Ukraine's Resistance to Authoritarianism Offers Cautionary Tale for America

Jonathan Becker, president of Bard College, recounts returning to Ukraine for the first time in 34 years to teach Václav Havel's writings on totalitarian control while experiencing Russian bombardment firsthand. Becker draws a stark contrast between his 1992 visit when Americans represented the global standard for free expression and Ukrainians feared oppression, to 2026 when that dynamic has inverted and American democracy itself faces authoritarian threats. His essay suggests that Ukraine's ongoing struggle for democratic survival contains urgent lessons for Americans confronting potential democratic backsliding.

Becker's 1992 visit occurred during Ukraine's initial post-Soviet period, when the country was establishing democratic institutions after decades of authoritarian rule. The Kyiv Mohyla Academy, where he taught, had been closed by Russian imperial authorities over a century earlier, making its reopening symbolically significant for the nation's independence efforts. His return in 2026 involved teaching through active conflict, with students and faculty experiencing regular missile threats—a stark contrast to the hopeful transition period of three decades prior.

The Language and Thinking program Becker oversees operates globally across diverse settings, from American prisons to Palestinian universities, emphasizing critical reading and student voice development. In the Kyiv context, the curriculum includes classical texts alongside contemporary Ukrainian constitutional materials, reflecting efforts to help young people develop independent analytical capacity in an environment where external pressures—both military and informational—threaten autonomous thought.