The article argues that modern conflicts are increasingly defined by attrition, driven by three strategic gaps: the difference between nominal military power and usable capacity; the difficulty of achieving breakthroughs in a technologically advanced battlefield; and the detachment of military means from clear political objectives. Evidence from Ukraine and the Middle East demonstrates that sustained logistics, rapid technological adaptation, and proxy networks are now more decisive than sheer military size. For policymakers, this implies a strategic shift away from seeking short, decisive victories toward preparing for prolonged, high-cost engagements, requiring a focus on sustainable supply chains and defining concrete, attainable political end-states.
Defending Ukraine’s Identity, and why it is key for durable peace
English Summary
The event argues that defending Ukraine’s cultural, linguistic, and religious sovereignty is essential to any durable peace, because identity policy is directly tied to state security. It cites post-2014 reforms such as de-communization laws, language requirements in public life, and the 2019 independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as evidence of Kyiv’s effort to reduce Russian imperial influence while maintaining private minority-language use. The discussion frames Russia’s full-scale war and negotiation demands (including restoring Russian influence networks and elevating Russian language status) as tools to weaken Ukrainian statehood from within. Strategically, it implies that peace terms must protect Ukraine’s control over domestic identity policy, while balancing EU-aligned minority-rights standards and prioritizing cultural heritage protection in recovery planning.
中文摘要
該活動主張，捍衛烏克蘭在文化、語言與宗教上的主權，是任何可持久和平的必要條件，因為身分認同政策與國家安全直接相連。活動並援引2014年後的改革作為證據，包括去共產化法律、公共生活中的語言規範，以及2019年烏克蘭東正教會獨立，顯示基輔在維持私人領域少數語言使用的同時，致力降低俄羅斯帝國影響。討論將俄羅斯的全面戰爭及其談判訴求（包括恢復俄羅斯影響力網絡與提升俄語地位）界定為從內部削弱烏克蘭國家性的工具。從戰略層面看，其意涵是和平條款必須保障烏克蘭對國內身分認同政策的主導權，同時兼顧與歐盟一致的少數權利標準，並在重建規劃中優先保護文化遺產。
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