Posted at 12:00 p.m.
Conflict, war, invasion?
The war in Ukraine is on all screens. In all thoughts. Hard to escape it. Hard, too, not to talk about it. Only here: what do we say? What do we answer when certain realities or nuances perhaps escape us? “The first thing to do is to avoid talking about a conflict. Because it’s not a conflict between two countries, it’s an invasion: Russia has invaded Ukraine”, sums up and popularizes Maria Popova, professor in the department of political science at McGill University, herself a mother. of three children (from 5 to 16 years old).
She has been studying the area for 20 years.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Maria Popova, Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University
In a way, it’s a very simple war to explain. Much easier to explain than other wars. Because it’s all white and all black.
Maria Popova, Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University
The professor, holder of the Jean Monnet Chair, who is usually very “nuanced”, is categorical: “There is no nuance here. This is an invasion, therefore, on the part of a country, Russia, convinced that its neighbour, Ukraine, is a “Nazi” dictatorship. “But we in the West know this is wrong: Ukraine is a democracy, with a legitimately elected government in 2019, with 70% of the vote. “The key, insists the researcher:” It is really an invasion of one country by another. »
Will Canada go to war?
What about us in there? Are we going to war too? “No, retorts the professor and pedagogue”, who had to answer all these questions at home. “Canada is not going to war, but the country can help Ukraine. ” How? ‘Or’ What ? Not by fighting, but by sending humanitarian aid, equipment, or perhaps weapons. “But not by fighting,” she insists. Canada will not enter Ukraine. Neither does NATO. » NATO? What is NATO again? Clearly, “it is a group of democratic countries in North America and Europe that have promised to protect each other. If one of the countries is attacked, all the others will help it”. But be careful, she continues: “Ukraine is not a member of NATO. But since NATO sees that Ukraine is not in the wrong, NATO will help Ukraine, but not fight. »
Could this become World War III?
That’s a big (and scary) question. “We are not there yet, simply replies Maria Popova. Yes, all wars have this potential, but we are not there yet. She also believes that it is important to remember that other conflicts (the war in Syria, in particular) could have gone global, but that such an escalation did not materialize.
PHOTO ANATOLII STEPANOV, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
Ukrainian soldiers drive in tanks towards the front line in the Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine.
To reassure her children, she insists on the importance of remembering how lucky we are to live in a democracy. “It gives you some perspective,” she says. In addition, we are far away and not directly involved. And we will remain so. Which doesn’t mean we can’t show our support for the Ukrainians, she concludes. “We have nothing to fear, but we have a moral obligation to try to help the Ukrainians. ” How? ‘Or’ What ? By sending humanitarian aid, by showing our support, why not (for older children), by demanding that Canada impose tougher sanctions on Russia. And then, finally, always, recalling “clearly” the facts: “It’s an invasion. »
The psychologist’s opinion
As in the case of all conflicts, disasters, pandemics (!), clinical psychologist Florence Marcil-Denault reminds parents of their primary duty, namely: “to protect [des informations et des désinformations], reassure and, above all, listen and listen again”. Especially with the youngest (under 10-11 years old, in whom the brain is not yet capable of abstraction), “parents have this task of digesting everything that is aggressive, scary, difficult to understand”, says she, emphasizing in passing that this war falls very badly, while we are all, and collectively, “weakened”. Are you on edge, stressed by the news? “Your children will feel it…”, she warns. Then, she continues, adapt your answers according to age: by keeping toddlers (under 5 years old) as far away as possible from the news, by answering questions (if, and only if, questions there are) from children school-age, and opening the door to discussion with your teens. To do this, inform yourself: “We have a duty to be informed. When you don’t know: say so. And find answers (from reliable sources, of course). And if your children (and teenagers) have their minds elsewhere, good for them. Really: “Right now, I don’t think it’s a priority to overwhelm our children or our teenagers if they don’t have the head for it…”, she concludes.