海角大神

For Ukrainian civilians left in the Donbas region, intensified Russian war pressures have eroded a sense of security. To manage their fears, many focus on their faith聽鈥� and the work of surviving.

Both sides of the abortion debate say the end of Roe would be just 鈥渢he beginning.鈥� As California and others try to create havens for reproductive rights, the states may face legal warfare with one another.

China鈥檚 zero-COVID-19 regime combines elements that are at once Orwellian and paternalistic. People鈥檚 responses to them reveal a lot about Beijingers鈥� attitudes toward authority.听

During a Monitor coffee with reporters Thursday, Ambassador Oksana Markarova addressed how Ukraine would define victory in the war.

For Benedict Cumberbatch, acting is all about versatility.听The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most recent beneficiary.

On May 9, Moscow will again celebrate Victory Day, marking the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany, but this year鈥檚 military display in Red Square will be more subdued than in past years. One reason is that the invasion of Ukraine has not gone well. Ten weeks into the war, the Kremlin may be wondering why some 200,000 Russian soldiers and better armaments have not defeated a much smaller enemy.

A big reason is that Russia鈥檚 superior numbers are no match for the superior motives of Ukrainian fighters. Not only are Ukrainians defending their country鈥檚 sovereignty and know their terrain well; they are more certain than Russian soldiers that they reflect the qualities of their society, such as equality-based rule of law.

While both nations have compulsory military service, far more of Russia鈥檚 troops are drafted, many of them unwilling conscripts in a war they barely understand. Bribery to evade the draft is common in Russia. In Ukraine鈥檚 army, forced conscription has been rare during the war because of a rush of volunteer fighters. The country鈥檚 democratic reforms have reduced corruption in the military and allowed commanders to grant more freedom for officers to act on their own. Valeriy Zaluzhnyy, the commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, tells officers to 鈥渢urn your face to the people, to your subordinates.鈥�

The ability of Ukraine鈥檚 soldiers to collaborate and improvise comes out of the country鈥檚 young democracy. As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Economist last month, 鈥�It鈥檚 not about who has more weapons or more money or gas or oil, et cetera. And that鈥檚 why we have to have agency. That鈥檚 what I understood, the first thing that I understood, that we the people have [agency]. People are leaders.鈥�

If history is any guide, Ukraine will win this war. In their 2002 book, scholars Dan Reiter and Allan C. Stam looked at wars since 1815 and found that democracies won more than three-quarters of them. One reason: An emphasis on individual liberties and rights results in better leadership in warfare. So far, Ukraine鈥檚 battlefield victories fit the book.