[flylock shox]

One of the better messages I've seen on the war so far, published in the Globe:

For days now I have been glued to the news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reminiscing and thinking about how history keeps repeating itself. It was around this time of year, almost 20 years ago, that we were the terrified people, desperate for a haven from brutal bombing in Baghdad. We Iraqis know firsthand the pain of wars: It’s in our children’s eyes, and inscribed on our minds and souls.

Some might think that Ukraine is not Iraq – that Ukraine is more “developed” – and to some degree, they would be right. But war is war and fear is fear, regardless of geography or history, society or technology, ethnicity or nationality. To me, it is nonsense to say that the world is siding with Ukraine because of how Ukrainians look; that promotes unnecessary hatred and division, when all refugees are simply people who have been caught in the crossfire. No person – no matter where they are from, or what they look like – wants to flee their homes.


World leaders have been quick to declare their support for Ukraine. But as I watch heartbreaking scenes of people fleeing with whatever belongings they can carry, I am mostly thinking about Ukraine’s mothers. The woman who just wants to feed her hungry children, or who is trying to figure out what to tell them when warplanes roar over their neighbourhood. She’ll have to answer questions she could not have imagined: Which is worse for attacks, daytime or nighttime? How will they come out from this tragedy unbroken? I wonder if she is even able to contemplate the mundane, such as sending her kids to school or whether they have brushed their teeth...