The war in Ukraine has struck the civilized world as a throwback to barbarism — more precisely, to the barbaric use of civilization’s most potent off-shoot: science. The worst fear is of barbarism triumphant. Ironic echoes of World War II abound.
The air bombing of Japan, like the air bombing of Ukraine, was pure science and pure horror. Japan’s militarist leadership at the time declared Japanese spirit would triumph over spiritless technology. It didn’t. Ukraine’s democratic leadership declares Ukrainian spirit will triumph. It may.
Powerful memories are being stirred in Japan. World War II reduced Japan to rubble. Ukraine braced for the worst. Japan’s past looked like its future, when Russia invaded in February. Spirit is a potent force — but spirit unarmed goes only so far. A major factor in Ukraine’s astonishing resistance and resurgence has been the drones, supplied by the United States, nicknamed “kamikaze.” This may be the most ironic echo of all — the irony compounded and embittered by Russia’s recent deployment of Iranian-made drones also called “kamikaze.”