WARSAW, Poland — On Sunday, prominent American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum emphasized the importance of ongoing support for Ukraine during her acceptance speech for a prestigious German award. She argued that adopting a pacifist stance in the face of aggression can often lead to appeasement rather than resolution.
Applebaum addressed the audience in Frankfurt as she received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. Alongside her was her spouse, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who, like Applebaum, is an influential advocate for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s ongoing invasion.
“If there is even a small chance that military defeat could help end this horrific cult of violence in Russia, just as military defeat once brought an end to the cult of violence in Germany, we should take it,” she stated, emphasizing the critical importance of the situation.
Many within Germany hold a pacifist view, shaped by the country’s past under Adolf Hitler during World War II. This has created hesitancy among some about supplying military aid to Ukraine, fueled by apprehension that such actions could escalate the conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders and threaten Europe as a whole.
“Some even refer to the ‘lessons of German history’ in their calls for peace,” Applebaum remarked, pointing out the complexity of these arguments.
While accepting the peace prize, she contended that the desire for peace is not always an ethical stance. “The lesson from German history shouldn’t be that Germans must commit to pacifism, but rather that they have a unique responsibility to defend freedom, even at great risk,” she asserted.
The award, which carries a value of 25,000 euros (approximately $27,185), was presented in St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt, a significant location recognized as the birthplace of German parliamentary democracy, coinciding with the conclusion of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Since its inception in 1950, the prize honors individuals who have advanced the concept of peace through various fields such as literature, science, or art. Last year’s recipient was Salman Rushdie, celebrated for his resilience against decades of threats and violence.
Despite some criticism following her strong remarks in favor of continued military support for Ukraine, Applebaum received warm applause for her address, as reported by the German news agency dpa. The head of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association noted the mixed reactions to her views.
In her speech, Applebaum warned of the dangers of pacifism in the context of Ukraine. She argued that such a position could equate to complacency towards the military occupation, cultural erasure, and human rights abuses occurring within Ukraine, including the persecution and kidnapping of its citizens.
Applebaum, a writer for The Atlantic, has authored several significant works exploring totalitarianism in Eastern Europe, such as “The Gulag,” “The Iron Curtain,” and “Red Famine,” centered around Stalin’s war on Ukraine. Her recent publication, “Autocracy, Inc. The Dictators Who Want to Run the World,” continues her examination of authoritarian regimes. In 2004, she was honored with a Pulitzer Prize for her contributions to journalism.
The prize jury acknowledged that Applebaum’s insightful examinations of communist and post-communist regimes in the Soviet Union and Russia highlight the methods by which authoritarian figures seize and maintain power.
The commendation for Applebaum was presented by Russian historian Irina Scherbakova, a founding member of the human rights group Memorial, which has been banned in Russia and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.