The War in Ukraine

Haus der Kulturen der Welt strongly condemns the war of aggression on Ukraine. Vladimir Putin and the power elite surrounding him are responsible for the war. With this war, Putin is pursuing imperialist claims to power combined with the colonization of smaller states. We sympathize and stand in solidarity with the suffering and struggling people in Ukraine who are opposing the violent regime of the Kremlin leader and with the refugees who are being forced to leave their homes. It is a regime of violence under which large parts of Russian society are also suffering, and against which Russian artists, intellectuals and activists have repeatedly taken to the streets at risk to life and limb. Our full support goes to them as well.

The weapons that are now being used in Ukraine previously wreaked horrific destruction in Syria. There, cities like Aleppo were destroyed in bombings like those Ukraine is now experiencing, with many civilians dead and people fleeing. They need our support and solidarity as much as the people in Ukraine and those who are now fleeing from there – this absolutely includes those from other parts of the world who lived and worked in Ukraine.

War suspends all the rules of peaceful coexistence. It is important and right to oppose a despot. It would be equally important for policymakers and civil society to work towards a political order that considers the perspectives of all societies, both during and after the war. In other words, to develop and establish appropriate prospects for the future together with Ukrainian and Russian societies. Moreover, we must not make the Cold War mistake of focusing on imperial powers and thus ignoring the ambitions and interests of the societies of the global South. They must play an active role in creating and shaping a new world society.

Against this background, the struggle of the Ukrainian people, which deserves our full support, would then also be a struggle for a truly posthegemonic world order.

Bernd Scherer, Director of Haus der Kulturen der Welt
March 4, 2022

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