Ever since the Taliban took over Afghanistan back in August, it seems that war and conflict is going to be the new trend for this year. As world superpowers, the U.S. and Russia appear to be prepping for war seemingly out of nowhere. However, after observing the facts and history of this conflict, these aggressive actions do not seem so surprising. 

Since the end of December, Russia has begun amassing over 100,000 troops at the Russia-Ukraine border according to BBC. Accompanied with plenty of weapons, supplies and even spare blood for medical procedures all lined up at the border. The origin of this conflict stemmed from President Putin’s desire to extend Russian control over parts of western europe and for Putin’s own selfish desire to “cement his legacy,” as Vox would put it. I for one believe that it’s a ridiculous idea to use your countries resources to push your own personal power trip desires, and it’s even worse knowing that these actions will negatively impact the lives of everyone involved. 

However this conflict extends much further back than many realize. Back in 2014, Putin managed to Annex a portion of Ukraine called Crimea. This action was the first look at Putin’s real plans for dominance over Ukraine, so it’s not shocking that he appears to be calling an invasion now. But, the real issue is the questions and fears about whether or not the U.S. will intervene with its rival’s expansion and drag us all into war and possibly draft. As someone who is going to be turning eighteen in May, I am completely against this idea, not just because I don’t want to die in a war that has nothing to do with me, but also because I am sick of political leaders forcing people to be used as pawns for their own political gains. 

President Biden has already stated that Russia will “pay a serious and dear price for invading Ukraine” according to Forbes, which is just another excuse for him to insert the U.S. into foreign affairs and put my generation’s lives at risk, just like when former president Ronald Reagan sent children out of high school to Vietnam. But, I think this conflict speaks to a greater issue: stop forcing the problems of previous generations onto newer ones.

Gen Z is known for being the starters of real social change across every diaspora and the enders of many toxic generational issues that have persisted for decades. Especially in relation to racism and xenophobia, So in true Gen Z fashion, I believe that war and conflict with foreign nations that have nothing to do with us should be lumped in with those generational issues. That’s not to say that I agree whatsoever with the way that Putin is threatening Ukraine, but I am saying that I am tired of being thrown into talks of war everytime some old man born in the fifties has a disagreement with another old man born in the fifties. 

Today’s new America is finally starting to realize how horribly America has treated entire demographics of people across several generations. So I think it is fair to say that America, especially those tasked with taking care of this world once the previous generations are long gone, is not meant to be dealing with issues like these any longer. It is  not just drafts either, today’s key issues over climate change, social justice and wealth inequality could all be easily fixed if we stopped listening to old people who are way past their prime time. Don’t get me wrong, I love my grandparents, but I think it is time for younger generations to start resolving conflicts that older generations caused, rather than deal with new ones to be fixed.