions.

All of these moves have shown other leaders with authoritarian
aspirations what they can do as the liberal democratic order loses its
sway.

In that context, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is part of a broader test:
whether the global erosion of democracy will continue unchecked.

[ [link removed] ]Read more from The New York Times

Which brings us to point two: 

Ukraine underscores the critical importance of green energy investment 

Real talk: Russian oil is fueling the attacks on democracy around the
world.

It’s not an accident that Putin decided to launch this invasion in a
moment when gas prices are at record highs. Russia is a massive provider
of oil and gas to the countries of the [ [link removed] ]European Union. Sanctions that
stop the export of Russian fuel will have immediate and dramatic
consequences for all of Europe, and for global energy prices. Democracies
are made up of politicians who have to seek reelection -- and a good way
to lose reelection is to raise energy prices in your country. 

Which means that, in response to sanctions on Russian oil and gas, fossil
fuel companies are about to tell us a bunch of lies. They will tell us
that they are the solution to the shortage caused by pivoting away from
Russian oil and gas. But this is false: after all, these same companies
have been taking advantage of consumers during the pandemic by
artificially inflating prices in order to turn record profits. And they
take advantage of crises like this to jack up prices even more, all while
calling for less regulation and even more investment in fossil fuel
infrastructure.

As long as Russia is a main source of energy for democracies, it will be
hard to successfully impose multinational sanctions to hold Russia
accountable. And as long as any of us are dependent on the fossil fuel
cartel, it will be hard for democracies and our planet to thrive.

The energy crisis we are likely to see in Europe and around the world can
become a justification for further expanding fossil fuel production. Or it
can be an opportunity to rapidly build renewable energy infrastructure
that will save our planet and reduce democracies’ reliance on
authoritarian actors at the same time. We cannot continue to allow the
fight against global fascism to be constrained by our dependence on gas
and oil. The United States must use this moment as a catalyst to make
necessary investments in addressing climate change and spurring green
energy innovation to make us less reliant and safer in the long term. 

Biden’s handled a bad situation well so far. Here’s what we want to keep seeing
from the Administration in coming days

Unequivocally, we’re proud of President Biden for the actions he’s taken
thus far and his ongoing commitment to a diplomatic resolution. He’s
handled the crisis skillfully — raising the alarm early, steadily aligning
allies behind a smart diplomatic strategy (and, in doing so, created a
strong anti-authoritarian global alliance), and staying focused on
avoiding escalation while holding Russia accountable.

It’s not hard to imagine where we’d be if Trump were still president
(remember: Trump was impeached for the first time because of a [ [link removed] ]phone
call with Ukrainian President Zelensky where he threatened to withhold
military aid to the country if Zelensky didn’t do him a “favor” and find
dirt on Biden’s son Hunter — and just last week, [ [link removed] ]Trump called Putin a
genius).

The kind of leadership we’ve seen from Biden thus far is the kind of
leadership we need to see continue. Over the coming days and weeks, we all
should be looking for the Administration to:

 1. Pursue peace: President Biden must continue his focus on diplomacy to
encourage Russia to cease its offensive.
 2. Hold aggressors accountable: The United States and our allies must
continue ongoing and escalating sanctions targeting Putin and his
oligarchs.
 3. Provide humanitarian assistance and relief to those impacted,
including protections for Ukrainians in the United States: As of now,
the United States has announced that we’re sending nearly $54 million
in humanitarian aid. But, our responsibility doesn’t end there: we
echo [ [link removed] ]the calls of 177 organizations (PDF) demanding protection for
Ukrainians currently in the US, as well as calls to support
resettlement for those currently fleeing the country as refugees.
 4. Make urgent investments in green energy: This isn’t a silver bullet,
but it is an important step in fighting back against authoritarian
regimes like Putin’s.

What you can do right now

We wish that there was one singular thing we could tell you could do to
immediately stop the violence unfolding in Ukraine. But we’d be lying.
That said, as we just spent far too many words talking about, there are
actions you can take right now to make a difference in how this fight
unfolds:

 1. [ [link removed] ]Donate to Ukrainian aid organizations helping people on the
ground.
 2. [ [link removed] ]Record a video telling President Biden you’re proud of his
leadership & telling him you’ve got his back. Some politicians are
using this moment to continue dividing the country and blaming the
President for what’s happening in Ukraine. They’re wrong, and it’s
important we counter it. Record a video and post it to social media to
thank President Biden and encourage him to continue pursuing peace and
diplomacy, holding aggressors accountable, and providing humanitarian
assistance and relief to those impacted, including protections for
Ukrainian immigrants in the United States. You can [ [link removed] ]check out
Ezra’s video here if you’re looking for inspiration.
 3. [ [link removed] ]Write a letter to the editor telling your neighbors you’re proud
of President Biden’s leadership on Ukraine thus far — and what you’re
watching for as the crisis evolves.

We’ve been saying for years that the struggle for democracy is global.
There are limited ways that we can personally help Ukraine, but the
actions that we take to fight for a true and inclusive American democracy
have ripple effects around the world. We know that we’re facing an assault
on our freedoms, from voting rights and voter suppression to local attacks
on schools teaching history and transgender kids. They’re all linked. And
the fight is far from over.

There’s going to be lots more in the coming weeks about what more you can
do. But for now, we’ll say this: there’s no one we’d rather be fighting
for democracy alongside than you. Today, our hearts are with Ukraine, and
with everyone engaged in this global fight against authoritarianism.

In solidarity,
Leah Greenberg
Co-Executive Director
Indivisible

P.S. Indivisibles and people everywhere are showing up to Ukraine
solidarity events and vigils around the country. Just look at [ [link removed] ]these
hundreds of folks out in Concord, Massachusetts (h/t Indivisible Concord).
If you’re holding or attending an event, tag us in your photos [ [link removed] ]on
Twitter (@IndivisibleTeam). We want to uplift you!

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